Page 1741 - Politics
UK home secretary dismisses speculation of snap general election in June
UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid has dismissed newspaper speculation of a snap general election in June, saying that "last thing we want is an election, the people will never forgive us."
Govt oppression still prevails in Madhya Pradesh: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday said that the government oppression still prevails in Madhya Pradesh as state Chief Minister Kamal Nath has failed to maintain law and order situation here.After the state elections that were held last year in November-December, the Congress won 114 seats in Madhya Pradesh but fell short of two seats to reach the majority mark in the 230-member assembly. Following which, the BSP came in support to Congress and lend support of two BSP legislators."The people of Madhya Pradesh are feeling relieved now as the BJP government has gone from here. However, the initial functioning of the newly elected Congress government isn't satisfying people either. The government's oppression still prevails in the state," said Mayawati who visited Madhya Pradesh on Sunday to review the poll preparedness of the party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."The initial work done by the state government has not generated much satisfaction among the people," ...
Lebanon govt not controlled by Hezbollah: Official
Hezbollah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has denied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allegations about Hezbollah controlling the government in Lebanon, media reported.
CBI-Kolkata Police showdown: Mamata continues 'Save the Constitution' dharna past midnight
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of plotting a coup, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar continue to sit on 'Save the Constitution' dharna even after midnight here at Metro Channel.A full-blown face-off between West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government and the Centre erupted as a CBI team moved to arrest Kumar, which in turn were unceremoniously denied entry to Kolkata Police chief's residence and then detained.Escalating her confrontation with the Centre, Banerjee started a sit-in on Sunday night to protest, in what her Trinamool Congress party called a "coup" by the Modi government. Extending support to Mamata, her party workers also staged a 'rail roko protest' in Rishra and Asansol over the ongoing issue. The TMC workers have also burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Asansol. CBI interim director M Nageshwar Rao has said that the CBI will approach the Supreme Court on Monday accusing the Bengal government
Turkey-Syria talks underway at 'lower levels': Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that talks were underway at lower levels with Syria, ruling out any contact at higher levels with Damascus.
UN warns Yemen's warring sides truce in jeopardy
The head of the UN mission in Yemen has warned the Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels that a seven-week ceasefire in the flashpoint city of Hodeida was fragile and urged them to order their commanders on the ground to uphold the truce. Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert met with government representatives and Huthis aboard a vessel anchored in the port of Hodeida on Sunday for talks aimed at shoring up the ceasefire. The talks are to continue on Monday, a UN statement said, describing the meeting as "cordial and constructive." The meeting was to address problems in implementing an agreement reached in Sweden in December that calls for a ceasefire in rebel-held Hodeida, a pullback of forces from the port city, and the opening of humanitarian corridors. Cammaert "warned the parties about the fragility of the ceasefire and urged them to instruct their commanders on the ground to refrain from any further violations that would jeopardise the Stockholm Agreement and the ...
Egypt MPs table law amendment to extend Sisi rule
Egyptian lawmakers have tabled proposed constitutional changes that would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to extend his rule beyond 2022, legislators said. The bill submitted on Sunday to speaker Ali Abdel Aal calls for several amendments to the constitution, including on the duration of presidential mandates currently limited to two four-year terms. The lawmakers who put forward the amendments hope to extend the length of mandates to two six-year terms, which they say would allow Sisi to run for the presidency two more times after his second term expires in 2022. That could see the former military chief ruling over Egypt until 2034. The parliament's website said speaker Abdel Aal had received a "request from a fifth of the elected representatives (120 deputies out of the total 596) to amend certain articles of the constitution". That number fulfils the quorum required for such a request. A statement published later on the parliament's website outlined seven amendments that it ..
Unprecedented centre-state confrontation: Mamata resorts to sit-in after CBI-police face-off (Intro-Roundup)
In a virtual no-holds-barred clash between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central and West Bengal governments, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee began a sit-in here on Sunday accusing the Centre of attempting a coup to destabilise the state after an ugly face-off between the CBI and the state police over the federal probe agency's bid to grill city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Ponzi scheme scam case.
Kolkata Police-CBI face-off: Opposition backs Mamata, calls CBI 'mala fide'
Opposition parties late Sunday night expressed solidarity with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who began a sit-in protest over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams, as the Congress termed it "mala fide" and an "assault" on the federal polity. Congress president Rahul Gandhi called up Banerjee and extended support to her, saying the entire opposition is together and it will defeat the fascist forces. He alleged the events in West Bengal were part of an unrelenting attack on India's institutions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. He said the Congress stood shoulder to shoulder with Banerjee who is on an overnight dharna. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister M Chandrababu Naidu said it was a glaring example of how "Modi-Shah duo are destroying the institutions". "Attacking political opponents in different States, few days before the Parliament elections commence, will have disastrous consequences in the country," he ...
Rahul speaks to Mamata, expresses support to sit-in against Centre
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and expressed his support to her sit-in against the Centre over CBI move in the state, saying the happenings in Bengal "were part of the unrelenting attack on India's institutions" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Erdogan says Turkey maintains 'low-level' contact with Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said his government maintained "low-level" contact through its spy agency with the Syrian regime despite being one of its most fervent critics. "The foreign policy is being conducted with Syria at low-level," Erdogan told the state-run TRT television interview. Erdogan's government fell out with Damascus after its deadly crackdown on popular dissent in March 2011 and ruled out any contact with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Erdogan's comments are the first time Turkey has confirmed direct low-level talks with Damascus. "Even if it's your enemy, you will not entirely break ties in case you might need them," he said.
