Page 1876 - Politics
Police link N Ireland car bomb to 'New IRA'
Four men were arrested Monday following a suspected car bombing in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry, police said who believe a dissident republican group the New IRA to be responsible. Two suspects in their 20s were arrested Sunday morning and then two other men, aged 34 amd 42, were taken into custody in the evening, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. The suspected bomb exploded at 8:10 pm on Saturday, as police were evacuating the area following a warning that a device had been planted outside the city courthouse. There were no casualties. "Our main line of inquiry is against the New IRA," said Police Service of Northern Ireland assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton. "The New IRA, like most dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, is small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be. "The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses. They care little about .
Trump destroying country: Cardi B
Continuing her tirade against US President Donald Trump, rapper Cardi B has claimed that decisions taken by Trump are "destroying" the country (USA) as the partial government shutdown nears a month."You're so blinded with racism that you don't even realize the decisions the president you root for is destroying the country you claim to love so much. You are a perfect example on no matter how educated or smart you think you are you still a SHEEP!" the 'Money' rapper wrote in response to Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren's tweet on January 20."I'm sure you would. Still doesn't make your political rambling any less moronic. #BuildthatWall" Lahren, a Trump supporter, had earlier tweeted.The rapper's response comes in a continuing exchange with Lahren, with Cardi threatening to "dog walk" the host in reply to Lahren's tweet: "Looks like @iamcardib is the latest genius political mind to endorse the Democrats. HA! Keep it up, guys! #MAGA2020"The partial government shutdown, the longest ever in US .
Trump 'looking forward' to meeting Kim Jong-un in February
Confirming a second summit with North Korea, US President Donald Trump has announced that he is "looking forward" to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the end of February."The Media is not giving us credit for the tremendous progress we have made with North Korea. Think of where we were at the end of the Obama Administration compared to now. Great meeting this week with top Reps. Looking forward to meeting with Chairman Kim at end of February!" Trump tweeted on January 20 (local time).The US President's confirmation comes amid stalled talks between the US and North Korea on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Moreover, the announcement regarding the meeting comes at a time when top North Korean negotiator, Kim Yong-chol, visited Washington and met with Trump and other senior US officials, including Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.The location of the meeting is yet to be announced even though it has been finalised, according to Trump. Several media reports ...
SAD slams Sidhu for violation of protocols in writing letters to PM Modi, Imran Khan
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday criticised Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for violating protocols and writing letters directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani PM Imran Khan.Speaking to ANI, SAD leader Daljeet Singh Cheema said, "As far as Kartarpur corridor is concerned, each and every Sikh wants that Kartarpur corridor should be completed at the earliest, Sidhu also wants the same, so we agree with him on that. But the way he is writing letters to Pakistan Prime Minister and Indian Prime Minister is little weird".The former Punjab Education Minister said that being a cabinet minister, Sidhu is obliged to follow certain protocols, adding that if he has some suggestions, he should first write to the Chief Minister of the state, who will write about the matter to the Prime Minister, who will then take the issue forward at an international level."But it seems that Sidhu does not have the habit of following protocols and he is more interested in sending his ...
Expelled Congress leader threatens to expose Rahul for surrendering before Patnaik family, mining mafias in Odisha
Srikant Jena, who was recently expelled from the primary membership of the Congress, has accused party president Rahul Gandhi of surrendering himself before the Patnaik family and mining mafias in Odisha.Jena has also claimed that he would expose Gandhi scion to such an extent that the latter would "not be able to show his face in public"."I am glad that I am relieved from the responsibility of remaining in the Congress party. I had written many letters to Rahul Gandhi asking whether he will stand with Patnaik brothers and mining mafias or with the people of Odisha," Jena told a press conference.Annoyed over his expulsion from the Congress, Jena said: "Rahul Gandhi chose to stand with mining mafias and Patnaik brothers. This is not expulsion, I had already written a letter requesting him to accept my proposition or else relieve me from the party. I wanted to expose him but he has exposed himself."This came after Jena, along with former Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria, was expelled
Syrian air defences intercept Israeli missile strike
The Syrian air defences intercepted a fresh Israeli missile strike targeting the areas in southern Syria on Sunday, the media reported.
Zimbabwe president cuts short foreign tour over protests
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa broke off a foreign tour Sunday, saying he wanted his country "calm, stable and working again" as criticism grew over a brutal crackdown in response to protests. Mnangagwa appeared to take a more conciliatory approach than his spokesman George Charamba, who said the crackdown was "just a foretaste of things to come", as allegations mount up of shootings, beatings and abductions of opposition figures, activists and ordinary people. The security forces' operation has underlined fears of a return to the violent repression of Robert Mugabe, who was ousted from power by the military 14 months ago. At least 12 people were killed and 78 treated for gunshot injuries over the last week, according to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, which recorded more than 240 incidents of assault and torture. The UN has criticised the government reaction to the protests, which were triggered by a sharp hike in fuel prices. Mnangagwa, who was seeking much-needed ...
