Page 1612 - Politics
Kejriwal cancels government events after suicide bombing
Extending support to the Central government and the armed forces, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday cancelled all public programmes of the Delhi government as a mark of respect to the CRPF personnel killed in a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.
NaMo app crosses 1 crore downloads on Android despite controversies
With over one crore downloads at Google Play store in four years since its launch, the Narendra Modi (NaMo) app, the official app of the Prime Minister, has established itself as a major platform to share the opinions of the government and -- to some people's disliking -- of the party he belongs.
Kirti Azad to join Congress on Monday
BJP MP Kirti Azad, who has been suspended by the party, met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday and said he will join the opposition party on Monday. Azad was to officially join the Congress on Friday, but the programme was cancelled in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, sources said. "Met @RahulGandhi ji it was rightly decided that in mark of respect to the martyred soldiers of Pulwama my joining the @INCIndia will now take place on February 18 we will be in state of mourning for 3 days country is bigger than a person or party and soldiers are supreme," Azad said in a tweet. Significantly, Azad, a former India cricketer, was elected from Darbhanga in Bihar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He has been suspended from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for anti-party activities.
All-party meeting on Saturday to deliberate upon Pulwama terror attack
The Central government has called an all-party meeting here on Saturday to deliberate upon the situations arising out of Pulwama terror attack, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) here on Friday.In the meeting, the Central government will brief the opposition leaders about the action being taken to deal with the situations arising out Pulwama terror attack," sources said. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 11 am in the Parliament Library. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the meeting. India on Friday also announced the withdrawal of most favoured nation (MFN) status to Pakistan. New Delhi had granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, a year after the formation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but Pakistan never reciprocated.The Central government has also stepped up diplomatic efforts to mount pressure on the Government of Pakistan to take action against those who are indulged in exporting terror to India. .
In view of Pulwama terror attack, India apprises 25 Heads of Mission about Pak's role in sponsoring JeM
Launching a concerted diplomatic offensive against Pakistan in the wake of Pulwama terror attack, Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday apprised around 25 Heads of Mission (HoMs) about Islamabad's role in sponsoring terror outfit-Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)."As a part of continuing diplomatic efforts to expose Pakistan's role in Pulwama terror attack, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale has met around 25 Heads of Mission (HoMs) in New Delhi, including five permanent members of the United Nations," the source told ANI."All HoMs were left in no doubt about the role played by Pakistan-based and supported Jaish-e-Mohammed in the terrorist attack. India raised the demand that Pakistan must cease forthwith all support to terror groups operating from the areas under their control," said the source."Foreign Secretary Gokhale also highlighted the role played by Pakistan in using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy. The MEA will continue to take all steps to expose the complicity
China condemns Pulwama terror attack
China, which has been blocking efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar sanctioned by the United Nations, conveyed to India on Friday its condemnation of the Pulwama attack and claimed that it "strongly condemns all forms of terrorism".Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, also expressed deep sympathy to families of the victims and injured."#Chinese State Councilor & FM #WangYi wrote to EAM @SushmaSwaraj, condemned the #Pulwama suicide attack, expressed deep sympathy to families of the victims & injured, and stressed that the #Chinese side resolutely opposes and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism," Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui tweeted.Speaking on the dreaded terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly condemns terrorism in any form, hoping the regional countries join hand together to confront ...
Pulwama terror attack: China condemns attack, expresses sympathy to bereaved family
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday to condemn the Pulwama terror attack.He also expressed deep sympathy to families of the victims and injured."#Chinese State Councilor & FM #WangYi wrote to EAM @SushmaSwaraj, condemned the #Pulwama suicide attack, expressed deep sympathy to families of the victims & injured, and stressed that the #Chinese side resolutely opposes and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism," tweeted Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui.Speaking on the dreaded terror attack, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said: "The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly condemns terrorism in any form, hoping the regional countries join hand together to confront the threat of terrorism so as to maintain regional peace and security."As many as 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed on Thursday after a suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama
Pulwama terror attack: Mehbooba Mufti appeals Rajnath Singh to provide security in backward area of J-K
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti on Friday appealed Home Minister Rajnath Singh to provide security in the backward areas of the state as minorities are being targeted by the miscreants after the Pulwama terror attack."In Jammu and Kashmir, minorities are being targeted by the miscreants in areas like Gujjar Nagar and Bathindi. The Government should have taken precautions beforehand to prevent such incidents. I appeal the Home Minister and Governor (Satya Pal Malik) to look into the matter, and if required Army officers should be deployed in these areas to provide full security to the minority population," the PDP leader said.Earlier in the day, Mufti took to Twitter and wrote: "Distressed to hear about miscreants in Jammu trying to take advantage of the situation by inciting tension. Guv adm should have preempted this by securing minority dominated areas. Have spoken to IG Jammu to deploy additional security.""It will be a travesty & against ..
Int'l community condemns Pulwama terror attack
International community has extended support to India following the dreaded Pulwama terror attack which claimed the lives of nearly 40 CRPF personnel in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.The United Nations on Thursday (local time) strongly condemned the terrorist attack. "We strongly condemn today's attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people and the Government of India. We wish a speedy recovery to injured and call for those behind the attack to be brought to justice," the UN said in a statement.US envoy to India, Kenneth Juster tweeted: "U.S. Mission in India strongly condemns today's terrorist attack in J&K. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. The United States stands alongside India in confronting terror and defeating it."The United States, in fact, has called on Pakistan to cease providing a safe haven and support to terrorist organisations in the ...
German halt in arms sales to Saudi Arabia causing serious problems: Airbus
MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's halt in exports to Saudi Arabia is preventing Britain from completing the sale of 48 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes to Riyadh, and has delayed potential sales of other weapons such as the A400M military transport, a top Airbus official said Friday.
