Page 165 - Politics
Iran to surpass uranium stockpile deal limit from June 27: nuclear official
Iran will surpass the uranium stockpile limit set under the nuclear deal agreed with world powers from June 27, a top official said Monday on state television. "Today the countdown to pass the 300 kilogrammes reserve of enriched uranium has started and in 10 days time... we will pass this limit," Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said at a press conference broadcast live. "This is based on the Articles 26 and 36 of the (nuclear deal), and will be reversed once other parties live up to their commitments," he added, speaking from the Arak nuclear plant south-west of Tehran. On May 8, President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran would stop observing restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal. He said the move was in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal from the accord a year earlier, which saw Washington impose tough economic sanctions on Tehran. Iran has threatened to go even further by July 8 ...
Some familiar faces return to 17th Lok Sabha
Some familiar faces, who were not part of the previous Lok Sabha, returned to the House taking oath as new members on Monday. These include former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, DMK's top guns Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja and T R Balu, senior Congress leader from Goa Francisco Sardinha and former union minister Manish Tewari. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and DMK leader Kanizmohi, who were members of Rajya Sabha, became Lok Sabha members for the first time and attended the session on the opening day. Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and S Jaishankar, who are not members of either House, were also present in the House While Akhilesh was seen sitting in one of the last rows, his father Mulayam Singh was seated in the first row. NCP leader Supriya Sule, who was also a Rajya Sabha member till 2014, was seen giving a hug to Kanizmohi. Before the House met for the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen greeting senior opposition ...
Delhi: BJP Parliamentary Board to meet later today
The Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will meet today, sources said.The meeting will take place at 6 pm today at the party headquarters in the national capital.It comes after first session of the 17th Lok Sabha commenced earlier today with several newly-elected MPs taking oath as members of the Lower House of Parliament..
When PM Modi called Mamata baiter a fighter
New Delhi [India], Jun 17 (ANI): Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a feisty leader from West Bengal, came in for a bit of praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who called him a "fighter" after the all-party meeting here on Sunday ahead of the start of the 17th Lok Sabha.Chowdhury, who is a strong detractor of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was called by the prime minister at the end of the meeting which he had attended as one of the Congress representatives.Modi, who was to leave the conference room, called Choudhury and patted him on his back telling others, including Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, that he is a "fighter".Reacting to Modi's remark, Chowdhury told ANI, "I greeted the Prime Minister. He then patted me on the back and said before everyone that Adhir is a fighter. I felt happy.""I don't have any personal enmity with anyone. We are people's representatives and they (BJP) are also people's representatives. We will raise our voices, ..
Eight dead after migrant boat sinks off Turkey: coastguard
Eight people died after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank off southwestern Turkey, the Turkish coastguard said on Monday. The coastguard said 31 migrants had been rescued after the boat sank off the coast of Bodrum district in Mugla province, and search and rescue efforts are continuing. It was not immediately known which country or countries the migrants were from.
Striking doctors to meet Mamata Banerjee at 3 p.m.
The West Bengal government sent a formal letter of invitation to the striking junior doctors to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday at 3 p.m.
Anantnag encounter: Army Major, jawan injured
An Army Major and a soldier of 19 Rashtriya Rifles have been injured in an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh said, "The encounter is still on. We will be able to give you more information once the encounter is over."This comes after five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and three others were injured when their patrol party was attacked by terrorists in Anantnag on June 12.Among those who were killed include ASI Ramesh Kumar (Jhajjar, Haryana), ASI Nirod Sarma (Nalbari, Assam), CT Satendra Kumar (Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh), CT Mahesh Kr Kushwaha (Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh) and CT Sandeep Yadav (Dewas, Madhya Pradesh).
Israel to attend US Mideast peace conference: minister
Israel will attend an upcoming conference on the economic aspects of Washington's peace plan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said. Israel will be represented at the Bahrain economic workshop in a way that will be decided later on," Katz wrote on Twitter late Sunday. Israel has the ability to contribute to the development of the region with technology, innovation and other ways," he added. sked by AFP to elaborate, a foreign ministry official did not say whether Israel would be represented by government officials or business leaders. he June 25 and 26 gathering will see the unveiling of the economic aspects of the US initiative spearheaded by President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. he idea is to woo the Palestinians with the economic benefits if they accept the United State's political proposals, which will be detailed at a later date yet to be announced. Trump's Middle East envoy hinted Sunday that it would not be before
Armyman injured during ceasefire violation by Pak in Poonch
An armyman and three civilians, including an 11-year-old girl, were injured during a ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said Monday. The Pakistani army started shelling villages and forward posts on Sunday and it continued until this morning, they said. They started with small arms and later resorted to mortar shelling. The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, the officials said. One armyman received splinter injuries. Maryam Bi, 11, was injured in Kanote village and two others were injured in Shahpur village, they said. Last week, an army jawan was killed and three others were injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistani army along the Line of Control in Salotri forward area of Poonch district.
Smriti receives longest applause while taking oath as LS
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, received the longest applause when she took oath as member of the 17th Lok Sabha on Monday. As soon as she was called for oath taking, ruling BJP members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, other union ministers and MPs were seen enthusiastically thumping the desk for a long time. After taking oath in Hindi, Irani greeted pro-tem Speaker Virendra Kumar and also oposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi's mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who reciprocated the greetings with a namaste gesture. Rahul Gandhi was not present in the House at that time. The Union Textile Minister defeated Gandhi by a margin of over 55,000 votes in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi constitutency, considered as the pocket borough of Gandhi family for long.