African Union delays delegates' trip to Kinshasa over vote result
The African Union has postponed sending a delegation to the DR Congo over the country's disputed presidential election after the Constitutional Court declared Felix Tshisekedi the victor, an AU spokeswoman said Sunday. "All I can confirm at this time is that the trip has been postponed. We will release a statement shortly," said Ebba Kalando, spokeswoman for the head of the AU Commission, Chadian Moussa Faki. This comment comes after an AU source earlier had said the pan-African organisation was cancelling its trip to Democratic Republic of Congo. At a summit on Thursday, AU leaders had cited "serious doubts" about the election figures and called for the announcement of the final results to be delayed. The European Union concurred with the AU assessment, a spokeswoman had said. But the 16-nation Southern African Development Community congratulated Felix Tshisekedi, a longtime opposition leader, on Sunday for being declared president-elect and called for a peaceful handover of ...
Andhra Pradesh: BJP MLA resigns to join Jana Sena Party
BJP MLA from Rajahmundry-Urban Akula Satyanarayana on Sunday confirmed his resignation from the party as well as the assembly's membership to join the Jana Sena Party of Pawan Kalyan.Speaking to ANI over the phone, Akula said he has sent his resignation to the state BJP unit president Kanna Lakshminarayana.He further said he will be giving the letter of resignation from the membership of Assembly to the State Assembly Speaker personally on Monday in Amaravati."I could not send the resignation to the Speaker as today is Sunday," he explained. Akula said he has prepared the letter of resignation in the prescribed one-liner format.
PM, LG trying to strangulate democratically-elected Puducherry govt: Wasnik
AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi of "trying to strangulate the democratically-elected government" of V Narayanasamy in the Union Territory. Wasnik made the allegation while speaking at a party programme "Project Shakti" here. The Congress leader attacked Bedi in a not-so-veiled reference to her as "his (prime minister's) representative occupying constitutional position". "Puducherry has been making spectacular progress in economic development under the Congress rule," said Wasnik adding no other state in the country can match the scale of progress being made by Puducherry. "The prime minister and his representative in constitutional position here are unfortunately trying to strangulate the democratically-elected government in the Union Territory and create problems in its smooth working," he said. Stating that the aspirations of the youth, farmers, women and the workers in Puducherry were being ...
Indo-Pak peace calendar released
A 'peace calender' was released here on Sunday to send out a message of peace amid strain in bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. Many people, including Army veterans, youths and school students, gathered here to release the 'peace calendar', an initiative of the 'Aaghaz-e-Dosti' organisation that works to foster people-to-people relations between India and Pakistan through its voluntary network of people. The calendar features paintings of school students from India and Pakistan on the theme of peace. Six paintings from each country were selected for being published in the form of calendar. Sudheendra Kulkarni, a writer and former aide of the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told the gathering that the young generation is the hope for both countries. He recalled how the initiatives such as start of bus, train and trade services across borders brought happiness to people and hence more such steps should be taken. Major General (retired) T K Kaul, the executive president
Court announces Felix Tshisekedi as the new President of Congo
A Constitutional Court here on Sunday declared Felix Tshisekedi, leader of the main opposition party, as the newly elected President of the country, rejecting claims of rigging and fraud by runner-up candidate Martin Fayulu, who declared himself to be the country's "only legitimate president."Al Jazeera quoted that Fayulu's party workers as saying that outgoing President Joseph Kabila had made backroom deals to announce the election results in favour of the opposition.Meanwhile, Fayulu has urged his supporters to demonstrate a peaceful protest on the streets of the Congolese capital, stating that the Constitutional Court has announced false elections results."It is no secret ... that you have elected me president," Fayulu was quoted as saying."I consider myself the only legitimate president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I call on the Congolese people not to recognise someone who would take on that role illegitimately, nor to obey the orders coming from him," he added.However, ..
Congress sought vote in Ambedkar's name but did nothing for him: Rajnath Singh
In a scathing attack on the Congress party, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the Congress used B R Ambedkar's name to garner votes, but never did anything for him."Congress party has always sought a vote in Baba Saheb's name but did nothing for him, while our government has given him respect," Rajnath said at the 'Bhim Vijay Sankalp' rally in Nagpur.His statement comes days after top leaders of as many as 20 parties joined Kolkata rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee where they stressed the need for working unitedly to defeat the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.Among those important leaders who attended the rally were Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin, National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Satish Misra, Rashtriya Lok ...
