Page 1826 - Politics
Rescuers find body of Spanish toddler in well: govt rep
Rescuers on Saturday found the body of a toddler who fell in a well on January 13 in southern Spain, the central government's representative in the region said. The rescue team found "the lifeless body of the little one" at 1:25 am, the central government's representative in the southwestern region of Andalusia, Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez de Celis, wrote on Twitter.
South African Prez Ramaphosa witnesses R-Day Parade at Rajpath
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Saturday joined a select group of world leaders to have graced India's Republic Day celebrations in the past few decades. Ramaphosa , as the chief guest at the 70th Republic Day celebrations, watched the colourful parade at the majestic Rajpath along with President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other leaders. He is the second South African President after Nelson Mandela to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations. Last year, leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries attended the Republic Day celebrations. In 2017, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at celebrations, while then French President Francois Hollande graced the occasion in 2016. In 2015, then US President Barack Obama watched the parade. In 2014, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the chief guest at the celebrations, while Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck attended the parade in 2013. The ..
Kuwait helps WFP rebuild lives in Syria
Cairo, Jan 26 (IANS/AKI) Kuwait has contributed $4 million for projects to improve people's lives in the war-torn Syria, where over a third of the population is hunger stricken, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has announced.
Trump accepts deal for temporary end longest govt shutdown in US history
Submitting to political pressure, President Donald Trump has backed a deal to temporarily end the record-breaking government shutdown in America's history despite getting no funding for his controversial plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. The deal resolved the crippling 35-day closure but not the fight over his proposed border wall. Trump is demanding USD 5.7 billion of congressional funding to build the wall, but the Democrats have refused. The shutdown, which began on December 22, has affected some 800,000 federal employees. Trump previously vowed to reject any budget unless it included funding for his signature campaign pledge. The deal backed by Trump funds the government for three weeks, until February 15, while lawmakers try to reach a wider deal on immigration. Both the House and Senate passed the plan by voice vote on Friday. The White House later confirmed Trump had signed it into law. The short-term deal provides financial relief for federal workers, who have ..
Modi pays homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid homage to the martyrs by laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate here.
70th Republic Day celebrations begin
Celebrations for the 70th Republic Day began Saturday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in attendance as the chief guest, amid heavy security deployment in the city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three service chiefs. Later Modi, wearing his traditional kurta pajama and trademark Nehru jacket, reached the Rajpath and received and greeted President Ram Nath Kovind and the chief guest. At the unfurling of the tricolour, the band played the national anthem with a 21-gun salute fired in the background. Most of the ministers of the Modi government, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Deve Gowda, Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad were among those present on the occasion. The overall theme for the Republic Day celebrations this year is the 150th birth ...
Trump signs deal to end shutdown without Mexico Wall funding
United States President Donald Trump on Friday night (local time) signed the short-term spending bill, bringing to an end the 35-day partial government shutdown, without getting new funding for a Mexico wall. Trump avoided public signing ceremony instead signed the "continuing resolution" behind the closed doors of White House, reported The Hill. The stopgap bill, which includes an extension of border-security funding at the current level, was passed by a voice vote by the Senate and US House of Representatives. The revoking of the longest ever shut down of the government has come as a relief to the 800,000 federal workers who have not received their pay ever since the shutdown began last year, leading to repeated calls by elected representatives to open the government.However, the Trump decision to end the shut down draw immediate criticism from his own party, with many conservatives claiming that this action would weaken the negotiating position of Republican with Democrats.Trump .
Ramaphosa's visit reaffirms India-South Africa bonds: Pravasi Bharatiya
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's participation as the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations on Saturday reaffirms the special relationship between the two countries, a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee has said. Ramaphosa is the second South African president to be invited to the event as the chief guest. Former South African president Nelson Mandela was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 1995. Anil Sooklal, who received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for his lifelong contribution in promoting relations between India and South Africa at the Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi, said the ties between India and South Africa have grown "exponentially since the dawn of democracy under President Nelson Mandela in 1994." He said Ramaphosa's presence at the Republic day "is a clear message that the Indians are serious about South Africa and President Ramaphosa accepting the invitation by India is a message that South Africa treasures this relationship." Sooklal lamented ...
Trump signs bill to end longest US shutdown
US President Donald Trump has agreed to temporarily reopen the federal government without getting any new money for his US-Mexico border wall, retreating from the central promise of his presidency, for now, in the face of intense public anger.
US shutdown ends temporarily
US President Donald Trump has conceded to temporarily end shutdown -- without wall funding to mounting pressure that he reopen the federal government, media reports said on Saturday.
US government shutdown: Stopgap bill clears House of Representatives
The US House of Representatives has passed a stopgap bill that would fund the government for the next three weeks, sending the bill to the White House for ratification.
Congress threatening officials to stop working against corruption: Sambit Patra
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said on Friday that senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has threatened that officers should stop working against corruption which only shows the mentality of the Congress party.Reacting on the CBI raids at former Haryana chief minister BS Hooda's residence, Anand Sharma on Friday issued a veiled warning to government officials by insinuating that those working at the behest of their "political masters" would be held accountable in next government."Congress leader Anand Sharma has threatened that officers should stop working against corruption which only shows the mentality of Congress party. This shows that Congress wants to save corruption. Whenever they don't get a satisfactory verdict from Supreme Court they say they will impeach Chief justice of India (CJI)" said Sambit Patra."When they lose an election they hold a press conference in London against EVM and threaten Election Commission from there, saying that EC's credibility has ended. Corruption ...
