Page 2272 - Politics
Armenia PM's bloc wins by landslide in snap polls
The electoral bloc of Armenia's acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan won a landslide victory in Sunday's snap parliamentary elections, which were triggered by the reformist leader seeking to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country. The bloc led by Pashinyan's Civil Contract party had 70.45 per cent of the vote, and trailing in distant second place with 8.37 per cent was the Prosperous Armenia party, according to results from 90 per cent of precincts, the central election commission said. The centrist My Step bloc also includes the Mission Party headed by rights activist Manuk Sukiasyan. A small liberal pro-Western party, Bright Armenia, also cleared an electoral threshold with 6.33 per cent of the votes, the commission said. Pashinyan became prime minister in May after spearheading weeks of peaceful anti-government rallies that ousted veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian. The 43-year-old former journalist has pledged to root out endemic corruption and address widespread ..
Pence's aide out of race for White House chief of staff
In a setback to United States President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence's aide Nick Ayers is out of the running to be the new White House chief of staff, an official said on Sunday.Ayers, who was widely tipped to replace incumbent White House chief of staff John Kelly, will step down from his current post as Pence's chief of staff at the end of the year and work for the pro-Trump super PAC group, The Hill reported.Ayers declined the offer from Trump after he could not come to an agreement about the terms of his service, which the US President wanted to be a long-term job.The official said that the 36-year-old Republican aide wanted an interim role, following which he would return to his family at his home state of Georgia to take care of his wife and three children.Later, Ayers took to his Twitter handle, saying: "Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honour to serve our Nation at The White House," Ayers wrote. "I will be departing at the end of the .
No clear progress on Kim's visit to S Korea
South Korea's presidential office has said that no signs of progress have been made as of now, amid rising speculation over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's maiden visit to the country."No headway has been made so far, and there is nothing to announce," Yoon Young-chan, top press secretary of the South Korean presidential office, was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying.The comments came after a couple of media reports surfaced that Kim is likely to undertake a three-day visit to Seoul soon and South Korean officials are making secret preparations.The South Korean presidential office, has, however, dismissed the reports saying they are keeping all options open and the North Korean leader is welcome to visit South Korea before the end of this year or early next year.An official said that the North Korean government is yet to make an announcement on Kim's visit, following which the South Korean side would start making preparations.During his visit to Pyongyang for the inter-Korean ...
Sirisena describes ongoing Lankan crisis as one between foreign and indigenous thinking
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has described the ongoing political crisis in the country as one between foreign and local values. "This is an issue between those who believe in foreign thinking and those who respect local values", Sirisena said Sunday, addressing a gathering in his home base Polonnaruwa. The comment was seen as an indirect reference to the United National Party, with whom Sirisena was running the national unity government since 2015. The partnership ended on October 26 when Sirisena fired his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is the leader of UNP, paving the way for a never-before-seen political stand-off in the island nation. Since firing Wickremesinghe, Sirisena has highlighted the personal "shortcomings" of the former PM in a bid to justify the sacking and dissuade the reinstatement of the Wickremesinghe. However, Wickremesinghe holds on to the official residence of the prime minister, claiming his sacking was unconstitutional. Sirisena later ...
Ahead of PM Modi's visit, state govt reviews preparedness in Raebareli
Officials from the Uttar Pradesh government took stock of the preparedness ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Raebareli on December 16.During his visit, Prime Minister Modi is slated to inspect the Rail Coach Factory and will also launch 900 new coaches manufactured in the factory. He will also hold a public rally in the district.Cabinet Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh, Nand Gopal Gupta "Nandi", held a meeting with the officials of the Raebareli district administration and took stock of the situation there.After giving instructions to district officials and the BJP legislators who were present in the meeting, Nand Gopal Gupta surveyed the venue of the Prime Minister's rally.During the Prime Minister's visit, a number of developmental projects are scheduled to be launched.
Syrian state media withdraws report on airstrike near Damascus airport
Hours after reporting that Syrian air defences had repelled an attack near the Damascus International Airport, the country's state media on Sunday took down the reports, claiming that no airstrikes had occurred.The state-run SANA news agency and state television earlier said that the country's air defences had intercepted enemy aerial targets in the vicinity of Damascus International airport in the southern part of the city, Sputnik reported. However, the report was later withdrawn from Syrian state media without any reason.A source at the airport said that there was "no attack" and air traffic is operating under "normal routine".The Syrian President Bashar-al Assad regime has repeatedly accused Israel of conducting airstrikes near the airport.The Israeli government has been carrying out hundreds of airstrikes, against what it says are Iranian targets in Syria, most of them in the southern part of Damascus city.Syria also claims that Israel supports the terrorist groups, including the
Trump's son-in-law gave 'advice' to Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi's murder
In an unprecedented turn of events, it was revealed that Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump, had reportedly offered advice to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, about how to "weather the storm" following the demise of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Kushner and the Saudi crown prince held one-on-one chats, despite formal White House procedures for contacts with foreign leaders. The duo has been long known to have an informal relationship, The New York Times reported on Saturday."Jared has always meticulously followed protocols and guidelines regarding the relationship with (the crown prince) and all of the other foreign officials with whom he interacts," a White House spokesperson said.A Saudi source said that Trump's son-in-law offered "advise about how to weather the storm, urging him to resolve his conflicts around the region and avoid further embarrassments."White House aides underscored that Kushner, who is also ...
Abbas stresses need to implement decisions against Israel, US
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has stressed on the need to implement decisions against Israel, the US and the Islamic Hamas movement.
Syria media says no attack on airport after reported air defence fire
Syrian state media said Sunday that air defences had opened fire near Damascus airport, before withdrawing the report after what appeared to be a false alarm. "Our air defences engaged hostile aerial targets in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport," the official SANA news agency said, without providing more details. But the report was later withdrawn by both SANA and state television without explanation. SANA then quoted sources at the airport as saying that "there was no aggression" and that "traffic was normal". A well-informed source told AFP that "there was evidently a false alarm". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the sound of explosions rocked an area close to the airport and fire from air defences was also heard. The latest incident comes just over a week after Syria accused Israel of striking south of the capital. The Britain-based Observatory said those were the first missiles to hit Syria since an air defence upgrade after the downing of a Russian plane
Anti-govt rapper abducted as DR Congo vote tensions rise
A rapper critical of President Joseph Kabila was abducted in the eastern DR Congo overnight, his father said Sunday amid rising tensions two weeks ahead of landmark elections. Akim Bufole Corneille, 26, was taken by unidentified kidnappers as he left a party in Bukavu, the capital of troubled South Kivu province, his father Amuli Bufole told AFP. "Before he was taken, he wrote a rushed message (on his phone) to alert us that he felt in danger," Bufole said. The kidnapping of the rapper, whose stage name is Cor Akim, happened "not far from our home," his father added. "We arrived too late at the scene, where we found one of his shoes and his wallet." Elsewhere in the vast central African country, eight people were seriously injured in election-related violence in Kindu, a stronghold of outgoing President Kabila, a human rights group said. In the central Kasai region, six supporters of Kabila's hand-picked candidate to succeed him, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary said they were injured in a ..
China summons US envoy over Huawei CFO's arrest
China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Sunday lodged a strong protest by summoning the United States' Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, over the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou last week.Meng was arrested on December 1 while transferring planes at Vancouver International Airport en route to Mexico from Hong Kong and has been accused of fraud with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. She was held by Canadian authorities at an extradition request of the US.In a statement, Le said that Washington's move "severely violated" the Chinese executive's legitimate rights and interests, and is vile in nature, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.Urging the US to withdraw the arrest warrant issued against Meng, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister said: "China firmly opposes the US' moves and strongly urges the US side to attach great importance to China's solemn stance, and take immediate measures to correct the wrong practices."Warning of taking ..
France instructs Trump not to interfere in internal politics
Two days after United States President Donald Trump criticised the French government over the violent 'yellow vest' protests, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned the US President not to meddle in France's internal matters.On Saturday, Trump had condemned the ongoing fourth weekend of yellow vest protests across France which are being staged against the hike in fuel taxes, linking it to the "ridiculous and extremely expensive" Paris Agreement."Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe it's time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes? The US was way ahead of the curve on that and the only major country where emissions went down last year!" he had tweeted.Responding to the same, Le Drian said: "I am telling Donald Trump, we do not take part in the American debates, let us live our life of a nation. Do not interfere in French politics," according to Anadolu News Agency.In a strongly ...
