Page 1611 - Politics
Trump promises announcement on IS 'caliphate' within '24 hours'
President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States would be announcing the end of the Islamic State group's once-sprawling "caliphate" within the next day. "We have a lot of great announcements having to do with Syria and our success with the eradication of the caliphate and that will be announced over the next 24 hours," Trump told reporters at the White House Friday. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have been closing in on holdout jihadists since September last year and a few hundred surviving IS members are now boxed into an area of around one square kilometer (less than half a square mile). The "caliphate" IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed in mid-2014 once spanned territory the size of the United Kingdom and administered millions of people. But successive offensives in Iraq and Syria have shattered the proto-state, which lost its key cities one after the other and has since late 2017 been confined to its traditional power base in the Euphrates valley. The ...
Emergency does 'great violence' to Constitution: Democrats
Democrat leaders denounced President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency along the US-Mexico border Friday as an unlawful power grab, saying it would do "great violence" to the constitution. "The President's unlawful declaration over a crisis that does not exist does great violence to our Constitution and makes America less safe, stealing from urgently needed defense funds for the security of our military and our nation," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement. This is plainly a power grab by a disappointed President, who has gone outside the bounds of the law to try to get what he failed to achieve in the constitutional legislative process.
CPIM-led LDF bags 16 of 30 seats in civic bypolls; BJP fails
Nothwithstanding the row over the Sabarimala women entry issue, the ruling CPI-M-led LDF in Kerala Friday bagged 16 out of the 30 seats in the bypolls conducted for various local bodies across the state. The Congress-led United Democratic Front got 12 seats while the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) and a Congress rebel retained the seats at Onchiyam in Kozhikode and Alappuzha district respectively. The BJP, which spearheaded the Sabarimala protests and had high hopes, came a cropper, failing to win any seat. In a setback to the ruling CPI(M), the RMP, to which slain leader T P Chandrasekharan belonged, retained the Onchiyam Panchayat seat. The CPI(M) had been saying the RMP had lost its relevance and was expecting to win this seat. RMP's P Sreejith won the fifth ward of Onchiyam panchayat with a majority of 308 votes and retained power in the Panchayat. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of RMP member A K Gopinath. The election assumed importance as RMP was ...
Pulwama attack: Pb to accord state funeral to slain CRPF jawans
The Punjab government Friday announced that it would accord a state funeral to the four CRPF personnel from the state who died in the Pulwama terror attack, officials said. The Deputy Commissioners of the native districts of the slain CRPF jawans have been directed about the same and asked to arrange a Guard of Honour at the time of their cremation, a spokesperson of the Punjab government said. The four jawans from the state included Jaimal Singh of Dharamkot, Moga, Sukhjinder Singh of Tehsil Patti, Tarn Taran, Maninder Singh Attri of Dinanagar, Gurdaspur and Kulwinder Singh of Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, the official said. The Punjab Assembly Friday strongly condemned the terror attack and passed a resolution for adjournment of the proceedings of the House for the day. Around 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden ...
Tripura to give Rs 2 lakh to each slain CRPF troopers' family
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday announced Rs 2-lakh compensation for each family of the nearly 50 CRPF troopers killed in the suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
Government convenes all-party meet on Pulwama terror attack
The Union government has called an all-party meeting on Saturday in the wake of Thursday's terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Time to forget, forgive in Lanka reconciliation: PM
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday said it was the time for the Sri Lankan communities to forget the past history and move ahead. Addressing a gathering in the former LTTE administrative capital of Kilinochchi, he said the island cannot live in the past. "It is time that Sri Lankan communities forget and forgive the past difficult history and move forward," Wickremesinghe said. "We all must admit that mistakes were made, apologise to each other and moved forward to achieve reconciliation," her said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran its parallel government from Kilinochchi until the Sri Lankan government wrested control of the entire north and east from the liberation group's grasp in 2009. He also underlined the need for a process of truth and reconciliation. Last week, the prime minister proposed to the Cabinet to set up a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" to deal with issues of the post conflict reconciliation. Wickremesighe said legal action against ...
PM, Rahul pay homage to slain CRPF troopers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid homage to 40 CRPF troopers killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday and laid wreaths on their mortal remains.
Assam govt announces Rs 20 lakh for martyr from state
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced Rs 20 lakh to the family of Moneswar Basumatary, a CRPF soldier from the state, who was martyred in the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday. Condoling the death of Basumatary, Sonowal Friday said his sacrifice would be remembered by the whole nation. "His martyrdom would keep inspiring all those engaged in protecting the country and make the fight against terrorism more intensified," an official release quoted him as saying. Paying tributes to the martyred soldiers, Sonowal wished for speedy recovery of those who were injured in the ambush at Pulwama. At a meeting here, Sonowal directed DGP Kuladhar Saikia to take steps to ensure that law and order situation in the state does not get disturbed and the forces inimical to the state's interests are not allowed to raise their heads, the release said. Chief Secretary Alok Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Home and Political Kumar Sanjay Krishna and other top ...
