Page 1590 - Politics
7 MPs split from UK's Labour Party over Brexit
Britain's Opposition Labour Party suffered a jolt on Monday as seven anti-Brexit MPs quit the party in protest against its leader Jeremy Corbyn's approach to issues including Brexit and anti-Semitism. MPs Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey held a press conference in London to tell reporters that they would sit as a separate independent group within Parliament. "This morning we have all now resigned from the Labour Party. This has been a very difficult, painful, but necessary decision," said Berger, who is Jewish herself and been very vocal about anti-semitism within the Labour party. "I cannot remain in the party that I have today come to the sickening conclusion is anti-semitic. I am leaving behind a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation," she said. In her statement on behalf of the group, she said the seven MPs represented different parts of the UK, different backgrounds and generations who share the same ...
World must take firm steps against terrorism, supporters: Modi
In an apparent message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that the time for talks was over in the wake of Pulwama suicide bombing and said the global community should unite and act firmly against terrorists and those supporting it.
Just one slap from army man rattled Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azhar, says his interrogator
The dreaded architect of some of the most gruesome terror attacks in India, Maulana Masood Azhar, was a "easy man" to handle in custody and he got shaken up on the first "slap" from an army jawan prompting him to blurt out details of his movements, says a former police officer who interrogated him after his arrest in 1994. Azhar, who had used a Portuguese passport to enter India through Bangladesh and reach Kashmir, was arrested in February 1994 in Anantnag in South Kashmir. In the custody, the intelligence agencies did not have to do much work on Azhar who started speaking after the first slap from an army officer and gave deep insights into the functioning of terror groups operating from Pakistan, the officer said. "He was an easy man to handle and a slap from an army officer had shaken him completely," former Director General of Sikkim Police Avinash Mohananey, who interrogated Azhar many a times during his two-decade tenure in the Intelligence Bureau, told PTI. After his release ..
High Court reserves order in AJL eviction case
The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its order in the case pertaining to the eviction of Herald House by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL). The court has asked the Centre and the AJL to file their written submissions.AJL had appealed against the single bench order of the Delhi High Court, asking the company to vacate the Herald House. AJL is the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.On December 21 last year, the Delhi High Court's single bench had dismissed the petition filed by the AJL, challenging the Centre's decision to cancel its lease and vacate the Herald House.The Centre, in its eviction order passed on October 30 last year, had mentioned the violation of lease conditions by the AJL and had said that the Herald House's 56-year-old lease to the AJL had ended.The publisher had then approached the High Court on November 12 last year against the eviction order of the Union Urban Development Ministry. In its petition, stated that the Central government's decision to ...
India, Argentina exchange 10 MoUs and agreements
India and Argentina exchanged 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and agreements during the Argentine President Mauricio Macri's ongoing three-day visit to India from February 17 to 19.Six MoUs were exchanged between the two sides including an MoU on Defence Cooperation. Furthermore, an MoU was signed on tourism, while another was exchanged on Collaboration and Cooperation between Prasar Bharati India and the Federal System of Media and Public Contents Argentina.An MoU on pharmaceuticals was also signed between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (Government of India) and the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology Argentina. The fifth MoU is on Antarctic cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Argentina & Ministry of Earth Sciences India.Most of the MoUs were exchanged on the Argentine side by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Faurie and on the Indian side by Rajyawandra Singh Rathore, the Minister of State ...
Madhya Pradesh assembly passes resolution to condemn Pulwama terror attack
The legislative assembly here on Monday passed a resolution unanimously condemning the ghastly terror attack in Pulwama in which nearly 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.The opposition leader Gopal Bhargav moved the proposal in the house.As many 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Awantipora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in a terror attack orchestrated by Pakistan-based and Pakistan backed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed on February 14.The convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2,500 CRPF personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar, came under attack around 3.15 pm on February 14.
Senior Cong leaders line up to contest LS polls in Telangana
Putting the defeat in the assembly elections behind, the Congress in Telangana is gearing up for the coming Lok Sabha polls, with several senior leaders evincing interest to contest. Congress had accepted applications from those aspiring for party tickets this month and the exercise has seen a number of leaders seeking to throw their hats into the ring, party sources said on Monday. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader M Bhatti Vikramarka had said the party would like to finalise the candidates for the Lok Sabha candidates by this month-end. The Congress last week organised a session with party leaders from the grass-roots level for three days on the way ahead for Lok Sabha polls. Among others, former MP V Hanumantha Rao, who had served as PCC president in undivided Andhra Pradesh, has sought a ticket from Khammam Lok Sabha constituency. Former union minister Renuka Chowdary, who had represented Khammam earlier, is also reportedly interested to contest again. She had .
All Indian Cine Workers Association announces ban on Pakistani artistes
The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) on Monday announced a ban on Pakistani artistes in the country, saying they will resort to strong action against anyone who collaborates with talent from Pakistan.
Guj Guv cuts short address in House amid sloganeering by Oppn
Gujarat Governor O P Kohli was forced to cut short his customary address to the state Assembly on Monday amid slogan shouting by Congress members over the Pulwama terror attack and farm loan waiver issue. Kohli called for a five-day Assembly session from Monday to present the vote-on-account instead of a full budget in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. As soon as the governor began addressing the House, the Congress members started shouting slogans, making it difficult for other legislators to hear his speech. Some Congress members, led by Vikram Madam, came near the well and raised slogans demanding stern action against perpetrators of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district where 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14. The Congress members also demanded loan waiver for farmers in Gujarat. As the sloganeering continued for over five minutes, Kohli stopped his address and left the House after tabling his remaining speech. Earlier, as the governor ...
Seven MPs leave Britain's Labour Party over Brexit, anti-Semitism
Seven MPs from Britain's opposition Labour Party on Monday announced they were breaking away and forming an independent group in protest at the party's support for Brexit and its failure to stamp out anti-Semitism. "This has been a very difficult, painful but necessary decision," one of the MPs, Luciana Berger, said at a hastily arranged press conference in London.
Time for talks has passed: PM Modi after Pulwama attack
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the time for talks has passed and called on world leaders for united action against terrorism and its supporters.The comments came as part of the joint statement between India and Argentina during the ongoing three-day visit of Argentine President Mauricio Macri to India."President Macri and I agree that terrorism is a huge threat for global peace & stability. Brutal terrorist attack in Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir) proves that time for talks has passed. Now the entire world needs to unite against terrorism and its supporters to take strong actions," Prime Minister Modi outlined said on February 18."Hesitating from taking actions against terrorists is also kind of encouraging terrorism. Being a part of G20 countries, it's also important that we implement 11 point agenda of Hamburg Leaders Statement. India and Argentina will issue a special declaration on terrorism today," he further stated.President Macri, while condemning the attack, ...
Poland says may withdraw from summit as Israel row escalates
Poland warned on Monday that it may pull out of a summit of central European countries in Jerusalem this week on the heels of comments by Israel's new foreign minister accusing Poles of anti-Semitism. The move comes after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki backed out of the summit on Sunday, following uproar in Poland over reported comments by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu about the Poles and the Holocaust. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz was due to replace Morawiecki, but a senior government official in Warsaw said on Monday that this was now under a "question mark" following comments by Israel's diplomatic chief Israel Katz. He told Israel's i24 television that "there were many Poles who collaborated with the Nazis, and like Yitzhak Shamir, whose father was murdered, said: Poles suckle anti-Semitism with their mothers' milk." "The situation has changed since yesterday," Michal Dworczyk, head of the Polish prime minister's chancellery, told Polish radio on Monday,
Iran harbouring terrorist groups: Saudi
Iran is harbouring terrorist groups and should be the last country to accuse others of terrorism, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said here on Monday. Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jubeir, who is part of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage, said Iran was supporting terrorism and Saudi Arabia was its victim. "Iran should be the last country to accuse others of terrorism," Jubeir said in response to a query about Tehran accusing Islamabad of harbouring a jihadist group behind a deadly suicide attack in which 27 Iranian soldiers were killed in Wednesday. Al-Jubeir said terrorism was a common enemy and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the US were working jointly to eradicate it. To a question about India-Pakistan relations, the Saudi minister said both countries were facing similar challenges, including the scourge of terrorism. "We want both countries to resolve their conflicts ...
