Page 1258 - Politics
Ex-Congress minister DK Aruna joins BJP
Former Telangana minister DK Aruna joined BJP in the presence of the ruling party's president, Amit Shah, here on Tuesday night.Union Minister JP Nadda, BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and other leaders were also present while Aruna was inducted into the party.Speaking to media after joining the BJP, Aruna said: "Today, there's no hope for Congress to come to power in Telangana again. I joined BJP as there is a need for BJP to come to power there to fulfill people's aspirations."A former Congress MLA from Gadwal constituency in Telangana, Aruna has served as the Minister for Information and Public Relations in the state.According to reports, BJP may field Aruna from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha seat in Telangana in the upcoming polls.
'USA intends to designate Brazil as non-NATO ally'
The United States intends to designate Brazil as a "major" non-NATO ally, US President Donald Trump said during the joint press conference held here with his Brazilian counterpart on Tuesday (local time)."As I told President Bolsonaro, I also intend to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally or even possibly, if you start thinking about it, a NATO ally. We have to talk to a lot of people, but maybe a NATO ally," Trump said.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro undertook his first official overseas visit to the United States after winning last year's Presidential elections. He has been likened to Trump due to their shared rhetoric, with the media labelling him as the "Trump of the Tropics".While reaffirming bilateral ties, Trump heaped praises on Bolsonaro during the presser on Tuesday. Talking about his camaraderie with his Brazilian counterpart, Trump stated that the two leaders "feel very, very true to each other."He had earlier said that he was "inclined" on pitching for Brazil to ..
Country will develop only through regional parties: TRS MP Kavitha
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP from Nizamabad, K Kavitha criticised the BJP and Congress for failing to develop the country and said only regional parties can fuel development.Addressing a rally here on Tuesday, Kavitha said "It is high time to let India know the hardships that a turmeric producing farmer goes through in his life. The BJP government which boasts about their farmer-centric schemes should first and foremost know the plight of farmers. The desired solution can be achieved only when turmeric farmers stand for themselves. Thus, we want 1000 nominations to be filed by turmeric farmers."Kavitha further assured support to turmeric farmers on behalf of the TRS."TRS has stood with the turmeric producing farmers in the past as well and will be there for them always. The party under the leadership of KCR has raised the demand of National Turmeric Board in the Parliament and will keep on doing the same till the time our demand gets fulfilled."Kavitha also mentioned that the ...
US extends Iraq waiver over Iran sanctions
The United States is extending a waiver to let energy-hungry Iraq keep buying power from Iran, despite Washington's campaign of sanctions aimed at curbing Tehran, an official said. The State Department issued a second three-month exemption from Iran sanctions for Iraq, mindful not to destabilise the war-torn country increasingly reliant on Iranian gas and electricity to cope with chronic blackouts that have triggered unrest. "While this waiver is intended to help Iraq mitigate energy shortages, we continue to discuss our Iran-related sanctions with our partners in Iraq," a State Department official said. The official said that increasing Iraq's capacities and diversifying imports "will strengthen Iraq's economy and development as well as encourage a united, democratic and prosperous Iraq free from malign Iranian influence." Despite Washington's repeated warnings, Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein has walked a fine line and maintained warm ties with Iran, with which Iraq's majority
Russian defence minister meets Syrian president
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday visited Syria on the instruction of President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Trump: Expanding US Supreme Court will 'never happen'
US President Donald Trump has slapped down ambitious proposals being circulated by some Democratic White House candidates to expand the number of justices on the US Supreme Court, dismissing it as election sour grapes. Trump Tuesday said Democrats were seeking to rebalance the nine-member court or draw it once again to a more liberal lean after the high court shifted to the right with the president managing to place two of his nominees -- Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh -- on the bench. "So if they can't catch up through the ballot box by winning an election, they want to try doing it in a different way," Trump said at a White House press event with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro. "We would have no interest in that whatsoever, it'll never happen. I guarantee it won't happen for six years," Trump added, referring to his remaining time in office should he win re-election in 2020. The remarks come as several Democratic 2020 hopefuls said they might seek to expand the number of
TMC delegation meets EC officials, accuses BJP of violating Model Code of Conduct
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation comprising Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Chandan Mitra approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday to lodge a complaint against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.The TMC claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo was being published on railway tickets as part of a government scheme, which, the party said, was in violation of the MCC. It then urged the poll body to ensure that the pictures were taken off rail tickets.Earlier this month, a BJP delegation comprising Ravi Shankar Prasad, JP Nadda and others had urged the EC to declare Bengal as a 'super sensitive zone' while expressing apprehensions that the ruling TMC government might not allow free and fair elections to be held in West Bengal.Speaking to media after the meeting with EC officials, Prasad had said, "We have demanded that entire Bengal be declared a super-sensitive zone. We have also handed ...
