Page 1838 - Politics
Owaisi hits out at Telangana Cong leaders over cartoon featuring him
Taking exception to a cartoon made by the Congress featuring him, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday asked how would the Congress leaders in Telangana feel if a cartoon with the party's top leaders was made. "...And you have put the pictures of me and KCR, the chief minister (of Telangana). I would like to ask the Congress people, if a cartoon of Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi was made, how would they feel?.... I will not do so. I respect (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi a lot," he told reporters here. The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said the Congress leaders in Telangana, who were handed out a humiliating defeat in the recent Assembly polls, should remain within the ambit of manners and respect. The Congress held a protest here on Thursday against the alleged failures of the Election Commission to ensure a free-and-fair poll in the state. During the stir, a cartoon was put up, depicting democracy being hurt in Telangana and drawing an analogy with Draupadi's ..
Sushil Modi calls Priyanka 'woman with tainted life partner'
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi launched a vitriolic attack on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, a day after she entered active politics, saying the Congress was feeling happy "over the induction of a woman with a tainted life partner". In a tweet, the senior BJP leader also scoffed at Priyanka Gandhi's resemblance with her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi. "If a person could become as capable as someone else merely by resembling him or her, by now we would have had many more Virat Kohlis and Amitabh Bachchans. Duplicates do not work in politics. Priyanka might resemble Indira, but there is a big difference," Modi said. He also compared Priyanka Gandhi's husband and businessman Robert Vadra with Indira Gandhi's spouse Firoz Gandhi. The deputy chief minister said Firoz Gandhi was a good orator and an upright parliamentarian "who had the guts to speak against his powerful father-in-law", Jawaharlal Nehru. "Priyanka's businessman husband's irregular land
Kamala Harris seeks ends to shutdown, reopening of federal government
First Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, who recently announced her presidential bid for 2020, has sought an end to the 34-day long unprecedented government shutdown and asked for earliest reopening of the federal government. The Democratic Party leader from California said that the senate will vote on a clean bill Thursday to fund the government. "It's been 34 days since the government shut down. The Senate will vote on a clean bill today to fund the government that we unanimously approved one month ago. Let's get this done. 800,000 federal workers are counting on us," Harris said in a tweet. Trump wants to build a US-Mexico border wall and is seeking USD 5.7 billion in funding for the physical barrier which according to him is a must to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the US. The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers money. The partial shutdown has impacted the country hard with more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key ..
400 abandoned airstrips to be renovated to boost connectivity: Official
The Centre has decided to renovate and develop around 400 abandoned airstrips across the country to strengthen air-connectivity, a senior official said Thursday. Like the proposed Dhalbhumgarh airstrip that had been developed by Britishers during the World War II in Ghatsila sub-division of East Singhbhum district, Secretary of Union Civil Aviation department R N Choubey said there were 400 such airstrips lying abandoned across the country. "The air strips were all our assets and we are willing to renovate them... develop those strips as modern airports with the respective state governments to improve air connectivity," Choubey said. He was addressing a gathering after Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das performed the ground breaking ceremony for a proposed airport in Dhalbhumgarh, about 65 km from here, under Ghatsila sub-division of East Singhbhum district. Choubey said Das and Sinha have asked the ministry to make all ..
Venezuelan generals vow loyalty to Maduro
Regional commanders of Venezuela's armed forces appeared on state television Thursday to express their support for President Nicolas Maduro a day after National Assembly speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself acting head of state.
North Korea's leader orders preparations for 2nd Trump meet
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered preparations for a second summit with US President Donald Trump, saying he'll "wait with patience and in good faith" to work toward a common goal, the North's state media reported Thursday. Despite Kim's determination for another meeting with Trump, the two remain at odds over fundamental issues. Experts say a major sticking point is what denuclearisation steps Kim should take to move forward stalled nuclear negotiations and what rewards Trump should provide to push Kim to take those measures. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim received a letter from Trump from a North Korean envoy who met the US president in Washington last week. After meeting Kim Yong Chol, Trump said he and Kim Jong Un will probably meet around the end of February but did not say exactly when and where the summit would take place. Trump tweeted Thursday that "I expect another good meeting soon, much potential!" Thursday's report said Kim expressed satisfaction with ..
UN urges Nepal to focus on war crimes victims as probes languish
The United Nations cautioned Nepal Thursday that it risked failing war crimes victims as a deadline for investigating atrocities during its decade-long Maoist conflict draws near without a single case being resolved. Nepal established two commissions in 2015 to probe abuses by government forces and Maoist rebels during the civil war that left 17,000 dead and others missing without a trace. The government had promised to deliver justice to victims but three years later, rights watchdogs say almost no progress has been made. With the mandate for both commissions set to expire in a fortnight, Kathmandu has yet to extend its commitment to continuing the peace process. "Any solution should have the needs of victims at its heart. Only then can the peace process move forward," the UN said in a statement jointly signed by the US, UK, France and Germany, among other nations. "We are united in the view that without broad public trust in the process, Nepal will not be able to bring closure to ...
