Page 1583 - Politics
Trudeau's top adviser resigns but denies wrongdoing
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top adviser has resigned while denying allegations he pressured Canada's former attorney general to avoid prosecuting a major Canadian engineering firm. Principal Secretary Gerald Butts has been Trudeau's closet adviser and best friend since university. Butts issued a statement Monday denying that he or anybody else in Trudeau's office pressured Jody Wilson-Raybould. He said he's leaving in order to defend himself without distracting from the prime minister's work. The Globe and Mail newspaper reported this month that Trudeau or his staff pressured Wilson-Raybould to try to avoid a criminal prosecution of Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin over allegations of corruption involving government contracts in Libya. Critics say that would be improper political meddling in a legal case. Wilson-Raybould resigned from the cabinet last week but gave no reasons.
Puducherry CM ends sit-in after talks with Lt Governor
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Monday ended his sit-in in after a meeting with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, saying "partial success" was achieved on various demands. Narayanasamy was staging a dharna in front of the assembly, which entered its sixth day on Monday, over various demands such as increasing assistance under old age and widow pension schemes. The chief minister also said he and his cabinet colleagues also suspended other agitations, including jail bharo and the fast slated for February 20 and 21. "We are suspending all the agitations slated for the next two days against Kiran Bedi as we could score partial success on various public issues at the meeting we had with her," Narayanasamy said at a press conference after a over four-hour-long meeting with Bedi at her office here tonight. He said after the talks with the Lt Governor he and his cabinet colleagues met at the committee room and it was decided "unanimously" by ministers and legislators that "the agitations ...
Myanmar condemns Kashmir terror attack
Myanmar on Monday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF troopers.
Twin bombing kills 24 in Syria's Idlib: monitor
A double bomb attack in Syria's jihadist-held city of Idlib on Monday killed 24 people, including four children, a war monitor said. The first blast was caused by a bomb planted under a car in the main city of the Idlib region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A motorcycle bomb detonated after ambulances arrived at the scene of the first explosion, the Britain-based monitoring group said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which the Observatory said also wounded at least 51, updating an earlier casualty toll. Idlib, the last major part of Syria still outside the control of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is held by an alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. HTS took administrative control of the whole of the region last month, after overpowering smaller Turkey-backed factions. The Islamic State group also has sleeper cells in the area. A local office of the "Salvation Government", an administrative body ...
Veteran actor Biswajit joins BJP, praises Modi
Veteran matinee idol Biswajit Chatterjee joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Monday in the presence of party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and other senior leaders.
Bengal BJP takes out candle light march for slain CRPF jawans
The West Bengal BJP on Monday took out a candle light march to protest the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Led by the party's state president Dilip Ghosh, its activists took out the procession from the BJP office in central Kolkata. Ghosh, along with other BJP leaders, later paid floral tributes to the slain CRPF jawans. Earlier in the day, MLAs of the state assembly, cutting across party lines, organised a similar march inside the House premises. Bablu Santra and Sudip Biswas, hailing from Howrah and Nadia districts of West Bengal, were among the 40 CRPF personnel killed in the terror strike in Pulwama district on February 14.
South African billionaire Motsepe says he won't buy Eskom assets
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe said on Monday that he would not buy any assets which struggling state power firm Eskom puts up for sale, in response to speculation that he was eyeing an Eskom financial subsidiary.
With Pulwama attack, time for discussions is over: Modi
In a strong message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Pulwama terror bombing shows that the time for talks between the two neighbouring countries is over and called upon the global community to unite and act firmly against terrorism and those supporting it.
AAP leadership weakening me, alleges Alka Lamba
The AAP's Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba on Monday alleged that the party leadership was "weakening" her and said she is being accused of attempting to switch over to the Congress. Lamba was sidelined after she claimed in December that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had asked her to resign for protesting an alleged proposal seeking to revoke former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna. The AAP, however, had rubbished the claim. She claimed that Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will hold a public meeting near Jama Masjid in her constituency on February 20 but she has not been informed of it. The AAP is backing an old face of the party as a probable from Chandni Chowk for the assembly election in 2020, she claimed. "How will the party gain by weakening me," she questioned in a statement. Lamba said although she is being accused of trying to switch over to the Congress, but "someone else" in the party is ready to "go to any level" for alliance with that party. She hinted at a .
Pakistan narrative on Kashmir not acceptable: Saudi Arabia
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has developed a far better understanding of Indias position on Jammu and Kashmir and the kind of terror threat the country faced and it was evident from the Kingdom's strong denunciation of the Pulwama terror attack, sources said on Monday.
Gujarat MLAs to donate one month's salary to kin of killed CRPF troopers
Cutting across party lines, Gujarat legislators on Monday decided to donate their one month's salaries to the families of the 40 Central Reserve Police Force troopers killed in the Pulwama terror attack.
Trump calls discussions about removing him "treasonous"
US President Donald Trump said Monday a top Justice official's reported discussions about invoking the Constitution to remove him from office were part of an "illegal and treasonous" push against him. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raised the possibility of removing the president in 2017 after Trump fired FBI director James Comey, according to Andrew McCabe, who replaced Comey as the bureau's acting director. McCabe and Rosenstein "look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.....," Trump said in a series of tweets. "This was the illegal and treasonous 'insurance policy' in full action!" Trump has often attacked the federal investigations into his campaign's links to Russia as a "witch hunt" aimed at sabotaging his presidency. The "insurance policy" he cited refers to an ambiguous text message a top FBI investigator sent to his lover in August 2016 that alludes to their concerns about then candidate Trump, which the president often points to as evidence of a
Gujarat Assembly pays homage to CRPF martyrs; Vote-on-Account on Tuesday
Gujarat Assembly's five-day budget session began here on Monday with legislators, cutting across party lines, paying homage to 40 CRPF jawans killed in the Pulwama terror attack.
