Page 1600 - Politics
Kovind, Modi greet Telangana CM on birthday
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday stayed away from his 65th birthday celebrations in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack even as President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted him.
Thousands in Serbia protest for 11th week against populists
Thousands of people have rallied in Serbia's capital for 11th week in a row against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. The crowds at Saturday's protest lit flares outside the parliament building chanting anti-government slogans. Opposition parties meanwhile offered an "agreement" to the citizens pledging to restore democracy they say Vucic has stifled. The street protests have spread to other towns challenging Vucic, a former extreme nationalist who now says he supports Serbia's European Union membership bid. Critics accuse Vucic of stifling hard-won democratic freedoms in the country that went through a series of wars during the 1990s. Protests against Vucic started after thugs beat up an opposition leader last November. Beleaguered opposition parties say they will boycott any future elections in Serbia unless they are free and fair.
Separatist leaders never asked for security: Hurriyat
Reacting to the Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to withdraw security cover for five separatist leaders, the Hurriyat Conference said they had never sought security at the first place.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra key for BJP in LS polls
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, the electorally major states where the BJP had done exceedingly well in the 2014 elections, could hold the key to the party returning to power in the coming elections -- depending on its alliances or the rivals.
Imran's 'peace' push turns into bloody push
From telephoning Kashmiri separatists directly to raising the issue of alleged human rights violations with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's so-called peace rush has quickly turned into a bloody push.
Security cover of 5 J&K separatist leaders withdrawn
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Sunday decided to withdraw the security cover of five separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.
Rajinikanth won't contest Lok Sabha polls
Amid speculation whether he will take the plunge or not, superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday announced that he will not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections nor will he support any political party.
Rajinikanth not to contest Lok Sabha polls
Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday announced that he won't contest the coming Lok Sabha battle and that his target was only the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
All eyes on Chandrasekhar Rao's Cabinet expansion
As Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao prepares to expand his cabinet more than two months after taking over for a second term, the focus is now on who would be part of the ministry. Putting an end to opposition criticism (for not having a full Cabinet) and protracted speculation, KCR would induct new members into his council of ministers on February 19. After his partys (TRS) spectacular victory in the December 7 assembly elections, Rao assumed office as Chief Minister for a second straight term on December 13. Mohd Mehmood Ali was the only minister to take oath along with him. The focus now would be on the composition of the expanded ministry. With Rao's son K T Rama Rao having been appointed working president of the TRS, it remains to be seen whether he would be part of the Cabinet. The suave Rama Rao, who held a number of portfolios including municipal administration, IT, industries and others, had been credited with creating a pro-development image for the .
In MP, Congress begins selection of LS candidates
Coming back to power after 15 years, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh is eyeing a repeat of a similar performance in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for which it is leaving no stones unturned.
Brief T'gana Assembly session from Feb 22
The Telangana Assembly would have a brief session beginning February 22 during which the state's vote-on-account budget would be presented. Amid reports that the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections would be announced at the end of this month or early next month, the ruling TRS, as also the opposition Congress, BJP and others in Telangana, are expected to get into election mode after the conclusion of the session on February 25. "The vote-on-account state budget of Telangana will be presented on February 22 at 11.30 AM," an official release said last week. After the presentation of the vote-on-account, discussions would be held the next day. The Appropriation Bill would be adopted by the House on February 25, the release had said. The session would be held till February 25, it said. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who held a meeting with officials last week, had told them that the vote-on-account budget to be presented to the assembly should take care of all the ...
Heather Nauert withdraws her nomination for US envoy to UN
In a surprise move, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert withdrew her nomination to replace Indian-American Nikki Haley as the top US diplomat at the United Nations, amid criticism by Democrats for her lack of diplomatic experience. Nauert, 48, a former Fox News anchor, issued a statement on Saturday citing family reasons for her decision. "I am grateful to President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (Mike) Pompeo for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations," Nauert said. "However, the past two months have been gruelling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration, she said. Nauret said her two years with the administration had been "one of the highest honours of my life and I will always be grateful to the President, the Secretary, and my colleagues at the State Department for their support. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said ...
Nigeria orders re-opening of borders after election postponement
The Nigerian government has ordered the re-opening of all the nation's borders following the postponement of the presidential and national assembly elections.
Macron condemns anti-Semitic abuse by 'yellow vest' protestors
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned anti-Semitic abuse of a leading intellectual by "yellow vest" protestors and said it would not be tolerated. Police intervened to protect philosopher and writer Alain Finkielkraut after he was targeted by a group of protestors on the fringe of a demonstration in central Paris on Saturday, according to videos posted on social networks. "The anti-Semitic insults he has been subjected to are the absolute negation of what we are and what makes us a great nation. We will not tolerate it," Macron tweeted. "The son of Polish immigrants who became a French academician, Alain Finkielkraut is not only a prominent man of letters but the symbol of what the Republic allows everyone," the president added in another tweet. Several protestors shouted "Dirty Zionist," "We are the people" and "France is ours", according to a video broadcast by Yahoo! News. "I felt absolute hatred and, unfortunately, this is not the first time," Finkielkraut, 69, told Journal .
Trump's UN ambassador pick withdraws from consideration
Heather Nauert, the incumbent spokeswoman for the US State Department and also President Donald Trump's pick to be the country's new UN ambassador, withdrew from consideration.
Members of Indian diaspora in Australia protest Pulwama attack
Members of the Indian diaspora gathered outside the Victorian parliament here on Saturday to protest a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 40 paramilitary personnel dead. The protesters chanted "Bharat Mata ki jai" and carried banners that read "say no to terrorism and Pakistan stop supporting terrorism". Local councillor Intaj Khan said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorism and demanded compensation for the families of those killed in the attack. Karthik Arasu, a local resident, said it was peaceful protest as India has always stood for peace and love. The Hindu Council of Australia also denounced the terror attack, which was claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. "The Hindu Council of Australia joins the international community in strongly condemning the terrorist attack on CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs, it said in a statement. A meet to pay homage to the victims of the attack would be ...
U.S. President Trump receives update on China trade talks
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump received an update on trade talks with China on Saturday at his Florida retreat after discussions in Beijing saw progress ahead of a March 1 deadline for reaching a deal.
China hopes US, Russia will return to INF Treaty
China hopes the US and Russia will return to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a senior Chinese official has said here.
Putin, Macron agree to continue coordination on Syrian peace process
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have agreed during a telephonic conversation to continue coordination of the two countries to facilitate the peace settlement in Syria, the Kremlin said.
'Enough is enough', says Iran Dy FM during meet with Swaraj on terrorism
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchchi on Saturday where the two ministers discussed bilateral ties and close cooperation between the countries to combat terrorism in the region.Swaraj enroute to Bulgaria, as part of her three-nation tour, had a brief stopover in Iran during which she met withAragchchi."Iran and India suffered from two heinous terrorist attacks in the past few days resulted in big casualties. Today in my meeting with Sushma Swaraj the Indian FM, when she had a stopover in Tehran, we agreed on close cooperation to combat terrorism in the region. Enough is enough!" Araghchi tweeted.Both India and Iran saw similar suicide attacks targetting their respective paramilitary forces earlier this week.On February 13, a total of 27 members of Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed after an explosive-laden vehicle targetted the bus which was ferrying the military personnel in Khash-Zahedan sector of Sistan-Baluchistan .