Mamata government anti-democratic, anarchic: Adityanath
Lashing out at Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said she has no faith in democracy or the country's Constitution and dubbed her government "anti-democratic, anti-people and anarchic".
Odisha people will decide who will be thrown away: Naveen
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said the people of Odisha will decide who will be thrown away in the 2019 elections.
Maduro calls for early Parliamentary elections in Venezuela
Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday (local time) called for early Parliamentary elections in the country, which was earlier slated to be held in 2020."Do they want elections? We will hold a parliamentary election," TASS news agency quoted Maduro as saying."We will consult the people, through Open Bolivarian Councils, the possibility of advancing the parliamentary elections. I agree, that it is the people who decide and relegimate the Venezuelan Legislative Power," Maduro tweeted.The statement by the Venezuelan President came while addressing a rally organised in Caracas, both by his supporters as well as the people in support of the opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaido, celebrating 20 years of the Bolivarian Revolution initiated by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.Early on Sunday, France issued an ultimatum to Maduro, stating that it would recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim President if fresh Presidential elections ...
Top Yemeni commander wounded in rebel drone strike dies
Yemen's deputy chief of staff died Sunday from wounds sustained last month in a drone attack by Huthi rebels on the country's largest air base, the information minister said. "Major General Saleh al-Zandani, deputy chief of staff, was martyred while undergoing treatment after he was wounded in the terrorist bombing at the Al-Anad base," Moammer al-Eryani wrote on Twitter. Zandani was among 11 wounded in the January 10 drone attack on a military parade at the base in Lahij, a province some 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of Yemen's second city Aden. Seven other loyalists -- including a high-ranking intelligence official -- were killed in the attack. It came less than a month after the United Nations brokered a truce between Yemen's Huthi rebels and a regional pro-government military alliance. Yemen is mired in a grinding conflict between the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels and a government backed up by a Saudi-led coalition. The war has killed nearly 10,000 people since the Saudi-led ...
Macron eyeing referendum in May, report says
President Emmanuel Macron is considering organising what would be the first referendum in France in 14 years in May as part of his response to "yellow vest" protests, a report said on Sunday. The Journal du Dimanche newspaper added to persistent rumours that Macron was preparing to call the vote on the same day as European parliament elections on May 26. The newspaper reported on Sunday that the French would be asked whether they wanted to reduce the number of national lawmakers, a campaign pledge by Macron. They would also be asked whether they favoured imposing a limit on the number of terms lawmakers could serve in a bid to prevent career politicians staying in power. "The president of the Republic doesn't exclude anything, but has not yet taken a decision," Nathalie Loiseau, European affairs minister, told French media in an interview on Sunday. Speaking to reporters last week, Macron was asked to comment on recent reports in the investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine ...
Rahul Gandhi extends support to Mamata Banerjee
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and extended support to her, saying the entire opposition is together and it will defeat the fascist forces. He alleged the events in West Bengal were part of an unrelenting attack on India'a institutions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. He said the Congress stood shoulder to shoulder with Banerjee who is on an overnight protest dharna against CBI's attempt to question Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar in connection with chit fund scams. "The entire opposition will stand together and defeat these fascist forces," he tweeted. An all-out war broke out between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday, with the feisty West Bengal leader beginning a sit-in protest at a city landmark over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief, insisting it stifled the spirit of "Constitution and federalism".
Income support for farmers insulting and humiliating: Shatrughan
Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday criticised the government's direct income support scheme PM-KISAN, saying the announcement made in the Interim Budget was "insulting and humiliating" for farmers. In the interim budget 2019-20, the government announced transfer of Rs 6,000 per year to 12 crore farmers holding cultivable land up to 2 hectare directly into their bank accounts from this year itself. In a series of tweets, the actor-turned-politician said that he was in agreement with former Finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's view that it was an "account for votes and not a vote on account". The Patna Sahib MP said, "The budget had nothing for 60 per cent of our population, which was below the age of 35 years and faced acute unemployment". "In my opinion, we are putting energy and money on the Union Budget especially when only two-three months are left to fulfill and implement all the promises made in the Budget. Even our learned senior leader, ...
Austria says ready to recognise Venezuela's Guaido
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Sunday that Vienna was ready to recognise Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president if Nicolas Maduro did not call elections as demanded by other EU countries. "Should Maduro not respond to the EU's call for free & fair presidential elections, we will acknowledge and support Juan Guaido as President ad interim of #Venezuela," Kurz tweeted. France, Britain, Germany and Spain are among the EU countries that have told Maduro to call elections by the weekend or they will recognise the opposition-backed parliamentary speaker. France European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau said Sunday if Maduro had not called a fresh presidential election by Sunday evening, France would consider Guaido interim president with the right to organise them in his place. The US and a dozen Latin American countries have already recognised Guaido as Venezuela's acting head of state -- as has the European Parliament. Kurz said he had talked with ...
Will discuss Citizenship Bill with parties, civil society groups: Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that he would discuss the draft Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 with other political parties and civil society groups.