Page 1351 - Politics
Taiwan leader to visit Pacific allies to firm up ties
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen will visit three Pacific nations this month to shore up ties, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to lure away Taipei's dwindling number of allies. Tsai will visit Palau, Nauru and Marshall Islands between March 21 and March 28 -- her second official visit to the Pacific amid growing concerns about China targeting countries in the region. Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge its "one China" policy. The two sides split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the self-ruling island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold. Five countries have switched official recognition to Beijing since Tsai became president, leaving Taipei with only 17 diplomatic allies including six in the Pacific. Beijing has also made progress with the Vatican, Taiwan's most powerful official ally and its only one in Europe, by signing a landmark agreement ...
Politicizing border conflict won't help BJP: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that BJP's politicization of the "surgical strikes" on terror camps in Pakistan will not help it in the Lok Sabha election in Delhi.
Royal jitters in Uttarakhand BJP (Dangal 2019)
Royal jitters are being felt in the BJP in Uttarakhand ahead of the April 11 Lok Sabha election.
BJP to finalise LS candidates in Telangana on March 15
The BJP would finalise its candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Telangana on March 15, a party leader said Tuesday. The names are likely to be announced on that day or March 16, Telangana BJP Chief official spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao told PTI. The Lok Sabha elections would be held in single phase in Telangana on April 11. The BJP fared badly in the December seven 2018 Assembly elections in Telangana, winning just one seat, down from a strength of five in the previous House. Candidates of Amit Shah-led party, in fact, forfeited their deposoits in more than 100 Assembly segments out of the total 119. But Rao said the BJP considers Telangana voters as smart and they would differentiate between an Assembly and a Parliamentary election. "I think voters of Telangana will vote for a strong, stable and vision-based government which is ours", he said. Rao claimed that the Congress seems to be in complete confusion with "key leaders" of the party defecting to the TRS ...
Rajasekharan gets rousing welcome
Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan was on Tuesday given a rousing reception by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sangh Parivar workers when he arrived here.
Seoul: North Korea launch would be catastrophe for diplomacy
A South Korean presidential adviser says a possible North Korean rocket launch would be "catastrophic" for diplomacy on the North's nuclear programme. US-based websites recently released satellite photographs indicating that North Korea has restored structures at its long-range rocket launch facility that it dismantled last year. The satellite imageries were released days after the second US-North Korea summit in Vietnam ended without any agreement. Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to President Moon Jae-in, told a panel discussion Tuesday that North Korea using a rocket launch as leverage in negotiations would be a "bad move." He says both North Korea and the US must restrain themselves to keep diplomacy alive. Moon says the Hanoi summit showed how "difficult" and "painful" to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
Pakistan made OIC body's deputy chair
Pakistan has clinched the slot of the deputy chairman of the general body of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), media reported on Tuesday.
US to pull all remaining diplomatic staff from Venezuela
The United States will withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Caracas as the crisis in Venezuela deepens, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. The move worsens already tattered relations, with President Donald Trump having said he rules out no options including military intervention to oust President Nicolas Maduro as Washington monitors rapidly unfolding events in the oil-rich but crippled South American nation supported by Russia and China. The US has already imposed sanctions designed to choke off Venezuelan oil sales, the lifeblood of the leftist government in Caracas. Much of Venezuela has been without electricity for going on five days now due to a power outage that the government blames on what it calls sabotage encouraged by the US. Venezuela is in the grips of an acute economic crisis that has fueled the rise of opposition leader Juan Guaido, the national assembly speaker who in late January declared himself to be the interim leader. More than 50 .
Cong to discuss key poll issues at CWC meeting in Gujarat
Congress leaders on Tuesday met in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to deliberate on poll strategy and discuss key issues like alliances and national security ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Led by president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the party's top leadership started discussions on key poll issues at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial here. The party started the day by paying rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram here. The day also marks the anniversary of the historic Dandi March, started by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930. It will also be the first official meeting of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh recently. The Congress leaders, while enumerating the key poll issues at the CWC meeting, said they will also discuss the issue of alliances. Sources said the CWC is likely to ..
Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture, says PM Modi
On the 89th anniversary of the historic Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at Congress, saying, "Its culture is the anti-thesis of Gandhian values."He quoted the works of Mahatma Gandhi to claim that Congress stands for everything that the Father of the Nation did not like -- casteism, corruption, communalism and dynastic politics.The Prime Minister in his blog titled, "When a handful of salt shook an Empire!" said, "Gandhi Ji taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person we have seen and think about how our work impacts that person. I am proud to say that in all aspects of our Government's work, the guiding consideration is to see how it will alleviate poverty and bring prosperity. Sadly, the anti-thesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture."He also accused Congress of creating caste divisions and practising inequality in the country while in power."Bapu said, ...through the realisation of freedom of India I hope to .
May secures legally binding changes for Brexit agreement: Minister
With a little over two weeks to go for Brexit, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has managed to secure "legally binding changes" to "strengthen and improve" Britain's Withdrawal Agreement from the European Union, according to Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington."Our agreement provides meaningful clarifications and legal guarantees to the Withdrawal Agreement and backstop. The choice is clear: it is this deal, or Brexit may not happen at all. Let's bring the UK's withdrawal to an orderly end. We owe it to history," Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission tweeted on Monday (local time).The United Kingdom is slated to leave the European Union on March 29, with the British Parliament being set for a "meaningful vote" on the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.If the newly negotiated deal is rejected again by the British Parliament, a vote will take place on March 13 to gauge if the Parliament wants to leave the EU without a deal on March 29.Then, if the Parliament ...
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay to join BJP today
In an embarrassment to the Congress party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today.BJP is most likely to field Sujay from Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency which is currently held by BJP's Dilip Mansukhlal Gandhi, according to BJP sources.Sujay will join the party at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's Varsha Bungalow in his presence this afternoon.There are already murmurs within the BJP against Sujay's likely candidature from Ahmednagar, sources shared.The protests are especially from supporters of Dilip Gandhi, a senior MP and also a former union minister, sources added.Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had reportedly tried to get a Lok Sabha ticket for his son from Ahmednagar, but the seat was in NCP's quota as part of its alliance with Congress.In a press conference, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had confirmed that his party had offered a ticket to Sujay Vikhe ...
Seoul to seek meetings with Pyongyang to revive talks with US
The South Korean government said on Tuesday that it will seek meetings with North Korea this year to strengthen ties and revive the dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington on denuclearization.
Left, Congress have become irrelevant in Kerala, says Kummanam Rajasekharan
The Left and Congress are irrelevant in Kerala, said former Governor of Mizoram Kummanam Rajasekharan on Tuesday. He had resigned from the post of Governor on March 8.Rajasekharan, who landed in Kerala this morning, received a grand welcome by BJP workers at Thiruvananthapuram airport."Reformation of Kerala has become crucial now. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is leading the reformation movement in Kerala. Communist party and Congress are irrelevant in the state now. There is a wide spectrum of issues and Sabarimala (issue) is one of them," Rajasekharan said while speaking to media here.Rajasekharan, former BJP president of Kerala unit, was appointed as Governor of Mizoram by President Ram Nath Kovind in May last year. His tenure as Governor of Mizoram lasted for less than 10 months.
Chinese delegates show solidarity with Tibetans
On the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising day, a Chinese delegation visited Dharamshala to express solidarity for Tibetans. "Our same goal is to achieve freedom, human rights and the happiness of our life together. So I support Tibetans...and to be recognised as a nation by the world," the members of the delegation, which included Chin Jin, the President of the Federation for Democratic China, stated.The group was founded in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square protests. It advocates for the democratisation of China and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans gathered in Lhasa to protect their leader Dalai Lama from perceived threats of the Chinese army. The protest was brutally suppressed, causing the death of thousands of people.Following this, the then 23-year-old Dalai Lama along with thousands of Tibetans secretly fled for an exile in India. The demonstration was later named as the Tibetan Uprising.
Terrorism akin to cancer, hurts India and Afghanistan: Afghan diplomat
India and Afghanistan have been hurt by terrorism which is "like cancer" and threatens peace in the region, a top Afghan diplomat has said while appealing to the international community not to view his war-torn country as an isolated case. Speaking at an event organised at Asia Society here on Monday, National Security Adviser of Afghanistan Hamdullah Mohib said Pakistan talked about brotherhood and historical linkages but hardly shows any cooperation in combating terrorism. "We haven't seen any cooperation from Pakistan," Mohib said. Replying to a question on Afghanistan's estimate of cooperation from Islamabad, the top diplomat said Pakistan is "always very nice, they speak about brotherhood, historical linkages and the likes but then all we see is terrorists coming our way and no brotherhood". Mohib said India and Afghanistan were hurt by terrorism and both the countries have suffered a great deal. "We understand what the cost is that we are paying," he said. "But it (terrorism) is
US to withdraw remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela
The US will withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Caracas, citing the "deteriorating situation in Venezuela", Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.
MLC bypolls to fill 5 vacancies begins
The biennial election to fill five vacancies in the Telangana Legislative Council (MLAs quota), began here Tuesday. The main opposition Congress, which fielded a candidate, had decided to boycott the MLC election, accusing ruling TRS of poaching four of its MLAs and a TDP legislator 'in a brazen manner by adopting all illegal means.' With the Congress staying away from the poll, the election of TRS and its ally AIMIM nominees looks certain. In the election to fill five vacancies in the Council, TRS has fielded four nominees, leaving one seat to its ally AIMIM. In the December 7 2018 Assembly elections, TRS bagged 88 of the total of 119 seats. An independent MLA and an AIFB legislator have also declared support to the ruling party. The AIMIM has seven MLAs. However, the strength of Congress came down from 19 to 15 with four MLAs announcing their decision to quit the party and join TRS. TDP's strength in the Assembly was two, but one of the MLAs has decided to join ...
BJP's do-or-die battle against Congress in Northeast (Dangal 2019)
The Bharatiya Janata Party has embarked on a do-or-die battle to win as many of the 25 Lok Sabha seats as it can in eight northeastern states. For its part, the Congress party has set off a determined attempt to regain its lost ground in the region.
Moon's office angrily reacts to Pyongyang 'spokesman' claim
The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in has responded sharply to comments by a conservative lawmaker who accused him of acting as the "top spokesman" of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Blue House said in a statement on Tuesday that Na Kyung-won's comments were an insult to both Moon and South Koreans wanting peace and demanded an apology. Na's speech at the National Assembly was interrupted for about 20 minutes after legislators from the ruling liberal party reacted angrily to her comments, approaching the podium and engaging in shouting matches with opposition lawmakers. Moon has held three summits with Kim and lobbied hard to revive nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, which resulted in two meetings between Trump and President Donald Trump.