Page 1856 - Politics
Opposition leaders have come together out of fear of Narendra Modi: Smriti Irani
Taking a dig at the Kolkata rally of opposition parties, Union minister Smriti Irani Wednesday said the leaders who opposed each other all their lives have come together to serve their own "personal interests" and "out of fear of Narendra Modi". "West Bengal witnessed a peculiar situation where people (opposition leaders) came together on a political platform. They have nothing to do with the development of the people," Irani said addressing BJP's 'Ganatantra Bachao' rally here. "They (opposition leaders) came together out of fear of Narendra Modi. They came together to serve their personal interests. They have opposed each other all their lives but have come together in order to stop the developmental process initiated by Narendra Modi," she said. Irani mocked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for trying to forge an alliance with the Congress, who, she said, was once torturted during her days in Congress.
UDF besieges secretariat, collectorates to protest "misrule"
Leaders and activists of the opposition Congress-led UDF Wednesday laid siege to the Secretariat here and district collectorates, protesting the 'collapse' of law and order in Kerala and non-implementation of developmental initiatives by the state and union governments. The state-wide siege and dharna was organised to mark 1000 days of "misgovernance" in the state under CPI(M)-led LDF government and to protest five years of "misrule" at the Centre under the BJP-led NDA government. The UDF leaders alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government was trying to "cover up" the governmental deadlock and administrative paralysis by "flaring up" the Sabarimala women entry issue. Inaugurating the stir in front of the Secretariat here, opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the Left government had failed to implement the relief and rehabilitating initiatives even months after the devastating August floods. "There is complete breakdown of law and order in the .
Iran discovers oil in Abadan region - minister
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran has discovered oil in the southwestern Abadan region for the first time, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency on Wednesday.
Sad Netaji's birthday not a national holiday: Mamata
It is sad that no central government has declared Netaji Subhas Chadra Bose's birthday as a national holiday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday on his 122nd birth anniversary.
Hong Kong's legislature takes up China national anthem
Hong Kong's legislature took up a controversial bill Wednesday that would punish anyone who "publicly and intentionally insults" the Chinese national anthem with up to three years in prison, raising concerns about Beijing's growing influence in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The move came after soccer fans repeatedly booed the anthem at the start of international qualifiers, upsetting leaders of the ruling Communist Party in Beijing. The measure would also require students to sing and study the song as part of their curriculum. Ever since Beijing suppressed the pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous city in late 2014, heckling China's national anthem has emerged as a form of protest. The bill, which also includes a maximum fine of USD 6,410 will be up for passage this summer. A former British colony, Hong Kong was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997 but continues to enjoy civil liberties such as freedom of the press that are denied in China. The "one country, two ...
Priyanka, Scindia as general secretaries big boost to Congress poll prospects: Kamal Nath
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Wednesday said appointments of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia as general secretaries will give a big boost to the party's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "This (Priyanka's appointment) was long overdue and was in offing for about six months. This will be a big boost for the party in a state as important as Uttar Pradesh," Nath told PTI in an interview. Here to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Nath said the party cadre will get a strong message from her appointment and it underlines the importance of Uttar Pradesh for the party. He also said Scindia's contribution will be key to the party's election preparations and he was sure that the young leader would do a wonderful job in his new role. Congratulating the two leaders, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister said the party is fully geared to go into elections with a very strong level of optimism. Earlier in the day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi ...
Scramble for show of strength in Uttarakhand
Top leaders of both the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress in Uttarakhand are resorting to dinner diplomacy, rallies and social media campaign in an apparent show of strength ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
S Krishnan appointed fourth advisor to J-K guv
Skandan Krishnan, a retired IAS officer of 1982 batch was Wednesday appointed as the fourth advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, an official spokesman said. "Sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Skandan Krishanan, IAS (retired) as advisor to the governor of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from the date he assumes charge," the spokesman said, quoting an order issued by the General Administration Department. Former IAS officers Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Kewal Krishan Sharma and former IPS officer K Vijay Kumar are the other three advisors to the J-K governor. The appointment of Krishnan comes over a month after B B Vyas resigned from the post in December last year on the eve of his appointment as the member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Union Home Ministry had on Tuesday conveyed approval of the Competent Authority for the appointment of Krishnan as an advisor to the J-K governor, the spokesman said. Krishnan joined the IAS in 1982 and ...
SAfrican president signs 'transparent' party funding bill
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a bill to regulate public and private funding of political parties as South Africa heads for May elections with the fight against corruption a key issue. The political funding bill, signed on Monday, repeals a 1997 act and obligates parties to disclose all donations received to the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The legislation is intended to enhance transparency and accountability in the political and electoral system. "The Act will help the commission to monitor compliance and may request any person to disclose any relevant information or produce, in whatever form, any relevant books, records, reports and any other document it may deem necessary," the presidency said in a statement. Ramaphosa, who has staked his reputation on fighting corruption after his predecessor Jacob Zuma was mired in graft scandals, faces a test at polls in May as public support has waned for his ruling African National Congress ...
Russia says range of disputed missile is allowed under INF treaty
Moscow on Wednesday insisted the range of a missile system that has prompted Washington to say it will withdraw from a key Cold War arms treaty is allowed under the agreement. Russian artillery chief Mikhail Matveevsky told a briefing that the 9M729 missile's maximum range is 480 kilometres. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty bans missiles with a range above 500 kilometres. Russia has long denied it violates the treaty but Wednesday's briefing was the first time it has offered details of the missiles in question. "The distance was confirmed during strategic command and staff exercises" in 2017, Matveevsky told an audience of journalists and military attaches. The United States and Russia agreed to the INF treaty in 1987. Last month Washington gave Russia a 60-day deadline -- which ends on February 2 -- to dismantle the missiles it claims breach the agreement or the US would begin the six-month process of formally withdrawing from the deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei ...
