Page 1567 - Politics
Saudi prince sees "useful returns" from expected $100 billion investment in India
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday he saw investment opportunities of more than $100 billion in India over the next two years as he began his first official visit amid tensions between arch foes India and Pakistan.
Taiwan's Tsai says no peace deal with China unless force ruled out
President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday said no formal peace deal could be signed with China until leaders in Beijing rule out using force against the island. Tsai was speaking a day after she confirmed she would run for re-election in early 2020 despite falling ratings and an increasingly strained relationship with China. Beijing still sees democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, despite the two sides being ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949. Tsai was responding to recent comments by Wu Den-yih, head of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), that his party would pursue a peace treaty with Beijing if it were to regain power next year. "There would be no so-called negotiation on equal footing and no real peace as China refuses to give up the use of force against Taiwan and forcefully pushes the 'one country, two systems' framework," she said in a media briefing. "China's military intentions and its refusal to give up the use of force against Taiwan is .
Terrorism, extremism common concerns: Saudi crown prince after talks with Modi
Terrorism and extremism are "common concerns" and Saudi Arabia will extend all cooperation to India and other neighbouring countries to deal with them, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said on Wednesday after holding "extensive and successful" talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The talks took place a day after the influential Arab leader concluded a high profile visit to Islamabad, and in the backdrop of India's escalating tension with Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber. In his media statement, Modi called the attack a "cruel symbol" of the scourge of terrorism and sought punishment for the terrorists and their backers. The crown prince did not mention the strike. "Last week's barbaric Pulwama attack was a symbol of the shadow of the inhuman danger hovering over the world. To deal with the scourge, we have agreed that there was a need to ramp up pressure on countries extending any sort of
Pakistan government spokesperson's personal Twitter account suspended
Twitter has suspended the personal account of Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal.
Real tribute to Namvar Singh will be restoring dialogue in India
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hailed noted writer Namvar Singh, who passed away last night, for putting his life into building a tolerant society and said real tribute to him would be restoring dialogue in India. Singh, writer, poet, critic and one of contemporary Hindi literature's tallest figures, died after a month-long illness, his family said on Wednesday. He was 92. Singh died on Tuesday night at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. "With the demise of Namvar Singh, Indian languages ??have lost a powerful voice. He put his life into building a tolerant, democratic society," Gandhi tweeted. Real tribute to him would be to restore dialogue in India, the Congress chief said.
Meghalaya's UDP cuts ties with BJP-led NEDA
The United Democratic Party (UDP), Meghalaya's main regional political party, on Wednesday announced that it has snapped ties with the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) over the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Need for change in mindset of Arunachal legislators: Khandu
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday called for a change in mindset of the state's legislators and advised them to work with team spirit. He said the lawmakers need to focus on proper planning so that developmental efforts of the state government could reach the people. "If we go with our old style of functioning in governance, we will have to face a tough situation in the future. "We must change our attitude and need to work with 'Team Arunachal' spirit for development," Khandu said, addressing the 33rd Statehood Day celebration at Indira Gandhi Park here. Khandu said the onus lies on better planning and execution of work with judicious utilisation of funds for Arunachal Pradesh to emerge as a developed state. "In its 33-year journey, the state witnessed many ups and downs. Years of negligence has put the 'underdeveloped' tag on the state, which started getting importance only when the NDA government came to power at the Centre in 2014," the chief
8th MP quits UK's Labour Party over racism
Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to resign and join a breakaway group, claiming the UK's main opposition party has become "infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism", the media reported on Wednesday.
DMK, Congress seal pact for LS elections
The DMK and the Congress on Wednesday said they have finalized an agreement to jointly contest the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Modi govt can give befitting reply to Pak-backed terrorism:Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday said terrorism had grown in the country due to the "policy of appeasement" adopted by the past Congress governments and stressed that India can remain safe and secure only under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Addressing a BJP meeting in this western Odisha town, the firebrand leader said the NDA government is determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism with active support of all. "Bold steps taken by the Centre after Pulwama terror attack prove that Mod-led BJP Government can give befitting reply to Pakistan-sponsored terrorists and thwart their evil designs," Adityanath said. Lashing out at previous governments, Adityanath said earlier forces were asked to wait till terrorists fired, but after the BJP came to power security forces were clearly told not to wait as terrorists do not wait for anyone. The UP chief minister emphasised that the country can remain safe and secure only under the leadership of Modi and said security .
Pulwama attack: Indian envoys to Pakistan, US meet Rajnath
India's High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria and Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here.
Priyanka, Rahul halt at UP 'dhaba'
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi and her brother and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday went to a roadside dhaba in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh while on their way to meet the family of a CRPF trooper killed by a suicide bomber in Kashmir.
Trump urges India, Pakistan to 'get along'
US President Donald Trump has urged India and Pakistan to "get along" in the wake of Jammu and Kashmir suicide bombing and said that his country will respond on the issue at an "appropriate time".
Chit fund investors suspend stir after Odisha govt assurance
With the Odisha government announcing that it would soon release a white paper on chit fund scams, the duped investors, who had called for an indefinite protest, suspended their stir Wednesday. A member of Milita Khyatigrasta Jamakari Mancha, an organisation that spearheaded the agitation Tuesday, said that the stir was put off following a meeting with a team of government delegates. "We have decided to suspend the agitation after the government promised to issue details of the scams by February 22," Jayant Das, the convenor of the Mancha, said. BJD MP Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who led the government delegation, told reporters that a white paper will be released shortly with relevant information, including the names and number of Ponzi schemes, property confiscation, status of duped investors and the amount of money collected for refund. The agitators had Tuesday vowed to continue the stir till they were compensated for their loss. Staging a demonstration here, the Mancha ...
India plans to buy 21 MiG-29 jet fighters from Russia: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) - India plans to buy 21 MiG-29 jet fighters and possibly more from Russia, the RIA news agency cited the deputy director of Russia's federal service for military-technical cooperation as saying on Wednesday.
UN chief asks India, Pak to exercise 'maximum restraint' and take steps to defuse tensions
UN chief Antonio Guterres has called on India and Pakistan to exercise "maximum restraint" and take "immediate steps to de-escalate tensions following the Pulwama terror attack, reiterating that his good offices are available if asked by both sides. The already sour relations between India and Pakistan have worsened over the past week as New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Both countries have called back their envoys for "consultations." The Secretary General stresses the importance for both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalation, and his good offices are always available should both sides ask, the UN Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Tuesday at the daily press briefing. Dujarric was asked about a meeting Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN has sought with the Secretary General and also about Pakistani ...
Pb Assembly passes resolution, seeks British govt apology for Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The Punjab Assembly Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution, seeking an apology from the British government for the JallianwalaBagh massacre. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra moved the resolutionand political parties, cutting across party lines, supported it. "The tragic massacre of innocent protesters in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919 remains one of the most horrific memories of British colonial rule in India.This shameful military action against locals peacefully protesting against the oppressive Rowlatt Act has since received worldwide condemnation," the resolution said. "However, its proper acknowledgement could only be by way of a formal apology by the British government to the people of India as we observe the Centenary of this great tragedy," the resolution said. "This August House thus unanimously recommends to the state government to take up this matter with the government of India to impress upon the British government to officially apologise ..
Release detained Jammu youths: JPPF
The Jammu Province People's Forum (JPPF), an organisation advocating cause of Dogras, Wednesday threatened agitation if police do not immediately release over 100 boys allegedly detained in Jammu during protests against Pulwama terror attack. "100 plus innocent (boys) are detained for none of their fault. We request the administration to release the detained innocent youths of Jammu otherwise situation will become bad to worse", Working President of the Forum, M S Katoch said Wednesday here. The JPPF, which supervised the agitation for the Central University Jammu (CUJ) and AIIMS and forced the central government to announce the two institutes for Jammu, has asked the government to release the detained youths immediately. Lashing at the administration for "anti-Jammu" steps, Katoch saidthe city is under strict curfew for the last 5 days and people here are having a "tough time". He said the government "failed" to control the situation and alleged that no action was taken against those
Trump publicly attacked Russia probe over 1,100 times
US President Donald Trump has publicly attacked the ongoing probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to The New York Times.
New Zealand Parliament passes motion condemning Pulwama terror attack
The New Zealand Parliament on Wednesday unanimously passed a motion condemning the terror attack on India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14.The motion that was moved by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters without prior notice, said, "This house condemns the attack on the Indian Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Pulwama.""I move the motion that this House condemns the February 14 act of terrorism on Indian Central Reserved Police personnel leading to a very large loss of life.""We offer condolences to the people and the government of India and offer solidarity with the government of India in this difficult time as well as offer our deep sympathies to those affected," Peters added.40 CRPF personnel were killed last week after a suicide bomber rammed a car laden with explosives into a CRPF convoy in Awantipora area of Pulwama.Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed ...