Page 1184 - Politics
Jitendra Singh to face direct contest with Dogra Maharaja's grandson in Udhampur LS seat
Union minister Jitendra Singh will have a direct contest with Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of erstwhile Maharaja Hari Singh, on the Udhampur-Doda parliamentary seat. Jitendra Singh, who is banking on his development report card, has challenged the previous governments to compare their six-and-half decades long work with his government's performance as he seeks votes in the name of bringing back Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power in New Delhi. Vikramaditya Singh (54), on the other hand, is the grandson of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh and son of Congress leader Karan Singh. His candidature is also supported by the National Conference (NC). Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has also not fielded any candidate against him in a bid to ensure that the secular vote bank does not get divided, thereby, giving benefit to Singh, party sources said. Meanwhile, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan (DSS) founder and former BJP minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who won the seat in the ...
Governors, government, media campaign for BJP: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that "Governors, government agencies and media" were campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
US agency successfully tests missile interceptors
The US Missile Defence Agency successfully launched two ground-based missile interceptors in rapid succession against a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched from a test site in the Pacific.
Former BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari likely to join Congress:Party sources
Former BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari is likely to join the Congress in Jaipur on Tuesday, party sources said. They said Tiwari will join the Congress in the presence of its president Rahul Gandhi, who is scheduled to meet party workers in Jaipur's Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday evening. In 2017, Tiwari had opened a front against BJP leader and then chief minister Vasundhara Raje and resigned from the party in June 2018. He had openly criticised and accused Raje of corruption and made several complaints against her to the party high command. He alleged that he was not heard in the party. Tiwari had floated Bharat Vahini Party ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections in 2018. He contested the election from Sanganer seat from where he not only lost but also got his security forfeited.
Pompeo warns Russia against Venezuela interference
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called on Moscow "to cease its unconstructive behaviour" in Venezuela, the State Department said in a statement
US envoy for North Korea visits Beijing: official
The US special envoy for North Korea is visiting Beijing to coordinate policies with China, the US embassy said Tuesday, a month after the failure of a denuclearisation summit. Stephen Biegun, Washington's North Korea envoy, is here to "continue US-China coordination on policies related to North Korea", a US embassy spokesman told AFP, declining to share more details. Biegun's visit to the Chinese capital overlaps with the arrival of an unidentified high-ranking North Korean, who was greeted by Chinese government officials and Pyongyang's envoy to China on Tuesday, reported South Korea's Yonhap news agency. It was not clear whether the visits by the US and North Korean officials were related. Biegun's trip comes after US President Donald Trump abruptly cut short the February 27-28 summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid fundamental differences between the two sides over dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The summit, their second in under a year, ...
C'garh LS poll: Cong fields women candidates from Durg, Korba
The Congress has fielded women candidates, including a former MLA, in two key constituencies - Durg and Korba in Chhattisgarh for the April-May Lok Sabha polls. Former MLA Pratima Chandrakar will take on the BJP's Vijay Baghel, a Kurmi leader and former MLA, from Durg Lok Sabha seat. Jyotsna Mahant, wife of Assembly Speaker Charandas Mahant, has been fielded from Korba against BJP's Jyotinand Dubey. Congress sources said Speaker Mahant, an MLA from Sakti, has considerable influence in Korba region, having been Lok Sabha MP from there in 2009. They said Mahant's work in the region would help his wife's poll prospects. Chandrakar was MLA from Durg Rural seat in 2008 but lost the 2013 Assembly polls. In the 2018 Assembly polls, she was replaced from the seat by sitting MP Tamradhwaj Sahu. With the announcement of candidates for Durg and Korba late Monday evening, the Congress has completed ticket distribution in all 11 seats of the state. Chhattisgarh will vote in three ...
Election observers say initial Thai vote count was 'flawed'
An international election observation group has issued a critical report on Thailand's first election since a 2014 military coup, saying the "tabulation and consolidation of ballots were deeply flawed." The Asian Network for Free Elections says those issues led to the announcement of some preliminary results that were "wildly inaccurate." It says the inaccuracies damaged the "perceived integrity of the general election." Thailand's Election Commission has defended the count and said full preliminary results will be released Friday. Tuesday's comments from the observers come as a military-backed party and the party whose government was ousted in the coup both claim they should form the next government. Preliminary results show the anti-military party won the most seats, while the military party appears to have gotten the most votes in Sunday's poll.
Previous sanctions on N Korea to remain, says US
The United States on Monday (local time) said that the earlier sanctions imposed on North Korea will remain in place as US President Donald Trump is not keen to slap additional penalties on the communist country for its nuclear weapons programme."Look, the sanctions that were in place before are certainly still on. They are very tough sanctions. The President just doesn't feel it's necessary to add additional sanctions at this time. Nothing else to add," Yonhap News Agency quoted White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders as saying.On March 22, Trump removed additional "large-scale" US Treasury sanctions on North Korea."It was announced today by the US Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!" Trump tweeted.This move was largely being viewed as Trump's bid to keep denuclearisation talks with North Korea on track after the Hanoi summit ended ...
Rahul Gandhi to take a decision on Cong-AAP alliance: P C Chakho
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will take a final decision regarding an alliance between his party and AAP in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader PC Chacko said on Tuesday."Yesterday, we had discussions with the Congress president, senior leaders of Delhi in my presence. The discussions are now over. The party president will take a final decision today. We will not delay the decision. We will announce it as early as possible," Chacko, who is party in-charge for Delhi, told ANI.Asked whether AAP was consulted, Chacko said, "We have had no word with the AAP as we had to take a preliminary decision on our party's political stand whether we wanted an alliance or not. Both parties may have problems. That apart, we have to defeat (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and BJP."The senior Congress leader has been in favour of an alliance with AAP in Delhi for the general elections.Chacko's remarks came after Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit had written a letter to Gandhi last week .
