Page 1839 - Politics
EU cautious as allies back Venezuela 'acting president'
The EU reacted cautiously Thursday to the fast-moving crisis in Venezuela, reluctant to abandon all hope of dialogue in a country with a huge European expat community. On Wednesday, the United States, Canada and most of Caracas' South American neighbours endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaido's claim on the Venezuelan presidency. But European and EU leaders, while expressing support for popular protests against incumbent Nicolas Maduro, did not go so far -- stressing calls for new elections. In doing so, they hope to preserve an opportunity to reason with the Maduro regime, and to shield thousands of European expatriates from possible retaliation or mob violence. "Europe supports the restoration of democracy," France's President Emmanuel Macron declared Thursday, dubbing Maduro's May 2018 election "illegitimate". "I hail the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who march for their freedom," he said, without endorsing Guaido's self-declaration as president. In this, he ..
Goa Youth Congress protests against coastal zone notification
In a unique protest organised to demand scrapping of the controversial Coastal Regulatory Zone Notification 2018, Youth Congress workers on Thursday buried themselves waist-deep into the sands at Panaji's popular Miramar beach, to highlight the perils of the notification issued by the Central government.
BJP, its ally GFP rule out early dissolution of Goa assembly
The Goa Forward Party, an ally of the BJP in the Manohar Parrikar government, Thursday ruled out the possibility of early dissolution of the state assembly, stating "nobody can afford election at this time". GFP president and Minister Vijai Sardesai, talking to reporters from a state Cabinet meeting, dismissed claims by the opposition Congress that the assembly would be dissolved soon. The BJP dubbed the Congress claims as a "futile attempt to create confusion" amongst the people of the state and asserted the BJP-led coalition government will complete its full five-year term. "Nobody can afford to have election in the state at this time, not even BJP. I go by logic and facts that BJP cannot afford election. "So why would CM afford election? And the situation in which he is in, why would he afford election?," he asked, apparently referring to the ill-health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Sardesai, however, said during the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, he asked the CM
Facebook to remind Indian users it's time for voter registration
Facebook on Thursday said it will send a voter registration reminder to users in India who are eligible to vote.
Cong says finding it 'strange' that EC presenting itself as advocate for EVMs
The Congress said Thursday it sounds "strange" when the Election Commission presents itself as an advocate for electronic voting machines (EVMs), on a day Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora rejected demands for returning to the paper ballot. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Election Commission has been entrusted the task to conduct elections and it should take the views of various stakeholders including people and political parties before arriving at such a decision. "It looks strange and odd sometimes when the Election Commission presents itself and acts as an advocate of the EVMs," he told reporters. Tewari said the Congress position has been cleared many times on its demand for returning to the paper ballot as many stakeholders have expressed doubts on the efficacy of EVMs. "The question is not whether electronic voting machines can be tampered with or not, the basic question is that there is a feeling in this country that EVMs can be tampered with. Democracy is ...
Bina Basnett becomes HSP president
Dr Bina Basnett was on Thursday nominated the president of the Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) co- founded by former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia. Bhutia and former state minister RB Subba were made working presidents of the party. The decisions were taken by consensus at the core committee meeting of the HSP, its vice-president Biraj Adhikari told reporters. He said the appointment of a full-time president and elevation of the iconic footballer will boost the morale of the party workers in the run up to the assembly polls due this year. Bhutia was vice-president of the HSP. Adhikari said the party leadership has decided to give reins of the party to a woman leader, a medical practitioner by profession, to bolster its appeal among women and youths. The HSP was launched in New Delhi by Bhutia in April last year.
Nine-day anti-government protest in Delhi
Students, farmers and veterans along with several other groups will launch a nine-day protest meet here against the government, starting January 30. The groups, led by Left-backed All India Kisan Sabha, said the protest meet will be held at Jantar Mantar from January 30 to February 7. "On each day we will take up varied issues affecting the common people. On the penultimate day, we have invited representatives of all political parties except the BJP," said farmer leader Hannan Mollah at a press conference. Mollah said women's rights activists, labour rights activists and those affected by chit fund scams will also be present at the protest. He said during the nine days, issues faced by the people in BJP-ruled states will be discussed and the political parties will be urged to take these issues back to their constituencies for campaigns against the saffron party. Among those present at the press meet were Major General Satbeer Singh, who was representing former soldiers, and ...
LRSAM missile successfully test-fired; Def Minister calls it major milestone
The long-range surface-to-air missile -- LRSAM -- was Thursday "successfully" test-fired from a warship off the coast of Odisha against an aerial target, a significant milestone in enhancing the Navy's anti-air warfare capability. "Ship launched Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) has been successfully test fired from INS Chennai against an incoming aerial target flying at low altitude, today," the defence ministry said. It said the missile destroyed the target with a direct hit and that all the mission objectives have been met during the test-firing. LRSAM has been jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India and M/s Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Indian Navy. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and associated team members on the successful test-fire of the missile. "India achieves a significant milestone with successful flight test of LRSAM on board INS Chennai. The missile direcly hit a low flying .
