Page 1545 - Politics
Venezuela's Maduro welcomes medical supplies from Russia
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday announced the arrival of 7.5 tons of medical supplies from Russia amid mounting pressure on him from the opposition to accept humanitarian aid from the United States and its allies.
Road blocks, strike in Catalonia against separatists' trial
Activists blocked roads and rail lines in Catalonia on Thursday while tens of thousands took to the streets during a region-wide strike against the trial of separatist leaders for their role in a failed 2017 secession attempt. On Thursday evening 40,000 people rallied along one of Barcelona's major avenues, police said, while earlier around 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the central University Square, where the city's oldest university stands. Four people were arrested with 37 people injured in clashes including six police. Called by a small pro-independence union, Intersindical CSC, but without the backing of larger unions, the one-day strike was not widely followed in the northeastern region. Public transport in Barcelona was slower than usual but most shops remained open. Traffic authorities in Catalonia said activists cut off around 20 roads, including the A7 highway that links Spain to France, the A2 between Madrid and Barcelona and the main entry points to the Mediterranean ...
Japan's Aso: Trump has never mentioned FX when talking about Japan trade
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump has never mentioned currencies when discussing trade with Japan.
Priyanka, Jyotiraditya hold meeting to strategise on LS polls
Congress general secretaries for Uttar Pradesh east and west, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia, held a meeting with the state's Congress chief Raj Babbar on Thursday to strategise for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.According to Congress sources, the discussions were held regarding the post of UP Congress president, however, it was decided to not make any changes on the post due to very less time in Lok Sabha elections.Senior Congress leader Raj Babbar presently holds the post of Uttar Pradesh Congress president.According to sources, Congress workers in their previous discussions with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had appreciated Babbar's role as an influential campaigner but were critical of his work in managing the organisation.The speculations of having two state presidents for Uttar Pradesh was also brushed aside, as per the sources.The meeting which was called to discuss the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, culminated at around midnight and was organised at the Congress war room .
Will meet Lalu Yadav on Feb 23 to discuss seat-sharing: Jitan Ram Manjhi
Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi has said that he would meet with RJD leader Lalu Yadav on February 22 to discuss the issue of seat sharing in the "mahagathbandhan" (Bihar grand alliance).Speaking to ANI here on Thursday, Manjhi said, "As far as the 'mahagathbandhan' seat sharing is concerned, discussions are going on at top level. I will personally speak to Lalu Yadav and only then take a decision."He also asserted that HAM has played a key role in RJD's win on various seats and thus must be accorded more than one seat for Lok Sabha elections."I don't know why it is being said that HAM will get only one seat in the 'mahagathbandhan'. Our party office bearers have asked me to speak to Lalu Yadav. It is a general view of our party members that we are the oldest ally of 'mahagathbandhan'. We had played a key role in different elections and at least three seats were such where it would have been difficult for RJD to win without our ...
US exit from INF treaty puts lives of Europeans at risk: Russian lawmaker
United States has put at risk the lives of all Europeans by opting out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, Russian lawmaker Peter Tolstoy said on Thursday."As we talk about security on the continent I want to note that an event that affects the security of every country represented here has taken place in between our meetings. I mean the unilateral exit from the INF by the US. This decision has made the life of every citizen in every single European country more dangerous," Sputnik quoted Tolstoy as saying.Tolstoy made these remarks during the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's winter session. He led the Russian delegation to the assembly.The US on February 2 suspended its obligations towards the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty - a move which was mirrored by Russia. The Cold War-era treaty was aimed at curbing the arms race between the USSR and the United States and was signed by former US ...
Maduro shuts down border with Brazil
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday shut down the country's border with Brazil "until further notice" in the wake of his standoff with self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido over allowing humanitarian aid.Calling the aid a "provocation" and "child's game", Maduro said that he was also considering a "total closure to the border with Columbia", reported Aljazeera.Blaming the United States, who became the first country to recognise Guaido as a president, Maduro said, "[The US] aimed to generate a huge national mess, but they didn't succeed. The country wants peace."The US military had been delivering relief supplies to Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. Meanwhile, Guaido had also claimed that the relief aid will reach the country on February 23US President Donald Trump recently requested the Venezuelan military to stop supporting Maduro as he is the "puppet" in the hand of the Cuban military. He also blamed him for stopping humanitarian aid. European countries like ...
Trump, Kim to meet one-on-one during summit in Vietnam
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will spend some time one-on-one next week at their second summit in Vietnam, White House officials said on Thursday.
Erdogan, Trump discuss US withdrawal from Syria over phone
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed the US withdrawal from Syria over phone late on Thursday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Trump and Kim to have one-on-one meet in Hanoi
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet one-on-one and spend substantial amount of time together next week when the two leaders meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, the White House said Thursday. Trump and Kim are meeting for their second summit on February 27 and 28. The first one was on June 12 in Singapore, which was part of the president's effort to improve his country's relationship with North Korea and ultimately have a denuclearised state. "There will be opportunities for the two leaders to see one another one-on-one, to share a meal and indeed for expanded meetings of their respective delegations in laying out the objectives (which) is ultimately about denuclearisation of North Korea, a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call. "That is what was agreed already between the two sides and that is the overriding goal that President Trump is seeking to achieve with this summit," the official said, who spoke with reporters on ...
Not sure if North Korea intends to denuclearise: US officials
Days before United States president's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, US officials on Thursday said that they are not sure whether Pyongyang intends to denuclearise, according to media reports."I don't know if North Korea has made the choice yet to denuclearise but the reason why we're engaged in this is because we think there's a possibility that North Korea can make the choice to fully denuclearise and that's why the president has assigned such a priority to engage with them," a senior administration official was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post.The remarks come amidst preparations for a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, which is scheduled to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam next week.Notably, Bruce Klingner, a former deputy division chief for Korea at the CIA, today claimed that North Korea continues to nuclearise despite its promise. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had said that he is in "no rush" to ...
Military conflict with Israel can't be ruled out: Iran's foreign minister
Iran on Thursday accused Israel of "adventurism" with its airstrikes against Syria and said that the possibility of a military conflict between arch rivals Tehran and Tel Aviv cannot be ruled out.According to Sputnik, Iran's Foreign Minister Javed Zarif, while referring to Israel's campaign of airstrikes against Syria, said, "There is adventurism on Israel's side and adventurism is always dangerous."Iran cannot rule out the possibility of military conflict with Israel, the foreign minister further said.Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated after Iran President Hassan Rouhani accused "enemies" US and Israel of involvement in a deadly car bombing attack in which over two dozen Revolutionary Guards were killed.Once friends, Iran and Israel have not maintained diplomatic relations since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Senate investigators to question Moscow businessman linked to Trump
The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is probing alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 United States election, has expressed its desire to question a Moscow-based American businessman with longstanding ties to US President Donald Trump.According to CNN, businessman David Geovanis helped Trump in his 1996 trip to Moscow. In addition, Geonavis worked for the Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, whose ties with Trump's 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort, the investigators are probing. This is the first time the connection between Geovanis and Trump is being questioned by investigators. This comes after two witnesses, during their private testification, indicated that Geonavis could be the missing link in the investigation of the case.Geonavis, who married a Russian woman, obtained a Russian passport in 2014. He has last visited the United States in 2017 after the death of his mother. Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen will also testify privately to the Senate ...
US-China trade talks resume in Washington
Senior officials from the US and China gathered here on Thursday for a new round of trade talks, eight days before the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for reaching a deal to avert the imposition of higher tariffs on imports from the Asian nation.
'Saudi Arabia recognises India's position on Kashmir, concerns on terror'
The joint statement issued during the visit of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a very clear recognition of India's position on Jammu and Kashmir and shows a great deal of sensitivity to India's concerns on terrorism, sources said here on Thursday.
Farmers' march to Mumbai suspended after talks with Maha govt
A leading farmers' organisation on Thursday announced suspension of its ongoing protest march from Nashik to Mumbai over agrarian concerns after talks with the Maharashtra government. The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), backed by the CPI(M), announced suspension of the 180-km march from Nashik to Mumbai after a three-and-a-half hour meeting of its representatives with state ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal. The farmers had embarked on the march on Thursday morning, but it was called off later. "The meeting (held Thursday) yielded positive results. We will suspend the march today," AIKS president Ashok Dhawale told PTI after the meeting between the two sides at Ambebahula village in Nashik. This is the second time in the last one year that farmers were on the roads to protest against the "betrayal" of peasants by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state. Earlier, they had planned to launch the march on Wednesday but it was deferred by a day allegedly after the state .
Forced entry of aid to Venezuela could lead to war, say Italian lawmakers
Rome, Feb 22 (IANS/AKI) The deadline set by US President Donald Trump and Venezuela's opposition leader and self-declared interim President Juan Guaido for the military to allow humanitarian aid into the crisis-hit country could spark perilous conflict, Senators from Italy's ruling 5-Star Movement said.
Reference to conditions for talks in joint statement reaffirms India's position: Ex-diplomats
Even as there has been hard talk by the government over the Pulwama terror attack, a reference to the need to create necessary conditions for resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan in the joint statement issued during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman indicated that talks continue to be an option if India's conditions are met.
10% quota Bill tabled in Uttarakhand Assembly
The Uttarakhand government on Thursday tabled a Bill in the state Assembly to provide 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and higher education for economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category.
Sisodia accuses services dept of trying to 'hamper' functioning of govt ahead of Budget Session
In the wake of DASS and steno cadre protest in the city, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Thursday accused the services department of deliberately trying to "hamper" the functioning of the government ahead of the Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly. The services department comes under Lt Governor Anil Baijal in the national capital. The Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly is beginning Friday. Sisodia wrote to Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev and asked him to implement the Sahai Committee's recommendations or Cabinet decisions. Earlier in the day, Sisodia met protesting employees of his government who are demanding restructuring of the Delhi Administrative Subordinate Services (DASS) and steno cadre. Three members of the Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association (DGEWA) have been sitting on a hunger-strike outside the Delhi Secretariat for the last four days in favour of their demands. "It seems services department is completely insensitive to the plight of employees of ...