Page 1757 - Politics
Russia says US leaving missile treaty to 'get out of its obligations'
Moscow denounced Washington's decision to leave a landmark Cold War nuclear missile treaty on Friday, saying it was part of a plan to "get out of its international legal obligations". The US exit was not a question of "Russia's guilt" but is instead "the strategy of the United States to get out of its international legal obligations in different areas," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the television channel channel Rossiya 1. US President Donald Trump had earlier said the United States was suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) as of Saturday, and had started a process to withdraw in six months. Washington says that a new Russian medium-range missile system breaches the 1987 treaty, a claim that Moscow has vigorously denied. Zakharova said the US had provided "no evidence, no satellite photo... no evidence" to prove that Russia had violated the treaty. She insisted Russia had "always agreed to hold talks on the INF ...
Trump say meeting Xi Jinping 'possible' on trip to meet Kim Jong-un
US President Donald Trump on Friday said he is considering meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His comments came following the latest round of the two-day talks between Washington and Beijing to end a trade war wrapped up in the US capital on Thursday. Trump said he had an incredible meeting a day earlier with Chinese Vice Premier and indicated it was "possible" that he would combine a trip to meet Xi with a February visit to see Kim. "I am thinking about it," he told White House reporters when asked about the possibility of a meeting with Xi either before or after the summit with Kim. Trump asserted that he has a better relationship with Xi than any US president had with their Chinese counterparts.
C Africa peace talks suspended: Govt
Peace negotiations between armed militias and the government of Central African Republic have been suspended, mainly over the issue of amnesty, a governmental source told AFP Friday. The latest round of peace talks sponsored by the African Union had opened in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on January 24. "There has been a suspension of negotiations as the parties wanted to consult and agree among themselves on questions related to amnesty, which shouldn't be part of the discussions, and on the question of power-sharing," the source said. Under pressure from Western allies, Bangui has always refused amnesty for warlords, several of whom are under UN sanctions or cited for human rights violations in UN reports. The talks in Khartoum aim to reach an accord and put in place a follow-up committee to try to establish peace in CAR, a country ravaged by war since 2012. On Thursday the UN Security Council agreed to a possible easing of an arms embargo on CAR to allow weapons supplies for ...
Chandrababu Naidu meets Kejriwal in Delhi
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday met his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal at the latter's residence here.
Andhra Legislature condemns Centre's 'unfair' attitude
The Andhra Pradesh Legislature on Friday passed a resolution condemning Centre's "unfair" attitude and the delay in fulfilling the commitments made at the time of bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu meets AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal
TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu Friday night met AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal amid ongoing efforts to cobble up a grand alliance of opposition parties in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, met his Delhi counterpart at the latter's official residence here and discussed a host of issues. AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was also present there. "It was great meeting @ncbn ji today. We will all fight together against Modi government," Kejriwal tweeted. He shared a picture of him and Naidu that the Andhra chief minister had tweeted. Earlier in the day, Naidu had met opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in an attempt to bring together opposition parties on a platform to take on BJP in the polls. Naidu said there is a "democratic compulsion" for all the opposition parties to come together. However, the political compulsion of each party at the state-level will be taken into account while forming a united force to fight the ...
JD(S) makes it clear it will not cede Mandya LS seat to Cong
Amid pressure from within Congress not to cede Hassan and Mandya Lok Sabha seats to its coalition partner, the JD(S) Friday made it clear that it would not let go of the seats that are its party bastions. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said Mandya was JD(S) stronghold and he cannot go against the feelings of the people and workers, while elder brother and PWD Minister H D Revanna said JD(S) was even ready for a triangular contest in Hassan. Both Hassan and Mandya, where the BJP's strength is negligible, are currently held by JD(S), which Congress too is eyeing this time. "Ifneeded, can do it (alliance) or else we are ready for a triangular (contest). We from Hassan had never asked for an alliance. We have the strength to fight," Revanna said. Speaking to reporters here, Revanna, also the Hassan district in-charge Minister said "...the wish of our family is that Deve Gowda should contest from Hassan and win with the highest lead." Asked about his son Prajwal Revanna ...
Decision on new CBI chief expected on Saturday
A decision on a new CBI Director to replace ousted Alok Verma is expected on Saturday with discussion taking place on Friday at meeting of the high-level selection panel at the residence of of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Opposition calls Budget a 'BJP manifesto', 'final jumla'
Opposition parties on Friday panned the Modi governments final Budget, saying the entire exercise was made eying the Lok Sabha elections and claimed it failed to address the acute agrarian and employment crises.
Banerjee for pre-poll common minimum agenda of 'gathbandhan'
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday favoured drawing up a common minimum agenda of the anti-BJP 'gathbandhan' (alliance) before the Lok Sabha polls, but said she was game if other parties agreed otherwise.
Farmers' rally causes traffic jams in Delhi
Traffic in the eastern parts of Delhi and Noida on Friday witnessed heavy traffic jams as farmers blocked the DND flyway after they were denied entry into the national capital, police said.
Ignoring Congress objection, govt may soon announce new CBI Director
The Centre is likely to announce the name of next CBI chief soon despite Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, a member of the prime minister-headed selection panel, raising objections to the names proposed during its meeting here Friday, officials said. During the second meeting of the three-member selection committee, the government is understood to have put forth the names of a few officers who could be considered for the appointment as the CBI Director, they said. However, these names were objected to by Kharge, the officials said. Senior IPS officers Javeed Ahmed, Rajni Kant Misra, S S Deswal and Shivanand Jha are said to be among the front-runners for the coveted post. "The meeting was inconclusive. No decision could be taken during the meeting," a senior government official said, without citing further details. The development assumes significance as earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said it was "averse" to the arrangement of an interim CBI Director and the Centre should ...
Congress would solve Bihars flood problem if voted to power:
The Congress on Friday asserted that it would solve Bihars problem of recurring floods by taking up the matter with Nepal if the party was voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. AICC in-charge for the state, Shaktisinh Gohil said this at a press conference here to brief reporters about the partys "Jan Akanksha Rally" on February 3 which would be Rahul Gandhis first public meeting in Bihar after becoming the Congress president. "Rahul Gandhi has been apprised of the problems of Bihar by the party leadership. He is sensitive towards the losses that residents of the state have to suffer on account of the floods that take place almost every year," Gohil told reporters. "Since the rivers which cause the maximum damage to crops, life and property originate mostly in Nepal a solution to the problem would essentially involve taking the neighbouring country on board. We can promise to the people of Bihar that this problem would be solved if we are voted to power at the
Kerala CM terms union budget as "disappointing"
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday termed the union budget 2019-20 as "disappointing" and criticised the Centre for not providing enough funds for the flood-hit state. Even if the BJP-led NDA government presented the interim budget eyeing the upcoming Parliament elections, Kerala was not given enough consideration, he said in a Facebook post. No package was announced in the budget for the state to tide over the August deluge and to strengthen its rebuilding initiatives, he said. The budget, which reduced the existing allocations to the states, was silent about many long-pending demands of Kerala, he said. There was no mention about any effective measure to contain the soaring price hike of essential commodities and petrol, diesel and cooking gas, he said.
BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi calls out Chidambaram for 'account for votes' remark
BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi called out P Chidambaram for calling the budget as an account for votes."I want to tell Chidambaram sahab that we don't do politics to form government but to make the nation. PM had not taken such strong decisions in last four years if we had only cared about votes," Trivedi said.Soon after Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the interim budget, Chidambaram had tweeted, "It was not a Vote on Account. It was an Account for Votes"Chidambaram also thanked Goyal for 'copying' the Congress declared that the poor will have the first right to resources of the country.Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the Budget a "trailer" that will take India on the path to development after elections, while BJP national president Amit Shah said the budget has benefited all sections of the society.Chief Minister of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra hailed the decision to transfer Rs 6,000 directly to farmers.Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan dubbed the interim Budget a ...
KTR discusses students' issue with US envoy
Ruling TRS working president K T Rama Rao Friday met US Consul General Katherine B Hadda here and discussed Indo-US relations, particularly with respect to Telangana. According to a release from KTR's office, during the discussions, Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also raised the issue of hundreds of Indian students, including those from Telangana, facing deportation in the wake of the "pay to stay" visa racket busted by US authorities. At the meeting held at the Camp office here, KT Rama Rao appealed for assistance to the students from the US government, it said. Trade relationship between Telangana and US were also discussed during the meeting and Hadda extended greetings to KT Rama Rao for being appointed as TRS party Working President, the release added. "Always a privilege to catch up with our good friend. We discussed the many areas of US-Telangana cooperation, current and future. He really deserves the moniker TRS Working President as he is always
Budget 'high on rhetoric, low on content': Dikshit
Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit slammed the Interim Budget presented on Friday as "high on rhetoric, low on content" and disappointing. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal made various announcements in his budget speech, including direct cash transfer to farmers and income tax exemptions, amid cheers by NDA members in Parliament. "High on rhetoric and low on content, #Budget2019 has been truly disappointing. From landless farmer to the urban middle class, this government has hoodwinked every section of the society," the former three-time chief minister of Delhi tweeted.
Man seeking return of money from voters faces police case
A police case has been registered against a man in Suryapet district of Telangana, who allegedly asked voters to return the money he had distributed while seeking votes for his wife in the recent Panchayat elections after she was defeated. The district administration conducted an inquiry after a video surfaced showing the accused Prabhakar asking voters to return the money in Jajireddygudem village in the district. His wife contested for the office of ward member. "We conducted inquiry into it (the incident)... prima facie, it was proved that he has given some money... Then we lodged a complaint with the police for corrupt practices in the electoral process. They (police) have registered FIR. The investigation is in progress," a revenue official told PTI. The allegation against him is that he had distributed money on January 24 and sought its return subsequently, he said. The Panchayat elections in the state held over three phases concluded Wednesday. The first and ...
Govt revises estimate for maintenance of aircraft for VVIP travel to Rs 420 cr
The government has revised upward its expenditure estimate for maintenance of Air India aircraft for VVIP travel to Rs 420 crore for the current fiscal, as against Rs 141 crore allocated to the External Affairs Ministry in last year's budget. The VVIP category is comprised of the president, vice president and the prime minister. In the 2019-20 budget, the government has proposed an expenditure of Rs 220 crore for maintenance cost of aircraft of Air India for VVIP travel. The government had allocated Rs 141 crore in 2018-19 for the maintenance of aircraft for VVIP travel, but the estimate has been now revised to Rs 420 crore. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited several countries last year for bilateral meetings and multilateral summits.
'No decision' on CBI chief in second meeting of PM-led panel
Suspense over the next CBI chief continued on Friday as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed selection committee could not reach a decision during its second meeting here, officials said. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said it was "averse" to the arrangement of an interim CBI Director and the Centre should "immediately" appoint a regular chief of the probe agency. The post of CBI Director is "sensitive" and "important", and it is not good to keep an interim director of the agency for longer period, the top court observed and sought to know as to why the government has not made the appointment yet. "No decision could be taken during the meeting," a senior government official said, without citing further details on the selection committee's meeting. The post of the CBI chief has been lying vacant since January 10 after the unceremonious exit of Alok Verma, who had been engaged in a bitter fight with Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana over corruption charges. Both Verma ..