No compromise on wall: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Friday asserted he has not compromised on constructing a wall along the Mexico border even as he agreed to end the partial government shutdown for three weeks. "I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession," Trump said in a tweet, hours after he announced a deal with the Democrats to temporarily open the government till February 15 without getting the USD 5.7 billion that he had demanded from the Congress to build the wall. "It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it's off to the races!" Trump explained in his tweet. The longest-ever shutdown, lasting more than 30 days, had paralysed the functioning of several key departments of the government. It also created a humanitarian crisis as some 800,000 federal employees did not receive their paychecks for a month. In his Rose Garden speech at the White ...
US taps controversial Abrams to 'restore democracy' in Venezuela
Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo has tapped Elliot Abrams, a central figure in Ronald Reagan's controversial anti-communist campaigns in Central America, as a new envoy to "restore democracy" in Venezuela. Pompeo announced the appointment of Abrams on Friday, two days after Washington declared head of state Nicolas Maduro to be illegitimate and recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of crisis-plagued Venezuela. Pompeo said Abrams "will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country". Abrams told reporters in brief remarks: "This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous and I can't wait to get to work on it." The veteran Republican foreign policy hand took charge of Latin America policy under Reagan, clashing with human rights groups as he channeled generous US support to anti-communist forces in Nicaragua and El Salvador. In one notorious incident, he initially dismissed the ...
US Congress unanimously votes to reopen government
Both the chambers of the US Congress have unanimously passed legislation to temporarily reopen the government for three weeks until February 15.The stopgap bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives and the US Senate, will now head to US President Donald Trump for his signatures to fully come into effect and temporarily halt the partial government shutdown which has been in place since December 22 last year.The passage of this bill comes as a major relief to 800,000 federal workers who have been working without pay ever since the shutdown came into effect. Trump has promised to ensure that the workers will get their due wages, once the temporary measure is fully in place.The US President had made the announcement about the stopgap measure on Friday, where he also announced that a bipartisan panel will be working together on a border security package.In his remarks on Friday, however, Trump threatened to "use the powers afforded" to him by the Constitution if a "fair ..
USA appoints Elliott Abrams to lead efforts in Venezuela
The United States, on Friday, announced that foreign policy veteran, Elliott Abrams, will be leading US efforts on Venezuela in the wake of the political crisis in the South American nation.Abrams, who served as an assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs under US President Ronald Reagan, will be accompanying Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to the UN Security Council to attend the meeting "to urge other nations to support Venezuela's democratic transition," on Saturday."Elliot Abrams will be responsible for all things related to all our efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. It's a global challenge. There are multiple dimensions to how we hope to assist the Venezuelans in achieving democracy there," Pompeo remarked at a press briefing here on Friday."The road ahead will be driven by the demands of the Venezuelan people, how we can assist them in achieving the outcome America wants them to achieve," Pompeo further said."This crisis in Venezuela is ...
US Senate passes stopgap bill to lift government shutdown
The US Senate has passed a stopgap bill to reopen the government for three weeks, 35 days after the shutdown began.
US Senate passes bill to reopen government
The United States Senate has passed the short-term spending bill to fund the government until February 15, inching a step closer to reopening the government which has been partially shut since December last year.The stopgap bill, which was passed by a voice vote by the Senate, will now head to the US House of Representatives for passage, following which it will be signed by US President Donald Trump and come into effect. The legislation, along with a Department of Homeland Security bill, is expected to pass in the US Congress with unanimous consent.Trump had, on Friday, announced that lawmakers had reached a deal to temporarily halt the partial government shut down. A bipartisan panel will be working on a border security package."This is an opportunity for all parties to work together," Trump had said during a press conference at the White House on Friday.The latest measures will provide relief to the 800,000 federal workers who have been without pay ever since the shutdown began.In ..
I am 'Baap' of all ministers: MP BSP MLA Ramabai
Apparently irked at not getting the ministerial post despite continual perusal, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA in Madhya Pradesh, Ramabai said that she is above all the ministers as she is the Kingmaker of the Congress government in the state led by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.Ramabai, who is MLA from the Pathariya Assembly constituency, said that she would continue to do the good work even if she is not made a minister."Hum ban jaye to achha kaam karenge, nahi baney to bhi sahi kaam karenge....... Hum mantriyo ke baap hain, humne hi sarkar banayi hai (If I become a minister then I will do good work, even if not made a minister then also I would do the right work. I am the father of all ministers, I have made this government," said MLA Ramabai.Earlier on January 23, Ramabai reiterating her demand for a cabinet berth, stated that the Kamal Nath government should keep its ministers happy to avoid a "Karnataka-like situation" in the state.On January 7, the Pathariya MLA had demanded a ...
Pranab Mukherjee chosen for Bharat Ratna as he visited RSS headquarters: Danish Ali
Janata Dal (Secular) secretary general Danish Ali said that former President Pranab Mukherjee was chosen for the Bharat Ratna as he had visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. He said former chief minister of Odisha late Biju Patnaik and founder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) late Kanshi Ram were more deserving for the highest civilian award. "It's very unfortunate. Biju Patnaik and Kanshi Ram should have been conferred the Bharat Ratna before Pranab Mukherjee. He has been awarded just because he visited the RSS headquarters. Pranab Mukherjee and PM Modi have common big industrialist friends, perhaps it also played a role," said Danish Ali.He also slammed the central government for not conferring Bharat Ratna to Siddaganga seer Shivakumara Swamy, who passed away on Monday at the age of 111 years. He alleged that the BJP led central government ignored the late seer's name as it does not match their ideology."If you wanted to give Bharat Ratna, you could have conferred it to Dr ...