Arunachal urges CEC to deploy 60 companies CAPF for LS, assembly polls
Arunachal Pradesh has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy 60 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. State Chief Secretary Satya Gopal requested the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Sunil Arora, during a video conference here on Tuesday, an official communique said here on Wednesday. Each company has about 130 personnel. The chief secretary informed the CEC that sensitive constituencies have also been identified and measures would be taken accordingly. Gopal stressed on strengthening surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border and neighbouring Assam to check infiltration and unwanted activities when the CEC sought the weekly progress report on election preparedness. "Foot march to far-flung polling stations, communication bottlenecks, and Assam-Myanmar border are specific and major challenges for free and fair elections in the state," the chief secretary said. The CEC and Election ...
US Senate to vote on duelling government funding bills
The US Senate leadership has struck an agreement to vote on duelling proposals -- one on President Donald Trump's demand to spend $5.7 billion on a border wall and another on a Democratic bill that would fund the government through February 8 without a wall.
Priyanka very capable, happy that she will help me: Rahul
Welcoming his sister's entry into active politics, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said he was "very happy" that Priyanka will assist him in the Lok Sabha polls. "I am very happy that my sister Priyanka will assist me in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls, she is very capable," Rahul said. He also said that Jyotiraditya Scindia is a dynamic youth leader. His comments came hours after Priyanka became AICC general secretary and was made in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Scindia was given the charge of western Uttar Pradesh. To a question, Rahul said, "We won't play on the backfoot, we will play on the frontfoot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh." On being kept out of the SP-BSP alliance, he said, "SP, BSP have formed alliance in Uttar Pradesh to defeat the BJP. I have no animosity against them. I have to take forward Congress ideology." His remarks assume significance in the light of the Congress party's decision to go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar ...
Modi to address party workers in Goa by video conferencing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address party workers from North Goa Lok Sabha constituency via video conference on January 27, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state President Vinay Tendulkar told reporters on Wednesday.
Nobody bigger than law, FIR filed against MLA JN Ganesh: MB Patil
Congress leader and Karnataka Home Minister MB Patil on Wednesday said that an FIR has been filed against party MLA JN Ganesh after he was suspended from the party over his alleged brawl with fellow lawmaker Anand Singh.Ganesh and Singh allegedly got involved in a heated argument on Saturday at a resort near Bengaluru where the Congress party had sequestered 76 lawmakers to protect them from poaching by the BJP. Singh was admitted to a hospital on Sunday following the 'brawl'.Later, Ganesh issued an apology to Singh's family. Refuting the rumours about the fight, Ganesh wrote in his apology: "I would like to apologise to the family (Anand Singh) if they're hurt. Whatever the media is reporting is false. We had a heated argument. The quarrel snowballed. He slipped and he has suffered these injuries." Following the incident, Ganesh has been absconding."Nobody is bigger than law. FIR has been filed against JN Ganesh and the party has already suspended him. Police are working on the case.
Thackeray memorial: Amid tie-up uncertainty, Maha CM and Sena chief come together
In a show of camaraderie by bickering allies, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday jointly took part in rituals marking the start of construction of a memorial for Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. The move assumes significance as the Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, has been at loggerheads with its senior partner and critical of various policies of the governments. The Maharashtra Cabinet had on Tuesday approved Rs 100 crore for the construction of the Thackeray memorial, a move seen as an attempt to reach out to the ally ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. On Wednesday, on the occasion of the 93rd birth anniversary of Bal Thackeray, Fadnavis and Thackeray jointly conducted the 'Ganesh pujan' (offering prayers to Lord Ganesh) and 'vastu pujan' at the memorial site, located at Shivaji Park at Dadar in central Mumbai. At the event, the land earmarked for the memorial was officially transferred by the .
Priyanka formally enters politics as Cong general secretary for UP East
Ending years of speculation, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra formally entered politics on Wednesday with the Congress appointing her general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East in a move reflecting the party's intent to go full throttle in the state ahead of the general elections. She will take over her new assignment in the politically crucial state -- a Congress bastion till the mid 1980s -- from the first week of February, a statement from the party said. The appointment is being seen as a masterstroke which will boost the morale of party workers in a state where Congress influence has been waning over the years and where the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have announced a tie-up. Priyanka Gandhi, who turned 47 on January 12, will assist her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Hindi heartland state, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, the largest of any state in the country. There had been speculation over her entry into active politics and the party and her mother Sonia ..
Priyanaka named Congress General Secretary for UP East
Pushed to the corner in Uttar Pradesh by the SP-BSP alliance, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday played his trump card by appointing his younger sister Priyanka Gandhi as the party General Secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh to galvanise the Congress cadre in a state that sends the maximum number of 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
Brexit delay most likely option: Former UK Chancellor
Former UK Chancellor George Osborne has said delaying Britain's exit from the EU is now the "most likely" option and that prospect of no deal means "the gun is held to the British economy's head".
Trump should resign: US former Secretary of State
US former Secretary of State John Kerry has said if he can speak to President Donald Trump directly, he would tell him to "resign".