Page 147 - Politics
Hong Kong's 'leaderless' protesters mull next move
Hong Kong's "leaderless" demonstrations brought millions of people onto the streets and forced the city's pro-Beijing leadership into a rare climb down. But with no one directing the action, where does the movement go now? The unpopular bill that sparked the protests and would have allowed extradition to mainland China has now been suspended. But protesters are adamant that the bill must be fully withdrawn and the city's pro-Beijing Chief Executive Carrie Lam step down -- demands she has so far resisted. "More demonstrations and resistance will happen soon if Carrie Lam does not know what respect means," said Joshua Wong, an activist who became the face of Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement". Wong was released on Monday, half-way into a two-month sentence linked to his activism, and a day after organisers said two million demonstrators marched in Hong Kong's streets to protest against the bill. He told AFP he now expects to see "upgraded, more progressive actions". So .
Om Birla's election as LS Speaker a matter of great pride: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the election of the senior lawmaker and BJP leader Om Birla as the new Lok Sabha Speaker was "a matter of great pride.""It is a matter of great pride for the House and we all congratulate Om Birla on being unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Many MPs know Birla ji well. He has served in the state of Rajasthan as well," said Prime Minister Modi, while congratulating Birla in the House for his election to the coveted chair.Modi, who proposed Birla's nomination for the post, personally escorted him to the Speaker's Chair and congratulated him.Praising Birla's work, Modi said: "The work that you have done, the manner in which you have dedicated your life for the benefit of the nation in all your years as a legislator and a parliamentarian, is commendable.""Your contribution to Rajasthan has been immense. The small town of Kota has greatly benefitted from your tireless service," said Prime Minister Modi.The unopposed election .
Rahul replies to Modi's birthday wish, shares laddoos with journalists
On his 49th birthday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was wished by a number of senior leaders and party workers on Wednesday.Rahul, wearing a garland around his neck, was escorted by KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and many other leaders as he arrived at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here.Party workers swarmed their leader with many presenting him with flowers. Gandhi also offered sweets to journalists who were present at the Congress office.On his arrival, the Congress president was greeted with flowers by his sister and party colleague Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also wished him with a bouquet.Among others present were senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.On Twitter, Rahul reverted to the flurry of wishes he had been receiving since morning. He first replied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wrote, "Thank you for your greetings @narendramodi ji. I appreciate them.""Best wishes to Shri .
Om Birla unanimously elected LS speaker, opposition urges impartiality
NDA nominee Om Birla was on Wednesday unanimously elected speaker of the Lok Sabha with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the opposition assuring him of their whole-hearted support in the smooth conduct of proceedings in the House. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, DMK's T R Baalu and TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay were among those who backed Birla and urged him to be impartial as presiding officer of the lower house. "I on behalf of the government and the treasury benches assure you full support in conducting the House. I also assure you that your order will prevail and you must be tough even if anyone from our side (treasury benches) crosses the limit," Modi said, congratulating Birla. The prime minister also heaped praise on the two-time BJP MP for his long public life, going back to his student days, and recalled his social work in Kota, Rajasthan, and in other parts of the country, including during the 2011 earthquake in Gujarat and the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand. Chaudhary, ...
Would've attended all-party meet if it was on EVMs: Mayawati
BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said she would have attended the all-party meeting called by the prime minister if it was on EVMs, and described the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls as a ploy to divert attention from issues like poverty. Mayawati's comments came hours before an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss several issues, including the idea of "one nation, one election", celebration of 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year and 75 years of Independence in 2022. The BSP chief alleged that the people's faith in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) had dwindled to worrisome level. "The stubbornness of conducting elections through electronic voting machines instead of ballot paper is the real threat to the democracy and Constitution of the country. "In these circumstances, if the meeting was convened to deliberate upon the deadly issue, then I would have definitely attended it," Mayawati tweeted. "Elections in any
Om Birla is new Lok Sabha speaker
NDA nominee Om Birla was on Wednesday unanimously elected as speaker of the Lok Sabha with several parties moving a motion in his support. There was no other candidate in the fray and the motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to choose the Kota-Bundi MP as speaker was adopted by a voice vote. A total of 13 motions were moved in support of Birla. Since the motion moved by Modi, also leader of the House, was adopted, the other motions became infructuous. Birla was declared elected as speaker by pro-tem Speaker Virendra Kumar. Modi led the new speaker to the presiding officer's chair. Leaders from the BJP, the Congress, the DMK and the TMC went up the podium to greet the 56-year-old new speaker of the Lower House. Though the Congress and the DMK had moved notices for supporting Birla as the speaker well past the 12 noon Tuesday deadline, the pro-tem Speaker allowed it to be included as a "special case". Birla, who won his first Lok Sabha election in 2014, was again elected this ...
