Page 1875 - Politics
AAP not to contest Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said "as of now" it has decided not to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The party will fight Lok Sabha polls in four states - Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Goa. But, it has decided not to contest in Maharashtra, AAP's national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon told PTI on Monday. "As of now, we are not contesting any seat in Maharashtra, but the party may take a view on a few seats if we feel it will help defeat the BJP," she said. The party wants to save democracy from the "clutches" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, so "we will devote all our strength on the seats where we are certain we can defeat them," Menon said. However, former AAP leader Mayank Gandhi said the decision shows the party is "dead" in Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats - the second highest number after Uttar Pradesh which has 80 parliamentary constituencies. "Encouraging the worst kind of leadership at the ...
Iran says Japan has started process of importing Iranian oil
LONDON (Reuters) - Japan has started the process of importing Iranian oil, which was suspended due to U.S. sanctions, the governor of Iran's central bank said on Monday.
How is the electoral game shaping up in key states (Comment)
The BJP in Kerala may have boosted its saffron image on the Sabrimala issue but is unlikely to gain much electoral advantage in 2019. That has been the pattern for decades: it has zero conversion rate even though it has a vote share of 10 percent. It would certainly like to weaken, harm, destroy the CPI-M. Towards this end it has to direct its cadres to quietly help the Congress. But in this instance it is not inclined to augment Congress numbers in New Delhi.
Aaron Sorkin calls on Democrats to be 'the non-stupid party'
Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin urged young Democrats elected to Congress to take up the opportunity of making the party "the non stupid" one. The screenwriter-director said the onus was on the new "crop" to take charge of the situation and help point the difference between the two parties. "They need to stop acting like young people. I think there's a great opportunity here for Democrats to be the non-stupid party, to point out the difference," Sorkin told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. The "Molly's Game" helmer also underscored the issues the Democratic Party must focus on. "It's not just about transgender bathrooms, that's a Republican talking point. They're trying to distract you. "We haven't forgotten the economic anxiety of the working class, but we're going to be smart about this. We're not going to be mean about it," he said.
Lady Gaga calls out Trump and Pence on shutdown
Lady Gaga slammed US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on the ongoing federal government shutdown during her Las Vegas residency. On January 19, the pop star stopped her gig to say her piece on the current scenario while she was performing "Million Reasons" on the piano. "If the f**king president of the United States could please put our government back... There are people who live paycheck to paycheck and need their money," she said. Gaga then took aim at Pence, whose wife Karen is facing flak for accepting a job at a school that excludes LGBT and trans candidates. The "Shallow" hitmaker also called the vice president "the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian". "And to Mike Pence, who thinks it's acceptable that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ - you're wrong. You say we should not discriminate against Christianity... "I am a Christian woman, and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome. So
Exclusive: U.S. demands regular review of China trade reform
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is pushing for regular reviews of China's progress on pledged trade reforms as a condition for a trade deal - and could again resort to tariffs if it deems Beijing has violated the agreement, according to sources briefed on negotiations to end the trade war between the two nations.
Most of leaders in TMC rally are allies of Congress
There can be no Congress-free alliance against the BJP as most political leaders who participated in the recent TMC-led mega rally in Kolkata were already alligned with the grand old party in their respective states, Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra said.He said party President Rahul Gandhi's masterstroke made Mamata Banerjee realise that alliances cannot be formed by keeping Congress out of its fold."Mamata Banerjee kept saying non-Congress, non-BJP but in the rally the Congress party was at the centre of affairs. All parties who attended the rally already alligned with the Congress in their respective states, be it Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra or others," Mishra said."The Rahul Gandhi has already played master-stroke in this sense," he said.UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that the Kolkata rally called by TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was an important attempt to galvanise leaders across the political spectrum ..
Book by ex-staffer claims White House is 'out of control'
A book written by a former White House staffer has described back-stabbing and duplicity within the West Wing and claimed that it was "out of control".
Polling for first phase of T'gana Panchayat election begins
: Polling began for the first phase of the panchayat elections in Telangana amid tight security. This is the first ever polls for panchayats after the formation of the state in 2014. Polling began at 7 a.m and will end at 1 p.m even as counting will be taken up from 2 pm. Though 4,479 panchayats were scheduled to go the polls in the first phase, the election was declared unanimous in 769 panchayats, and elections to another nine were cancelled due to other reasons. As many as 12,202 candidates are contesting for sarpanch posts in 3,701 panchayats while 70,094 candidates are in the fray for 28,976 wards, a senior official of the State Election Commission had earlier said. Though the elections are held without any involvement of political parties and party symbols, all major political parties have thrown their weight behind their sympathisers concerned. About 55 ,000 police personnel were deployed for overseeing security arrangements during the poll process, Telangana ...
Democrats stand firm against Trump's exchange offer
Despite President Donald Trump's offer to end the ongoing partial government shutdown and fund a border wall in exchange for temporary protections for groups of immigrants, Democrats stood by their demand to reopen the government before negotiating about the border.
S Korea, US discuss second Trump-Kim summit
South Korea and the United States on Monday held talks on the upcoming second meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump that is scheduled to take place in late February.In a telephonic conversation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo discussed the recent high-level talks between the US and North Korea, said South Korea's foreign ministry.Last week, top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, made a rare visit to Washington to fix the second meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un and to discuss the progress of North Korea's denuclearisation exercise, Yonhap News Agency reported.During his visit, the senior North Korean diplomat, who is Kim Jong-un's aide, met Pompeo and Trump in separate meetings. Washington, however, has not revealed the venue of the second meeting between the US President and North Korean leader.Kim Jong-un has repeatedly stated that his government is committed to fulfilling its ...
