Page 1847 - Politics
Trump backs Venezuelan opposition leader as President
US President Donald Trump has officially recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate President, a move that forced the South American nation's incumbent leader Nicolas Maduro to cut "remaining" political and diplomatic ties with Washington
Cohen postpones testimony, citing threats against family
US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen said that he was postponing his public congressional testimony scheduled for next month, citing "ongoing threats against his family" from the President and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Kim happy with Trump's summit plans
North Korean top leader Kim Jong-un has expressed "great satisfaction" after receiving a letter from US President Donald Trump that expressed his "unusual determination and will" towards a second summit between the two, the North's state media said.
Cong will benefit from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into politics: Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday that Congress will benefit from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into politics."It's a good decision by Rahul Gandhi, people of India always had a relationship with Gandhi family. Indira Gandhi's legacy will always remain in this country, Congress will benefit from this," Raut said.The Congress on Wednesday formally ushered Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the party fold on "a mission" to transform its fortunes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in a few months.Priyanka, whose formal entry into politics has been a matter of speculation for several years, was given the charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, a state which always plays a key role in the formation of the central government as 80 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats are at stake there.She will be working in the capacity of General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, the Congress announced on Wednesday.The 47-year-old daughter of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister of Congress President Rahul ..
Maduro does not have legal authority to break ties: USA
Upholding its decision to recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim President of Venezuela, the United States of America stated that beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro did not have the "legal authority to break diplomatic relations" with the US or declare its diplomats "persona non grata"."The United States maintains diplomatic relations with Venezuela and will conduct our relations with Venezuela through the government of interim President Guaido, who has invited our mission to remain in Venezuela," a statement issued by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Wednesday read."The United States does not recognize the Maduro regime as the government of Venezuela. Accordingly, the United States does not consider former president Nicolas Maduro to have the legal authority to break diplomatic relations with the United States or to declare our diplomats persona non grata," Pompeo further stated.The United States also outlined that it would support Guaido "as he establishes a ...
Farmers in Amethi raises anti-Rahul Gandhi slogans
Farmers staged a protest and raised slogans against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his parliamentary constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.The farmers protested in Gauriganj town in Amethi district on Wednesday demanding that either their land that was given to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation should be returned or else they are provided employment.Rahul yesterday visited Amethi for campaigning for the general elections.One of the protesters, Sanjay Sing told ANI: "We are very upset with Rahul Gandhi. He should go back to Italy. He does not deserve to be here. Rahul has grabbed our land."They staged the protest near Samrat Cycle factory, which was inaugurated by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi when he was the Member of Parliament (MP) from Amethi.In the 1980s, Jain brothers had taken over 65.57 acres of land in the industrial area of Kausar to run a company but after its failure, a land auction took place in 2014.According to the records, UPSIDC had leased 65.57 acres of land to the ...
'Premature' to say Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be fielded as Cong's PM candidate: Prashant Kishor
Calling the speculations that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as "premature" decision, political strategist-turned politician Prashant Kishor, on Thursday, said that she should be given a few years after which the people of the country would be able to decide if she is capable of taking the responsibilities.Kishor, who is the vice president of Janata Dal (United), was reacting to some media reports that said that the timing of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into politics shows that she can be Congress' prime ministerial candidate for the general elections. The Congress, on Wednesday, formally ushered Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the party fold on "a mission" to transform its fortunes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in a few months.Priyanka, whose formal entry into politics has been a matter of speculation for several years, was given the charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, a state which always plays a key role in the ..
Cong not a strong opposition to fight LS polls, says Prashant Kishor
Janata Dal (United) vice-president Prashant Kishor on Thursday said it will be a fight between the BJP and the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the Congress is still not strong opposition.In an exclusive interview with ANI, Kishor, who is also an election strategist, said: "The fight is between the BJP and the 'mahagathbandhan' as the Congress is still not strong opposition."Kishor, who had worked as an election strategist for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and Nitish Kumar in 2015, joined the JD(U) in September last year. He was made JD(U) national vice-president after a month of joining the party. On being asked to respond on allegations on him being recommended by BJP president Amit Shah to become JD (U) vice president, Kishor said that media has distorted Nitish Kumar's statement."In an interview by a channel, Nitish Kumar was asked that why Prashant Kishor has been given such a big post and named JD(U) vice president then ...
Microsoft's Bing blocked in China - FT
(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's Bing search engine has been blocked in China following a government order, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
'Get Out!': Maduro breaks diplomatic relations with USA
After the USA recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as the Interim President, the beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro broke off all diplomatic ties with the USA, giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country."Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional President...I've decided to break diplomatic and political relations with US. Get out! Leave Venezuela. We have (our) dignity dammit!" Maduro told a crowd of red-shirted supporters gathered at the Miraflores Presidential palace on Wednesday.The President's announcement comes amid raging protests in the South American country, with protesters demanding fresh elections to be held."The imperial government of the United States is leading a coup attempt against us in order to install a puppet presidency that they can control Venezuela," CNN quoted Maduro as further saying from the balcony at Miraflores.The opposition-controlled National Assembly, which is presided over by Guaido, called for Wednesday's ...
Trump cancels State of the Union address after Pelosi's rebuff
US President Donald Trump has 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 is in place.Trump, while speaking to reporters, said that there would be an alternative to the address, without outlining the details.He also called the cancellation a "great, great horrible mark" and a "great blotch" on the USA."We are supposed to be doing it and now Nancy Pelosi - or Nancy, as I call her - she doesn't want to hear the truth and she doesn't want to hear, more importantly, for the American people to hear the truth," CNN quoted Trump as saying."I think it's a great blotch on the incredible country that we all love. It's a great, great, horrible mark. I don't believe it's ever happened before, and it's always good to be part of history but this is a very negative part of history," he further stated."I'm not surprised," Trump remarked when asked about Pelosi's decision to ...
Kim expresses 'great satisfaction' over Trump letter: KCNA
North Korea's Kim Jong Un has expressed "great satisfaction" after receiving a letter from US President Donald Trump ahead of a second summit between the two leaders, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. Kim is making "good technical preparations" for the meeting, the official KCNA news agency said, in the isolated nation's first comments on the talks scheduled for next month. The letter was handed to Kim by one of his right-hand men vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol, who met with Trump at the White House last week, as the two countries seek a denuclearisation accord that could ease decades of hostility. "(Kim) spoke highly of President Trump for expressing his unusual determination and will for the settlement of the issue with a great interest in the second DPRK-US summit," KCNA said, using the initials of the North's official name. The pair first met in June in Singapore, where they signed a vaguely worded document in which Kim pledged to work toward the "denuclearisation of the ...
Pelosi tells Trump: No state of union speech until govt reopens
The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said that she would not host US President Donald Trump to deliver a state of union speech before government reopens, all but rejecting Trump's intent to deliver the speech on January 29.
Venezuela's Maduro says he's breaking off diplomatic ties with US
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro announced on Thursday he was breaking off diplomatic ties with the United States after Donald Trump recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American country's "interim president." "I've decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist government of the United States," said Maduro to thousands of supporters in Caracas. "Get out! Leave Venezuela, here there's dignity, damn it," he said, giving the US delegation 72 hours to quit the country. Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled legislature, caused a sensation on Wednesday when he told a crowd of tens of thousands of opposition supporters that he was declaring himself "acting president." Trump was the first foreign leader to react and threw his backing behind Guaido, describing the National Assembly as "the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people." Speaking from a balcony at the presidential palace in Caracas, Maduro ...
Venezuela: Trump recognises Juan Guaido as Interim President
US President Donald Trump has recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the Interim President of the nation, amid massive marches against President Nicolas Maduro in the South American nation."The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela," Trump tweeted on Wednesday (local time).He also urged other "western hemisphere" governments to recognise the National Assembly President as the Interim President of Venezuela, in an official note shared by USA's Vice President Mike Pence on behalf of Trump.The call for nationwide protests on Wednesday was sounded by the opposition-controlled legislative body in Venezuela, against the "dictator" President Maduro."Raise your right hand, today, January 23rd, 2019, in my condition as president of the National Assembly, invoking the articles of the ..
Mallikarjun Kharge to lead Maharashtra Congress Co-ordination Committee
As the 2019 general elections are inching closer, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appointed senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge as Chairman of Maharashtra Co-ordination Committee.Former union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has been assigned an important role as the Chairman of the campaign committee.The Congress has also appointed senior leader and former chief minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chauhan, as Chairman of Congress' manifesto committee in the state. Veteran Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan has been appointed as the chairman of the publicity and publication committee.On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi appointed his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. She will take charge of her responsibility from the first week of February.The Congress has also appointed senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh West.
Pelosi postpones Trump's State of the Union address
Citing the ongoing partial government shutdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has postponed US President's State of the Union address."I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President's State of the Union address in the House Chamber until government has opened," Pelosi stated in a note penned down to Trump on January 23..
White House, Democrats on collision course on State of the Union Address
Thirty-three days into partial government shutdown, US President Donald Trump and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to be headed for a collision on the annual State of the Union Address that was initially scheduled for January 29. Trump in a letter to Pelosi on Wednesday had asserted that there are no security concerns as claimed by her in a January 3 letter, and as such he looks forward to seeing her at the Congress on January 29 to deliver his annual State of the Union Address. On Thursday, Pelosi fired back with a letter of her own, telling Trump that "the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorising the President's State of the Union Address in the House Chamber until government has opened". "Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened," she wrote. On being told that Pelosi has rejected his State of the Union Address letter, Trump said, "I'm .
Congress to go alone in Andhra Pradesh
Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has decided to go alone in the ensuing simultaneous elections to the State Assembly and Lok Sabha.
US recognises Venezuela opposition leader Guaido as 'interim president'
The US on Wednesday recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president. Describing hard-left President Nicolas Maduro as "illegitimate", US President Donald Trump said the National Assembly, headed by Guaido, is "the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people." The US' announcement came soon after 35-year-old Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime, Trump said in a statement, adding that the US' will continue to use the full weight of its economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. He also urged other governments to recognize Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela. "We continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people," Trump said. Observing that the Venezuelan people have suffered long ...