Indian-American lawmaker joins key Congressional committees
Indian-American Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has been appointed to several key Congressional committees, reflecting his growing stature within his party and the Congress. In the current 116th Congress, Khanna has joined three influential committees -- Oversight and Reform, Armed Services and Budget. The 42-year-old Congressman, who represents Silicon valley, has also joined the House Armed Services subcommittees on Intelligence and Emerging Threats, and Strategic Forces, as well as the Oversight subcommittees of Government Operations and Economic Policy. "I'm honoured to have the confidence of Speaker Pelosi to serve on these committees at such a critical time in our nation's history," Khanna said. He further said: "I look forward to using these assignments to spark discussions around how we are going to grow the digital economy, forge a progressive foreign policy, hold the administration accountable and modernise government technologies". The committee on Oversight and Reform ...
Assam CM holds talks with members of six communities awaiting ST status
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held detailed discussions with the members of six communities on a gamut of issues here on Thursday evening and informed them that his government would prepare its proposal for submission to the Centre. He said the proposal would be prepared after discussing with all the stakeholders to facilitate the granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the six communities, without affecting the rights and privileges of the existing ST communities. Sonowal added that the government had introduced a bill for granting ST status to the six communities, after fulfilling the entire requirement from the Registrar General of India, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the Union cabinet. "This has reflected the government's sincerity in according ST status to the six communities," the chief minister said. Sonowal also said a Group of Ministers (GoM) was constituted under Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to expedite the entire process to safeguard .
Deutsche Bank queried by U.S. House panels on Trump ties
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG has received an inquiry from two U.S. House of Representatives committees on the lender's ties to President Donald Trump, it said on Thursday.
No safety at the borders without wall: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that America and its borders cannot be secured without a wall. Trump wants to build a US-Mexico border wall and is seeking USD 5.7 billion in funding for the physical barrier which according to him is a must to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the US. The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers money. Trump said that without a wall there cannot be safety at the border. "Without a wall there cannot be safety and security at the border or for the USA. Build the wall and crime will fall," Trump said in a tweet. The partial shutdown has impacted the country hard with more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments. Trump's comments came after he delayed his State of the Union address on Thursday, saying he won't do it until the crippling government shutdown ends. The president's announcement came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rescinded an invitation for him to deliver the speech in
Posters in Varanasi seek Priyanka's candidature against Modi
A day after she was named the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, several posters cropped up in Varanasi, demanding that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections against incumbent MP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
LRSAM successfully test fired from ship
The ship-launched Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) was successfully test-fired on Thursday, an official release said.
No-deal Brexit would betray 2016 promises: UK's Hammond
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - British finance minister Philip Hammond hit back at supporters of a no-deal Brexit on Thursday, telling business leaders that leaving without a deal would break promises made in the 2016 referendum and risk fuelling populism.
Priyanka Vadra: A potent campaigner who can make a difference to the Congress (Profile)
Shortly after the Congress party announced that Priyanka Vadra would be the new general secretary of the Grand Old Party holding charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, it put out a photograph of Indira Gandhi playing with a young Priyanka.
Working round-the-clock to strengthen new government in Venezuela, says WH
The White House on Thursday said that the US is focussed on disconnecting the regime of hard-left President Nicolas Maduro from its revenue sources, a day after President Donald Trump recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president. "What we're focusing on today is disconnecting the illegitimate Maduro regime from the sources of its revenues. We think consistent with our recognition of Juan Guaido as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela that those revenues should go to the legitimate government," National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters at the White House. A day earlier, Trump had recognised Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela. Later, he told reporters that all options are on the table. Describing Maduro as "illegitimate", Trump said the National Assembly, headed by Guaido, is "the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people." Bolton did not elaborate on a question related to all ...
Assam protests have hit economy: State BJP chief
The ongoing agitation over the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 is affecting the economy of Assam, said President of the Assam unit of BJP Ranjit Kumar Das on Thursday while addressing a rally of party workers.
Putin rings Venezuela's Maduro to show support: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro and expressed support, after several other nations recognised self-declared Venezuelan leader Juan Guaido, the Kremlin said. "The President of Russia expressed support for the legitimate authorities of Venezuela in the context of a domestic political crisis that has been provoked from the outside," it said.
AAP Maha takes U-turn, to contest both LS and assembly polls
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Maharashtra made a U-turn and Thursday announced it would contest both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls. The party has decided to field candidates in constituencies where it feels it is strong. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80), and a 288-member assembly. Assembly polls in Maharashtra are due in the second half of 2019. AAP leader Brigadier (retd) Sudhir Sawant, speaking to reporters, said, "The AAP Maharashtra will contest both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Wherever a possibility appears of defeating the BJP, the party would contest the polls." Earlier this week, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had said it has decided not to contest elections in Maharashtra. AAP's national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon had said the party will fight Lok Sabha polls in four states Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Goa, but not in Maharashtra. Sawant, however, claimed people are tired of the BJP's "fake" promises ..
Indian Coast Guard officials meet Maldivian Def min
Senior officials of the Indian Coast Guard met Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi Thursday and discussed ways to boost cooperation in the area. The Indian side was led by V S R Murthy, Additional Director General, Coast Guard. "Additional Director General V S R Murthy, ADG @IndiaCoastGuard Called on Hon'ble Defence Minister of Maldives Ms. Uza Maria Ahmed Didi today and discussed bilateral #CoastGuard cooperation and capacity building issues. Senior officers of MNDF were also present @DefenceMinIndia," the Coast Guard tweeted. India and Maldives share robust defence ties. Last week, the Indian Coast Guard replaced an Advanced Light Helicopter at the Gan Addu Atoll of Maldives. Maldivian President Mohamed Solih had visited India last month during which the two countries resolved to deepen their maritime cooperation.