Page 1659 - Politics
Guaido to ask OAS to hold fresh elections in Venezuela
Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president, Juan Guaido, will ask for the support of OAS to restructure the country's electoral authorities and organise new elections in the Andean nation, his envoy has said.
Nobody has a magic wand: Prashant Kishor on Priyanka impact on LS polls
JD(U) leader and election strategist Prashant Kishor said that Priyanka Gandhi's highly anticipated induction in the Congress will not impact the forthcoming general elections.He said Priyanka Gandhi is not a big challenge, while adding that to create an impact one needs time and that nobody had a "magic wand" which could perform a miracle for the Congress party.Addressing the media here, Kishor said, "She is just starting, nobody has a magic wand. I don't see her as a big challenge in the short run, not because she lacks capability but because it's hard to make an impact in a short time. In long run, she is a big face and name."The newly-appointed Congress general secretary for East Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka on Monday, made her much-awaited political debut by holding a mega road show along with brother and party president Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow. Her fellow UP in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present at the event.Priyanka was given charge of Uttar Pradesh east as Congress ...
Israeli tank fire hits Syria: state media
Israeli army tank shelling hit Monday the southern Syrian province of Quneitra that borders the occupied Golan Heights, state media in the war-torn country said. "The Israeli aggressor has targeted a destroyed hospital in Quneitra and monitoring stations," the official SANA news agency reported. A military source cited by the agency said the shellfire caused only material damage. Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights war monitor said seven shells struck regime positions in Quneitra, including a surveillance post. The Britain-based monitoring group said the attack caused casualties, without giving any figures. The Syrian army regained control of the southern part of Quneitra in mid-2018, five years after rebel fighters had overrun it. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.
Iran revolution brought repression, failure: Trump
Iran's Islamic revolution four decades ago has been a complete failure for the country, President Donald Trump has said. In a tweet written on the anniversary of the upheaval that was also sent out in Farsi, Trump said: "40 years of corruption. 40 years of repression. 40 years of terror. The regime in Iran has produced only #40YearsofFailure. "The long-suffering Iranian people deserve a much brighter future," he added. Earlier, Trump's chief foreign policy advisor John Bolton issued a similar statement, tweeting that "it's been 40 yrs of failure. Now it's up to the Iranian regime to change its behavior, & ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country." Bolton said Washington would support "the will of the Iranian people, & stand behind them to ensure their voices are heard." Bolton, a leading hawk in the Trump administration's attempt to weaken Iranian influence, was tweeting as a huge crowd in Tehran gathered to celebrate the 1979 revolution,
Pro-govt supporter killed in Senegal clashes ahead of polls
A pro-government campaigner was killed in eastern Senegal Monday, in the first fatality from a string of pre-election clashes between supporters of President Macky Sall and the opposition. A police official told AFP the individual was stabbed during "scuffles" between the Unity and Assembly Party (PUR), which is led by opposition leader Issa Sall, and pro-government campaigners. The body was taken to a hospital in Tamboucounda, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Dakar, the source said. A police source said a motorcyclist was killed by a vehicle speeding away from the scene of the stabbing. A journalists' association meanwhile said eight reporters were also injured in the violence. President Sall told an election meeting that the stabbing victim was a member of his governing Alliance for the Republic (APR) and called for "light to be shed (on the killing) so that the electoral campaign does not become a pretext for violence." Violence has buffeted Senegal ahead of presidential ...
AU seeks conference on Libya, elections in October
The African Union on Monday called for a global conference in July to try to resolve the conflict in Libya, with the aim of holding elections in October. A statement said it would like to hold "an international conference on reconciliation in Libya under the auspices of the AU and the UN" during the first half of July. It also requested the AU Commission "to take, jointly with the United Nations and the Libyan government, all the necessary measures for the organisation of presidential and legislative elections in October 2019." The AU's current chief, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has underscored the need for "African solutions to African problems." Libya has been torn between rival administrations and a myriad of militias since the NATO-backed overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Chief among them are an internationally recognised Government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli and a parallel administration in the east loyal to strongman
Massive crowds mark 40th anniversary of Iran revolution
Iran's president insisted "enemy" plots against the country would fail as vast crowds marked 40 years since the Islamic revolution at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. "The presence of people today on the streets all over Islamic Iran... means that the enemy will never reach its evil objectives," a defiant President Hassan Rouhani told those thronging Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square Monday, decrying a "conspiracy" involving Washington. Chador-clad women, militia members in camouflage fatigues and ordinary citizens marched through the capital in freezing rain to commemorate the day in February 1979 that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ended millennia of royal rule. The routes leading up to the square were packed with people as loudspeakers blared revolutionary anthems and slogans. Life-size replicas of Iranian-made cruise and ballistic missiles stood in a statement of defiance after the US last year reimposed sanctions following its withdrawal from a deal on Tehran's ...
