Page 2271 - Politics
China pressures US, Canada ahead of Huawei hearing
China is raising the pressure on the United States and Canada as a bail hearing for a top Chinese technology executive was set to resume in Vancouver. A Communist Party newspaper called Canada's treatment of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou "inhumane." The Global Times editorial published in Monday's edition followed formal protests by the Chinese government to both Canada and the United States over the weekend. Meng was detained on Dec. 1 while changing planes in Vancouver. The U.S. wants her extradited. It alleges Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran. A Canadian prosecutor asked a court Friday to reject Meng's bail request. The judge said he would think about proposed bail conditions over the weekend.
Kushwaha to resign from Council of Ministers
Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha is all set to resign from the Union Council of Ministers on Monday, BJP sources said.
Separatists-backed strike hits normal life in Kashmir
Normal life was affected in Kashmir on Monday because of a strike called by separatists to highlight the alleged human rights violations in the Valley. Most shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, in support of the strike which is being observed on Human Rights Day. While public transport was hit, private cars and auto-rickshaws were plying in a few areas of the city. Similar reports of shutdown were received from other district headquarters of the Valley. Officials said there were no restrictions imposed but security forces were deployed in sensitive areas across the Valley to avoid any law and order problem. Separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership, have called the strike, asking people to observe it as a "black day". JRL, comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, asked people to observe shutdown to "highlight the human rights violations" in the ...
SC declines to entertain plea against J&K assembly dissolution
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition challenging Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik's decision to dissolve the state assembly and impose Governor's rule.
Stage set for counting in Telangana
The fate of 1,821 candidates contesting the Telangana Assembly election will be decided Tuesday when the counting of votes will be taken up. The maiden polls for the 119-seat Telangana Assembly were held on December 7 with a voter turnout of 73.20 per cent. Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar said necessary arrangements have been made for the counting day and the strongrooms, where EVMs are kept, secured with central paramilitary forces providing "first cordon of security." One of the strongroom keys is kept with the external observer and as precaution, political parties are also keeping a watch, he said. The counting will begin at 8am. "EVMs will be brought out polling station-wise and kept at the counting centres which will have 14 tables (except in Medchal which will have 28). And counting will go on. This will be done after the completion of the full postal ballot count. Counting will be done in the respective constituencies," Kumar told PTI. "The winning candidate will be ...
Upendra Kushwaha to skip meeting of NDA allies
Union Minister of State and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha has decided to not attend the meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday.This decision comes amid speculations that Kushwaha may withdraw from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance."I will not participate in the meeting of NDA allies today," the minister told ANI in a telephonic conversation.Kushwaha had been upset over seat sharing in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.Soon after BJP president Amit Shah announced that his party and Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) would fight on equal number of seats, Kushwaha demanded a larger seat share.RSLP fought on three seats in 2014, however, Kushwaha demanded more for the upcoming elections citing that his party has grown in strength.On November 17, he had asked the BJP to reach a consensus over the seat-sharing agreement.A meeting between Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav and Kushwaha had set political circles abuzz ..
Qatar knows how to become GCC member again: Saudi Foreign Minister
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has indicated that Qatar knows what to do in order to return as an active member of the council."Brothers in Qatar know what is required of them to return as an active member of the council," Al Arabiya quoted the minister as saying. He was addressing the closing session of the 39th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.The Foreign Minister also informed that the GCC members believe that the crisis with Qatar will have no impact on the Council."The Gulf States are one family and any disagreement is resolved within the Gulf house. The stance towards Qatar came to push it to change its policies," Jubeir added.The 39th summit of Gulf Cooperation Council issued a seven-point Riyadh Declaration. The Declaration revolved around the motive to unify its member states in the fields of defence, economy and strategic partnerships.Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani skipped the summit and a delegation headed by Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign ..
SC dismisses PIL challenging dissolution of J&K Assembly by Governor
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a PIL challenging the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by Governor Satya Pal Malik. "We are not inclined to interfere (with the decision of the Governor)," a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said. The bench was hearing a PIL filed by BJP leader Gagan Bhagat, who was an MLA before the Assembly was dissolved.
