Page 1456 - Politics

Tell global community reasons for IAF strikes: Parliamentary panel

A parliamentary panel on Friday suggested that the government tell the global community more extensively and emphatically the reasons behind India's targeted attack on terror camps in Pakistan.

Pompeo: US will continue to engage with Pyongyang on denuclearization

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Friday said that Washington will continue to engage with Pyongyang in order to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Section in Cong feels party should be open for alliance with AAP in LS polls to defeat BJP: Sources

The Congress is preparing to contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own in Delhi, though a section within it feels that the party should be open for an alliance with the AAP to achieve the larger goal of defeating the BJP, sources said Friday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is sending feelers to the Congress leadership for a pre-poll tie-up and it might happen, but till now no decision has been taken by the Congress's Delhi unit, they said. "The AAP is sending feelers to the Congress leadership for a tie-up and a section within the Congress feels that it should be open to having an alliance with the AAP, to achieve the larger purpose of defeating the BJP in Delhi. "Our purpose is to defeat the BJP and ensure that the BJP does not win any seat in Delhi," a senior Congress leader said. A senior AAP leader, in the know of things, claimed that "the tie-up will happen. But, it will not come so fast and easily". Top leaders of the two parties are yet talk about an alliance in Delhi, which has seven .

US offers USD 1 million reward to find bin Laden son

The United States on Thursday offered a USD 1 million reward for information on a son of late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, seeing him as an emerging face of extremism. The location of Hamza bin Laden, sometimes dubbed the "crown prince of jihad," has been the subject of speculation for years with reports of him living in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria or under house arrest in Iran. "Hamza bin Laden is the son of deceased former AQ leader Osama bin Laden and is emerging as a leader in the AQ franchise," a State Department statement said, referring to Al-Qaeda. The State Department said that it would offer USD 1 million for information leading to his location in any country. Bin Laden, who according to the United States is around 30, has threatened attacks against the United States to avenge the 2011 killing of his father, who was living in hiding in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, by US special forces. US intelligence agencies increasingly see the younger bin Laden as a ...

Trump claims 'very good' Kim relations despite failed summit

President Donald Trump is claiming his relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) is "very good," despite the collapse of the two leaders' summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. A day after returning to Washington, Trump said on Twitter on Friday that the two had "very substantive negotiations." He added, "We know what they want and they know what we must have." Trump did not address the pushback from North Korea, which disputed his account of why the summit fell apart. Trump had told reporters the summit failed because Kim insisted that all the sanctions on Pyongyang be lifted without the North committing to eliminate its nuclear arsenal. North Korea disputed that, insisting it asked only for partial sanctions relief in exchange for closing its main nuclear complex.

Russia vows more support for 'friend' Maduro, including aid

Russia on Friday vowed to maintain support for the embattled regime of its Venezuelan "friend" President Nicolas Maduro, including with humanitarian aid supplies. During talks with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin expressed "support and solidarity for his colleague and friend" Maduro in the country's political standoff with the opposition. "Russia will continue to assist the Venezuelan authorities in resolving social and economic problems, including through the provision of legitimate humanitarian aid," Lavrov told a joint news conference with Rodriguez afterwards. Battered by an economic meltdown, Venezuela descended into political crisis when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in January and asserted that Maduro was no longer legitimate. Maduro and his allies -- including Russia -- have accused Washington of attempting to carry out a coup against his government. The

PDP, NC oppose ban on Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir

The PDP and National Conference on Friday criticised the Centre's decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is against the essence of democracy which allows space to opposing political thoughts. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti termed the decision as another example of "muscular approach" of the Centre to deal with the political issue and wondered if "being anti-BJP" is "anti national now". "Democracy is a battle of ideas. Crackdown followed by banning of Jammat Islami (JK) is condemnable, another example of high handedness and muscular approach of GOI to deal with political issue of J&k," the former chief minister said in a tweet. The Centre on Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for five years under anti-terror law on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and is expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the state. A notification, banning the group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, was .

Rajbhar to meet Shah over sub-quota issue

Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, who had warned of parting ways with the National Democratic Alliance over the sub-quota demand, said Friday the matter would be taken up with BJP president Amit Shah next week. Rajbhar, the backward class minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh, has been vocal about implementing an expert group recommendation on sub-categorisation of the 27-per cent Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation into three categories to benefit the most-backward castes. "A meeting with the BJP president Amit Shah has been fixed for March 4 (Monday) during which all issues, including the implementation of social justice committee recommendations will be taken up," Rajbhar told reporters after a programme at Rasra in Ballia district. "The matter over continuation in the alliance with the BJP has not yet been resolved," the SBSP leader said. Rajbhar had earlier threatened to part ways with the BJP if recommendations ..

WB BJP cadre to flag Modi govt's track record in fighting Pak

With patriotic fervour running high, the BJP in West Bengal has decided to hard sell the Modi government's fight against terrorism, particularly its actions targeting Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bombing, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, party sources said. A meeting of the party's booth-level functionaries and state election committee members resolved to send party cadre to every household to flag the Modi government's "political will" to teach Pakistan-backed outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed "befitting lessons" for their acts of terrorism. Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources said, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh asked leaders and workers to fan out across West Bengal and appeal to the "partiotic and nationalistic" sentiments of people. "No doubt it is a victory of our armed forces. But, at the same time, the political will of the Modi government also came into play. There is no harm in propagating about it," a party leader quoted Ghosh as having ..

Washington state governor joins Democratic presidential hopefuls

Washington state governor Jay Inslee on Friday became the latest entry in the crowded race to be the Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 presidential election. Inslee claimed in a video launching his campaign that he is "the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation's number one priority." "Our country's next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time: defeating climate change," Inslee says in the video. The 68-year-old has been governor of the northwestern US state since 2013. He joins a growing list of candidates vying to run against Republican Donald Trump, who is seeking reelection, in next year's race. They include US senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand; Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Obama-era housing secretary Julian Castro of Texas.

India will no longer be "helpless" in fighting terror: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday declared that the country will no longer be "helpless" in the face of terror, saying a 'New India' will pay back terrorists with 'interest' and that their influence has been curtailed and will be curbed further. Modi also accused some opposition parties of doubting the armed forces and his government's fight against terrorism, saying their statements are helping Pakistan and harming the country. Telling opposition parties to stop weakening India with their statements to strengthen their own own politics, the prime minister said, "Modi will come and go, India will remain." He did not name any party. Addressing a public meeting here, the prime minister also hailed Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, saying every Indian was proud of him. "Every Indian is proud that the brave wing commander Abhinandan belongs to Tamil Nadu," he said after inaugurating several government projects in the Rail and Road sectors. Modi said he is proud that India's first ...

Kerala CM writes to PM Modi against handing over airport to private entity

The Adani Enterprises Ltd had emerged as the highest bidder for managing, operating and developing six airports of Airports Authority of India

Go all out to explain to world reasons behind air strike inside Pak: Parl panel to FS

A parliamentary panel Friday asked the government to go all out to explain to the international community the reasons behind India's decision to carry out an air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp inside Pakistan. The suggestion came when Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs about the latest developments that have taken place between India and Pakistan after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack by the JeM in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The panel told the foreign secretary that the government should highlight the impact of the air strike and the information about the extent of damage, including casualties, suffered by the JeM. This will ensure that no international agency questions the impact of the strike, a member of the panel said. Gokhale, who was assisted by officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), informed the panel's members about the air strike on the JeM terror camp in Pakistan and also

N Korea's Kim kicks off official Vietnam visit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un kicked off an official visit to Vietnam Friday, three days after arriving in the country for a nuclear summit with US President Donald Trump that ended deadlocked. Kim put aside the troubled negotiations for the pageantry of a formal diplomatic occasion in Hanoi, where -- accompanied by his sister and close aide Kim Yo Jong -- he was received by Vietnam President and Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong. The smiling leader walked before rows of children waving Vietnamese and North Korean flags outside the mustard-yellow colonial-era Presidential Palace, before inspecting an honour guard. The long-isolated North is increasingly seeking to portray itself as a country like any other, and Vietnam is Kim's fourth foreign destination in less than 12 months, after not leaving his borders for more than six years following his inheritance of power. He has travelled to China four times for meetings with President Xi Jinping, walked across the border with South .

Ban on Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, not the first & probably not the last

For Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Jammu and Kashmir the ban imposed on the socio-political religious organisation by the union government is not the first and perhaps not the last.

German foreign minister stuck in Mali after plane troubles

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was stranded in Mali on Friday due to technical problems with his plane, the latest in a series of incidents that have struck the government's fleet. Maas, whose tour of West Africa included Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Mali, was stuck in the Malian capital Bamako after a hydraulic problem with his Airbus A319's landing gear. A Luftwaffe (air force) Airbus A340 took off from Cologne Friday morning to fetch the country's top diplomat back to Germany, a foreign ministry spokesman said. A string of technical problems have plagued German government aviation, with Chancellor Angela Merkel missing the opening of the November G20 summit in Argentina after her A340 was forced to land in Cologne due to electrical problems. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also stuck in Ethiopia at the end of January for similar reasons while Development Minister Gerd Mueller had to cancel a trip to Namibia at the start of the year following problems with his ...

Pakistan Parliament condemns 'Indian aggression'

The Pakistan Parliament on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution strongly condemning as "aggression" India's strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in the country earlier this week.

London mayor urges Brexit delay to break divorce deal deadlock

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to delay Britain's departure from the European Union, warning time has run out to rework her withdrawal agreement. "It's clear that we can't reach a meaningful deal that's agreed by parliament by March 29," Khan, from Britain's main opposition Labour Party, told AFP on Thursday. "I'm hoping the prime minister sees sense and either extends the notice period for Article 50, or withdraws Article 50." Article 50 is the EU law that Britain invoked in 2017 triggering a two-year countdown to Brexit that ends at 11pm (2300 GMT) on March 29. The country is currently on course to leave without an agreement after MPs in January overwhelmingly rejected a divorce deal May struck with the EU late last year. The embattled leader is now seeking changes to the pact which she hopes will be enough to get it through parliament by March 12. In her revised strategy unveiled this week, May has vowed that if her deal is rejected, lawmakers will ...

Rahul Gandhi to address rally with mahagathbandhan partners

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a rally here Saturday along with leaders of Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand. Gandhi will speak at the partys Parivartan Ulgulan Maha Rally at the Morahbadi ground with leaders of JMM, JVM and RJD, JPCC spokesman Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo told PTI Friday. "JMMs working president Hemant Soren, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) chief Babulal Marandi and RJDs Jharkhand unit president Annapurna Devi have been invited to participate in the Congress rally tomorrow," Shahdeo said. The JPCC spokesman, however, dismissed possibility of Gandhi meeting RJD president Lalu Prasad lodged in jail here after conviction in cases of multi-crore fodder scam. There is no possibility, Sahdeo said when asked whether the party has taken permission from the jail authorities for Gandhi to call on Prasad. Prasad has been in Ranchi's Birsa Munda jail since December 2017 after his conviction in ..

Islamic countries backing India in fight against terror:

India is getting "abundant" support of Islamic countries in the fight against terror, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Friday. The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided with pertinacity that the time has come to wage a decisive battle against terrorism in the wake of the Pulwama attack, he said. "I am very happy to tell you that we are getting abundant support from the Islamic countries of the world," he said. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has, for the first time, invited India's foreign minister as a guest of honour in its ongoing meeting, Singh noted. It is a pleasing thing that all nations of the world are coming onto one platform on the question of terrorism, he said. All feel that a decisive battle should be fought against terrorism, he said. Terrorism has no caste, creed or religion but sometimes, there would be some who try to associate it with some religion which is not appropriate, he added. The Home Minister .