Page 2168 - Politics
Rahul Gandhi on holiday in Shimla
After hectic campaigning for polls in five states, Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her children is holidaying in the picturesque Himachal Pradesh hill station. Rahul accompanied by Priyanka Vadra arrived in Shimla on Tuesday by road to see the latter's under-construction house at Chharabra, a local Congress leader said. On their way, they stopped for a few minutes at a dhaba in Solan district and took snacks, tea and Maggi noodles there, he said. The visit of Gandhi comes days after the Congress emerged victorious in assembly elections Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. When some local Congress leaders got news of Gandhi at the dhaba, they and some women reached there, he said. They congratulated the Congress chief on the party's victory in the three states. Gandhi enquired about the political developments in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress leader said. He said Gandhi told them "I am on a personal visit to Himachal." Rahul, ...
Belgian premier resigns as coalition comes under pressure
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has resigned amid pressure on his government after the biggest party in his coalition quit over his support for the UN global compact on migration. Michel told Belgian lawmakers Tuesday that "I am taking the decision to offer my resignation. I am now going to see the king" to inform him. The lawmakers had been demanding that he submit his new minority government to a confidence vote, but Michel had so far refused and a confrontation seemed likely this week.
WTO sets up panel in Qatar-Saudi dispute
The World Trade Organization agreed Tuesday to establish a panel to decide if Saudi Arabia has failed to protect the intellectual property rights of firms based in Qatar with which Riyadh severed diplomatic ties in 2017. The WTO legal dispute is the latest battlefront in a bitter feud between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, who have imposed an economic blockade on Doha. Qatar launched the dispute in October, accusing Saudi Arabia of blocking Qatari-owned broadcaster beIN and of not taking proper action against piracy of beIN's content by a Saudi-based piracy outlet called "beoutQ". Saudi Arabia blocked Qatar's initial request for a WTO dispute panel on the matter. Qatar then launched a second request, which was approved automatically, in accordance with WTO rules. The "scale of Saudi Arabia's violations are unprecedented, and threaten the international system of IP protection," a Qatari envoy to the WTO, Saleh Abdulla Al-Mana, said in a statement. Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and ..
Arab League urges Australia, Brazil to shift stance on Jerusalem
The Arab League on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling on Australia and Brazil to "abide by international law" concerning the status of Jerusalem. It comes after Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro announced in November his intention to move his country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And on Saturday Australia announced its recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, although a contentious embassy shift from Tel Aviv will not occur until a peace settlement is achieved Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. The Arab League decided Tuesday to dispatch a "high-ranking delegation" to Brazil and Australia to inform officials there on the need to "abide by international law" concerning Jerusalem. The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting at the League's Cairo headquarters attended by delegates from member countries. Israel seized east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, declaring the entire city its ...
Disciplinary action in the offing against teachers who defied HC order: JNU admin
The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration Tuesday said "disciplinary proceedings" are in the pipeline against teachers who participated in a hunger strike last month and defied High Court orders. The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA), however, said their protests are within the constitutional and legal framework. JNUTA office bearers appear to have learnt nothing from their last experience when they called for a 24-hour-long protest in front of the Administration Block, despite repeated cautionary notes sent to them to remind that there is a designated place for holding any such protests, the varsity said. "Disciplinary proceeding, in fact, is in the pipeline against a few teacher protesters who defied the Delhi High Court order as well as the university rules. As per the decision of the High Court, protest of any kind is prohibited within 100 meters of the Administration Building," it said. The varsity said the JNU rule also prohibits all kinds of protests in an area within 100 .
Keeping trade flowing after Brexit won't be plain sailing
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has held talks with shipping firms to secure back-up vessels in case Britain exits the European Union with no trade deal but it is unlikely to make progress as most ships are booked for other business, industry sources say.
Sanders: White House ready to work with Congress
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the White House is willing to work with Congress to avert a partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump has been demanding USD 5 billion to fund his long-promised US-Mexico border wall, but Democrats have balked at giving him any more than USD 1.6 billion for border security. A shutdown could happen at midnight Friday. Sanders said on Fox News on Tuesday there are "other ways that we can get to that USD 5 billion," including one bill she says would provide USD 26 billion in border security, including USD 1.6 billion for the wall. She says, "That's something that we would be able to support" as long as it's coupled with other funding, such as using defense money on border security. She adds that, "At the end of the day, we don't want to shut down the government. We want to shut down the border from illegal immigration." ___ 12:30 am. Few if any signs of progress are emerging as President Donald Trump and Democratic ...
EC notice to Gujarat BJP in crucial Dec 20 Assembly by-election
Even as campaigning for the prestigious by-election to Gujarat's Jasdan assembly constituency ended on Tuesday evening, the Election Commission issued notices to the state government on electricity bill exemptions announced on Tuesday for rural consumers.
Centre approves new tourist, trekking routes in J&K
The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday approved new tourist and trekking routes in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, a government statement said.
Rafale issue: Rahul Gandhi spreading lies, alleges Lekhi
BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi Tuesday alleged that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was spreading lies on the Rafale issue despite the Supreme Court's verdict. The apex court on Friday had said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. Referring to the Bofors and AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, she alleged that three generations of the Gandhi family were involved in corruption. The Congress president does not have any issue for the general elections and therefore, was "spreading lies" on the Rafale issue to hide his party's failure, Lekhi said at a press conference here. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are delivering honest and transparent governance, unlike the Congress, which during its 60 years of rule was named in some or the other corruption case, the BJP leader said. The BJP ..
CISF, Nepal Armed Police Force to cooperate in multiple sectors
A visiting delegation of Nepal's Armed Police Force on Tuesday agreed for inter-agency coordination, mutual cooperation and many other issues in a meeting with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) here, an official said.
Amit Shah holds meeting with select party leaders in Mumbai
In the wake of the BJP's defeat in the three Hindi heartland states, party chief Amit Shah held a closed-door meeting with select leaders from Maharashtra on Tuesday night, party sources said. Shah, who arrived in Mumbai late in the evening is scheduled to stay at Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai and discuss about the situation in the state. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 23 seats, while the Shiv Sena had bagged 18 constituencies. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has already announced that his party would contest the elections solo, which has left the BJP all the more anxious as it does not want division of votes. "It is not the Shiv Sena alone that has indicated to stay away from the BJP, but other alliance partner such as Raju Shetti, an influential farmer leader from Maharashtra, has already snapped the ties," a BJP leader said. "BJP's loss in Bhandara Gondia Lok Sabha bypoll also dented the party's image and ...
Odisha BJP chief demands loan waiver for 'distressed' farmers
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Basant Panda on Tuesday demanded farmers' loans to be waived off. He also announced that they will hold a protest on January 8 for the same."Odisha's farmers are in distress for various reasons. Nobody is purchasing their harvest at the prescribed Minimum Support Price. We demand that farmers' loans be waived off. BJP will protest in front of the Secretariat on January 8," Panda told ANI.Reacting to Panda's statement, spokesperson of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Sasmit Patra alleged that Panda was trying to do a political stunt."He (Panda) is trying to do a political stunt. Since they are in the Centre, we hope that he will be able to talk to the central leadership and waive off loans for farmers in the entire country," Patra said.On October 28, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had assured that farmers' loans in Odisha would be waived off once the BJP comes to power in the state.Pradhan's assurance came after several cases of farmer ...
Centre to reframe policy for rare diseases, files affidavit in HC
New Delhi [India], Dec 18 (ANI): The Central government has filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court, underlying need to re-frame the policy for rare diseases which was finalised and approved last year.The Centre has informed the court that there are several challenges with respect to the policy like under the National Health Mission (NHM) which mandates only primary and secondary care and does not cover the management of the tertiary care.However, rare disease management usually involves tertiary care. In an earlier hearing, the Central government had informed the high court that rare diseases were transferred from the Public Health Division to the NHM due to personal independence payment (PIP) process."That though framed with the best intent had implementation challenges and gaps including the issue of cost-effectiveness of supporting such health interventions for a resource-limited situation which made it not feasible to implement in the present shape," reads the affidavit ...
Chirag Paswan launches veiled threat to pull out of NDA
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Chirag Paswan on Tuesday launched a veiled threat to pull out of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).Taking to Twitter, Paswan said the BJP should look into the concerns of its NDA allies, owing to the "delicate" phase the alliance is witnessing."The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is going through a delicate phase after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) pulled out of the alliance. At this point in time, the BJP should look into concerns of the parties who are still in alliance with them before it is too late," he tweeted in Hindi.Furthermore, Paswan claimed that he had met BJP leaders for discussing matters pertaining to seat sharing in the assembly, but nothing substantial was achieved."We spoke to BJP leader about the seat share but nothing substantial has come out till now. It is in their interest to ensure the decisions in this matter are taken in the right ...
US leaving nuke treaty may collapse arms control system: Putin
Warning the United States of repercussions over withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said that Washington's plan to exit from the nuclear pact could lead to the collapse of the system of arms control and mass destruction non-proliferation weapons."Whatever are the problems in the INF Treaty, in modern conditions, it serves as a stabilising factor and works to maintain a certain level of predictability and restraint in the military sphere," Putin was quoted by Anadolu News Agency saying while speaking at an expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow.Calling for the expansion of new countries in the nuclear agreement if the US felt that "bilateral character" is an issue in the treaty, Putin also mulled the drafting of a new agreement on the same."I think it is necessary to state once again that we will be forced to take additional measures to strengthen our security," said Putin, while warning the ..
Congress, NCP target Fadnavis govt over Mumbai hospital fire
Opposition Congress and NCP Tuesday targeted the BJP-led government in Maharashtra over the massive fire in a city-based hospital in which eight people were killed and over 170 injured. The two parties demanded strict action against those responsible for the tragedy at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital in suburban Andheri Monday. NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said a case under IPC section (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) should be filed against the director general of ESIC Corporation and he must be immediately arrest. There was no need for an inquiry as assured by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and direct action should be taken against officials concerned, Malik said. Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam visited the fire-ravaged hospital. He said the quality of material used in constructing the hospital building was not up to the mark which has caused this accident. "Such contractors must be blacklisted and action must be taken against them. The government must fix .
Not addressing concerns of allies could be damaging for NDA: LJP
The Lok Janshakti Party said Tuesday the NDA is passing through trying times after the exit of the TDP and the RLSP, and the BJP's failure to address concerns of coalition partners in a "timely" manner could be "damaging". In a series of tweets, LJP parliamentary board chairman Chirag Paswan expressed disappointment over no headway despite a number of meetings with the BJP leadership over the issue of seat-sharing in Bihar. Besides Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), the LJP is the only constituent of the BJP-led NDA left in Bihar after the exit of the former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP). Following the exit of the TDP and the RLSP, the NDA is passing through trying times. In view of this, it is imperative that the BJP addresses the concerns of those still in the alliance in a timely and respectable manner, Paswan tweeted in Hindi. The TDP, headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, had pulled out of the NDA a few months ago in .
SC should withdraw Rafale judgment: Gaurav Gogoi
Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi Tuesday said the Supreme Court should withdraw its judgment on Rafale deal as it was based on a false statement submitted by the Narendra Modi government. Gogoi, an MP from Assam, also said the Congress is demanding that the government constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe all aspects of the Rafale deal. "The Rafale judgment was based on a false statement made by the BJP government. The Supreme Court should withdraw it," he told mediapersons here. After the apex court gave its verdict on the deal on December 14, Congress president Rahul Gandhi the basis of the judgment is a CAG report that has neither been seen by anyone, nor shared with Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The PAC is headed by Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge. The Centre on December 15 filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court to make a factual 'correction' in a paragraph in the Rafale judgment in which a reference was ...
UAE backs Saudi rebuke of US Senate over Khashoggi killing
The United Arab Emirates has thrown its support behind Saudi Arabia's rebuke of the US Senate, which passed a resolution last week blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The UAE, a close US ally and major weapons buyer, released a statement affirming its "policy of full solidarity" with Saudi Arabia with regards to the US. Senate decision and "against anyone who attempts to undermine the kingdom's stature and regional position." The statement, published Wednesday on the state-run WAM news agency, said the UAE rejects "unfounded allegations and accusations" as well as "attempts that would harm Saudi Arabia's fundamental role as a major power ensuring security and stability in the Arab and Muslim worlds.