'I can't breathe' were Khashoggi's final words, report says
Jamal Khashoggi's final words were "I can't breathe", CNN has said, citing a source who has read the transcript of an audio tape of the final moments before the journalist's murder. The source told the US network the transcript made clear the killing was premeditated, and suggests several phone calls were made to give briefings on the progress. CNN said on Sunday Turkish officials believe those calls were made to top officials in Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to The Washington Post, was killed shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The transcript of the gruesome recording includes descriptions of Khashoggi struggling against his murderers, CNN said, and references sounds of the dissident journalist's body "being dismembered by a saw." The original transcript was prepared by Turkish intelligence services, and CNN said its source read a translation version and was briefed on the probe into the journalist's death. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister
Weary Venezuelans in low-turnout win for ruling party
Venezuelans stayed away in droves from municipal elections, handing a victory to the ruling party - but with just 27 per cent turnout. National Electoral Council chair Tibisay Lucena put the rate of abstention at 72.6 per cent. As such, the ruling party won 142 of 156 jurisdictions in play, she said. Some 20.7 million Venezuelans were eligible to vote. Lucena called it "a calm day of civic and democratic action." The results were hardly a surprise: analysts had predicted record low turnout, citing mistrust in the process, the banning of opposition parties and widespread exhaustion amid the ongoing socioeconomic crisis. The elections come one month before President Nicolas Maduro begins his second six-year term after winning an election in May termed illegitimate by political opponents, the European Union, the United States and most of Latin America. Maduro said Venezuelans "were exercising their right to vote freely." But Beatriz Pallares, 56, told AFP at a mostly empty polling ...
PM Modi condoles demise of Jagdish Thakkar, meets family
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the demise of Jagdish Thakkar, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Prime Minister's office (PMO)Seventy-year-old Thakkar breathed his last in the national capital on Monday.Hours after his death, the Prime Minister met the deceased's family and expressed his condolences."Extremely saddened by the demise of Shri Jagdish Thakkar, the PRO in the PMO. Jagdishbhai was a veteran journalist and I had the pleasure of working with him for years, both in Gujarat and in Delhi," the Prime Minister tweeted.Remembering Thakkar for his simplicity and warm-hearted nature, PM Modi posted another tweet, "Several journalists would have regularly interacted with Jagdishbhai over the years. We have lost a wonderful person, who loved his work and did it with utmost diligence."Thakkar, an Information Department Officer from Gujarat, was appointed as the Prime Minister's PRO in 2014, soon after PM Modi took office.He began his career as a journalist with .
Stage set for Opposition parties meeting, BJP remains unaffected
As the Opposition parties are all set to hold a crucial meeting on the eve of Parliament's Winter Session and counting of votes for Assembly elections in five states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed to remain unaffected.The BJP has maintained confidence by saying that despite the Opposition meet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is again going to retain the post with a clear majority in the upcoming 2019 General Elections.Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "No matter how much the Opposition unites and makes Mahagathbandhan but the fact will remain intact that in 2019, Narendra Modi ji is going to retain the post of Prime Minister again with a clear majority. The BJP will regain power in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan with their own strength."Echoing the similar sentiments, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that it would be great if the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) also announces their Prime Minister candidate for the 2019 ...
Rights groups, advocacy organisations oppose Nauert as America's next envoy to UN
Some rights and advocacy groups have opposed President Donald Trump's decision to nominate chief State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as America's next envoy to UN, saying she is unqualified and lacks the foreign policy experience crucial for the post. Trump on Friday picked Nauert to succeed Indian-American Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, called on the Trump administration to withdraw its nomination of Nauert for the position of UN ambassador. CAIR said Nauert promoted "Islamophobic smears" while employed as a Fox News anchor. It said, in 2013 she criticized special swim classes for a group of Somali-American girls, describing the classes as the "minority becoming the majority at one community pool. Sharia law is now changing everything." The group said other than her current position as State Department spokesperson, Nauert has no apparent .
MP: Fearing tampering by BJP, Cong workers guard EVM strong rooms
Out of the apprehension that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could tamper with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) kept inside strong rooms at a college in Vidisha, members of the Congress Party and private security guards deployed by them have taken it upon themselves to guard the strong room round the clock.After the elections were held on November 28 across the state, the EVMs were brought to Samrat Ashok Technological Institute (SATI) in Vidisha, and are now kept under the three-layered security provided by the administration after the elections.Members of the Congress party stationed outside the strong room said they feared that members of the BJP may tamper with the machines."The Election Commission of India (ECI) has given permission to candidates to secure (strong rooms) on their own. In connection with that, we have deployed our private security guards and even our party workers. We are apprehensive and have no trust over Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Chief Minister Shivraj .
Trump's potential next chief of staff pick leaving White House
The White House official widely touted as Donald Trump's favourite to succeed his outgoing chief of staff John Kelly is instead leaving the administration at year's end, he tweeted. Nick Ayers, the 36-year-old chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, tweeted on Sunday that "I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause," referring to Trump's campaign. "Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House." Trump announced Saturday that Kelly, 68, would leave the administration - the latest key personnel move at a time of mounting pressure from the Russia election-meddling probe that comes amid increased focus on preparing for the 2020 elections. Shortly after Ayers said he would not take on the role, Trump jumped online to tweet: "I am in the process of interviewing some really great people for the position of White House Chief of Staff." "Fake News has been saying with ...
Kushwaha may quit NDA today
RLSP president Upendra Kushwaha may quit the BJP-led NDA Monday, a day ahead of the start of the Winter Session and triggering a realignment of political equations in Bihar. The Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief has been targeting the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a key ally of the ruling party, for weeks. He has been upset with the BJP after it asserted that the RLSP would not be given more than two seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, even as it went out of way to accommodate Kumar by agreeing that the saffron party and the JD(U) would fight equal number of seats. "Kushwaha is likely to announce his parting of ways with the BJP today. He will also quit as a Union minister," a senior RLSP leader said. The RLSP may join hands with the opposition, which includes Lalu Prasad's RJD and the Congress. Bihar sends 40 MPs to Lok Sabha.
PRO in Prime Minister's Office dies, PM condoles death
Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the prime minister's office and senior journalist Jagdish Thakkar passed away here Monday. Thakkar, 72, who was unwell for some time, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his demise, saying he was awonderful person who loved his work. "Extremely saddened by the demise of Shri Jagdish Thakkar, the PRO in the PMO. Jagdishbhai was a veteran journalist and I had the pleasure of working with him for years, both in Gujarat and in Delhi. He was known for his simplicity and warm-hearted nature," the PM tweeted. He said several journalists would have regularly interacted with Jagdishbhai over the years. He had previously served with many chief ministers of Gujarat. "We have lost a wonderful person, who loved his work and did it with utmost diligence. Condolences to his family and well wishers," Modi said.
London court expected to pronounce judgment in Mallya's extradition case today
The Westminster Magistrates Court in London is expected to pronounce its judgment in the extradition case of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Monday. The court is hearing the case on India's request.On Sunday, a joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) led by CBI Joint Director A Sai Manohar left for the United Kingdom (UK) for the court proceedings. Earlier, CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana was leading this case.Reacting on the development, the Congress party termed the proceedings as delayed and said that the authorities have woken up when Mallya is ready to pay all loans.Congress leader Tom Vaddakan while speaking to ANI said, "The extradition proceedings should have started long back, the authorities have woken up when he (Vijay Mallya) is ready to pay back all the loans. The government had to state a reason about the parallel movement on Christen Michel so this is a countermeasure and the government is trying to say that
Pak continues to harbour terrorists, US should not give it even one dollar: Nikki Haley
Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists that turn around and kill American soldiers, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said, asserting that Washington should not give Islamabad even a dollar until it addresses the issue. Haley, the first Indian-American ever appointed to a Cabinet position in any US presidential administration, said the US did not need to give money to countries that wish harm to America, go behind its back and try and "stop us from doing things". "...I think there should be a strategic view on which countries we partner with, which ones we count on to work with us on certain things, and move forward accordingly. I think we just blindly allow money to keep going without thinking that this is real leverage. We have to use it," Haley told US magazine 'The Atlantic'. "The one example I'll give you is, look at Pakistan. Giving them over a billion dollars, and they continue to harbour terrorists that turn around and kill our soldiers that's never okay. We shouldn't .
Trump commits to $750 bn defence budget
US President Donald Trump has agreed to a request from Defence Secretary James Mattis to propose a defence budget of $750 billion for the coming year, according to an administration official.