Page 194 - Politics
Twitter releases new trove of banned state propaganda
Social media giant Twitter on Thursday released a new archive of state-backed propaganda from accounts it has banned based in Iran, Russia, Spain and Venezuela. The US platform said it had taken the material off its network, but would make it available to researchers and investigators studying online threats. Tech firms have been accused of allowing political propagandists to use social media to hijack elections, poison online debate and smear their opponents. But Twitter, in a blog post by head of site integrity Yoel Roth, said "transparency is core to our mission" and vowed to fight "misleading, deceptive, and spammy behaviour". Thursday's release was the firm's third such archive, representing more than 30 million tweets and a terabyte of media data from just under 5,000 suspected accounts. Twitter has removed 4,779 accounts it believes "are associated with -- or directly backed by -- the Iranian government." Most of these were found to be spreading news stories angled to support ..
Cong condemns Nair's remarks that UPA regime delayed Chandrayaan-2
The Congress Thursday condemned former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair's remarks that the Chandrayaan-2 mission could have been carried out long ago but for a "political decision" of the UPA government. On Wednesday, Nair alleged that the UPA government wanted to show "some major event" (the Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission) before the 2014 election. "With that objective, they (UPA government) went ahead (with the Mangalyaan mission)," he had said. Asked about Nair's remarks, Singhvi said he condemns the remarks. "You have no business to criticise government. You are a scientist; you are supposed to be pride of place in our Constitution. "Just because you find that a particular political party is out of power or in power, tomorrow will some other scientist start singing the tune of the Congress when we come back to power that all things were delayed by the BJP," Singhvi said. Nair, the architect of Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned mission to the moon launched on October 22, 2008, ...
NCP slams BJP govt for stopping water diversion to Baramati
The NCP Thursday accused the BJP- led government in Maharashtra of engaging in politics after it decided to stop diversion of water from a dam to Pune's Baramati, the bastion of party chief Sharad Pawar, and direct it to some scarcity-hit areas of the state. Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil also accused the state government of deliberately trying to defame the previous government run by the party along with the Congress. He asserted that the previous Congress-NCP government did not do injustice to any region and ensured equitable distribution of water to all. "Our government did not do injustice with any region. Ajit Dada (NCP leader Ajit Pawar) was the minister of the department (water resources) concerned. He did not do any injustice to any region as is being falsely spread now...we did not commit any mistake," Patil told reporters here. He accused the BJP-led government of taking steps with its eyes on votes in the upcoming assembly polls. The Devendra Fadnavis-led ..
Modi to visit Russia in early September
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia in early September to be chief guest at the Eastern Economic Forum meeting and will also hold discussions with President Vladimir Putin as part of the India-Russia annual bilateral summit.
Pawar hears Konkan NCP leaders' views on poll preparation
NCP chief Sharad Pawar Thursday heard views of party leaders and functionaries from districts in Maharashtra's Konkan region, including Mumbai and Thane, on the Assembly seats it can contest in the ensuing polls. In the district-wise meeting held here, sources said, workers voiced their views on Assembly segments the NCP could field candidates in for the election the party will contest in alliance with like-minded parties. Some of the functionaries also made presentation to the NCP chief to suggest about contesting seats the party had previously not fought from, they said. The sources said the NCP is aiming to secure 144 of the total 288 Assembly seats in the state under its quota. The party may share some of the seats from its quota with its allies. The meeting was attended also by senior NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil, Ajit Pawar and others. The Assembly polls are due in September-October. "The figures from the latest Lok Sabha and previous Assembly elections
India, Russia and China to hold trilateral meeting on sidelines of G-20 Summit in Japan
India, Russia and China will hold a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka in Japan later this month.This was disclosed after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting here."It is planned that there will be a Russia, India and China trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told the media while briefing on the meeting between Modi and Putin.Ever since G20 was formed, India has been actively participating in the meetings. Although there are no binding commitments in G20, it sets the agenda for multilateral trade relations. The G20 members represent two-thirds of the world's people and 85 per cent of its economy.Gokhale alsosaid that Modi will visit Russia in early September as the main guest at the Eastern Economic Forum to which he was formally invited by Putin."President Putin has ...
JK Police rallies behind its brave officer battling life and death
An unlucky Jammu and Kashmir police inspector Arshad Ahmed Khan was injured as soon as he stepped out of his armoured vehicle when a bullet fired by a terrorist ricocheted from his service rifle hitting his liver and duodenum during Wednesday's shootout at Anantnag in South Kashmir, officials said Thursday. Khan, battling for his life at an Army hospital, received praise from senior officials for his prompt and courageous response after the terrorist struck. On analysing events of the Wednesday shootout, the officials said the lone JeM terrorist started firing at a CRPF patrol party at 1651 hours. Within five minutes Khan, the SHO of Saddar Police station in Anantnag, reached the site showing exemplary courage, they said. The moment he stepped out of his official bulletproof vehicle along with his service rifle, a barrage of bullets were fired by the terrorist. One ricocheted from the butt of his service rifle and hit his liver and duodenum. Even in this condition, the officer kept ...