Greek vote on Macedonia name change postponed to Friday
Greece's parliament on Thursday postponed for several hours a historic vote on a deal to change the name of neighbouring Macedonia, as protesters rallied against the agreement. Initially scheduled to be held after midnight, the vote will be held Friday from 1230 GMT onwards because of the large number of lawmakers who want to speak on the issue, state TV ERT said. The move was announced as flag-carrying protesters began to gather outside parliament in Athens, monitored by riot police. Macedonia's parliament 10 days ago backed a constitutional revision to change the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. But for the deal to go through, the change must also be approved by Greek MPs. Earlier on Thursday, Communist party activists draped giant banners outside the Acropolis, reading: "No to the Tsipras-Zaev agreement". That was a reference to the landmark compromise agreed in June between Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras. On Sunday,
India, Maldives discuss maritime security, military ties
India and Maldives on Thursday resolved to deepen their maritime security cooperation and give a new momentum to overall military ties during talks between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Maldivian counterpart Mariya Ahmed Didi, officials said. In a statement, the defence ministry described the talks as "substantive" and said that the two countries will continue their counter-terror cooperation. "India and Maldives held substantive discussions on further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation here today. Both side agreed that the two countries would continue their traditionally close cooperation on issues of maritime security, counter-terrorism," it said. In the talks, Sitharaman reiterated India's commitment to contribute towards capacity building and training requirements of the Maldives national defence forces, the officials said. The issue of maritime security cooperation figured prominently during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with Maldivian President ...
Brexit 'chaos' could be followed by same EU deal: Irish PM
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar warned Thursday that a no-deal Brexit would lead to "chaos" but ultimately could bring about the same divorce deal rejected by the British parliament. Veradkar gave his warning at the World Economic Forum in Davos where the deadlocked divorce has been a recurrent topic, with just weeks to go before Britain is meant to quit the European Union on March 29. The fate of the Irish border is the biggest stumbling block in the exit talks, with opposition in London over a so-called "backstop" in the deal binding Britain into an EU customs union until new trading ties are agreed. The premier said Ireland would have a "major dilemma" in the case of no deal, with Dublin then under EU obligation to treat its border with Northern Ireland as an international frontier. But he told reporters that both Britain and Ireland "would have responsibilities to abide by the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process" for Northern Ireland, which rules out imposing a hard ...
DMK rewards Senthil Balaji with top post in Western TN
Just over a month after he joined the DMK, the main opposition party Thursday appointed V Senthil Balaji as party in charge for western Karur district. Relieving Karur district party secretary Nanniyur Rajendran from his post, the DMK named Senthil Balaji as "party in charge," the top post as regards the district. Appealing to all elected party office-bearers to join hands with Balaji, the DMK said Rajendran will from now on head the weavers wing of the party. Balaji's anointment as district chief has happened sooner than expected as the DMK intends strengthening the party in the western region, where its organisational prowess is not as robust as that of the AIADMK, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. A strongman from the western region, Balaji is expected to address chinks in the party's armour in the Western district. On December 14, 2018 Balaji walked out of the TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and joined the DMK in the presence of party chief M K Stalin ...
Rahul Gandhi to address Congress rally in Odisha on Friday
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is set to kickstart the party's poll campaign in Odisha on Friday at a rally near here, the party said Thursday. Gandhi's visit comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's back-to-back visits to the state. The visit is crucial for uniting the party cadre in the state where several senior leaders including two MLAs quit the party recently, a party leader said. Assembly election would be held along with Lok Sabha polls in Odisha soon. Besides addressing the rally, christened as 'Parivartan Sankalp Samavesh' at Tamando Stadium on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, the Congress chief is slated to meet intellectuals during his day-long visit here, party sources said. He will also meet employees of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). "There is a lot of enthusiasm among party workers ahead of Rahulji's visit to the state. His visit will certainly motivate them ahead of the elections," Congress' Odisha .
Second bomb attack in days hits Damascus
A bomb attack hit near the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital Thursday but caused no casualties, state media said, in the second such blast in Damascus in less than a week. Eight years into Syria's devastating civil war, President Bashar al-Assad's regime is in control of almost two-thirds of the country. Until last week, Damascus had enjoyed more than a year of respite from planted explosives. On Thursday, state news agency SANA reported "a terrorist bombing in the Adawi area" in the northeast of the capital. An explosive device was planted in a car, it said, "causing material damage but no casualties". Images on state media showed the mangled remains of a sky blue car. A scorched jumble of metal appeared where the car seats once were, but part of its bonnet had survived. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the blast hit near the embassy of key government ally Russia, lightly wounding four people. The explosion came after another in Damascus .
Venezuela military slams opposition leader's presidential claim as 'coup'
Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino on Wednesday accused opposition leader Juan Guaido of launching a "coup d'etat" by proclaiming himself acting president in defiance of socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Speaking at a press conference surrounded by top military brass, Padrino said Guaido, the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, was attempting a coup "against democracy, against our constitution, against the President Nicolas Maduro: the legitimate president.
Panic and confusion in BJP over Priyanka's entry, claims Congress
The Congress on Thursday said there is panic and confusion within the BJP ever since Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed as a general secretary for Uttar Pradesh. Congress leaders asserted that Priyanka's entry in active politics will provide the "much-needed morale boost" to its workers in the politically crucial state especially after it was left out by regional players Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party while forging their alliance. Many in the party have already started comparing Priyanka to Indira Gandhi and posters have been put up at various places in Uttar Pradesh welcoming her appointment. A former Congress legislator from Varanasi has gone to the extent of suggesting that she contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha polls. Congress leaders feel that being general secretary of the party, her entry in the highest decision making body of the party, CWC, will help bring in more coordination at the highest level and will help Rahul Gandhi in ...
Ambedkar gives 6-day ultimatum to Congress over seat-sharing
Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) chief Prakash Ambedkar Thursday gave a 6-day ultimatum to the Congress for an alliance proposal ahead of the upcoming general elections. Ambedkar has demanded 12 Lok Sabha seats from the Congress in the state which has 48 Parliamentary constituencies. Expecting a positive response from the Congress by January 30, Ambedkar said, "The Congress party did not want AIMIM with them." AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also announced recently that he does not want a single seat from the Congress at a public rally held in Nanded. The Dalit leader added that the AIMIM will neither share dias with the Congress nor participate in its campaign rallies. "Therefore, the Congress should respond within the next 6 days, by January 30, or we will fight under the banner of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the state," said Ambedkar. Demanding a share of 12 Lok Sabha seats, Ambedkar said out of those, two candidates each should be from Mali, Muslim, Dhangar ...
Congress' Telangana unit demand ballot papers for LS polls
The Congress' Telangana unit Thursday alleged that election authorities did not respond adequately to concerns over counting of votes in the recent State Assembly polls and demanded that ballot papers be used in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was addressing a 'protest against failures of Election Commission of India', alleged that all VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) were not counted (in Assembly polls) where the party made a demand for it. "In the total 119 constituencies in Telangana, not even in a single constituecny, VVPATs were counted 100 per cent," he said. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh (where Assembly polls were held along with Telangana), VVPATs were counted when candidates said they did not have enough confidence in EVMs, he claimed. The election results in Rajasthan continued to pour in till the next morning, he said. Recalling his conversations with top election .
Hamas says rejects Qatari aid millions over Israeli conditions
Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Thursday they would not accept a fresh tranche of Qatari funds, accusing Israel of imposing new conditions on the money entering the blockaded Palestinian territory. The rejection of the expected USD 15 million raised fears of fresh tensions along the Gaza-Israel border, ahead of weekly protests on Friday. "We refuse to receive the third Qatari grant in response to the (Israeli) occupation's behaviour and attempts to evade the agreement," Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's deputy head in Gaza, told journalists. Al-Hayya did not name specific conditions that were changed, but said Israel was playing politics with the funds ahead of upcoming elections. Under an informal agreement struck in November, Gulf state Qatar has sent USD 15 million a month into the strip. The funds to pay salaries of Hamas employees and support impoverished Gazans are in exchange for relative calm along the border, where often violent protests have taken place since March 2018. The money .
DMK dismisses TN govt's investors meet as just an "illusion"
The DMK has lashed out at the AIADMK government dubbing the Global Investors Meet, which concluded here Thursday, as an "illusion" and "waste" of government money for publicity. Complete details on the investment proposals inked during the meet should emerge, and only then it could be ascertained if such deals were poised for execution or if the claims were "ornamentally fake," DMK chief M K Stalin said. Using the famous "illusory deer" phrase from the epic Ramayana to denote that what is seen is not real, he said "the only truth about the meet was...it was nothing but a scene of the illusory deer." "The biggest achievement of GIM is the wastage of government money for publicity by highlighting the photograph of Chief Minister K Palaniswami in every nook and cranny," he alleged. Stalin, who is also the Leader of Opposition, accused the government of allowing foreign trips for Ministers on the pretext of canvassing support for GIM. "The GIM is illusory, since it was held .