Om Birla unanimously elected as Speaker of Lok Sabha
NDA candidate Om Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.Birla's name was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was supported by all major Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, and BJD.The YSRCP and TDP also supported Birla's candidature.Soon after Birla's appointment, Prime Minister Modi went up to the Speaker's chair and congratulated him."It is a matter of great pride for the House and we all congratulate Om Birla on being unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Many MPs know Birla well. He has served in the state of Rajasthan also," Prime Minister Modi said.The unopposed election of Birla, a two-time BJP MP from Kota in Rajasthan, was a smooth affair, however, it broke the record of women holding the post for the past 10 years.In 2009, Meira Kumar became the first woman to be elected to the post during the UPA-2, while the NDA followed suit by nominating Sumitra Mahajan in 2014.An agriculturist and social ...
Pyongyang visit to contribute to Korean Peninsula talks: Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in an op-ed published in an official North Korean newspaper on Wednesday, said his upcoming visit to Pyongyang will help achieve progress in the negotiations on the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization issue.
Om Birla -- From grassroots politician to LS speaker
The new Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla, a two-time BJP MP from Rajasthan, is a relative newcomer for the post traditionally held by seniors. A surprise pick by the ruling BJP-led NDA, Birla's name was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself for the post, sources said. The 56-year-old leader is considered to be close to both Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah. Birla's nomination for the Lok Sabha speaker's post also has the backing of non-NDA parties such as the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Starting his political journey as a student leader, Birla was also elected to the Rajasthan Assembly for three consecutive terms in 2003, 2008 and 2013. He won his first Lok Sabha election in 2014 and was again elected this year from Rajasthan's Kota-Bundi seat. Birla defeated Congress's Ramnarayan Meena with a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes in the recently-concluded general election. A conscientious parliamentarian, Birla has registered an ...
Russia, China block UN from saying NKorea violated sanctions
Russia and China have blocked the U.N. Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea from declaring that Pyongyang breached the annual limit for importing refined petroleum products which are key for its economy, two U.N. diplomats said Tuesday. The diplomats said the Russians and Chinese notified the committee before Tuesday's deadline for objections. The United States and 25 other countries accused North Korea of violating U.N. sanctions by importing far more than the annual limit of 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products. A US-led complaint had asked the sanctions committee to rule that Pyongyang breached the cap and demand an immediate halt to deliveries. It said most of the excess petroleum products were obtained from dozens of illegal ship-to-ship transfers. A Security Council diplomat said North Korea is believed to have obtained 3.5 million barrels of refined petroleum in 2018, seven times the limit. This year, North Korea has already imported more
Republican Sena files complaint against Congress over LS poll claim
The Republican Sena has approached the Delhi Police complaining that some people tried to spread rumours that its party President Anandraj Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, joined the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
As Rahul turns 49, PM Modi wishes him good health, long life
For Rahul Gandhi's 49th birthday on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished him "good health and a long life"."Best wishes to Shri @RahulGandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life," Modi tweeted.Born on June 19, 1970, Gandhi was also greeted by messages from well-wishers, party workers and supporters on social media.Many politicians, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also wished the Gandhi scion."Greetings and good wishes to Shri @RahulGandhi on his birthday. Wishing him a long life filled with good health," Singh tweeted."Best wishes on your birthday," wrote the West Bengal Chief Minister along with the same wish in Bangla.BSP Supremo Mayawati also penned her wish on the micro-blogging website. In her Hindi tweet, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister wished Gandhi a long and healthy life.A Congress worker, Phool Singh, performed a hawan outside his party president's residence here."We are
Trump launches 2020 re-election bid with mega rally, says 'Keep America Great'
US President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign with a jam-packed rally in Florida on Tuesday, urging his supporters to "keep this team in place" for four more years as he vowed to "Keep America Great". The 73-year-old real estate investor-turned-politician, who became the 45th President of the United States of America in 2017, told a crowd of 20,000 people in Orlando that the economy of the US under him has become "the envy of the world". Trump said his victory three years ago was a "defining moment in American history" and vowed to maintain his 'America First' policy as he touched the hallmarks of his 2016 campaign, hard-line immigration policies and defence spending. He said that the country has made significant progress during his presidency and all that is at risk if he were to be defeated in the presidential elections next year. Unveiling a theme of 'Keep America Great', Trump in a speech that lasted 79 minutes exuded confidence of winning the general ..