I am firm on my stand, our fight is against terrorism: Sidhu
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu who is facing flak for his recent comment on the Pulwama terror attack, said he is firm on his stand and reiterated that the country's fight is against terrorism and perpetrators of terror."I am firm on my stand. Terrorism will not be tolerated. People who are responsible should be punished so harshly that it acts as deterrence for generations to come," Sidhu told reporters here.Following the terror attack, the Punjab Minister had said that a nation cannot be held responsible for the acts of terrorists.Speaking to reporters today, Sidhu raked up the 1999 Kandahar incident wherein an Air India flight was hijacked by members of Jaish-e-Mohammed (the perpetrators behind the Pulwama terror attack) and asserted that those responsible should be extradited."I want to ask who released those involved in 1999 Kandahar incident? Whose responsibility is it? Our fight is against them. Why should a soldier die? Why can't there be a permanent solution? Terrorism ...
No leader in the world has Modi's political will to tackle terrorism: Amit Shah
Asserting that the BJP-led government would not let the sacrifices of jawans go in vain, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday said no political leader in the world has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political will to tackle terrorism. Addressing party workers here after the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed, he said the Army would give a fitting reply and only Modi could provide the strong government the country needs. We should all be proud that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government which has come up with the largest defence budget since independence, he said at the Suraj Maidan here, kicking off his party's election preparation in Rajasthan. Shah said the BJP has worked to further strengthen and modernise the army. The BJP government, he added, has started giving terrorists a befitting reply and has achieved success. The entire country is today standing rock solid with the families of martyrs. The Modi-led BJP government will not ..
Rahul to launch election campaign in Maharashtra on March 1
Congress President Rahul Gandhi will launch the national campaign for the coming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra with a mega rally in Dhule, a traditional party bastion, on March 1, an official said here on Monday.
SC refuses to allow reopening of Sterlite plant in Tamil Nadu
A bench headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman set aside NGT's order saying, Vedanta's plea before the tribunal was not maintainable.The apex court said NGT did not have jurisdiction to entertain Vedanta's appeals against Tamil Nadu government.In addition, the judicature has also asked CBI to conduct a fair and impartial investigation into the police firing that killed 13 persons during the anti-Sterlite Copper plant protest last year.The bench further stated that Vedanta has the liberty to approach the Madras High Court with its plea for reopening of the plant.The court was hearing a plea by Vedanta group seeking a direction to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to implement the NGT order which had set aside the government's decision to close the plant.The tribunal failed to consider the data, documents and evidence furnished by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to show that Vedanta had irreversibly polluted the groundwater in and around Thoothukudi district, the government had
Shiv Sena, BJP to have reached pre-poll alliance for LS polls: Sena leader Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena, which has been at loggerheads with BJP and had even decided to go it alone in the upcoming general elections, has reached an agreement with BJP to have a pre-poll alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday.A decision to this effect was taken by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BJP president Amit Shah who held several rounds of discussion for a pre-poll understanding between the two long-standing allies, Raut told ANI."The discussions between the two leaders have concluded and an agreement for a pre-poll alliance has been taken," he said.Raut said that Thackeray and Shah will address a joint press conference in Mumbai later today during which the announcement will be made.Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led governments at the Centre as well as in the state, has had constant bickerings with BJP lately. It has targeted the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal, the Ram temple issue, farm crisis and fuel prices, among ...
Iranian president: US sanctions are 'economic war' on Iran
Iran's president has described the U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran as an economic war and stressed that "economic war is more difficult than military war." Hassan Rouhani spoke on Monday as he inaugurated the third and final phase of the sprawling Persian Gulf Star refinery built in the Persian Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas. Construction began in 2006. The refinery has the capacity of 400,000 barrels a day, or about 20 percent of Iran's 2.1 million barrels of daily refining capacity. Rouhani praised the inauguration, saying in a televised speech that it comes despite America's "imposing the harshest sanctions" on Iran. The Trump administration last year pulled the US out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed sanction on Iran, targeting its vital oil sector.
Pak isolated globally after Pulwama terror attack: Minister
Union Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh Monday said Pakistan has been isolated internationally after the Pulwama terror attack. Speaking to mediapersons here, the minister said more than 40 countries have issued strong statements against Pakistan. This is a big success of our external and diplomatic policy as the number of countries supporting India's stand is higher than the number of countries which had supported India after 26/11 attack in Mumbai, he added. Singh said, "India will choose time and place for retaliation to the recent terror attack on the CRPF convoy as it will be properly planned and well thought of." He claimed to be unaware of what was being planned by the forces but said "any war, war-like or punitive action" must be planned for success. It should be a cold act and nothing is to be done in a hurry, Singh said. "Even Osama (Bin Laden) was not killed in a day despite the fact that USA had known he was hidden in Pakistan. Let us wait and watch ..