Prashant Kishor's advise to Jagan Reddy adversely affecting peace in AP: Lanka Dinakar
TDP leader Lanka Dinakar on Tuesday said the advise that Janata Dal (United) vice president Prashant Kishor is offering YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is "adversely affecting peace and harmony" in Andhra Pradesh."Telugu Desam Party and N Chandrababu Naidu have a lot of respect for people of Bihar. Prashant Kishor is advising Jaganmohan Reddy, it's adversely affecting peace and harmony in Andhra Pradesh. We are only raising our voice against acts by Prashant Kishor that are threatening peace and harmony in Andhra Pradesh," Dinakar said.On Monday, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, while addressing party workers in Ongole area of Prakasam district, had accused 'Bihari dacoit' Kishor of removing the names of lakhs on voters from his state's electoral roll."K Chandrashekar Rao is doing criminal politics. He is grabbing the MLAs of Congress and TDP. Bihari dacoit Prasant Kishore has removed lakhs of votes in Andhra Pradesh. He is committing ...
BJP amplifies poll campaign with 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' caller tunes
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a bid to amplify its poll campaign, is now looking at reaching out to the masses with the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' caller tune ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.As part of the move, subscribers of various mobile networks will now be able to access and download the caller tune.'Main Bhi Chowkidar' was launched on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A day after the launch of the campaign, the Prime Minister, as well as a number of BJP leaders across the country, added the prefix 'chowkidar' to their Twitter handles as a mark of support to the poll campaign.In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Modi will address over 25 lakh 'chowkidars' (security guards) from across the country today via audio conference. He is also slated to address security guards from 500 locations who are associated with the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, on March 31.
Trump floats idea of Brazil becoming NATO member
President Donald Trump raised the possibility Tuesday that Brazil could become a member of NATO as he greeted far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for security talks at the White House. "I... intend to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally or even possibly, if you start thinking about it, maybe a NATO ally," Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden. "I have to talk to a lot of people, but maybe a NATO ally, which will greatly advance security and cooperation between our countries.
US negotiators to return to China next week: official
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will return to Beijing next week as the United States and China inch toward resolving their trade war, a senior administration official told AFP on Tuesday. The renewed shuttle diplomacy is a sign of progress in the talks after several weeks in which momentum toward a resolution appeared to have slowed. Following the renewed talks in Beijing, Chinese trade envoy Liu He will return to Washington the following week, with talks in their final stages, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters the talks were going "very well," reiterating the positive message of recent months. But he also said last week he was in "no rush" to strike a bargain, insisting any deal had to do more than make cosmetic changes. US and Chinese officials in recent weeks have alternated between projecting optimism and warning that they have much to do before reaching a final ...
Trump warns of 'a lot tougher' sanctions on Venezuela
President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States could impose "a lot tougher" sanctions on Venezuela as he urged the country's military to depose leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. Meeting Brazil's new right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, an avowed opponent of socialism, Trump declined to predict a time-frame for the fall of Maduro, who has clung to power for nearly two months since the United States and Latin American powers declared him illegitimate. "We haven't done the toughest sanctions," Trump told a joint news conference with Bolsonaro. "We've done, I would say, right down the middle, but we can go a lot tougher if we need to do that," Trump said. "What is happening there is a disgrace. This was one of the wealthiest countries in the world and all of a sudden, it is grief-stricken, poverty-stricken -- no food, no water, no air-conditioning, no anything," Trump said. Trump renewed his call on Venezuelan security forces to desert Maduro, who still enjoys support from the .