PM Modi panicking as elections approaching: Congress on EVM committee critics
The Congress on Sunday said that because Lok Sabha elections are on the horizon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started panicking and therefore is criticising the formation of the four-member committee for EVMs.Speaking to the media, Congress leader PL Punia said: "As elections are approaching, Prime Minister Modi is panicking and is in anxiety and doesn't know what to say. We have objections with EVMs and we have informed the election commission about the same"."We want that vote should be done on ballot papers. Ballot paper should be used for voting instead of EVMs," Punia added.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that a four-member committee had been formed to clarify opposition parties' stand on EVMs in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP leader Satish Mishra, and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, are the members of this committee.Speaking on the party's poll preparedness, ...
Siddaramaiah to hold CLP meeting at 11 am today
Former chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has called for another Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting at 11 am on Monday.All MLAs have been directed to attend the meeting, which comes in the wake of an alleged rift in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.The meeting has been called for a day after two Congress MLAs- Anand Singh and JN Ganesh- had a "minor fight".However, Congress leader Zameer Ahmed said the two leaders had minor differences after a discussion between the "two friends."Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had said on Saturday that the party would issue a show-cause notice to MLAs who did not attend the CLP meeting held in Bengaluru on Friday, asking for an explanation from them."First, we will issue a show-cause notice asking for an explanation. Then we will take some action after discussion with the party members," he told ANI.Also, Kharge said out of the four MLAs who were absent at the meeting, two MLAs clarified their absence. "We will ...
Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria, bilateral ties
US President Donald Trump has spoken over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the ongoing tension in Syria, and bilateral ties, said the White House.
Trump, Erdogan agree to pursue a negotiated solution for northeast Syria: WH
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Monday agreed to continue to pursue a negotiated solution for northeast Syria, the White House said Sunday following a telephonic conversation between the two leaders. Trump underscored the importance of defeating terrorist elements that remain in Syria, it said. "The two leaders agreed to continue to pursue a negotiated solution for northeast Syria that achieves our respective security concerns," the White House said in a readout of the call. The two leaders also discussed their mutual interest in expanding the trade relationship between the United States and Turkey, it said. The White House further said Trump and Erdogan spoke on a number of important bilateral issues. Erdogan expressed his condolences for the loss of American lives in an attack claimed by ISIS in Manbij, Syria, last Wednesday.
Turkey ready to take over Manbij: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday told US President Donald Trump that Turkey is ready to take over the security in Syria's Manbij, which was the site of a gruesome attack on US forces in recent times.Erdogan further iterated Turkey's support for US' proposal of creating a 32-km safe zone inside Syria's northeastern region and agreed to accelerate talks between their respective chief of staff regarding the zone.The Turkish President stressed that the bomb attack in Manbij, which has been claimed by ISIS and killed four US citizens, is a provocation to hamper the pulling out of US troops from the region, reports Xinhua.Both the sides also agreed to completely clear Syria of ISIS.The deadly attack in Manbij on Wednesday came after Trump had claimed to have defeated ISIS in the region - one of the reasons given by the US President for pulling out troops from Syria.
Afghanistan: Incumbent President, Chief Executive in Presidential race
Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah formally entered the Presidential race for the July 20 elections here on Sunday.On the one hand, Ghani's running mates are Afghanistan's intelligence agency's ex-chief Amarullah Saleh and the incumbent Vice President (VP) Mohammad Sarwar Danish.On the other, Abdullah's running mate as the first VP is Enayatullah Babur Farahmand and former MP Asadullah Saadati as the second VP, according to TOLOnews."We will work for peace on behalf of a dignified and a painful nation, but we will not beg for peace from anyone. Governance is a responsibility rather than a prize. Wealth is not something brought by the wind to distribute it among the specific people," Ghani said after filing his nomination papers here.This is the second time that Ghani and Abdullah will be facing off each other at the polls, with the 2014 elections being the last time they were seen contending for the post of President.Until now, the Presidential race
Egypt, France discuss trade, bilateral ties
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has met French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire in Cairo over economic ties and bilateral relations.
Israel says carrying out strikes on Iranian targets in Syria
Israel's military said it was carrying out strikes on Iranian targets in Syria early Monday after it intercepted a rocket fired from Syrian territory hours earlier. It said in a statement it was "currently striking" the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force in Syria and warned Syria's military against "attempting to harm Israeli territory or forces". Israel's military said on Sunday its air defence systems intercepted a rocket fired form Syria, after Damascus accused Israel of carrying out air raids in the country's south.
Turkey ready to ensure security of north Syria city: Erdogan
Turkey is ready to take over ensuring the security of Manbij in northern Syria in order "not to lose time," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with US counterpart Donald Trump. Manbij, controlled by Kurdish fighters supported by the US military, had been hit on Wednesday by an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) which killed 19 people, including four Americans. In their second phone conversation in less than a week, Erdogan told Trump that this attack was a "provocation" aiming to impact the decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, the state news agency Anadolu reported. Turkey has been threatening for months to launch an offensive in Manbij to drive out the militia of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The YPG however has been backed by the United States in the fight against the IS jihadists. But Ankara considers the YPG a "terrorist organisation" and doesn't want to see installed along its border, an embryonic Kurdish state which might ...