Linguistic diversity on show as new members take oath in Lok Sabha
Linguistic diversity of India was on full display in the Lok Sabha when members took oath as the 17th Lok Sabha commenced proceedings on Monday.While Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took oath in Hindi, some members of parliament (MPs) preferred to do so in various regional languages.Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, an ENT surgeon, left other MPs in the house surprised when he completed his oath in Sanskrit. Ministers of State Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Pratap Chandra Sarangi also took the oath in Sanskrit.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Sadananda Gowda, both hailing from Karnataka, took their oaths in Kannada.It was a surprise to many when Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh from Kerala chose to take oath not in English or his mother tongue Malayalam but in Hindi as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha. He took oath immediately after the Prime Minister.Suresh and two other senior .
Oppn wants Waddetiwar as leader of opposition in Maha Assembly
Opposition members in the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday asked Speaker Haribhau Bagade to nominate Congress MLA Vijay Waddetiwar as the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Lower House. As the monsoon session began on Monday, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat said he had written to the speaker about their demand. Thorat said since Waddetiwar was the Congress group leader, he should be nominated as the LoP as he enjoyed the support of all opposition parties. To this, the speaker said he had received the letter and that he would take a decision in "due course of time". Thorat objected to Bagade's comment and said the LoP's post was the "right" of the opposition. NCP leader Ajit Pawar noted that Bagade on Sunday said he will consult a "few people" and take a decision. "Few people means chief minister. I expect Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take a decision since there are only 17 working days in this monsoon session," he said. Pawar, in a lighter ...
China backs HK chief, slams 'local, external forces'
China on Monday voiced its support for Hong Kongs Chief Executive following massive protests against the contentious extradition bill, which the state media termed as "violent clashes" stemming from "malicious stratagem by local and external forces".
Don't bother about numbers, your every word is valuable: PM to Oppn
Reaching out to the opposition on the first day of the monsoon session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said they need not "bother about their numbers" as their every word is "valuable" to the government. He urged all MPs to be impartial in the House and address issues related to the larger interest of the nation. Addressing the media outside parliament before the commencement of the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, Modi said, "When we come to Parliament, we should forget 'paksh' (treasury) and 'vipaksh' (opposition). We should think about issues with a 'nishpaksh' (impartial) spirit and work in the larger interest of the nation." Underlining the importance of an active opposition in a parliamentary democracy, Modi said he hopes the opposition "will speak actively and participate in House proceedings... I am hopeful that this session will be productive." "The role of an opposition and an active opposition is important perquisite in a parliamentary democracy. The opposition .
Goal to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024, is challenging, but achievable, with the concerted efforts of States: Prime Minister
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi delivered the opening remarks at the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, in RashtrapatiBhawan Cultural Centre in New Delhi. Recalling the recent General Elections as the world's largest democratic exercise, the Prime Minister said that it is now time for everyone to work for the development of India. He spoke of a collective fight against poverty, unemployment, drought, flood, pollution, corruption and violence etc. The Prime Minister said that everyone at this platform has a common goal of achieving a New India by 2022. He described Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and PM AwaasYojana as illustrations of what the Centre and the States can accomplish together.
Congress MP from Kerala takes oath in Hindi
A Congress MP from Kerala, Kodikunnil Suresh, surprised everyone on Monday by taking oath in Hindi as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha.
Pakistan: Lt. Gen Faiz Hameed named new ISI chief
The Pakistan military has appointed Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed as the new Director-General of the powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to a statement by the military's press wing on Sunday.Hameed will replace its current head Lieutenant General Asim Munir, just eight months after the latter was appointed to the post following the retirement of his predecessor Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar.Hameed has previously served as the head of the Counter Intelligence wing of the ISI. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on April 12, and later that month he was named as the Adjutant General at the General Headquarters (GHQ), reported Geo News.Hameed's appointment is among several changes made in the top brass of the Pakistani military. Lt. Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been appointed as the Adjutant General, Lt. Gen Amir Abbasi the quartermaster at the GHQ, and Lt. Gen Moazzam Ejaz the engineer-in-chief at the GHQ.Formed in 1948 as an independent unit to ...
US-India ties on upward trajectory, says US envoy to India
The US and India have strengthened their ties in a number of key areas like defence, counter-terrorism, trade and energy over the years and would continue to take the cooperation to "new heights", a top American diplomat has said. The US sees India as a strategic partner, "leading power" and what former prime minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee correctly called "natural allies" in the Indo-Pacific region, US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster said, describing the country as a potential regional trade hub for American businesses. "US-India relationship today is as broad, complex and rich in substance as any bilateral relationship in the world. It encompasses the entire spectrum of issues in international affairs," Juster, who was the keynote speaker at the 20th annual gala of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH), said. Texas imported USD 3.6 billion worth of goods from India while exported USD 5.1 billion in goods to India, he said, adding the state accounts for ...
SC agrees to hear PIL on doctors' security at government hospitals
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking deployment of security in government hospitals in view of frequent assaults faced by doctors.
First session of 17th LS begins, PM, Members take oath
Leader of the House and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who took oath as Members of the 17th Lok Sabha that commenced here Monday. As soon as the House met, the Members stood in silence for a few minutes as per the convention after the assembling of the new House. When Modi's name was called out by the Secretary General for taking oath, Members from the ruling NDA thumped the desk greeting the Prime Minister with slogans such as 'Modi Modi' and "Bharat Mata ki Jai. The panel of presiding officers - K Suresh, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh and B Mehtab - took oath as Members after the Prime Minister. Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan, Sripad Naik and Ashwini Chaubey were amongst those who took oath in Sanskrit. Earlier the new session began with playing of the National Anthem. Before the House met, Virendra Kumar was sworn in as Pro-Tem Speaker by President Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.