Pb govt announces Rs 12 lakh compensation, job to kin of dead CRPF jawans
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday announced Rs 12 lakh compensation and a government job to the next of kin of the four CRPF jawans from the state who died in the Pulwama terror attack. The mortal remains of these bravehearts would be cremated on Saturday with full state honours, the chief minister said as he expressed solidarity with the families of the soldiers. Among the around 40 jawans who lost their lives in the barbaric attack in south Kashmir, Kulwinder Singh of Roopnagar district, Sukhjinder Singh of Tarantarn, Jaimal Singh of Moga and Manjinder Singh of Dinanagar were from Punjab. Reassuring his government's full support and cooperation to the families in their hour of grief, Singh said the people of Punjab stood by them. The chief minister, as per an official statement, reiterated his demand for strong retaliatory action against the perpetrators of the heinous crime against humanity and said that the sacrifices of the "brave sons of the soil" would not go in
Pulwama attack due to intelligence failure : Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said the terror attack in J&K on a CRPF convoy at Pulwama which claimed 40 lives was due to "intelligence failure" and demanded that there be three-day nationwide mourning to show respect to the slain jawans. She questioned why the Centre was not declaring national mourning for the CRPF jawans and said "Will mourning take place only when political leaders die?" "I demand 72 hours mourning for the ultimate sacrifice of the soldiers. At least for national respect. Only one flag is not enough for it," she told reporters after returning from New Delhi. Banerjee said that the government as well as all the political parties should put a stop to all scheduled programme in view of the terror attack. "I am sorry to see that the prime minister inaugurated one project today. After any serious incident takes place, we should avoid political programmes and government programmes. Why have they (Centre) not declared a three-day ...
Exclusive: India advises refiner to avoid U.S. system for Venezuela oil buying - source
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has asked one buyer of Venezuelan oil to consider paying the South American nation's national oil company PDVSA in a way that avoids the U.S. financial system, an Indian government source said, after Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Venezuela last month.
Punjab Minister cancels Pakistan visit after Pulwama attack
To protest against the dastardly attack on the CRPF convoy at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Cabinet Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Friday cancelled his scheduled visit to attend the International Buffalo Congress in Lahore city in Pakistan.
BJP holds candlelight rally for Pulwama victims
The BJP's Telangana unit Friday took out a candlelight rally to pay homage to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack. BJP state president and its lone MLA Raja Singh and several leaders and members of 'Hindu Vahini' participated in the rally from the BJP office to Goshamahal Stadium. Singh described the incident as an act of cowardice. At a party meeting, Congress' Telangana leaders observed two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls.
World leaders condemn Pulwama terror attack, back India's fight against terrorism
Countries from across the globe, including the US, Russia, Australia, France, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, have condemned the Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and extended support to India in the fight against terrorism. At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a JeM suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district. Condemning the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday said perpetrators and sponsors of the attack should be brought to book and reiterated his country's support for further strengthening counterterrorist cooperation with India. In a message to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin said, "...We strongly condemn this brutal crime. The perpetrators and sponsors of this attack, undoubtedly, should be duly punished." The US specifically singled
Anti-Pak protests held in Gujarat over Pulwama terror attack
Anti-Pakistan protests were held across Gujarat Friday in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which at least 40 CRPF men were killed. Candle-light vigils were also held in various parts of the state to pay homage to the slain jawans. In Ahmedabad, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal workers burnt Pakistan's flag in Paldi area. The two right-wing outfits held similar protests in other parts of Gujarat too, the VHP said in a statement. Demanding action against Pakistan for supporting terrorism, workers of Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad, headed by by Pravin Togadia, burnt a Pakistani flag at Ellis Bridge here. In Rajkot, AHP members burnt an effigy of terrorists and demanded that India retaliate over the attack. An effigy of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was burnt in Thaltej area of Ahmedabad. Members of the Muslim community, led by Congress MLAs Gyasuddin Shaikh and Imran Khedawala, held protests against the terrorist attack in the Walled City area ...
Pulwama attack: Delhiites protest, hold candle light marches
Hundreds of people from all walks of life Friday gathered at India Gate and Jantar Mantar to hold candle light marches to express solidarity with the families of the CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama attack. Some members of the Youth Congress were detained as they attempted to march towards the Pakistan High Commission to protest against the audacious attack in south Kashmir that left at least 40 jawans dead. From students to politicians, members of social organisations to the common folks, the crowd gathered at the two venues demanded adequate compensation for the families of the dead soldiers and that Pakistan be given a "befitting reply". "Pakistan has to be given a strong reply," said Om Prakash, Delhi chief of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party as he participated in the candle light march at India Gate. "We also demand that the government announce Rs 1 crore (as compensation) for the martyrs families," he added. Amit Shukla, who too participated in the march at India Gate, said the ...
Government under pressure, BJP MPs recall surgical strike
Faced with public outrage over the Pulwama terrorist attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is being pressured by some of its MPs to give a "muscular response" to Pakistan.
Pulwama attack: Cong holds core committee meeting; discuses situation
The Congress Friday held a meeting of its core committee and discussed the situation arising out of the Pulwama terror attack. According to party sources, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former defence minister A K Antony, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and some other leaders were present at the meeting held at Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence. Sources said that it was decided in the meeting that whatever steps the government will take, the Congress will support it and will inform the government about it at the all-party meeting proposed on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Gandhi described the assault as an attack on India's soul and said his party as well as the entire opposition was fully supportive of the government and the security forces. No amount of hatred or anger can do anything to the love and affection that India is built on, Gandhi said at a press conference. There is going to be no other discussion from the Congress party over the ...
Cong Telangana unit holds brainstorming session for LS polls
As part of gearing up for the coming Lok Sabha polls, the Congress' Telangana unit began a three-day brainstorming session here Friday. TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy, AICC Telangana Incharge R.C. Khuntia, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC Secretary Srinivasan Krishnan,former MPs V Hanumantha Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar and Madhu Yashki Goud, among others, attended the session, a party release said. On the first day, a meeting was held with leaders of Adilabad, Peddapalli, Nizamabad, Zaheerabad, Karimnagar and Warangal Lok Sabha constituencies. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Lok Sabha elections would be completely different from that of Assembly as local issues get prominence in Assembly polls while people consider national issues for Lok Sabha candidates. The TPCC chief said there were multiple factors such as "defective EVMs, wrong poll processes, biased attitude of Election Commission or deletion of voters" which led to the Congress party's defeat in the previous ...