Congress says NYAY not a 'top-up scheme'; hits out at 'anti-poor' BJP
Congress on Tuesday clarified that its minimum income guarantee initiative, NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), is not a "top-up scheme" but assures Rs 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families.Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the BJP of being "anti-poor"."Rs 72,000 will be provided to 5 crore of the poorest families of the country. This is not a top-up scheme as all 20 per cent families will be given Rs 72,000 per year. This is a women-centric scheme as the amount will be deposited in the account of the woman of the family. The scheme will cover both urban and rural poor of the country. This is the biggest scheme in the world which will be implemented in independent India," he said."If someone is earning Rs 6,000 then other 6,000 will be given and this is how it is topped-up but in 5 crore families, it is not possible to analyze the income of all five crore families. Hence if someone earns 7,000, we have to give him 72,000 hence we will ..
Milind Deora denies rift within Cong, says party leaders will work together for Mumbai
Congress' Murli Milind Deora on Tuesday downplayed reports of a rift in the party over his appointment as Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief, replacing Sanjay Nirupam.Speaking to media in Mumbai on Tuesday, Deora said, "There is no fight within the party. Everyone is together. We will make it a point during this and future elections to work together for the citizens of Mumbai."When asked about the issues he will focus on, Deora said affordable housing in Mumbai is on the top of his agenda."In Mumbai, each and every person wants his own house. People living in slums or in rented accommodations want their own houses. I, with my party workers, will work on it," he added.Deora also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not implementing the Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme and furthering unemployment by introducing demonetisation."Rahul Gandhi ji has promised that if voted to power he will implement Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme. It is unfortunate that in the past five ...
Omar hopes Kargil-Skardu, other roads will also open
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday expressed hope that the Pakistani government will also open Kargil-Skardu and other roads between divided Kashmir.
Saudi Arabia 'rejects and condemns' US Golan move
Saudi Arabia on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's decision to proclaim the Golan Heights Israeli territory, saying it "condemned" the move as a violation of international law. "Saudi Arabia expresses its firm rejection and condemnation of the US administration's declaration that it recognises Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights," read a statement published by the Saudi state news agency. The powerful kingdom is a key Arab ally of the United States, with ties steadily warming since Trump's 2017 inauguration.
US successfully tests anti-ICBM system: statement
The US military said Monday it had successfully tested an anti-intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, with a target launched from the Marshall Islands shot down by two interceptors based in California. To protect against the threat from ICBMs, the US has developed the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which is designed to fire an interceptor missile into space and use kinetic energy to destroy the incoming target. While it has been tested before, this was the first successful test involving a salvo of interceptor missiles, the military said in a statement. The first of the interceptors, located more than 6,500 kilometers from the simulated ICBM's launchpad, aimed for the test target's re-entry vehicle, while the second aimed for remaining debris, the statement said. The head of the Missile Defense Agency, Air Force Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves, called the test a "critical milestone." The GMD system "is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and ...
Australian party accused of asking US gun lobby for money
Australia's prime minister on Tuesday expressed concern over a media report that an influential minor political party had asked the U.S. gun lobby for donations to help undermine Australian gun laws. An Al Jazeera documentary showed One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun interests in September last year weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations. It is unclear whether they secured any money. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government had made laws to "criminalize taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics." "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning," Morrison tweeted. The Al Jazeera documentary, using secret recordings made by a ...
Israel hits targets across Gaza after rocket attack
Israeli forces continued striking targets across the Gaza Strip through Tuesday, including the offices of Hamas' supreme leader, in response to a surprise rocket attack from the Palestinian territory, as the military bolstered its troops and rocket-defense systems in anticipation of a new round of heavy fighting with the Islamic militant group. Israel opened public bomb shelters in most major cities and civil defense authorities canceled sports events and public transportation in southern Israel. The Israeli army said at least 30 rockets had been fired into Israel, as air raid sirens wailed across southern Israel late Monday night. The army said nearly all of the rockets were either intercepted or landed in open areas. "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared during a White House meeting with President Donald Trump. "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," he said. "We will do whatever we must do to ...
Trump now calls for investigation against foes
Fortified by the exoneration of allegations that he had colluded with the Russians to get himself elected, US President Donald Trump and his supporters have come out swinging against those behind the accusations, calling for a probe of his adversaries, whom he called "treasonous".
Cricket tournament, tug of war held in Raipur to enhance voter awareness
In an attempt to boost voter awareness, Raipur district administration organised the 'SVEEP campaign' here on Monday, as part of which a cricket match and a tug of war competition were held.The events saw the attendance of Raipur Superintendent of Police (SP) Arif Shaikh, Raipur Election Commissioner Govind Ram and Zila Panchayat CEO Gaurav Singh.SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) campaign is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India."As per the SVEEP campaign, More Raipur Vote cricket tournament has been organised and it is to spread awareness in the city so that more and more people come out to vote. I am hopeful that our message will be conveyed," said Arif Shaikh, SP Raipur."Keeping in view the upcoming general elections, we are of the view that none of our voter should be left behind and hence we are working on this scheme so that we reach the mind and
Governor, government agencies and media are three campaigners of BJP: Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that the three campaigners for it are Governor, government agencies and media.Yadav's comment comes a day after Rajasthan Governor and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return to power is important for the nation.Yadav also said the BJP, in the last five years, has driven unemployment and insulted farmers, while its political strategies are social media, hate and money, with the Opposition being its key agenda.Last week, the SP leader had alleged that the BJP is the "most casteist party" in the country and should not give out lessons on socialism.War of words between different political parties is intensifying with the Lok Sabha election dates inching closer.SP, BSP and RLD are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance in Uttar Pradesh in which the SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on three. The alliance will .