Page 1487 - Politics
Pak suspends flight operations at major airports
Pakistan Wednesday suspended flight operations across major airports, including Islamabad and Lahore, for an indefinite period in the wake of the escalating tensions with India, a top civil aviation authority said. Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Mujtaba Baig told PTI that flight operations in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces have been suspended for an indefinite period. He said the flight operations from and to Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi/Islamabad airports have been suspended. The planes which had left from foreign destinations for these airports have been diverted to the safer airports, he said. The move comes amid escalation of tension between India and Pakistan after IAF carried out strikes on terror bases in Pakistan. India has also closed five airports in Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh and Amritsar, on Wednesday for civilian air traffic shortly after an IAF jet crashed in Kashmir's Budgam district, officials said. The flare up in ...
Trump, Kim to begin second summit with meeting, dinner
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will begin their second summit here on Wednesday with a one-on-one meeting followed by a dinner.
PAF F-16 shot down by India
India on Wednesday shot down a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 that had come close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan claims two Indian aircraft shot in Pakistani airspace, India says it has no such report
Pakistan on Wednesday claimed that it shot down two Indian military aircraft over Pakistani air space and arrested one of the pilots but India said it knows of no such incident. There are no reports of any IAF jet suffering damage in action by India's adversaries, defence sources in the Indian capital said. Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed in a tweet that one of the aircraft crashed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir while the other fell in Jammu and Kashmir. "One Indian pilot arrested by troops on ground while two in the area," he said without elaborating.
Army, BSF troops along IB, LoC put on highest degree of alertness: Officials
The Army and BSF have been put on the highest degree of alertness along the border here after air space violations by the neighbouring country and the night-long heavy firing and shelling by Pakistani troops on forward and civilians areas across the LoC which stopped on Wednesday. Authorities have ordered temporary closure of educational institutions in a 5-km radius along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch districts on Wednesday amid mounting tensions between the two countries, following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 and an Indian air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed camp inside Pakistan on Tuesday. All residents of the border areas have been asked to remain inside their homes and not venture outside. "There was night long-heavy firing and mortar shelling along the LoC in most of areas in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts. However there was no firing and shelling from across the border on Wednesday," officials said. "Army and BSF troops have been put on highest ...
No reports of any IAF jet damaged in action by 'India's adversaries', say sources
There are no reports of any IAF jet suffering damage in action by India's adversaries, defence sources said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Pakistan claimed it shot down two Indian military aircraft over Pakistani air space and arrested at least one of the pilots. Military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed in a tweet that one of the aircraft crashed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir while the other fell in Jammu and Kashmir. "One Indian pilot arrested by troops on ground while two in the area," he said without elaborating.
Ex-Trump fixer to call Trump 'conman' and 'racist'
Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will tell Congress Wednesday that the president is a "racist" and "conman" and knew in advance that WikiLeaks would publish dirt on Hillary Clinton, US media reported. In explosive public testimony to Congress, Cohen will also state that Trump essentially instructed him to lie about a real estate project Trump had in the works in Russia while running for president in 2016, according to a prepared statement by Cohen that was provided to the New York Times and other US news outlets. Cohen will testify Wednesday before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on the second of three scheduled days of testimony on Capitol Hill. Tuesday's first session at the senate was behind closed doors. Cohen, 52, worked closely with Trump for more than 12 years becoming vice president of the Trump Organization, where he was the billionaire property magnate's behind-the-scenes "fixer." Last year, Cohen pleaded guilty to illegally ...
Maha Assembly congratulates ex-Prez Mukherjee for Bharat Ratna
The Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday congratulated former president Pranab Mukherjee and social activist Nanaji Deshmukh on being bestowed the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. Mukherjee and Deshmukh were awarded the Bharat Ratna last month. The House also lauded the achievements of noted filmmaker late Bhupen Hazarika, who was conferred the award posthumously. The congratulatory motion was moved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Several members, including Ajit Pawar (NCP), Basavraj Patil (Congress), Ganpatrao Deshmukh (PWP) and Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), spoke on the motion. Fadnavis said Mukherjee worked to preserve democratic and constitutional values in politics. Lauding Hazarika, he said the filmmaker worked for the cultural development of the North East. PWD minister Eknath Shinde said Mukherjee was a trusted aide of former prime minister late Indira Gandhi. Congress member Prithviraj Chavan said in 1991, the party thought Mukherjee would be ...
PM cut shorts function, rushes to review security situation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his address at a function in Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday and rushed to attend a meeting to review the security situation arising out of Pakistan's attempt to violate Indian air space.Modi was replying to the questions from youngsters during the National Youth Festival 2019 when he was handed over a small piece of paper by an official of Prime Minister Office (PMO).The Prime Minister immediately stopped and walked toward the panelist where Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present.The PM waived at the audience and immediately left the dais and rushed to his office.The government is in a huddle to discuss the security situation arising out of February 26 development after Indian Air Force bombed a vast and advance Jaish-e-Mohammad terror training camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.
In show of support for India, Pompeo calls JeM base bombing 'counter-terrorism actions'(Lead)
In a sign that the US backs India's tough action in bombing a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) base in Pakistan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has described it as "counter-terrorism actions" and emphasised the "close security partnership" between the two countries.
Pak jets violate LoC, drop bombs in J-K's Rajouri sector
Pakistan jets reportedly violated Indian airspace in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday and dropped bombs on their way out.Craters were reportedly spotted at the places where the bombs were dropped by the Pakistani jets. No casualties have been reported yet.This comes a day after the IAF carried out an aerial strike at a terror launch pad in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, destroying a control room of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and other infrastructure of the terror outfit.Air space over Pathankot in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir has been shut down.
Airspace shut over Jammu-Kashmir and Pathankot region
Airspace over Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot and areas bordering Pakistan were shut indefinitely on Wednesday in the wake of the security situation building up in the area.With all Indian establishments put on high alert in view of possible air space violation by Pakistan, the Indian government decided to shut the air space for commercial and civilian flights. Several commercial flights were on hold.On Tuesday, India carried out air strikes on a terror camp run by Jaish-E-Mohammad in Balakot, a hill town in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Soon after that the Pakistani side started building up for a confrontation and resorted to ceasefire violation in 15 places including Poonch and Rajouri.There were reports that the Pakistani Air Force jets violated Indian airspace in Rajouri sector, and dropped bombs near Indian Army establishments. No reports of casualties have been reported so far.
US House of Representatives votes against Trump's emergency
While US President Donald Trump is half-way around the world in Vietnam for a nuclear summit with North Korea, the House of Representatives has voted against his national emergency declaration for building a $8.1 billion wall along the Mexican border.
Modi to visit Amethi on March 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on March 3 and address a public meeting there. "PM Modi will visit Amethi on March 3 and besides attending a government programme in Korba Munshiganj, would address a public meeting in Kohar area of Gauriganj here," the BJP convenor of the Lok Sabha constituency, Rajesh Agrahari, said Wednesday. Party workers and leaders have started preparations to make the prime minister's visit a grand success. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is arriving here on Thursday to review the preparations for the visit, he said. Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, during her visit here on Sunday, had taken stock of the venue of the prime minister's programmes. Irani had unsuccessfully contested against Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and they are likely to fight again from Amethi in the general election later this year.
India, China, Russia reaffirms strong opposition to terrorism
Reaffirming strong opposition to terrorism, India, Russia and China on Wednesday said that extremist groups cannot be supported and used in political and geopolitical goals and those backing terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice. In a joint communique of the 16th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia India and China (RIC), the three nations strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The strong wording of the communique came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the February 14 Pulwama attack after which India targeted terror terrorist camps in Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation by fully implementing the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. It said the the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy should be in ...
WB govt shifts Pak inmates to high-security cells
The West Bengal government has shifted 14 Pakistani prisoners, lodged in two correctional homes here, to separate barracks and "high-security" cells, amid soaring tension between India and its western neighbour, a senior official said. The state government's move comes days after a 50-year-old Pakistani convict was allegedly killed by fellow inmates in Rajasthan's Jaipur Central jail. "Strict instructions have been issued to separate Pakistani inmates from others following the incident in Rajasthan jail. They have been shifted to high-security cells, where heavyweight prisoners, such as those arrested for American Center attack and Maoists have been staying," the official of West Bengal Correctional Services said. A three-layered cordon has been set up for the security of the 14 prisoners, he said. "Most of these prisoners share a good rapport with their fellow inmates, but we cannot take risk in the wake of the Pulwama attack," the official told PTI on Wednesday. Of the 14 inmates, .
Pakistan fighter jets violate Indian airspace
Three Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday violated Indian airspace in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, but were pushed back by the Indian side, top police sources said.
Pakistan says its jets crossed LoC to undertake strikes in India
Pakistan on Wednesday said that its jets crossed the Line of Control to undertake strikes in India for "self defence". Indian officials said Pakistani fighter jets on Wednesday violated Indian air space in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Nowshera sectors but were pushed back by Indian aircraft. Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement said, "Today, Pakistan Air Force undertook strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace. This was not a retaliation to continued Indian belligerence," "Pakistan has therefore, taken strikes at non military target, avoiding human loss and collateral damage. Sole purpose being to demonstrate our right, will and capability for self defence. We have no intention of escalation, but are fully prepared to do so if forced into that paradigm. "That is why we undertook the action with clear warning and in broad daylight. For the last few years, India has been trying to establish what they call 'a new normal' a thinly veiled term for doing acts ..
Oppn demands animal fodder camps in drought-hit areas of Maha
Opposition parties in Maharashtra staged a protest in the legislature complex here on Wednesday demanding that adequate number of animal fodder camps be set up in drought-affected areas of the state. Members of the Congress, NCP and other opposition parties sat on the steps of the Vidhan Bhawan, where the budget session is currently on, and shouted slogans against the BJP-led state government. NCP legislator and former minister Ajit Pawar claimed that the Devendra Fadnavis government had got its priorities wrong. "This government does not want to set up cattle fodder camps but is keen on giving licences to dance bars. This shows the government's priority is not for farmers and their cattle. The drought situation in the state is getting worse but the government seems to be indifferent to it," he said. Pawar also expressed disappointment over the government not granting classical language status to Marathi. The state is celebrating the Marathi Language Day on Wednesday, ...
Rajnath reviews security situation a day after air strike on terrorist camp in Pak soil
Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday reviewed the security situation in the country, especially along the border with Pakistan, a day after Indian fighter jets bombed the biggest camp of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad in that country, officials said. During the meeting, attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval among others, a detailed presentation was given about the security situation in the country and steps taken to ensure peace in all sensitive places. Singh directed the officials to ensure the Border Security Force, which guards the India-Pakistan border continues to remain on highest level of alertness so that any misadventure from across the border could be foiled, a home ministry official said. Those who attended the meeting include Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain. In a pinpointed and swift air strike that lasted less than two minutes, India pounded Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, killing .