Page 1702 - Politics
Britain's Labour signals shift on Brexit deal
Britain's main opposition Labour party has signalled it could back Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal if she commits to closer future ties with the EU after leaving the bloc. In a letter sent to May as she meets EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested her efforts to modify the deal itself to amend or remove the controversial "backstop" arrangement on the Irish border would fail. But he said that if she secured changes to an accompanying political declaration on future ties before Britain leaves the EU on March 29, then his party could support the agreement. The changes include a commitment to a "permanent and comprehensive" UK-EU customs union, in which Britain has a "say" on future EU trade deals. May has repeatedly rejected this idea, saying a customs union would stop Britain signing its own trade deals, one of the advantages of Brexit. Labour also wants "close alignment" with the EU's single market, underpinned by shared institutions and ...
Democrats launch new probe of Trump's finances, Russia ties
The House intelligence committee will launch a broad new investigation looking at Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's foreign financial interests, Chairman Adam Schiff announced Wednesday, moving ahead with the aggressive oversight that Democrats have promised now that they are in the majority. Schiff said the investigation will include "the scope and scale" of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election, the "extent of any links and/or coordination" between Russians and Trump's associates, whether foreign actors have sought to hold leverage over Trump or his family and associates, and whether anyone has sought to obstruct any of the relevant investigations. The announcement came one day after Trump criticized "ridiculous partisan investigations" in his State of the Union speech. Schiff dismissed those comments Wednesday. "We're going to do our jobs and the president needs to do his," Schiff said. "Our job involves making sure that the ...
UP budget an election 'gimmick': Cong
Opposition parties Thursday criticised the Yogi Adityanath Government's budget saying the "populist" financial plan in election year will not stand it in good stead as welfare works and law and order situation are of greater importance for the people. The Uttar Pradesh government Thursday presented a Rs 4.79 lakh crore budget for 2019-20, and announced populist schemes ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The annual budget presented by finance minister Rajesh Agarwal in state Assembly is 12 per cent higher than the 2018-19 budget of Rs 4,28,384.52 crore. The budget includes new schemes totalling Rs 21,212.95 crore. "However populist the budget might be in an election year, the works all through the year relating to peoples welfare and interest, and control over law and order are important for the common people," BSP president Mayawati said in a tweet. Reacting on the budget presented in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Mayawati said both the central and state governments ...
Malaysia politician urged to quit over 'Cambridge degree'
Malaysia's deputy foreign minister was urged to quit Thursday following allegations he lied about having a degree from Cambridge University, with an opposition lawmaker accusing him of "deceiving the people". Marzuki Yahya's educational background came under scrutiny after doubts were raised on social media that he had a distance-learning degree in business administration from the British institution, which was previously listed on his Wikipedia profile. After initially insisting he would prove he had the degree, Marzuki said late Wednesday that he had in fact not studied at the prestigious British university but at Cambridge International University in the United States. "I think they (my critics) misunderstood (my credentials). I (studied) at the Cambridge International University in the US," Marzuki -- a member of Bersatu, a party in the ruling coalition -- told news portal Malaysiakini. "I was doing logistics (before joining politics). So I just took that certificate for my ...
Modi to lend heft to BJP's campaign with 3rd rally in a week
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address yet another public rally in West Bengal on Friday, giving a fresh thrust to the BJP's campaign blitzkrieg ahead of the Lok Sabha polls amid escalating tensions with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. The rally, Modi's third in the state in a week, comes three days after Banerjee called off her sit-in protest against "politically motivated" attempts by the CBI to question Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam case in which several top TMC leaders are allegedly involved. Dramatically raising the stakes for the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee became a rallying point for 23 anti-BJP parties who threw their weight behind her as she sat on dharna for 46 hours against the Modi government's attempts to "stifle the spirit of Constitution and federalism". Modi, according to BJP sources, will use the platform in Jalpaiguri district, close to Bangladesh border, to give a "befitting" reply to Banerjee's accusations while trying ..
Sharif unanimously elected Andhra Council Chairman
Mohammed Ahmed Sharif was Thursday unanimously elected as Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council.
V K Singh terms 2012 'coup' report treason, asks PM for probe
Union minister and former Army chief VK Singh said on Thursday that he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a high-level probe into reports about the alleged army coup in 2012 during the tenure of UPA-II government, saying it amounts to "treason".
States cannot deny entry to CBI to probe cases referred by courts: Govt
States cannot deny entry to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe cases referred by the courts, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Thursday. The assertion assumes significance amid the ongoing tussle between the CBI and the West Bengal government over probe into the chit fund scam cases. The CBI, which functions under the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, can probe offences in a state with prior approval of the state government concerned. Further, Constitutional courts can also entrust any case or class of case for investigation in exercise of inherent jurisdiction even without the consent of the respective state government, the minister said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. Once general or specific consent is granted under Section 6 of the DSPE Act, by the state government where the case is registered; or when the case is entrusted by the Constitutional courts, the powers and jurisdiction of members of the DSPE (CBI) may extend for .
No plans yet for US, China presidents to meet on trade
There are no plans yet for President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet soon in hope of finalising a trade deal, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Mnuchin and trade representative Robert Lighthizer are leading a team to Beijing next week to continue the talks, but nothing is yet on the books for a Trump-Xi meeting. "I can tell you there's nothing planned at this time for it, but the president has talked about potentially meeting with President Xi and we'll see what progress we make next week," Mnuchin said. The US and China are in the midst of talks aimed at resolving a costly trade war, and Trump has said a comprehensive agreement is unlikely to be inked until he meets with his Chinese counterpart. Trump and Xi last met in December in Argentina. The president hiked tariffs on USD 250 billion of Chinese goods over complaints that it steals or pressures US companies to hand over technology in return for market access. The US has said it will further boost ...