Rahul Gandhi turns 49, Modi extends wishes
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday turned 49. Wishes poured in from political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trump revives focus on Hillary Clinton email controversy at 2020 campaign announcement
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday revived his focus on the email controversy of his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton, during a massive rally in Orlando organised to announced his official run for re-election in the 2020 Presidential elections.Trump told the crowd that he would not have got the same benefit of doubt had the email scandal been linked to him, instead of Hillary who got a "free pass" even after deleting over thirty-three thousand emails."If you want to know how the system is rigged, just compare how they came after us for three years with everything they had versus the free pass they gave to Hillary and her aides after they set up an illegal server, destroyed evidence, deleted and acid washed thirty-three thousand e-mails, exposed classified information and turned the State Department into a pay for play cash machine," Fox news quoted Trump as saying."If I got a subpoena for e-mails if I deleted one e-mail. Like a love note to Melania it's the electric chair ...
Kejriwal to not attend PM's all-party meeting, Raghav Chadha to represent AAP
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would not be attending the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, sources said. Modi has invited heads of all parties who have an MP either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha for a meeting on June 19 to discuss several issues, including the "one nation, one election" idea, celebration of the 75 years of Independence in 2022 and 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year. According to the sources, Kejriwal would not be attending the meeting and the AAP would be represented by party member Raghav Chadha, who was fielded from South Delhi constituency in the recently held Lok Sabha polls. On Tuesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also excused herself from the meeting and asked the government to prepare a white paper on 'one nation, one election' instead of doing it "hurriedly".
Goa CM may induct Dy Speaker Lobo in cabinet
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has hinted that there could be a cabinet reshuffle to induct state Assembly's Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo. Sawant on Tuesday night said Lobo, a two-term BJP MLA from Calangute Assembly seat in North Goa district, would be given a "bigger responsibility" in the state soon. He was speaking at Lobo's birthday celebration at Parra village in Mapusa town of North Goa. "Lobo has to handle a bigger responsibility than what he has now. He will get it soon. He has to serve the people of entire Goa and not just from his Assembly constituency," Sawant said amid applause from the MLA's supporters. Lobo has been demanding a cabinet berth since long. "He will get the responsibility soon. He has kept patience all this while and he needs to keep it for a little more time," the chief minister said. Lobo earlier said he was not keen to become the Assembly Speaker after Sawant resigned from the post to take over as the chief minister in March this ...
Modi wishes good health, long life to Rahul Gandhi on his birthday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday wished Congress president Rahul Gandhi on his birthday. Modi took to Twitter to convey his wishes to Gandhi, who turned 49 on Wednesday. "Best wishes to Shri Rahul Gandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life," he tweeted. Gandhi is expected to meet Congress leaders at the party headquarters later in the day.
Stalin, Naidu, Mamata, KCR to skip all-party meet convened by PM today
DMK president MK Stalin, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will not attend the meeting of party leaders of political parties convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Wednesday.MP from Guntur Jayadev Galla is likely to represent the TDP at the meeting.Modi has invited the heads of all the political parties that have at least one member either in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha for today's meeting that he will chair to discuss several issues, including the 'one nation, one election' idea.Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao who had previously skipped the Niti Aayog governing council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend this meeting too. Working President KTR will attend the meet on his behalf.On Tuesday, KCR addressing a press conference had said, "What is there to discuss there? We will only maintain constitutional relations with Centre. I still back my federal front. No use ...
PM Modi to host dinner for all MPs tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for all the Members of Parliament on Thursday.The dinner will take place at Ashoka Hotel in the national capital, sources said.The invitation was extended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to all members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.It will be the first time that the Prime Minister will be meeting all the MPs after the new government was formed last month.Meanwhile, Modi will chair a meeting of the presidents of all political parties today to discuss the idea of 'One Country, One Election' along with other issues of national importance in both the Houses of Parliament.During the all-party meet on Sunday, ahead of the start of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister had urged all leaders to keep their political differences aside.