Trump ramps up claims of Big Tech bias
President Donald Trump stepped up claims of political bias by Big Tech firms Tuesday after one of his key congressional allies sued Twitter claiming it discriminates against conservatives. "Facebook, Google and Twitter, not to mention the Corrupt Media, are sooo on the side of the Radical Left Democrats," Trump tweeted after news of a lawsuit filed by Republican Representative Devin Nunes seeking $250 million in damages from Twitter. Trump returned to his familiar refrain of bias by Silicon Valley despite strong denials from the industry. In another tweet, the president pointed to a separate incident in which his social media director Dan Scavino was temporarily blocked on Facebook. "I will be looking into this!" Trump wrote, adding hashtag #StopTheBias. Facebook said Scavino was briefly blocked as a result of activity detected as spam, not for any political reason, and added that it had apologized to him. Nunes meanwhile alleged in his lawsuit filed in a Virginia state court that ...
TMC MLA promises contracts if councillors ensure victory of party candidate
Asansol Mayor and TMC MLA Jitendra Tiwari courted controversy on Tuesday after he promised party councillors with contracts worth lakhs of rupees if they ensured victory of TMC Lok Sabha candidate Moon Moon Sen from their respective wards. Tiwari, while conducting an election committee meeting here in presence of Sen, promised contracts worth Rs 1 crore to Rs 50 lakh to the party councillors depending on the number of votes polled in favour of the TMC LS candidate. "If you are able to get a lead of more than 5,000 votes in your ward, I promise you to give contracts worth Rs 1 crore, if you mange to get a lead of 3,000 votes, you will get contracts worth Rs 50 lakh. If you manage a lead of 2,000 and 1,000 votes, you will be given contracts worth Rs 25 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively," he said. The Asansol mayor also said if any councillor failed to ensure a lead of votes, he or she should resign from the post. "If I fail to give a lead from my ward, I will also resign," he ...
Germany initiates move at EU to list Masood Azhar as global terrorist
Germany has initiated a move at the European Union to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, days after China blocked a bid at the United Nations to ban him, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. They said Germany was in touch with several member nations of the European Union for listing Azhar as a terrorist which will result in his travel ban as well as freezing of his assets in the 28 countries of the bloc. Germany has floated a proposal to ban Azhar by the European Union, but no resolution on the issue has been moved yet, diplomatic sources said. They said all 28 member countries of the European Union (EU) will have to support the move to ban the Pakistan-based terrorist as the bloc decides on such issues under the principle of consensus. On March 15, France imposed financial sanctions on Azhar and said it will work with its European partners for putting the JeM chief's name on the EU list of persons and entities involved in terrorist acts. The decision .
Cong releases sixth list of candidates
The Congress late Tuesday night released its sixth list of nine candidates, seven from Maharashtra and two from Kerala, for the Lok Sabha elections. With this, the party has so far released names of 146 candidates for the polls starting April 11. In Kerala, the Congress announced that Shanimol Usman will be the candidate from the Alappuzha seat and Adoor Prakash from the Attingal seat. The Alappuzha seat is currently represented by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who has decided to opt out of the contest citing organisational work. In Maharashtra, the party has fielded K C Padavi from Nandurbar, Kunal Rohidas Patil from Dhule, Charulata Khajasingh Tokas from Vardha, Manikrao G Thakarey from Yavatmal-Washim, Eknath Gaikwad from Mumbai-South Central, Bhausahib Kamble from Shirdi and Navinchandra Bandivadekar from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. The list was cleared after a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee chaired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday ...
Manikrao Thakre, Gaikwad in Congress sixth list
The Congress on Tuesday night released its sixth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, which includes former Maharashtra party unit chief Manikrao Thakre from Yavatmal-Washim and
Modi to interact with 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' supporters
To intensify the "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would interact with people, mainly security guards, across the country through audio bridge technology on Wednesday a day ahead of Holi, the festival of colours.
Congress will scrap Citizenship Bill forever: Rahul
Launching his party's Lok Sabha campaign for the northeast, here on Tuesday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would be scrapped if his party came to power.
Congress has officially ruled out alliance: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the Congress has officially conveyed its "no" for an alliance in the city.