2 RSS workers injured in clash with DYFI workers
Two right wing activists were injured in a clash between RSS and DYFI workers here early Thursday, police said. The two have been admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital, they said. The clash occurred following differences over writing political graffiti on walls at nearby Kavaradi. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DFYI) is the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M).
Centre sanctions 173 Cr for DPRs for 58 national highways in HP: CM
The union government has sanctioned Rs 173 crore for detailed project reports (DPR) for 58 national highways in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated in state Assembly Thursday. Replying to a question raised by the leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, the CM said the centre sanctioned Rs 173.75 crore for the DPRs. He further stated that the issue of declaring 69 highways and one other road as national highway in principle had been taken up with the centre. The issue of approval of draft alignment report of 54 roads and declaring them as national highways is also under consideration of the Centre, he added. The process of acquiring land for these national highways has not yet been started, the CM said, adding the issue of applying 'Factor 2' for acquiring land is under consideration of the state government.
People in MP disillusioned with Cong; BJP will win 25 Lok Sabha seats: Chouhan
BJP national vice-president and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday claimed that people are already disillusioned with the two-month-old Congress regime in the state and the saffron party will win at least 25 seats there in Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that the Congress, which ousted his BJP government from power in November 2018 elections, has failed to keep the promises it made before the assembly polls and people will vent their anger against them in the Lok Sabha elections, expected to take place in April-May this year. "Our target is all 29 (Lok Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh), but we will certainly win around 25 seats," he said. Chouhan, who was a three-term chief minister of the state, said the BJP was ahead in 17 parliamentary constituencies, going by the vote percentage in the assembly polls, while the Congress had a higher share only in 12 seats. The saffron party had secured marginally higher share of votes in the state assembly elections
Priyanka to visit Lucknow on Monday, take stock of her new turf
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will arrive here Monday on a four-day visit, her first trip to the state after being appointed the Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary in charge of western Uttar Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, will accompany her on the February 11 visit to the state capital, party spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said Thursday. Preparations are on in the party to accord a big welcome to the three leaders, who will be brought from the airport to the state party office in a roadshow. Rahul Gandhi is likely to return the same day, but Priyanka Gandhi will stay on in Lucknow till Thursday, meeting office bearers and party workers, Awasthi said. Workers representing the party's district and city units will meet her, a party leader said. After her brief appearance before the media while dropping off husband Robert Vadra at the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi on Wednesday, the Lucknow visit will mark her .
Parliamentary debate on formation of national unity govt in Sri Lanka postponed
The parliamentary debate on a resolution to form a national unity government in Sri Lanka was put off on Thursday after the government held back a proposal over it, days after President Maithripala Sirisena said he is opposed to any such move. A motion which was to be tabled in Parliament for approval for the formation of the national government was held back, ruling United National Party (UNP) general secretary Akila Viraj Kariywasam said. The proposal will not be presented today," he said. The motion if approved would have enabled Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to expand his Cabinet and more importantly to secure the simple majority. Wickremesinghe is stuck with limiting his Cabinet to 30 members in terms of the 19th amendment to the Constitution. He could expand it only in the event of forming a national government with another party. Since the restoration of Wickremesinghe as the prime minister in mid-December at the end of a major constitutional impasse, the government has ..
Opposition alliance like wedding preparations without a groom: Chouhan
Calling opposition parties' efforts to forge an alliance to take on BJP in upcoming national polls a futile exercise without a prime ministerial candidate, senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday said it was like readying for a wedding without anyone knowing who would be the groom. The BJP national vice-president and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said the opposition alliance is without any principle, intention or leader and claimed the BJP will win 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, expected to take place in April-May. He also took a swipe at Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party getting into a seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh and said it is not clear who has prevailed over whom - Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawati - to form the alliance. "Only hands have come together, but not the hearts," Chouhan said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, while alleging that the alliances are being formed only to serve interests of the opposition leaders and not ..
Rebel Congress MLAs keep Karnataka coalition government on edge (IANS Special)
Four rebels and a few other disgruntled legislators of the Congress are keeping the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka on the edge ahead of the general elections due in April-May.
Charge sheet in JNU sedition case before LS polls raises several questions: Kejriwal
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police in the JNU sedition case right before the Lok Sabha elections raises several questions and it needs to be "legally studied" by the AAP government. Kejriwal said the police took three years to file in a court the charge sheet in connection with the sedition case against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others. Last month, the court had questioned the police for filing the charge sheet involving Kanhaiya and others without procuring the required sanction from authorities. On Wednesday, the court asked the Delhi government to expedite the process of granting requisite sanction for prosecution in the case. "The government is currently studying the charge sheet. It took Delhi Police three years to file a charge sheet...The police filed it without the government's nod, and also right before the elections, which raises several questions. There is
Opposition alliance 'heartless', not enough to stop Modi: Shivraj
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday termed the Opposition alliance as "heartless" and said it will not be able to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from coming back to the helm in the 2019 elections.
Over Rs 2 crore spent on Himachal rally
The Himachal Pradesh government has spent over Rs 2 crore on a public meeting to mark its one year in power, the Assembly was informed on Thursday.
Punjab enhances funds for farm debt waiver scheme
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh enhanced the allocation of funds for farm debt waiver scheme to Rs 5,500 crore, on Thursday.