Page 1686 - Politics
JVM-P stays away from Congress-JMM seat-sharing formula
Jharkhand's two main opposition parties, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress, announced a seat sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls on Thursday, but another opposition party has decided to stay away.
Next round of US-China trade talks set for Feb 14-15: White House
US officials will be in Beijing February 14-15 for the third round of talks aimed at heading off an escalation of the ongoing trade war with China, the White House announced Friday. Negotiators are working towards an agreement before the 90-day tariff truce expires March 1, after which the US is set to more than double punitive duties on $200 billion in Chinese goods. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will lead the delegation, which also includes David Malpass, who President Donald Trump has nominated to be president of the World Bank, according to the statement. However, strident White House China critic Peter Navarro was not listed as part of the US team. While officials seemed optimistic after talks last week in Washington, more recent comments have jarred financial markets, amplifying concerns about how the dispute will impact global growth. US President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not expect to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi ...
Will confer highest state honour on officers, if Centre takes away medals: Mamata
At a time the Centre is considering action against police officers who were involved in the face-off between the Kolkata Police and CBI officials, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said her government would confer the highest state honour, if the Central government takes away medals from them.
Delhi Prisons grants 21-day furlough to Om Prakash Chautala
The Delhi Prisons grants 21 days' furlough to Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala, with condition not to participate in political activities withdrawn, a lawyer said on Friday.
Venezuela's Maduro vows to block 'fake' aid 'spectacle'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed on Friday not to let in "fake" aid from the United States requested by opposition leader Juan Guaido, which is being stockpiled at the border with Colombia. "Venezuela won't allow the spectacle of fake humanitarian aid because we're no-one's beggars," Maduro said at a press conference in Caracas. He also hit out at European and Latin American ministers who called on Thursday for a new presidential ballot. Meeting in Uruguay's capital Montevideo, the International Contact Group had urged "free, transparent and credible presidential elections" in crisis-wracked Venezuela "as soon as possible" to find a peaceful solution to the power struggle between Maduro and Guaido. Under Maduro's guidance, Venezuela has descended into economic crisis marked by hyperinflation, recession and shortages of basic necessities including food and medicine. Guaido has claimed 300,000 people could die if Maduro doesn't allow the humanitarian aid to enter. Over the ...
Saugat Biswas is first divisional commissioner Ladakh
Saugat Biswas, the 2006-batch IAS officer, was posted as the first divisional commissioner of the Ladakh division, which was created by the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday. Consequent upon the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh comprising Leh and Kargil districts, Saugat Biswas, holding charge of secretary Information Technology, is transferred and posted as Divisional Commissioner of Ladakh, General Administrative Department secretary-commissioner Hilal Ahmed said in an order Friday night. The officer shall remain headquartered at Leh for three weeks and in the state capital for one week in a month, the order said. In a major decision, the Jammu and Kashmir administration Friday created a separate division for Ladakh, which was part of the Kashmir division until now. Ladakh will now have a separate divisional commissioner and an inspector general of police (IG) with a full administrative and revenue division at par with Kashmir and Jammu .
U.S.-China trade talks to resume in Beijing next week: White House
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States and China will hold trade talks in Beijing next week, with deputy-level meetings to start on Monday and high-level talks to follow, a White House spokeswoman said on Friday.
Pompeo to discuss concerns over Huawei in Hungary visit: official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will express concerns about the growing presence of China's Huawei Technologies in central Europe when he visits Hungary next week, a senior administration official said on Friday.
Ukraine has 44 presidential candidates in all-time record
Election officials in Ukraine said Friday that 44 candidates have registered to compete in the March presidential election a record for the nation. The latest polls show that comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who plays the nation's president in a popular TV series, has surged ahead of both incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the run-up to the March 31 vote. Zelenskiy's popularity has been driven by both his TV star status and public dismay with current leaders. Ukraine has seen economic troubles and a sharp drop in living standards after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and Russia's support for a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. "A comedian has taken the lead in Ukraine's political carnival, which is expectable amid a crisis of confidence in the old political elites, popular disappointment and massive poverty," said Volodymyr Fesenko, an analyst with the independent Penta think-tank. A survey released this week had 21.9 percent ...
Modi is master of corruption: Mamata
Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi for terming the opposition alliance as 'mahamilawat' (grand adulteration), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday dubbed him "master of corruption and arrogance".
Targeting crown prince over Khashoggi 'a red line': Saudi minister
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was "not involved" in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and blaming him would be crossing "a red line," Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs said Friday. "For anyone to think that they can dictate what we should do, what our leadership should do, is preposterous," Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Washington, where many US lawmakers have stated they believe Prince Mohammed is responsible for Khashoggi's killing last year at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "Our leadership is a red line," al-Jubeir added.
Hardik's Facebook army wants him to contest polls
After announcing that he may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, young Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Friday received as many as 22,600 votes in his favour to a question on his Facebook page if fighting elections was a crime.