California governor to withdraw National Guard from border
- In a rebuke to President Donald Trump, the governor of California is set to sign an order to pull most of the National Guard troops deployed on the Mexico border. Governor Gavin Newsom's office Monday said he was signing the order ahead of his State of the State speech on Tuesday. "The border 'emergency' is a manufactured crisis," according to excerpts of the speech sent to AFP by his office. "And California will not be part of this political theater." Newsom's office said most of the 360 troops deployed at the US-Mexico border will be redeployed to focus on "the actual threats" facing the western state, such as wildfires. The decision follows similar action last month by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grusham, who ordered the withdrawal of the majority of National Guard troops at the border. Although Trump has ordered thousands of military personnel to be deployed on the southern border, the National Guard remain under the command of authorities in each state. Trump argues the .
Israel warns Iran this could be last anniversary
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran that this year could be the last time it celebrates the anniversary of its Islamic revolution if it attacks Israel. "I do not ignore the threats of the Iranian regime but neither am I intimidated by them," Netanyahu said Monday in a statement and video issued by his office as Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of its revolution. "If this regime makes the awful mistake of trying to destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa, it will not succeed," the Israeli leader said. "However, this would be the last anniversary of the revolution that they celebrate. They should take this into account," Netanyahu said in a warning to his country's archfoe. Celebrations culminated in Iran on Monday for the February 1-11 period in 1979 when the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and ousted the pro-Western shah.
Chowkidar is pure, will become PM for sure: Rajnath
Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday denounced Congress president Rahul Gandhi's persistent 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and coined a rhyming slogan in his defence.While addressing a rally here, Singh said that the Prime Minister is not a "chor" (thief) but "pure and that he is the only "cure" for country.Addressing a gathering here, he said, "Main kehna chahta hoon chowkidaar chor nahi hai, balki hamara chowkidaar pure hai. Agli baar usko PM banna sure hai, aur yahi bharat ki samasyaon ka cure hai." (I want to say that our 'chowkidaar' is not a thief but is an honest man. He will be the PM for the next time for sure and that is the cure for all problems in India.)Singh's remark comes after Gandhi on Monday continued his "chowkidar chor hai" barb, in a veiled reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that his party would not sit idle until a government based on Congress ideology is formed in Uttar Pradesh.Attacking the Prime Minister, Rahul .
America not covering up for Khashoggi's murder: Pompeo
U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Monday (local time) refuted reports alleging that Washington has been covering up for the murder of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and promised further action into the matter.Embarking on his bilateral visit to Hungary on Monday, Al Jazeera quoted Pompeo as saying, "America is not covering up for a murder," while adding that the US would take further action to hold accountable all those responsible for Khashoggi's assassination.The remarks came after President Donald Trump missed the deadline set by the US Congress, last week, to comment on reports whether Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi.While addressing the media, the Secretary of State stated that Washington has been "working diligently" to reach a final conclusion over the issue, the Japan Times reported."The president has been very clear - couldn't be more clear - as we get additional information, we will continue to ...
Andhra CM reacts to Amit Shah's letters, says he is 'hitting me below the belt'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday condemned BJP president Amit Shah's open letter and said," They (BJP) are hitting me below the belt. PM and Shah have to maintain the decorum."Speaking to the media here, Naidu said, "I condemn all this. He has written a letter to the people of Andhra Pradesh. They are hitting me below the belt. PM and Shah have to maintain the decorum.""Tomorrow we are gathering here at 10:15 am. From here, we will rally and go to the President. We are 11 members only, we will give the representation to him," he added.Naidu made the remarks after Shah in an open letter slammed the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and said that the TDP chief has destroyed the trust of the people. The BJP president said, "Andhra Pradesh chief minister knows that his political fortunes are declining rapidly and so he was back to theatrics in his desperation for grabbing headlines. Naidu's "delusional politics" is about to end,""Chandrababu Naidu has broken the ...
Pompeo seeks to woo Hungary's Orban away from Russia, China
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Monday that renewed American engagement with Hungary's Viktor Orban would help steer the increasingly authoritarian leader away from Russian and Chinese influence. But Hungary's foreign minister retorted that Budapest was tired of the West's "enormous hypocrisy". Hungary, Russia's closest friend within the European Union, agreed with Pompeo to seek closer defence ties and cast itself as a natural ally for President Donald Trump's brand of nationalist politics. Pompeo held talks with Orban on a one-day visit to Budapest, the first leg of a Central European tour. The US top official opened his trip by meeting representatives of civil society groups, whose criticism of Orban and legal work to promote human rights have gradually been curtailed. Pompeo later told Orban's government that he would be upfront about concerns with Hungary and voiced worries about inroads of influence by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and China. "We must not ..
Canada watchdog probes allegations of interference in SNC-Lavalin case
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's independent ethics commissioner said on Monday he was probing allegations that the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have improperly tried last year to help construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid criminal trial.
US Muslim lawmaker's tweet sparks anti-Semitism charges
Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in the US Congress, drew stern rebukes from Republicans and fellow Democrats Monday after suggesting US support for Israel is fueled by money from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. The Minnesota freshman has faced criticism for weeks over her positions on the Jewish state, but it boiled over late Sunday after she reacted to a Republican critic in a tweet. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar replied, referring to American USD 100 bills featuring the likeness of Benjamin Franklin. When a user asked who Omar believes is paying US politicians to support Israel, the former Somali refugee tweeted a one-word response: "AIPAC!" The exchanges triggered an uproar. Democrat Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of which Omar is a member, said: "Anti-Semitism in any form is unacceptable, and it's shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of 'Jewish money.'" Liz Cheney, a top Republican leader in the ...
Iran revolution meant '40 years of failure': Trump advisor
Iran's Islamic revolution four decades ago inflicted "failure and broken promises" on the country, President Donald Trump's chief foreign policy advisor said Monday. "It's been 40 yrs of failure. Now it's up to the Iranian regime to change its behavior, & ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country," national security advisor John Bolton tweeted on the anniversary of the upheaval. Bolton said Washington would support "the will of the Iranian people, & stand behind them to ensure their voices are heard." Bolton, a leading hawk in the Trump administration's attempt to weaken Iranian influence, was tweeting as a huge crowd in Tehran gathered to celebrate the 1979 revolution, in which Muslim leader Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini ended the centuries-old rule of the royal dynasty. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Iranians they should resist a "conspiracy" involving Washington. The Trump administration has pushed hard to weaken Iran and what it ...
Spain joins France, Germany on new combat fighter
Spain will join a Franco-German project to build a new fighter plane to replace the Eurofighter and Rafale, the defence ministry said Monday. Defence Minister Margarita Robles will sign a letter of intent with her French and German counterparts on Thursday on the margins of a NATO meeting in Brussels, a spokesperson said. The project launched in July 2017 is known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which in addition to a new combat aircraft also plans to include drones and cruise missiles. The new fighter jet will replace the Eurofighter which is assembled in Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, and the French Rafale around 2040. It will compete with the US F-35 or its successor. A first contract worth 65 million euros was awarded to Airbus and Dassault Aviation in February to develop the design of the combat system. Spain, where Airbus's military transport planes are assembled, had sent a letter in December to Paris and Berlin asking to be associated with the project. The FCAS ...
S Africa imposes severe power cuts ahead of election
South Africa on Monday introduced its most severe electricity rationing in nearly five years, presenting President Cyril Ramaphosa with a major political challenge just months ahead of a May general election. The debt-laden state power utility Eskom is at the centre of the country's economic troubles and has been hit by allegations of government graft. Ramaphosa who last week admitted that Eskom was in crisis, on Monday expressed anger at the intense power outages. Offices, shops, factories, traffic lights and private homes were hit on Monday by "load-shedding" -- scheduled power cuts to reduce usage. The cuts were categorised as "stage 4", the highest severity level since March 2014. "The power system is severely constrained, which is why after a long time we have had to implement stage 4 of load shedding," Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said. "Since this morning we have unexpectedly lost six additional generating units which have put additional strain on the system," the company said
Arunachal CM against tabling Citizenship Bill in Rajya Sabha
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday changed his stance on the Citizenship Bill, asking Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh not to table the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Rahul Gandhi forms poll panels for Kerala, AP
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday formed the election committee, coordination committee and campaign committee of the party's Kerala unit, a statement said. He also formed the party's publicity committee and the media coordination committee in the state. Mukul Wasnik, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, was named as the head of the coordination committee, while K Muraleedharan was named head of the campaign committee. Gandhi also formed the election committee, coordination committee, campaign committee, publicity committee, manifesto committee, the media coordination committee, among other election-related panels, of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). Besides the Lok Sabha polls, the assembly elections are also due in Andhra Pradesh this year. Gandhi also named vice presidents and general secretaries of the APCC. In other appointments, he named state chiefs of the Kisan Congress in Assam, Manipur, Mahatashtra and Uttar Pradesh.