Page 1804 - Politics

Shutdown costs pegged at $3 billion as U.S. government reopens

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy was expected to lose $3 billion from the partial federal government shutdown over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding, congressional researchers said on Monday as 800,000 federal employees returned to work after a 35-day unpaid furlough.

No law says MLAs need to file assets, liabilities to Lokayukta: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said its MLAs had filed their assets and liabilities to Election Commission in the 2013 and 2015 elections, adding there is no law which mentions MLAs need to file it to the Lokayukta.

Amit Shah hails BJP's performance in Assam tribal council elections

BJP president Amit Shah on Monday congratulated Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and party workers for their role in the partys good performance in the state's Rabha Hasong, Sonowal Kachari and Mising Autonomous Council elections.

Goa: 'Rahul will visit Atal Setu Bridge after he becomes PM'

Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Monday said that his party president Rahul Gandhi will visit the Atal Setu Bridge after he becomes the Prime Minister.Speaking to ANI, Chodankar said: "Atal Setu is a bridge of corruption. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit the bridge once he becomes the Prime Minister. For now, there was no point of inviting Rahul to visit the bridge, especially when the bridge was not even fully constructed."This comes after the BJP got to know about Rahul's holiday in Goa and the party extended an invitation to him to visit the 5.1-kilometre long bridge Atal Setu on the Mandovi River."Dear Shri @RahulGandhi, We have come to learn that you are currently on a vacation in Goa. We request you along with all Congress MLAs to visit the Atal Setu, the third longest cable stayed-bridge in India over river Mandovi and witness how @BJP4India is #TransformingIndia," read a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP Goa.Atal Setu was inaugurated by the state ..

Chidambaram hails Rahul's promise for minimum universal basic income to poor

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's announcement of minimum universal basic income to poor will mark a turning point in the lives of the poor people, said former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday.Addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh on Monday, Congress president Gandhi said: "After winning the Lok Sabha polls this year, we will take a step that no party has ever taken. We will ensure minimum universal basic income to the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision."In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said: "The principle of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been discussed extensively in the last two years. The time has come to adopt the principle to our situation and our needs and implement the same for the poor.""We will explain our plan in the Congress manifesto," said Chidambaram, who has been appointed as the chairman of the Congress' Manifesto Committee for the coming Lok Sabha elections."The poor of India have the first right on the resources of the country.

Caracas engaged in full-fledged dialogue with Washington: Venezuelan FM

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Monday said that Caracas was engaged in a full-fledged dialogue with the United States."This is reality... we are actually conducting a dialogue... our teams will soon hold a meeting. We will continue to maintain contacts," Arreaza said.On Wednesday, the speaker of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim head of the state amid the ongoing anti-government protests in the South American nation.The US and a number of other countries, which disputed last year's re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, have recognised the opposition leader. Maduro slammed Guaido as a US "puppet" and accused Washington of organizing a coup in Venezuela.

Trump cancels State of Union address

United States President Donald Trump has cancelled the annual State of the Union address, which was slated to take place on Tuesday (January 29), authorities confirmed on Monday.An aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that the next date for the address is yet to be decided.In order to give an address like the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress, both the House and Senate must pass a resolution allowing it to happen, making Pelosi's voice an important part of the discussions.The President, previous week cancelled the annual State of the Union address after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi barred him from speaking at the House Chambers while the partial government shutdown was still underway.Trump, while speaking to reporters, said that there would be an alternative to the address, without outlining the details, further calling the cancellation a "great, great horrible mark" and a "great blotch" on the USA.Pelosi had highlighted that the address would be set for a later, .

ST Somashekar has apologised to CM Kumaraswamy, informs KPCC chief

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said, Congress MLA ST Somashekar has apologised to HD Kumaraswamy for his comment against the Chief Minister.Taking to Twitter, the KPCC president said: "Our MLA Sri ST Somashekar has made statements which crosses the lakshmanrekha of coalition politics. It cannot be tolerated, especially when he is holding a responsible position. It's an act of indiscipline and action will be initiated."MLA ST Somashekar came to KPCC office and explained his statement to me. He has expressed his regret and apologised to the CM for any anguish caused. However I'm warning all the leaders of @INCKarnataka to be careful in their comments and not to cross the Laksmana Rekha," he added.Rao strongly stated that any act of indiscipline will not be tolerated and action will be taken against the defaulters."Any act of indiscipline by way of comments or behaviour will not be tolerated and discipline action will be initiated. Our ...

Former Starbucks chief doesn't have 'guts' to run for President: Trump

United States President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz, who had expressed his interest in contesting the US Presidential elections 2020, saying that the later does not have the "guts" to run for the Presidential poll.The US President took to Twitter saying, "Howard Schultz doesn't have the "guts" to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the "smartest person." Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!"The tweets by the US President came after Schultz's interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes," where he clearly stated that he was "seriously thinking" about running for the presidential elections in 2020, as a "centrist independent."Schultz also accused both the Democrats and the Republicans of indulging in "revenge politics" every single day. Schultz also took a jibe at the incumbent US President Donald Trump during the show."We're

BJP is not able to digest defeat in Madhya Pradesh, says Home Minister Bala Bachchan

BJP is not able to digest the defeat the party suffered in recently concluded Assembly polls and is levelling unfounded allegations against the Congress government, said Home Minister Bala Bachchan here on Monday.Referring to the killing of Madan Malviya in Ratlam, Bachchan at a press conference here said: "In Ratlam, the killer has turned out to be an RSS man, Himmat Patidar, who killed his own employee to claim the insurance benefit.""This restlessness of the BJP is arising out of the fact that they have lost power, which they are not able to digest," further alleged Bachchan. "BJP is taking law in its hands," he said.After the incident of Ratlam surfaced, BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacked the ruling Congress, saying that the law and order situation had gone for a toss in the state.However, the DNA test revealed that Himmat Patidar was alive and he is suspected to be the killer in the case as the body found near his field in Ratlam and was ...

Saudi signs deals worth 204 billion riyals

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday it signed 66 agreements worth 204 billion riyals ($54.4 billion) as part of its industrial development program.

Rahul promises minimum universal basic income to poor if Congress wins Lok Sabha polls

In a major election sop, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised minimum universal basic income for the poor, if his party comes to power by winning the coming Lok Sabha elections.Rahul, who addressed an impressive rally here, said that this "promise and vision" is aimed at eliminating poverty and hunger in the country. "The objective of my promise is to ensure that nobody remains hungry in the country," he said."After winning the Lok Sabha polls this year, we will take a step that no party has ever taken. We will ensure minimum universal basic income to the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision," Gandhi said.Later, Gandhi tweeted: "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise."At the rally, the Congress chief .

Congress MP Mausam Noor switches over to TMC

Congress' Lok Sabha member Mausam Nooron Monday joined the Trinamool Congress, contending she had taken the step to strengthen forces that can defeat the BJP. Noor, the niece of legendary Congress leader A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, joined TMC in presence of Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nabanna.The development came just a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections."Mausam Noor said in order to defeat BJP we have to form alliance. All secular forces should work together. National leadership of Congress are ready for stitch an alliance but the state Congress is not willing to go for alliance," Noor told ANI.The 39-year-old is a second time member of Lok Sabha.

If AICC directs, will file police complaint into Rafale audio: Congress

If the AICC directs, the Goa Congress will file a police complaint into the revelation allegedly made by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in a telephonic conversation that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had stashed files related to the Rafale deal in his bedroom, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said on Monday.

Voter disillusionment with Trump spreads: Poll

Two years into President Donald Trump's administration, a majority of Americans have lost confidence in the brash real estate magnate's performance on everything from the economy to foreign policy, a poll showed Monday. The ABC News/Washington Post poll was published after Trump suffered a major setback in his signature push for more wall along the US-Mexican border. On Friday, Trump agreed to suspend a punishing government shutdown after the tactic failed to pressure Democrats into backing his wall project. Surveys have long shown Trump to be struggling for popularity beyond his hardcore base. The RealClear Politics average currently shows him with 41.2 per cent job approval ratings and 55.5 per cent disapproval. An average put together by the FiveThirtyEight site puts those numbers at 39.4 to 56 per cent. The new poll, however, focuses on disappointment among voters. On the economy, which has been Trump's chief claim to success, only 49 per cent believe he has done an excellent ...

