Page 1636 - Politics
RSS spreads hatred: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the RSS of spreading hatred in the society.
Modi government has made Governors BJP General Secretaries: Stalin
DMK President M.K. Stalin on Thursday said the Modi government was converting Governors as BJP General Secretaries and extended his support to Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy who is protesting outside Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's residence.
UP Dy CM, ministers thank Mulayam for wishing to see Modi back as prime minister
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and some of his ministerial colleagues thanked Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav for his comments in the Lok Sabha that he wishes to see Narendra Modi back as prime minister. Before replying to a question in the state Assembly, Maurya said, "I congratulate and thank Mulayam Singh Yadav ji for his statement." Uttar Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs minister Suresh Khanna claimed that Mulayam Singh Yadav's statement was reflective of the country's sentiments. Mulayam Singh Yadav Wednesday created a flutter in the Lok Sabha when he said he wished to see Narendra Modi back as prime minister, a sentiment acknowledged by the BJP leader with folded hands. Modi also thanked Mulayam Singh Yadav for his "blessings". The "blessings" for Modi by Yadav that left opposition members squirming come at a time when his son Akhilesh Yadav has joined hands with arch rival Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to challenge the BJP in the
Karnataka Assembly adjourned amid BJP protest
Karnataka Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House till 3 p.m. on Thursday amid protests by BJP legislators against the attack on its MLA's residence in Hassan.
US charges former Air Force officer with spying for Iran
The US has charged a former Air Force officer with spying for Iran in an operation that targeted her fellow officers, according to an indictment unsealed in a federal court.
Puducherry CM, ministers' dharna outside Raj Nivas enters 2nd day
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleagues continued their dharna outside the Raj Nivas for the second day on Thursday protesting Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's "negative stand" towards his government' proposals awaiting her approval. Narayanasamy, his ministers and party MLAs had on Wednesday night slept on a pavement close to the Raj Nivas wearing black shirts. They have been demanding that that the Lt Governor accord sanction to 39 government proposals, including a free rice scheme. Functionaries of different wings of the ruling Congress and the DMK have also joined the protest. Bedi left for New Delhi early on Thursday morning under tight security of the Rapid Action Force (RAF). A source in the Raj Nivas told PTI that she would return on February 20 and has invited the chief minister for discussion over the issues raised by him on February 21. Asserting that their protest would continue till the government proposals were cleared, the chief minister said, "Even if it ..
AAP calls SC verdict 'unfortunate'
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said the decision of the Supreme Court over the issue of transfer and posting of Delhi government officers is "unfortunate".
Modi promised loan waiver to farmers, but wrote off bank dues of industrialist-friends: Rahul
In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Thursday that he made empty promise of loan waiver to farmers, but wrote off bank dues of his industrialist-friends. Addressing a two-day meet of the All India Congress Seva Dal, Gandhi said every sections of the society, be it farmers, youths or small-scale traders, suffered under the Modi government and they should get justice. When the Congress returned to power in Rajasthan, the state government waived farm loans, Gandhi said. The prime minister made empty promise of loan waiver to farmers, but wrote off bank dues of his industrialist-friends, he charged. Gandhi said while the prime minister "insults" him, his family and the Congress party, he had hugged Modi in Parliament. "Hatred can be defeated only by love. He has hatred and the love in me countered that hatred," the Congress president said.
Pak FM Qureshi in Germany to attend Munich Security Conference
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday embarked on a visit to Germany to attend an international security conference in Munich where leaders and defence experts from across the world will discuss security issues. Speaking to reporters prior to his departure, Qureshi said he will present Pakistan's point of view on different issues of regional peace and security in the conference from February 15-17, the Radio Pakistan reported. The meeting will be attended by defence and foreign ministers and security experts from across the world. The foreign minister said he will also hold meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his counterparts from Russia, Germany, Uzbekistan and Canada. He said Pakistan's role in Afghanistan peace process is being globally "appreciated" and he will present the country's stance on the war-torn nation in the conference. He said Pakistan has always supported peace efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan. Pakistan's role in the Afghan ...
SC delivers split verdict on Delhi government's powers
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a split verdict on the powers of the Delhi government, with the issue now being referred to a larger bench.
Journalists body condemns the arrest of Philippine's Maria Ressa
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the arrest of Maria Ressa, the chief of news portal Rappler, who was arrested earlier on Wednesday in Manila for an alleged "cyber libel" case.
Trade talks with China going 'very well', says Trump as new rounds of negotiations open
President Donald Trump has said trade talks with China are going "very well" as top negotiators from the two countries began the two-day negotiations on Thursday to resolve their tariff war ahead of a March 1 deadline. The world's two biggest economies are holding rounds of negotiations to resolve the trade war ahead of a March 1 deadline set by Trump after which US tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese imports are expected to increase to 25 per cent from 10 per cent. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are meeting with China's top economic czar Liu He in Beijing, seeking to build on progress made in talks held in Washington last month. President Trump has earlier indicated that he is open to extending the deadline to raise tariffs on Chinese products if the two sides are near an agreement. Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that his administration has a "big team of people, very talented people" in China to negotiate
India's emergence as world's largest, most vibrant democracy is exceptional: Indian envoy
The emergence of India as the world's largest democracy and perhaps the most vibrant one post the World War-II is indeed exceptional, a top Indian diplomat has said. Part of India's success lies in the historical tradition of people's participation in governance. In that sense, democratic tradition was not completely a foreign one, Deputy Indian Ambassador to the US Santosh Jha told a Washington audience on Wednesday. "India's emergence as the world's largest democracy, and perhaps the most vibrant one after the end of the second World War, is indeed exceptional," he said in his keynote address at a day-long seminar 'Delivering Democracy in India'. The event, attended by over 150 prominent representatives from American media, academic institutions, US agencies and think tanks, was organised by the Embassy of India in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations and prestigious Hudson Institute think-tank. "With the benefit of the hindsight of seven decades of Indian ...
WB govt calls for tripartite meet to resolve jute industry
The West Bengal government has called for a tripartite meeting to resolve the impasse between the jute mill owners and the workers' trade unions, which have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from March 1 over their unfulfilled demands. A notice issued by the state labour department earlier this week invited the jute unions on February 18 to discuss their charter of demands with the mill owners. Earlier the meeting was scheduled to be held Thursday. All trade unions in the jute sector, barring Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress, have agreed to join the strike from March 1 to press for their demands, including wage revision and implementation of Minimum Wages Act. The jute sector employs over two lakh workers in more than 60 mills in the state. The strike, if not prevented, may have an impact on the vote bank of political parties across the jute belts of Howrah, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts. The general election is due this summer. The jute ...
British IS schoolgirl 'wants to return home'
One of three schoolgirls who left London in 2015 to join the Islamic State has said she has no regrets despite seeing "beheaded heads" in bins, but wishes to return to her UK home, media reports said.
US says ex-intel official defected to Iran, revealed secrets
A former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran despite warnings from the FBI has been charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government, including the code name and secret mission of a Pentagon program, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Justice Department also accused Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, of betraying former colleagues in the U.S. intelligence community by feeding details about their personal and professional lives to Iran. Four hackers linked to the Iranian government, charged in the same indictment, used that information to target the intelligence workers online, prosecutors said. Witt had been on the FBI's radar at least a year before she defected after she attended an Iranian conference and appeared in anti-American videos. She was warned about her activities, but told agents that she would not provide sensitive information about her work if she returned to Iran, prosecutors say. She was not arrested at the time. "Once a holder of
Puducherry CM continues protest outside Governor house
The protest by Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy and his five ministers outside Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi's official residence entered second day on Thursday.
Rahul to launch campaign from village where Indira, Rajiv, Sonia started
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launches his 2019 election campaign from the same tribal Lal Dungri village in Gujarat's Dharampur where his grandmother Indira Gandhi in 1980, his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 and his mother Sonia Gandhi in 2004 started and romped home to power.
China, US start trade talks ahead of tariff deadline
US and Chinese negotiators have begun trade talks President Donald Trump says will help decide whether he postpones a planned tariff increase on USD 200 billion of imports from China. Businesspeople and economists say the two days of talks that started Thursday are unlikely to resolve a fight over Beijing's technology ambitions. They say Chinese negotiators are trying to persuade Trump they are making enough progress to postpone the March 2 duty increase. The chief US envoy, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu He, shook hands at the start of the meeting at a government guesthouse but said nothing to reporters. Trump agreed in December to postpone further punitive duties on Chinese goods while the two sides negotiate. That suspension expires March 1.
US urges its citizens to reconsider travelling to Pak due to terrorism
The US has urged its citizens to reconsider their travel to Pakistan mainly due to terrorism and risks to civil aviation operating within or near the country. The Federal Aviation Administration, in a notice issued on Wednesday, said that terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Pakistan. "Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism," the State Department said in a latest travel advisory. It asked Americans not to travel to Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir area due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict. Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Pakistan, it said, adding that terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship and government ...