BJP backs Thursday's Odisha bandh called by farmers
BJP in Odisha Monday said it will extend support to shutdown called in the state by Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS), a farmers' organisation, on Thursday over pension and other demands. Stating that farmers have the right to express their opinion and stage protest in a democracy, BJP Odisha unit president Basant Panda claimed that the BJD government has been trying to throttle the voice of the farmers which needs to be protested. TheKS has called for a 12-hour Odisha Bandh on February 21 to protest the alleged apathy of the state government towards the farming community. "Our party will support theKS, which has been demanding pension and proper price agricultural produce for farmers," Panda said. National convener ofKS Akshaya Kumar alleged that the state government has deprived the farmers of their right to speech and freedom. He said the organisation has requested political parties, think-tanks, traders' associations and the bus and truck operators to support the
Is it 'grand adultration' or 'grand fear': Cong on BJP's alliances
Hours after the Shiv Sena and the BJP announced their tie-up in Maharashtra, the Congress on Monday said the BJP was striking alliances in one state after another and wondered whether it was "grand adulteration" or "grand fear". Ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena, whose relations have been strained for quite some time, Monday announced a tie-up for the coming Lok Sabha and MaharashtraAssembly elections. Reacting to the development, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted: "First Bihar, then Maharashtra and now Tamil Nadu, the BJP has been engaged in striking one alliance after another." "The grand question--Is it a 'mahamilavat' (grand adulteration) or 'maha bhay' (grand fear)?" he tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this month in the Lok Sabha said that 'mahamilavat' of opposition parties was not acceptable to the country. It was announced in Mumbai that the BJP will contest 25 seats and Shiv Sena23 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The two parties will contest ...
Kejriwal meets Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called on his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu here.
They killed 41, we should kill 82, says Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh
In lieu of our 41 soldiers killed in Pulwama terror attack, India should kill 82, as "the entire country is fed up with the senseless killings of our soldiers every day," said Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday."We should get 82 of them since 41 of our men have been killed. India wants it now," said Singh while addressing media persons here. He called for "tough coercive action against Pakistan," which he suggested could be "military, diplomatic or economic, or a combination of all three."Stressing the need for a strong stance in the wake of Pulwama terror carnage, the Chief Minister said: "It is for the Centre to decide what form of action should be taken, but it is clear that some measures have to be taken urgently." "No one is asking anyone to go to war, but these killings of soldiers are not a joke. Something has to be done. I am fed up. The country is fed up. Pakistan can't hold India to ransom just because they are a nuclear nation. Even we are a nuclear ...
Hope bitter experiences between Shiv Sena and BJP won't crop up again: Uddhav Thackeray
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday expressed hope that bitter experiences between his party and the BJP would not crop up again and the two parties would work together to win the coming Lok Sabha elections.Thackeray, who was speaking at a press conference along with BJP chief Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said: "Our relations have been going through a bittersweet phase over the past few years. I hope bitter experiences between us won't crop up again."In Maharashtra where 48 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, Sena has agreed to contest on 23 seats, while 25 seats will go the BJP. The two parties have also agreed to contest the coming Assembly elections as allies. "People have been seeing the Shiv Sena and the BJP for the past 30 years. For 25 years, we stood united, and for the last five years, there was confusion. But as Chief Minister Fadnavis said, I still provide guidance to the government from time to time," he said.He went on to add ...
Saudi does not accept Islamabad's narrative: Sources on terrorism emanating from Pakistan
Sources on Saudi Arabia's position on terrorism emanating from Pakistan stated that Riyadh no more accepts Islamabad's narrative.The sources further revealed that Saudi Arabia has made a very strong denouncement of Pulwama terror attack and there is a big transformation in Riyadh's understanding of terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir in the last few years.Sources on security cooperation with India also stated that New Delhi and Riyadh cooperation on security is very active as both countries are actively involved in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, info sharing on money laundering and terrorism.Saudi Arabia has extradited many terrorists to India over the years.Sources also revealed that talks on investment of 44 billion USD by Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in Ratnagiri Refinery project is also expected to take place during Crown Prince Mohammad -bin Salman's visit to India.MBS is scheduled to visit India on February 19 for his official two-day maiden ...
India and Argentina should come together to fight terrorism: Kovind
India and Argentina should come "together, firmly and decisively" to destroy and defeat terrorism, President Ram Nath Kovind said Monday as he welcomed his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Macri was welcomed in a traditional ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning. Later, in his banquet speech, Kovind underlined the rich traditional friendship between the two countries which goes beyond the Tabla and the Tango. He also referred to interactions between Rabindranath Tagore and Argentine writer Victoria Ocampo during the Bengali poet's visit in 1924, the respect commanded by Mahatma Gandhi in Argentina and San Martin in India, skills of football superstars Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi which captivate soccer lovers of India and sporting rivalry on the hockey turf. During his speech, Kovind said, "...Terrorism poses the gravest threat to humanity today. As long-standing friends and as trusted partners, we must come together, firmly and ...