Trump criticises France's 'yellow vest' protests, ridicules Paris deal
United States President Donald Trump has criticised the ongoing fourth-weekend of "yellow vest" protests across France which are being staged against the hike in fuel taxes, linking it to the "ridiculous and extremely expensive" Paris Agreement."Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe it's time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes? The US was way ahead of the curve on that and the only major country where emissions went down last year!" he tweeted.The protests on Saturday were the fourth in a series that culminated into the worst rioting in France for decades.The government expects more protests in the country in the following days, owing to which, around 89,000 security personnel have been deployed across France.A number of France's monuments, including the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, remained closed as authorities anticipated a repeat of last week's violence, deploying over 8,000 policemen in .
Lucknow: Crowd interrupts Mulayam for not mentioning Shivpal's PSPL at party rally
Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) got a huge boost as his elder brother and Samajwadi Party (SP) stalwart Mulayam Singh Yadav made an unannounced appearance at a PSPL rally. However, Mulayam's address at the event was interrupted by the audience as he failed to mention his brother's newly-formed party at the rally.Mulayam, while speaking at the Jan Aakrosh Rally on Sunday organised by PSPL, started talking about his own party instead of Shivpal's. The audience interrupted Mulayam as he shied away from making a mention of PSPL in his speech, after which he shifted his speech in favour of the new party formed by his brother.Addressing the rally, Mulayam appealed to the gathering to make the SP stronger, while hailing his party as one that "treats everybody as human and takes all persons along with it."Furthermore, the SP leader said farmers and youth are the pillars of a strong nation, adding that the progress of both leads to progress of the country."The country can .
Macron to break silence, address French nation amid protests
Pressure mounted on French President Emmanuel Macron to announce concrete measures to calm protests marked by violence when he addresses the nation Monday evening, and breaks a long silence widely seen as aggravating a crisis that has shaken the government and the whole country. The president will consult in the morning with an array of national and local officials as he tries to get a handle on the ballooning and radicalising protest movement triggered by anger at his policies, and a growing sense that they favour the rich. Macron will speak from the presidential Elysee Palace at 8 pm (1900 GMT), an Elysee official said. The official wasn't authorised to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier on LCI TV station he was "sure (Macron) will know how to find the path to the hearts of the French, speak to their hearts." But, he added, a "magic wand" won't solve all the problems of the protesters, known as "yellow vests" for the ...
Trump accuses Comey of lying in testimony to Congress
US President Donald Trump has accused former FBI Director James Comey of lying during his testimony before a congressional committee last week, when the ex-official revealed that the investigation into presumed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was initially focused on four US citizens.
Mamata can be face of anti-BJP coalition after LS polls: Yashwant Sinha
Praising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Union Finance Minister Yashant Sinha on Sunday said she has all the qualities to be the face of a coalition that can be formed at the Centre if the incumbent Narendra Modi-led dispensation is defeated in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Qatar rift overshadows Gulf Arab summit as emir stays away
RIYADH (Reuters) - A Gulf Arab summit called for regional unity as Bahrain and Qatar traded barbs over the Qatari emir's decision not to attend the gathering in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in a sign that a row between Doha and its neighbours is still festering.
Swaraj India launches campaign for electoral intervention
Launching a public campaign '#iCan19' here on Sunday, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav appealed to the people of the country to join the platform to make intervention in the electoral politics.
US sees 'hard deadline' for China trade negotiations
The US negotiator in charge of trade talks with China said Sunday he considers March 1 to be a "hard deadline" for reaching an agreement that would avert an intensifying trade war. "As far as I'm concerned it's a hard deadline," US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on CBS's 'Face the Nation'. "When I talk to the president of the United States, he's not talking about going beyond March 1, he's talking about getting a deal if there is a deal to be gotten in the next 90 days." Lighthizer also said he did not expect the arrest in Canada of a top Chinese executive, Meng Wanzhou of telecom giant Huawei, to interfere with the trade talks. "It shouldn't really have much of an impact," he said. "I can understand from the Chinese perspective how they would see it that way. That is a criminal justice matter. It is totally separate from anything that I work on." China has strongly protested the arrest and the US demand that Meng be extradited over allegations that Huawei has violated US