Media report confirms PMO was interfering in Rafale deal: Shourie
Former Union minister and senior journalist Arun Shourie said Friday that the report published by 'The Hindu' newspaper confirms the allegation that the Prime Minister's Office was interfering in the Rafale negotiations. The Narendra Modi government was rocked Friday by a 2015 Defence Ministry note cited in a report in The Hindu expressing objections to "parallel" negotiations by the PMO. Speaking to the media here at a journalism awards function, Shourie said, "It confirms everything said by people like us that the Defence Ministry and others had no say in the (Rafale purchase) matter. "Air Force had no say in the matter. The original proposal which was worked out after five years of work was that 126 planes will be taken, of which only 18 will be procured in fly-away condition and the rest will be made by HAL, and to make them, technology will be fully transferred by Dassault," Shourie said. Now, as The Hindu report informed, the defence secretary himself wrote that the PMO was ...
Immense desecrations of institutions under Modi govt: Sibal
Several institutions, including the Governor's office, vice chancellors of universities and the media, have come under attack under the NDA regime led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal alleged here on Friday. Sibal made the remarks during a panel discussion at the launch of the book, "On Leaders and Icons: From Jinnah to Modi", by the late journalist Kuldip Nayar. "If Nayar would have been with us today he would have been very troubled with Modi. There have been immense desecrations of institutions under the Modi regime. Several institutions including the Governor's office, vice chancellors of universities, cultural institutions and the media have been under attack," Sibal said. Responding to Sibal's allegations, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Amid the political slugfest it should not be forgotten that respecting and strengthening the democracy is what has been done by this government and not throttling of the dissent." "Democracy won't come
179 Kashmiri students appearing in GATE exam airlifted to Jammu, 180 pilgrims flown to Srinagar
As many as 179 GATE aspirants were flown to Jammu from Srinagar and 180 Kashmiri pilgrims stranded in Delhi have been airlifted to the Summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir as the current spell of snow, rain and inclement weather in the state disrupted road and air services. The Graduate Aptitude Test Exam (GATE) aspirants were not being able to travel to Jammu due to cancellation of fights and the national highway was also blocked due to heavy snowfall, an official spokesperson said. Similarly, the Kashmiri pilgrims, who had reached Delhi after performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia, could not travel further because of cancellation of flights to Srinagar. Taking cognizance of the matter, Governor Satya Pal Malik directed the administration for making alternative travel arrangements for all such people stranded at Srinagar and Delhi. "Due to heavy snowfall, the Valley was cut off from the rest of world due to closure of national highway and cancellation of flights. In view of above, state ...
Budgetary provisions made for HC benches
Odisha government Friday informed the state Assembly about making budgetary provision for the proposed High Court benches in Western and Southern parts of the state. "Initially, a budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore will be made as soon as the proposal for establishment of High Court bench(es) in Western and Southern Odisha is approved by the Central Government," Finance Minister S B Behera said while making a statement in the Assembly. He said the state government has already moved the central government for establishment of High Court bench(es) in the two regions. The state has been witnessing agitations in different regions demanding establishment of high court benches.
Days after resigning, Congress MLA Asha Patel joins BJP in Gujarat
In a setback to the Congress, its North Gujarat legislator Asha Patel on Friday joined the BJP less than a week after quitting as MLA and the party.
Maha Cong hopes to bring Priyanka for campaign in state
Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said Friday that they were hopeful that newly-appointed party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra will campaign in the state during the Lok sabha elections. Chavan was addressing a press conference here. When asked if the Maharashtra Congress would bring Gandhi-Vadra to Maharashtra for the campaign, Chavan said she has been given the responsibility of Uttar Pradesh. "However, Maharashtra Congress Committee is hoping to rope her in for campaign in the state," he said. Party leaders are holding a meeting in Delhi Saturday and they will request that Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra should hold some rallies in Maharashtra, Chavan added. He also claimed that he had "inside information" that simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls will be held in Maharashtra.
Economists world over appreciated KALIA scheme: Odisha govt
Odisha government Friday said in the Assembly that there should be no doubt over the utility of the state's flagship Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme meant for overall development of farmers. Replying to a debate on the Odisha Appropriation (Vote On Account) Bill, 2019, Finance Minister S B Behera said, "Odisha Government's KALIA scheme has earned appreciation from economists from across the globe. There should be no doubt over its utility," Behera said. The minister said this after Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra's criticism to the scheme. Mishra had said the scheme was legally weak. "How can you identify share croppers when there is no such legislation in the state? Odisha Land Reform Act has not been amended and therefore, the government will not be able to identify share croppers," he said. The finance minister, however, said the state government has decided to provide financial assistance to 50 lakh farmers ...
Kripashankar, Naseem Khan meet Kharge seeking Nirupam's ouster
Congress leaders Kripashankar Singh and Naseem Khan met senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi Thursday and demanded that the party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam be removed, sources said. They were also learnt to have insisted that former Union minister Milind Deora be made the Mumbai Congress chief. Singh and Khan, sources said, expressed concerns over Nirupam's "unilateral" style of functioning. Deora had said Tuesday that he was "disappointed" with what was happening in the party's Mumbai unit and would reconsider contesting the coming Lok Sabha election. "Kharge was briefed about the prevailing worrying situation. All leaders of the party from Mumbai had met (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi on the issue last month," a source said. Nirupam, a former Lok Sabha member, had taken charge as Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) president in March 2015.