After Rahul, Sonia slams BJP for 'crossing limits of dignity'
Days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of spreading "hatred and intolerance", his mother Sonia Gandhi on a thanksgiving visit to her constituency charged the ruling party of "crossing all limits of dignity" to stick to power. "Various tactics were adopted to woo voters. Everyone in this country knows whether what happened in the elections was moral or immoral," the UPA chairperson said at her first public address after the Lok Sabha poll results. "I know that nothing could have been more unfortunate for India than the ruling party crossing all limits of dignity to retain power," she told a gathering of party workers on Wednesday night. Daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is Congress general secretary in charge of eastern UP, was by her side at the thanksgiving event. Apparently hinting at electronic voting machines (EVMs), she claimed "many types of doubts" have emerged in the past few years over the country's electoral processes. "There is a ..
British Sikh property tycoon plans trust for gurdwaras in Pakistan
A British Sikh property tycoon is leading plans for a new trust for gurdwaras in Pakistan to facilitate religious tourism and preservation projects through the Kartarpur Corridor, planned on either side of the India-Pakistan border. Peter Virdee, founder of London-based B&S Property, said including the as-yet-undisclosed pledge of his own Virdee Foundation and business people from around the world as much as 500 million pounds would be available for the trust, which will be named after Guru Nanak. "I feel humbled and blessed to have a chance for this sewa. The plans are in motion and a delegation will be meeting the Indian and Pakistani governments in the coming weeks and months to take this plan forward," Virdee said. Asked if the India-Pakistan political tensions could prove a hurdle, he said: "This is a purely religious initiative and nothing to do with politics. It is crucial that we do not mix religion and politics. Many of the Sikh holy shrines are located in Pakistan and it
Xi to visit India for informal summit with Modi: MEA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping will have an informal summit in India later this year on the lines of the informal parleys that had in Wuhan in China last year.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told President Xi Jinping that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free from terror and take concrete action to end the scourge but does not see Islamabad doing it at this stage.This was decided at a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting here."The Prime Minister specifically conveyed to President Jinping and he agreed that both sides need to raise our expectations from the relationship. The Prime Minister welcomed him to India for the next informal summit and President Xi Jinping confirmed his readiness to visit India this year," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a press briefing here.However, he said the date and venue of the summit is yet to be decided while media reports in India .
Kim sent a 'very interesting' letter to Trump: S Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a "very interesting" letter to US President Donald Trump amid stalled denuclearisation negotiations between the two sides.Moon, who is on an official visit to Norway, made these remarks and expressed hope of meeting Kim for a fourth time regardless of its timing, venue and formality, Yonhap News Agency reported.The South Korean President said he was briefed on Trump's recent comments, where he said that he had received another "beautiful" and "warm" letter from Kim.The letter was apparently sent on the occasion of the first anniversary of the first summit between the two leaders in Singapore."There's a very interesting part that President Trump did not announce," Moon said during a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.Moon reiterated that he was ready to meet Kim at any time. "Accordingly, the timing is up to Chairman Kim," he said.Both Moon and Kim had met ...
Cong to oppose some provisions in triple talaq bill
With the government all set to bring a fresh bill in Parliament to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, the Congress on Thursday said there are still some issues which it will debate and oppose. The bill will be introduced in the Budget session which begins on Monday to replace an ordinance issued in February by the previous BJP-led NDA government. With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the previous bill had lapsed as it was pending in Rajya Sabha. Asked about the bill, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "We had raised a number of issues. Many of the contentious issues the government had agreed upon.... So we had success after a long time." "A lot of time would have been saved if the government had agreed on our points earlier. Now one or two issues are left for example financial security for the family on which we will debate and oppose," he said. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which made the practice of instant triple ...
EAM directed Indian Embassy in Iraq to take immediate step to ensure return of 7 youths: Harsimrat
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Thursday said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has directed the Indian Embassy in Iraq to take immediate steps to ensure return of seven Punjab based youths stranded in Erbil for the past seven months. Harsimrat, along with family members of the seven youths who belong to Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts of Punjab, met Jaishankar in Delhi. The Union food processing minister in a statement said the country's Consul General in Iraq, Chandramouli K Kern, was also part of the meeting and briefed the parents of the youths about the steps taken by the Consulate to ensure their well-being. She said the Consul General disclosed that the Embassy staff were in touch with the youths and extending all needed help to them, including financial assistance. She further said that Kern assured them that more financial assistance would be extended to them as and when required. Jaishankar said the Indian Consulate would take all needed steps to complete legal ..
