Page 1624 - Politics
More Brexit embarrassment for May as parliament defeats her again
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a defeat on her Brexit strategy on Thursday that undermined her pledge to European Union leaders to get her divorce deal approved if they grant her concessions.
Won't run in European elections, says Conte
Rome, Feb 15 (IANS/AKI) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday denied he would be a candidate for the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement in the European Parliament polls in May to help revive its flagging fortunes.
Eiminate perpetrators, raise fidayeen against Pakistan: Army ex-chief
Former army chief, Gen. Shankar Roychowdhury (retd) on Thursday blamed intelligence failure for the Pulwama terror attack and suggested some non-governmental Indian agency raise a "fidayeen" (suicide squad) against Pakistan to avenge such incidents.
Congress betrayed Karnataka's farmers, says Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of betraying Karnataka's farmers.
BJP, AIADMK hold talks on electoral alliance
Union Minister and BJP's Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal and leaders of the state's ruling AIADMK on Thursday met to discuss an alliance for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
No unilateral US pullout from Afghanistan: Pentagon chief
Washington will not unilaterally withdraw from Afghanistan, the Pentagon chief said Thursday, as NATO said the Kabul government must be brought into US peace talks with the Taliban to end the country's 17-year war. Acting defence secretary Patrick Shanahan said any decision to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan would be taken in coordination with NATO, which runs a training and support mission in the war-torn country. The United States is leading a push for peace talks with the Taliban, seeking a breakthrough in the grinding conflict, with the Islamists announcing Wednesday a fresh round of meetings in Islamabad. But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against any more delay in involving the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani in the process, saying that without it lasting peace would not be possible. US President Donald Trump wants to end US involvement in Afghanistan, where 14,000 American troops are still deployed -- raising Afghan fears that ...
Piyush Goyal arrives in TN; state minister calls on him
Union minister Piyush Goyal arrived here on Thursday to hold the BJP's alliance discussions for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with a senior AIADMK minister calling on him late in the evening. Goyal, the saffron party's Tamil Nadu election in-charge, said the "good news" regarding alliance would be given at the right time. Senior AIADMK leader and state Electricity Minister P Thangamani met Goyal here, but sources in the party said much should not be seen into the meeting as the two had been in regular touch as ministers. Earlier, speaking to reporters, Goyal indicated that he had arrived here to discuss alliance matters. "I have come here to discuss how we will proceed as regards the election and to discuss with our party leaders and our friends to chart out the future path," he said. Goyal's visit to the southern state came on a day when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah said in Erode that the saffron party would forge a "strong" alliance in the general election. The ...
Slovenia MP resigns for stealing sandwich
A Slovenian lawmaker resigned Thursday for stealing a sandwich from a supermarket because he was annoyed about being ignored by staff. Darij Krajcic, a member of parliament for the Marjan Sarec List (LMS) party -- the senior partner in the ruling coalition -- said he walked off without paying because three supermarket employees had "treated (him) like air" and continued chatting. "I must have stood some three minutes by the counter," he told private POP TV. Krajcic insisted that he returned shortly afterwards to pay for the sandwich. But he apologised and resigned from parliament. The centre-left LMS party of Prime Minister Marjan Sarec is the senior member of a five-party minority government, voted in last September. Public support for the premier has received a boost recently from public sector wage hikes and the dismissal of two ministers accused of abuse of power and bullying. The head of LMS' parliamentary faction, Brane Golubovic, condemned Krajcic's actions as "unacceptable" ...
37 CRPF personnel killed in suicide attack in Kashmir, Jaish-e-Mohammed claims responsibility
At least 37 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district, officials said. The CRPF headquarters in Delhi issued a statement late night to state the figures even as CRPF officials and Jammu and Kashmir police sources had earlier put the death toll at 39. "We regret to inform that 37 personnel attained martyrdom and five personnel were injured in the ID blast at Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir. The injured are being treated at the 92 base hospital of the Army in Srinagar," the CRPF statement said. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir around 3.15 pm. The Pakistan-based ...
J-K attack: Sonia says outraged by barbarous, cowardly act
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said she was outraged by the "barbarous attack" on the CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir and expressed hope that those responsible for it will be brought to justice and made to pay for this appalling act. At least 37 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left five wounded, "I am shocked, outraged and deeply grieved by the barbarous attack on the CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir. Our brave CRPF personnel died serving the nation selflessly, at the hands of cowardly terrorists, and their sacrifice will not be forgotten," Gandhi said. "My heart goes out to the loved ones of each and every victim. I share their grief and pain with all my heart. I sincerely hope that those responsible for this dastardly terror attack will be brought to justice and made to pay for this .
India, Sweden ink security protection agreement
Stepping up their defence ties, India and Sweden signed a security protection agreement that will enable the two countries to share classified information with each other, a statement by the Swedish embassy said on Thursday. The agreement was signed on Wednesday during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to the Nordic country. Sitharaman also met Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and her Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist. "The purpose of the visit was to sign a security protection agreement between Sweden and India. The signing of the security protection agreement between Sweden and India will enable both countries to share classified information with each other," the statement said. Since 2009, Sweden and India have had a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the area of defence, and they conducted a number of bilateral meetings, most recently in December 2018 in New Delhi. In April 2018, Prime Minister Modi also visited Sweden. "The agreement that I and Shrimati
Pulwama attack 'matter of grave concern': Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday said the terrorist attack in Kashmir's Pulwama district is "a matter of grave concern" even as it strongly rejected Indian media and government's allegations of the country's link to the strike "without" probe. In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's three decades of militancy, a suicide bomber from the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district on Thursday, killing at least 39 personnel and leaving many critically wounded. Attack in Pulwama in Kashmir is "a matter of grave concern", the Pakistan government said in a statement. Asserting that Pakistan has "always condemned acts of violence" anywhere in the world, it said, "We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian media and government that seek to link the attack to Pakistan without investigations." Meanwhile, India slammed Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed and asked the ...
Rahul forms key poll-related panels of Cong in Delhi, MP and Meghalaya
Congress president Rahul Gandhi appointed key poll-related panels for the party's Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya units on Thursday. He formed the election committee, the coordination committee, the campaign committee, the publicity committee, the manifesto committee, the media coordination committee and the election management team of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC). DPCC chief Sheila Dikshit was named as the head of the coordination committee and the election committee. Gandhi also formed the party's election committee, coordination committee, campaign committee, publicity committee and election management team for Meghalaya. He also formed the party's election committee, coordination committee, media committee, manifesto committee and the election management team for Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was named as the head of the party's election committee in the state. Meanwhile, Rahul Thakur was appointed the vice-president of the Himachal ...
Def & security, investments, energy likely to be discussed during S Arabia's crown prince's visit
Investments, defence and security including counter-terrorism and renewable energy are the key issues likely to come up for discussions during Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's visit to India next week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. Salman will arrive in India on February 19. Besides holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu during his two-day visit. "The issues that could come up for discussions are investments, defence and security, including counter-terrorism, and renewable energy," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a reporter's question here. Saudi Arabia is India's fourth largest trading partner and the bilateral trade is worth USD 28 billion. The country supplies 20 per cent of India's crude oil and the Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia is 20 million-strong. Recently, Saudi ARAMCO, in partnership with ADNOC of the UAE, entered into a ...
Germany in favour of including Saudi Arabia in EU financial blacklist
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany welcomes a decision by the European Union to add Saudi Arabia to a blacklist of nations that pose a threat because of lax controls on terrorism financing and money laundering, a spokesman of the finance ministry said on Wednesday.
JeM claiming responsibility of Pulwama attack raises questions over role of ISI, says US expert
The Jaish-a-Mohammed (JeM) claiming responsibility of Thursday's terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir has raised questions over the role of the Pakistan spy agency, ISI, in the gruesome strike, a former CIA analyst and South Asian expert here said. In one of the deadliest terror attacks in JK's three decades of militancy, a suicide bomber from Pakistan-based JeM terror group rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district, killing at least 39 personnel and leaving many critically wounded. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the attack that took place about 20 km from Srinagar. "The self-proclaimed involvement of JeM in the attack raises serious questions about the role of the ISI in supporting the masterminds of this operation," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst, told PTI. The terrorist attack, which has direct footprints inside Pakistan, poses the first major challenges to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Riedel, who is now a scholar at the ...
Closely monitoring reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, in touch with all stakeholders
India is closely following the developments related to the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan and is in regular touch with all the stakeholders and countries, including Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the situation in Afghanistan was also discussed at the India-Central Asia Dialogue held in Uzbekistan last month. The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The topic was likely to be discussed at the next Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral foreign ministers' meeting, scheduled to take place at the end of this month, Kumar said. "India is and will continue to take all necessary steps to bring peace and stability in the region. "We are not only closely following the developments which are related to the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan by different stakeholders, but I must ...
Russia, Turkey, Iran see US pullout from Syria as 'positive step': Putin
Moscow, Ankara and Tehran see the planned US withdrawal from Syria as a positive step, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a summit with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts on Thursday. Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani agreed the US pullout from northeastern Syria "would be a positive step that would help stabilise the situation in this region, where ultimately the legitimate government should re-establish control", the Russian leader told a joint press conference. The leaders of the three countries -- who have positioned themselves as the key foreign players in Syria's long-running war -- were meeting for talks on how to work more closely together in resolving the conflict. Putin said the talks were "constructive and business-like" and that "close coordination" was crucial to ensuring long-term stability in Syria. He said the three agreed to "strengthen cooperation" in the so-called Astana framework -- a process initiated by Russia, Iran and ...
CWC to meet on Feb 26 in Ahmedabad
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, will meet on February 26 in Gujarat's Ahmedabad to discuss the current political scenario in the country and review the progress for the upcoming general election. Newly-appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to attend her first CWC meeting on the said date. "It has been decided to convene a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on February 26 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat to discuss the current political scenario and progress made for the upcoming general election," a statement issued by the party said on Thursday. The meeting assumes significance as the party's strategy for the 2019 polls and its campaign roadmap are likely to be finalised just ahead of the announcement of the general election, which is expected in March.
World condemns Pakistan-backed terror attack in J&K
From the US to Russia and from Sri Lanka to Bhutan, the world condemned Pakistan-backed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) attack on an Indian security convoy that claimed the lives of over 40 CRPF personnel.