Within 100 days, all those oppressed will be free, says Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday vowed that within 100 days, all unemployed youth, oppressed farmers and other neglected people will be freed from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government's "tyranny and incompetence."The Congress president's comments were in reply to Modi's "Bachao, Bachao" remark on the anti-BJP rally held in Kolkata.Taking to his Twitter handle, Rahul said, "Your Highness, The cries for help are the cries of millions of unemployed youth; of farmers in distress; of oppressed Dalits & Adivasis; of persecuted minorities; of small businessmen in ruin; begging to be freed from your tyranny & incompetence. In 100 days they will be free."On Saturday, Modi slammed the TMC-organised rally in Kolkata. While questioning the basis of their unity, Prime Minister said that participants of the rally just wanted to save themselves."They have all gathered there and are shouting 'Bachao, Bachao, Bachao'," Modi said.It is noteworthy that Rahul Gandhi along with UPA ...
Opposition parties forming alliance in fear of losing polls to PM Modi: Gadkari
Poking fun at the recently held anti-BJP rally in Kolkata, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that the Opposition parties are forming an alliance because they are in fear of losing the upcoming General Elections to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Today, politics centres on fear. Those who never used to look into each other's eyes are coming together. They are in fear of losing to the BJP and Prime Minister Modi," Gadkari said at the 'Bhim Vijay Sankalp' rally in Nagpur.Gadkari also said that members of the Congress party have only spoken about removing poverty, however, only the BJP is working to eradicate poverty."At first Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had talked about removing poverty through 'Garibi Hatao' slogan. Later Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also said the same. Now the great-grandson of Nehru (Rahul Gandhi) is also giving the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao'. You tell me now, whose poverty has been
Left parties gear up for their Feb 3 Brigade Parade rally
After Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's 'United India' rally at the Brigade Parade Ground, the Left parties are trying hard to make their February 3 rally at the same venue a success ahead of Lok Sabha elections, a state leader said on Sunday.
CM hits out at DMK, says its lawyers got bail for Kodanad case
Hitting out at the DMK over the Kodanadu estate break-in case issue, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy today claimed it was the opposition party lawyers who helped two of the accused to get bail. Addressing a public meeting organised here in connection with the 102nd birth day celebration of AIADMK founder late M G Ramachandran, he also charged DMK president M K Stalin with trying to unseat him and occupy the chief minister's post. "His (Stalin's) dream to become chief minister after unseating me will not be realised," he asserted. While Stalin was trying to link him with the robbery gang, it was only the DMK lawyers who were helping the gang members get bail in court, Palaniswami said. He was referring to two suspects in the case, K V Sayan and Valayar Manoj, getting bail from a Chennai court last week after being arrested in connection with a video footage in which they had allegedly linked him to the break-in by a 10-member gang at the Kodanad estate in April ...
May plans next move in Brexit fight as chances rise of delay
As Prime Minister Theresa May prepared her next move in Britain's deadlocked Brexit battle, a senior opposition politician said Sunday that it's unlikely the UK will leave the European Union as scheduled on March 29. A government minister, however, warned that failure to deliver on Brexit would betray voters and unleash a "political tsunami." May is due to present Parliament with a revised Brexit plan on Monday, after the divorce deal she had struck the EU was rejected by lawmakers last week. With just over two months until Britain is due to leave the bloc, some members of Parliament are pushing for the UK to delay its departure until the country's divided politicians can agree on a way forward. Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said "it's inevitable" Britain will have to ask the EU to extend the two-year countdown to exit that ends on March 29. "The 29th of March is 68 days away," Starmer told the BBC. "We are absolutely not prepared for it. It would be catastrophic." ...
T'gana achieved major growth despite "unfavourable" government
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Sunday said the state achieved major growth in the last four-and-half years though it had an "unfavourable government" headed by the BJP at the Centre. "Though there is an unfavourable government at the Centre.. Why I have to say this, though I am a responsible Chief Minister, I have to say this.. The BJP government is there at the Centre.. Did not give even a single rupee extra to us. We gave 500 representations (to the Centre)," he claimed. The NITI Ayog recommended to the Centre to give Rs 24,000 crore to the Mission Kakatiya (rejuvenation of tanks) and Mission Bhagiradha (drinking water supply scheme), but the central government did not give "even Rs 24," he said. "Except devolution (of) funds as (state's) share in Central taxes as per the Constitution, an additional rupee did not come. That means, we had an unfavourable government at the Centre during the last four-and-half years. Not a favourable government.. Still we ...
Jalan for making administrative system more public-oriented
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Bimal Jalan on Sunday advocated making the administrative system more public-oriented than government-oriented. Addressing the 202nd Founders' Day Celebration organised by Presidency University and the Presidency Alumni Association here, the former student of the institute said, there was imperative need for strengthening the administrative system. "It (administrative system) needs to be much more public-oriented rather than government oriented, which is the situation at present," Jalan told the audience. He said the younger generation should hold politicians accountable for their performance - not for their speeches in Parliament but their activities on the ground. Jalan also wondered why removal of poverty could not be accomplished in all these years and rued that a large number of people are living below the poverty line and the country's ranking in the Human Development Index is still in the lower rungs. Calling for ...