Fadvnais wants to show that Sena is desperate for tie-up: Cong

Devendra Fadnavis is trying to project that the Shiv Sena is "desperate" for an alliance with the BJP for upcoming polls, the Congress said Monday, hours after the Maharashtra Chief Minister signalled that his party would not surrender to any arm-twisting tactics over sharing of seats. Earlier on the day, Sena's chief whip in Parliament and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said his party is the "big brother in Maharashtra and will continue to be so". Countering the Sena's assertion, Fadnavis told a state working meeting meeting of the BJP that the party is not seeking a tie-up desperately and can take on the Congress-NCP combine. "(Actually) Fadnavis wanted to show how desperate Shiv Sena is for an alliance (with the BJP)," said sate unit Congress president Ashok Chavan. Referring to Fadnavis' speech in Jalna, Chavan said the chief minister has raked up the Hindutva issue to divert attention of the people form his "failure" on the development front. He said Fadnavis ...

In major setback to Congress, MP Mausam Noor joins Trinamool

In a massive setback to the Congress in Bengal ahead of the national elections, party MP Mausam Benazir Noor joined the Trinamool Congress on Monday, ending months of speculations. The second-term Congress MP met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat 'Nabanna' during the day, following which the announcement was made. Noor, niece of Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, have quite often been taking stands which were not in line with that of the party's state leadership. The Malda (North) MP has been a strong advocate of electoral alliance with the TMC to fend off the BJP in the state. She met Banerjee in November last year, giving rise to speculations. Noor's uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda (South), is also in favour of forging an alliance with the TMC. Talking to reporters after the announcement, Noor said, "I'm inspired by Didi (Mamata). I'll work under her guidance for the development of the state. I believe that she is the last word ..

Race for 'hypersonic' weapons heats up as France joins fray

World powers are vying to develop so-called "hypersonic" weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China. Hypersonics are like missiles that travel at over five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) but are able to manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles. France is the fourth of the five permanent UN Security Council members to join the so-called "stealth by speed" contest, after China, Russia and the United States. "We have decided to issue a contract for a hypersonic glider" that can travel at over 6,000 kilometres/hour, Defence Minister Florence Parly said last week, promising a test flight by the end of 2021. "Many countries are acquiring them (hypersonic weapons) and we have the know-how to develop them. We could no longer afford to wait," Parly said, unveiling project V-MaX (Experimental Manoeuvering Vehicle). In March last year, Russian President .

Sudan's Bashir extends ceasefire in two war zones

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday extended ceasefires in two conflict-hit states, official media reported, where protest leaders are pushing for anti-government rallies. Addressing supporters in South Kordofan state, Bashir said his "top priority" was ending fighting which erupted there in 2011. "We are ready to go to any length to bring peace to this area," Bashir, dressed in military uniform, told a crowd of cheering supporters at a televised rally in the state capital Kadugli. Since June 2016, Bashir has declared several unilateral ceasefires in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, bringing relative calm to the three war-torn states. The president later on Monday extended the ceasefires for the latter two states, the official SUNA news agency reported, while no announcement was made for Darfur. Bashir has been charged by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, accusations he denies. Tens of thousands of ...

Looking at new prospects of business ties with India: Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Aidarbekov Chingiz Azamatovich on Monday said talks are going on with India over the possibility of creating a joint financial mechanism that will open up new prospects of business between the two countries. Addressing the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum here, Azamatovich observed that this year the Kyrgyz Republic is also chairing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Referring to an important SCO event to be held in Kyrgyzstan, he said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have confirmed their participation. The SCO Summit is slated to be held in June 2019 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. "Tomorrow, I will have talks with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj during which issues of economic cooperation will be discussed," Azamatovich said. "It is necessary to provide favourable conditions and facilitate business including various coordination mechanisms with removal of existing barriers between ..