Spain to hold snap election on April 28
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday called a snap general election on April 28.
Rafale verdict: Defective pleas led to delay in hearing of review petitions, says SC
The Supreme Court on Friday sought to clear the air over alleged delay in the hearing of petitions seeking the review of its judgment on controversial Rafale deal as it pointed to the defective petitions filed seeking the review.
Yemen FM says seated next to Netanyahu in 'error'
Yemen's top diplomat said a "protocol error" landed him next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a conference in the Polish capital Warsaw and that his country's stance on the Palestinian issue remained unchanged. "Protocol errors are the responsibility of the organisers, as is always the case in international conferences," Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani wrote on Twitter late Thursday. Yamani was already seated when Netanyahu took his place earlier the same day at an international conference in Warsaw focused on security in the Middle East, with a strong emphasis on Iran. The two nodded at each other and exchanged brief smiles as Netanyahu sat down. During a part of the session closed to the press, Yamani lent Netanyahu his microphone when the Israeli premier's was not working properly. US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt hailed the exchange on Twitter, calling it a "lighthearted moment" that could be the sign of "new cooperation" ...
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce asks people to maintain communal harmony
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Friday asked people of the state to maintain communal harmony and not allow vested interests to divide the state on regional lines. The KCCI was reacting to the violent protests in Jammu, a day after at least 40 CRPF personnel died in a suicide attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). "Everyone has condemned yesterday's killing (of CRPF personnel). We condemn any sort of killing and we condemn this (protests) also as we are losing human lives," KCCI president Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad told reporters here. "... Unfortunately in Jammu, some elements are trying to create a regional divide. They are politicising the issue ahead of the elections. A common man has no role in all this," he added. Ahmad said the regional brotherhood in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) should be maintained at all costs. "We spoke to our counterparts in Jammu and told them that our regional brotherhood should be maintained at all cost. We are .
AP minister resigns as legislative council member
Andhra Pradesh Agriculture minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy Friday resigned as member of the State Legislative Council in tune with the Telugu Desam Party's latest policy stipulating that those seeking to contest polls should not hold any nominated posts, TDP sources said. He submitted his resignation to the Council Secretary (in charge) Satyanarayana Rao in the evening. Somireddy was nominated to the Council in June 2015 under the Governors quota and his tenure is till 2021. He will, however, continue as a member of the Council of Ministers. Somireddy is seeking to contest the coming elections from Sarvepalli Assembly constituency in SPS Nellore district, a seat he had represented from 1994 to 1999. He did not win a single election after that. "As I am seeking to contest the ensuing Assembly election, I thought it's not proper for me to continue as MLC. I told Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about this. I am hopeful people of Sarvepalli will bless me," the ...
Rahul pays tributes to slain CRPF soldiers at Delhi airport
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday paid tributes to the CRPF jawans killed in the Pulwama terror attack at the Palam airport here after their mortal remains were brought from Srinagar. At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Gandhi paid homage to the slain security personnel by laying a wreath where the caskets carrying the mortal remains of the soldiers were kept at the Palam technical area here. The Congress chief paid his tributes after the three armed forces chiefs' homage to them. 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 .
'No proof' Myanmar military persecuted Rohingya: army chief
Myanmar's powerful army chief has given a rare foreign media interview to insist there was no "certain proof" the military had persecuted the country's stateless Rohingya Muslim community. Around 740,000 Rohingya fled over the border into Bangladesh after a bloody military campaign in 2017. The UN condemned the crackdown as ethnic cleansing and investigators called for top military leaders, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to be prosecuted for genocide. But the military has maintained its operations were justified to root out Rohingya insurgents following a series of deadly attacks on police posts and has denied nearly all allegations of wrongdoing. In an interview Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper published Friday, Min Aung Hlaing doubled down on previous claims, arguing "there is no certain proof that the national army was involved in the persecution" of Rohingya. The army chief added that accusations the military committed atrocities "hurts the nation's dignity". Min Aung ..
Rs 25 lakh each for 3 Pulwama martyrs' families
Uttarakhand Chief Minister T.S. Rawat on Friday announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the family members of the state's three CRPF troopers who were killed in the deadly attack in Pulwama in Kashmir on Thursday.
Congress' 'conspiracy' to gain SGPC's control exposed: SAD
A day after the Punjab Assembly authorised Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to take up the SGPC poll issue with the Centre, the SAD Friday alleged that the Congress' "deep rooted conspiracy" to take over the Sikh body was exposed. Dakha lawmaker H S Phoolka, who had resigned as MLA last year, raised the issue of delay in elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of the Sikhs during the Budget Session on Thursday. The SGPC elections are pending since 2016. "The Congress party has now come out in the open to capture the Sikh religious body after failing in its previous attempts through dummy organisations," SAD Senior Vice President and Spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said here. "One fails to understand how a state legislature can decide about the future of a democratic institution which has been designated as 'Inter State body corporate'," he added. SGPC elections are conducted by the Union government in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and ..
'Our neighbour aiding, abetting terror groups': VP Naidu
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said "our neighbour" has been "aiding, abetting, funding and training terror groups for long" and attempts to "destabilise" India through terror acts like the one in Pulwama, would no longer be tolerated. His comments came a day after 40 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack that took place about 20 km from Srinagar. Naidu also asserted that the UN must conclude the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), act firmly to effectively uproot terror through a multi-pronged strategy, and recognise that "peace is a prerequisite for prosperity". Terror "reared its ugly" head again on Thursday and Indians must stand together with a resolve to make every inch of "our motherland a .