AP assembly elects new Speaker, witnesses uproar over
Verbal volleys flew thick and fast in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Thursday as the issue of political defections and conduct of the previous Speaker dominated the discourse soon after the House elected the new Speaker Tammineni Sitaram. Beginning with the Leader of the House, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, members of the ruling YSR Congress recalled how the previous Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao conducted the House in a "totally biased and arbitrary" manner, in utter disregard to laws and rules. The House witnessed a heated debate when members were supposed to speak, congratulating the new Speaker. At the end of it, the Speaker wanted the AP Assembly to become a trendsetter in effectively enforcing the Anti-Defection Law, but hoped he would not get to apply it in the current House. "Do we need a legislature that cannot enforce the Anti-Defection Law ? Legislature should respect the constitutional principles, constitutional laws. AP should be the trendsetter in effectively ...
Pakistan needs to create a terror-free atmosphere: India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told President Xi Jinping that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free from terror and take concrete action to end the scourge but does see Islamabad doing it at this stage.This was conveyed by Modi to Xi during their brief meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting here even as Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived here for participating in the grouping's meeting."There was a brief discussion on Pakistan. We have a consistent position with respect to Pakistan. The Prime Minister recalled that he has made efforts and these efforts have been derailed. Pakistan is an all-w"He has informed the Chinese President that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror and at this stage, we do not see this happening. We expect it to take concrete action," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters here when he was asked whether terrorism sponsored from Pakistan that was spoiling the situation in ..
Goa Congress rejects BJP's claim about its MLAs
The Congress in Goa Thursday rubbished the BJP's claim that 10 of its MLAs were keen to join the ruling party, but were denied entry into the saffron fold. Goa BJP chief Vinay Tendulkar had Wednesday claimed that 10 Congress MLAs had expressed their willingness in the last fortnight to join the saffron party. The BJP, however, refused to accept them into the party fold as it had comfortable majority in the Assembly, Tendulkar had said. Talking to reporters here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar hit out at Tendulkar for his "false" claim and dubbed him a "habitual liar". "All our 15 MLAs are together. After I read about Tendulkars statement I spoke to all ourMLAs who have denied attempting anything like that (switch over). "Tendulkar is a habitual lier who is trying to sell his lies to the public, Chodankar said. "I request the BJP and its leader Tendulkar to stop this false propaganda. For the last five years, the BJP has been trying to make ...
Ramchandra Sahis joins Raghubar Das government
Ajsu party MLA Ramchandra Sahis Thursday took oath as a minister in the Raghubar Das government. Governor Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to the 45-year-old Sahis at Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Urban Development Minister C P Singh, Ranchi Lok Sabha member Sanjay Seth, Ajsu party president Sudesh Mahto were among the dignitaries present on the occasion. Sahis, who represents Jugsalai seat in the Jharkhand Assembly, replaced Ajsu party leader Chandraprakash Choudhary, who resigned from the state Cabinet after being elected as a Lok Sabha member from Giridih.
PM Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin here and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship. This is the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. "A special partner, a privileged relationship! PM @narendramodi met with @KremlinRussia_E Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of #SCOSummit in #Bishkek. Reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the strategic relationship," External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Prime Minister Modi, President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a ...
Hold RS polls for 2 seats in Gujarat together: Cong
The Congress Thursday demanded elections to the two Rajya Sabha seats which have fallen vacant in Gujarat due to the Lok Sabha polls win of BJP chief Amit Shah and Smriti Irani should be held together. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, at a press conference, said they came to know that there could be a bid to hold the elections for the two seats separately. "This would be a mockery of our constitutional ethos. It would be completely contrary to conventions. Whenever there are two seats of a state going vacant, you have elections together. It is obvious to everybody that the purpose of that is to ensure there is a fair exercise of franchise of each MLA," Singhvi said. "If you have one election today and one after two weeks, four weeks, six weeks then you will enable the ruling party MLAs (lawmakers) to simply cross 51 per cent in the assembly of Gujarat and elect him in the first round and him in the second round which is held after weeks," he said. Any such "games" should ..
Vardhan condemns violence against doctors, will take up matter with CMs
Condemning the violence against doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint and said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with chief ministers of all states and Union Territories. He also asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted, an official statement said. Expressing concern over the recently reported incidents of violence against doctors, Vardhan said it is necessary and important for the doctors to get a safe work environment. The minister stated that he shall take this matter up with the chief ministers of all states and UTs so that such incidents can be avoided in the future. "Doctors are an integral pillar of the society and often work under stressful and difficult conditions. I urge the patients and their caregivers to observe restraint," Vardhan said. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues ...