Page 1904 - Politics
Trump cancels US delegation's visit to Davos amid shutdown
President Donald Trump, who cancelled his visit to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, has now called off the US delegation's trip to the annual meeting, citing the partial government shutdown. The shutdown entered its 27th day on Thursday, the longest in US history. Last week, Trump cancelled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF meeting), citing the "intransigence" of the Democrats on his funding request to build a controversial wall along the US-Mexico border. The five-day summit is slated to begin at the Swiss resort town of Davos from January 21. "Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Thursday. The cancellation of the US delegation visit to the WEF meeting came on a day Trump postponed House Speaker Nancy ...
Karnataka CM wants Bharat Ratna for Tumakuru seer Shivakumara
Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday said the Central government should confer the Bharat Ratna on Tumakuru Siddaganga mutt's 111-year-old pontiff Shivakumara Swami.
BJP's ally SBSP threatens to go it alone in Lok Sabha polls over quota demand
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader Om Prakash Rajbhar, a BJP ally and Uttar Pradesh minister, has threatened to go it alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if the party's demand for earmarking a part of the 27-per cent OBC quota for most backward castes is not met. Speaking to reporters here Friday, Rajbhar said, "As of now we are in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), but the BJP has to decide whether we will remain with them or not." "If the BJP does not give shape to our demand by February 24, we will take a decision on the tie-up during a party programme in Varanasi and announce the decision on contesting on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh the next day," he said. The SBSP, which enjoys considerable support among the Rajbhar community, is part of the BJP-led coalition government in Uttar Pradesh. The party has been demanding that a part of the Other Backward Castes (OBC) quota in government jobs and higher educational institutions be earmarked for most backward ..
ITBP to bolster presence along China border in Ladakh, moving frontier to Leh
In an attempt to bolster its presence along the Indo-China border in Ladakh, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is moving its north-west command from Chandigarh to Leh in Ladakh region."The move had been in the making since 2016 when ITBP was asked to take the North-West frontier to Leh for better management of operations there. Now, we have been asked by the Ministry of Home Affairs to complete the process by the end of March this year," sources in ITBP said.The frontier headed by an Inspector General tank officer of the ITBP, will be working with the Leh-based 14 Corps of the Army there.So far, the ITBP was headed by a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer in the Leh region where ITBP troops are guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with the Army units.Commenting on the reason for the move, sources said it was felt by the MHA that that area could be better managed if the Frontier was moved to Leh from Chandigarh.The move will also help in improving coordination with the Army ...
J-K Police arrests individual suspected of planning terror attack
Jammu & Kashmir Police on Friday arrested an individual allegedly planning a terrorist attack in the Kupwara region and recovered incriminating materials including ammunition from his possessionThe individual identified as Mohd Aslam Beigh was arrested from a naka checkpoint.The police took him into custody. A preliminary investigation suggested that he was planning to join a terror outfit. The investigation further suggested that he, along with other terrorists, was planning a terror attack in Kupwara area.Initial investigation also revealed that Beigh was motivated to turn to terrorism through social media by entities based in Pakistan.Kupwara police station has lodged an FIR in this matter under relevant sections of the law.
Russia slams US for allegations of defence tech sale to N Korea
Russia slammed the United States on Friday for levelling allegations against Kremlin of selling missile and air defence technology to North Korea."I would like to state with all my responsibility that the allegations against Russia about the alleged purchase of missile and air defence technology by North Koreans from us are contrived and absolutely unfounded," Russian envoy to China Alexander Matzegora told Sputnik."Washington fails to find pretexts for accusations against us that is why they are making up another hoax. By this unfair way, (the US) is also trying to justify its destabilising policies in the area of international security," he added.A US missile defence review had earlier stated that "North Korea has acquired Russian missile defence technology and is developing its own mobile missile defence capabilities, specifically, a mobile air and missile defence system.While indigenously produced, its interceptors and radar system share similarities with Russian systems."Comments
Srinivas Reddy is new Telangana Speaker
Pocharam Srinivas Reddy was unanimously elected the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Pakistan rules out India's role in Afghan peace process
Pakistan has ruled out any role for India in the Afghan peace process, the media reported on Friday.
Is Xi-ism the new doctrine of Communism? (Book Review)
Book:Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping; Author: Francois Bougon; Publisher: Westland Publications; Pages: 181; Price: Rs 599
Why did govt buy only 36 Rafale jets, asks Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday accused the government of compromising national security and asked why did it buy only 36 Rafale fighter jets instead of the 126 required by the Air Force. His comments come in the wake of fresh revelations on the Rafale deal in a media report which claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to buy 36 aircraft instead of the 126 asked for by the Indian Air Force pushed the price of each jet up by 41.42 per cent. "In the light of new facts and revelations in THE HINDU, the question gains greater urgency: why did the government buy only 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 aircraft required by the Air Force?," Chidambaram asked in a tweet. "The Government has compromised national security by denying to the Air Force the 7 squadrons (126 aircraft) that it desperately needs," he said. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia also took to Twitter to demand answers from Modi on the increased cost of aircraft. "The PM's unilateral decision to
US officials to ask Ecuador embassy staff about Assange visitors
US investigators will on Friday begin to question diplomatic staff who were stationed at the Ecuadorian embassy in London during WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's years-long stay about his visitors, according to the whistleblower group. It follows international subpoenas from the US Department of Justice, which is probing a report that President Donald Trump's disgraced former 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort held secret talks there with Assange, Wikileaks said. The Justice Department, which declined to comment on the matter, wants to talk to six staff members from the embassy and will start to interview them in the Ecuadorian capital Quito on Friday, it added. Britain's The Guardian newspaper claimed in November that Manafort - who was convicted of multiple charges including bank fraud and money laundering in two separate cases last year - met Assange on several occasions from 2013 to 2016. The period coincided with Manafort becoming a key figure in Trump's bid for the White ...
Give Prakash Ambedkar seats as per his stature: Owaisi tells Cong, NCP
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said he does not want a single seat in the proposed alliance for Maharashtra if his "elder brother" Prakash Ambedkar is given seats according to his stature.The statement comes after the Congress, who has allied with the NCP for the Lok Sabha polls, reportedly said they would approach Ambedkar in order to stitch a pre-poll alliance, rather than the AIMIM, an ally of Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM).While addressing a gathering here, Owaisi remarked, "You say that you can talk to Prakash Ambedkar but not with MIM, with all seriousness and responsibility I want to tell Congress, NCP's Sharad Pawar that you talk to my elder brother Balasaheb Ambedkar and you give him seat as per his stature. If you do so then I don't want a single seat. Tell me Ashok Rao do you take this offer?"Last month, talks had been reportedly initiated by the Congress with smaller parties in Maharashtra, including the BBM, on ...
Road to 2019 polls: Host of opposition leaders set to attend TMC-led rally in Kolkata
Politicos from non-BJP parties are all set to attend the January 19 rally in Kolkata led by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in a bid to channelise efforts towards dethroning the current BJP-ruled Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.A senior TMC leader told ANI that former prime minister HD Devegowda, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav would address the gathering, expected to be attended by lakhs of people.The top TMC leader confirmed that though Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi decided to skip the rally, the party would be represented by senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Abhishek Manu Singhvi.Among those to be present at the rally include - Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin, National Conference supremo Farooq ...
Trump cancels US delegation to Davos forum due to shutdown
US President Donald Trump has cancelled his delegations trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
J&K airports' audit report to get BCAS endorsement favouring CISF
The audit report of the highly sensitive Jammu, Srinagar and Leh airports is under final scrutiny of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that will send its endorsement "very soon" to the Union Home Ministry, to hand over the security responsibility of these airports to the CISF from the CRPF.
Senior Republican Senator blasts Trump-Pelosi 'sophomoric' exchange
Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham slammed US President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "sophomoric" back and forth, which recently saw Trump postponing Pelosi's official travel to Brussels, Afghanistan, and Egypt.Trump's move on Thursday comes after Pelosi wrote to the President recommending a "delay" in the State of the Union address that is scheduled for January 29 or sending in his address to the Congress "in writing"."One sophomoric response does not deserve another. Speaker Pelosi's threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political," Graham tweeted on Thursday (local time).Labelling Trump's move as "inappropriate", Graham further said, "President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate.""I am glad the Speaker wants to meet our troops and hear from our commanders and allies. I am very disappointed she's playing politics with the State of ...
Trump cancels U.S. delegation to Davos forum: press secretary
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week due to the partial U.S. government shutdown, according to a statement released by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday.
Trump told me to have polls rigged: Cohen
US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen has said that he paid the head of a small technology company thousands in 2015 to rig online polls at "the direction of and for the sole benefit of" Trump.
Trump hits back at Pelosi, cancels her foreign trip
In a tit-for-tat move, US President Donald Trump cancelled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned trip to three countries, a day after she angered Republicans by suggesting the President should delay his State of the Union Asdress due to the impasse over the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Taiwan holds military drills amid rising tensions
Taiwan held military drills on Thursday near Taichung amid growing tensions with Beijing.The island held its first live-fire drills in 2019, which are aimed at combating an amphibious invasion, reports CNN."Our military stands ready to counter any threats ... including those from Communist China," Major General Chen Chung-chi, the spokesman for Taiwan's Defence Ministry stated.Tanks, rocket launchers and combat helicopters were sent to the coast near Taichung for the live military drills, the first phase of which will continue till the end of January."These drills are based on the principle of conduct training wherever wars might break out. We are prepared to maintain our territory and freedom," Chen further told CNN.The drills come amid rising pressure from China, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying, "Reunification is the historical trend and the right path, Taiwan independence is...a dead end," during an address in January.On one hand, the Republic of China, or Taiwan, has ...