Page 232 - Politics
36 new flats ready to be allotted to newly-elected MPs in Lutyens' Delhi
Thirty six new duplex flats with modular kitchens, four bedrooms each, a lift and an office area are ready to be allotted to the newly-elected MPs in Lutyens' Delhi's North Avenue. All the flats, which have a view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, have been constructed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the prime construction agency of the central government. A senior government official told PTI that by the end of this month, all the newly-constructed flats will be handed over to the Lok Sabha Secretariat. He said these low-rise building flats were equipped with solar panels, LED lights, a dedicated basement parking for two cars each and all modern amenities to cater to the parliamentarians. "Thirty six flats have been constructed at a cost of around Rs 80 crore against the sanctioned cost of Rs 92 crore. The construction work of these flats had started in October, 2017," the official said. He added that the CPWD constructed these flats after demolishing the old flats built ...
Rave party raided in south Delhi; huge amount of liquor, drugs seized
A rave party was raided by a joint team of Delhi's Excise Department and police officials at a farmhouse in Chhatarpur area of south Delhi on Saturday night.A large amount of drugs and foreign liquor were seized in the raid, police said.As per the police, the organizers had the license to organise the party but more than the permissible amount of liquor was found at the venue.Over 600 people including teenage girls were initially held for participating in the event but were later released.However, 16 people, mainly organizers of the event, have been detained.Further investigation is on.
BJP preparing blueprint for 2021 West Bengal polls
Buoyed by its stupendous victory in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is preparing a blueprint, which includes putting in place a check and balance mechanism to induct TMC leaders and strengthening its grassroot level organisation, to win "at least 250 seats" in the state assembly elections. The saffron party won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in the recently-concluded parliamentary polls, only four less than the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress's 22. Election to the 294-member state assembly is scheduled to be held in 2021. Emerging as a party fighting for the cause of Bengalis to counter the TMC's issue of Bengali pride, the BJP will give weightage to industrialisation to create jobs and implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, if voted to power. The ruling TMC in West Bengal, however, did not give much importance to the BJP's plans and asserted it will bounce back to power in 2021, saying ...
Decoding Congress failure in the 2019 general election (Comment)
The recently held general election was different from any other held in India in the sense that for this election, the ruling party as well as the opposition were in serious election mode for almost four years before it was held. On the ruling party side, the BJP knew well that its 2014 victory was more a mandate against the incumbent UPA government, and this factor would not be there in 2019.
US asks China to break impasse in trade talks
The United States has called upon China to resume the stalled trade talks and return to the negotiating table or face more tariffs from the Trump administration."If they want to come back to the table and complete the deal on the terms that we were continuing to negotiate, that would be great," The New York Times quoted US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying on Saturday."If not, as the president said, we'll move on with tariffs," he added.Mnuchin's comments came on the sidelines of a meeting of finance ministers of G 20 economies in Fukuoka, Japan, and ahead of the Treasury Secretary's meeting with Yi Gang, the Governor of the People's Bank of China.That meeting, which is scheduled for Sunday, would be the first contact between top American and Chinese economic officials since trade talks between the world's two largest economies abruptly broke down last month.US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the G-20 leaders' summit in
Rave party busted in Delhi's Chattarpur
The Delhi Excise department has busted an illegal rave party in Chattarpur here, a government official said Sunday. The raid was carried out Saturday night in coordination with police following a tip-off, and besides several bottles of alcohol, a number of narcotic substances, including cocaine, were also found at the spot. The venue, a big hall, in Chattarpur, belonged to a fashion designing company and was being used for the rave party, the official said. Minors were also served alcohol at the party and most of those who attended it were from Gurgoan and Faridabad in Haryana and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, according to the official. "We have seized over 300 bottles of liquor and around 350 beer bottles from the party's venue. Liquor meant for sale in Haryana was also being served at the party," the official said. Cocaine and other drugs were also found at the spot, the official said, adding that at least 15 members of the organising team have been held. "They are being questioned and ...
Kashmir: Test of India's national security policy (Column: Spy's Eye)
Kashmir has, in recent years, become the fulcrum not only of India's internal security but also of India-Pakistan relations and our foreign policy at large. It goes to the credit of the Modi government that the problem of Kashmir was first put in its right perspective ending a whole lot of ambiguities that were allowed to be enmeshed around this important border state of India. The three basics of the 'issue' in Kashmir were always clear - that the state of Jammu & Kashmir was an integral part of India, that the Valley-centric polity could not disregard the reality that the state was a composite territory housing multiple faiths and therefore not open to a communally-oriented solution finding and that talks with Pakistan on the unfinished agenda symbolised by the existence of LoC fell squarely within the domain of the Centre permitting no third party intervention, external or internal. The earlier regimes - for reasons of our domestic politics largely - seemed to have compromised .
There has been a spurt in high-value arbitration matters in the country: Institute
Recent years have seen a spurt in the number of high-value arbitration matters in India and the government must recognise and acknowledge this, a senior advocate has said. In this regard, the Nani Palkhivala Arbitration Centre (NPAC), the only arbitration forum in south India formally recognised by the Madras High Court, organised a two-day training session at Mussoorie along with the central government. It was attended by senior bureaucrats from key ministries and they were briefed about the importance and the scope of arbitration. "Recent years have seen a spurt in high-value disputes which have taken the arbitration route. It has become imperative for the government machinery to recognise and acknowledge this fact. "This training (from June 6 to June 7) was a great step in educating key officials about the contours of arbitration," senior advocate and director at NPAC N L Rajah said in a press release issued by the organisation. Rajah was one of the speakers at the event held at ..
West Bengal: BJP-TMC clash in Basirhat, 5 dead
Four workers of the BJP were shot dead by members of the TMC in Basirhat's Sandeshkhali, BJP leader Mukul Roy has alleged.Reportedly, one TMC workers has also been killed.The deaths took place on Saturday during a clash between workers of the two parties in the city of North 24 Parganas. Removal of party flags had triggered the fight.BJP's Mukul Roy alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has unleashed a "reign of terror" in West Bengal."TMC goons attacked BJP workers and 4 of our workers were shot dead in Sandeshkhali, Basirhat. Their leader and Chief Minister is indulging in a reign of terror, we have sent a message to Home Minister Amit Shah ji, Kailash Vijayvargiya ji, and our state leaders," said Roy.He said that a team of MPs will visit Sandeshkhali, Basirhat on Sunday to take stock of the situation and will send a report to the Home Minister Amit Shah.Widespread violence involving the BJP and the TMC was witnessed during Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, with both parties
Shehbaz Sharif returns to Pakistan
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on Sunday amid strict security arrangements and a large gathering of PML-N workers.
In PM Modi's schedule, brief stopover in Sri Lanka, temple visit in Tirupati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to make a brief stopover in Sri Lanka on his way back to India from the Maldives where he is on his first overseas visit after assuming office for a second term.On his arrival, Modi will be received by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe.He will hold talks with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and will also meet Sri Lankan Leader of Opposition and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and members of the Tamil National Alliance.Later in the day, the Prime Minister will offer prayers at Tirumala temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh before returning to New Delhi. Newly-elected Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will accompany him to the holy shrine.Prime Minister Modi reached the Maldives on a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation and received a ceremonial welcome at the Republic Square in Male on Saturday.He was conferred with 'Nishan Izzuddeen', the Maldives' highest honour accorded to foreign ...
Cambodian leader flips the script on opponents'' noodle ploy
The bitter decadeslong rivalry between Hun Sen, Cambodia's strongman leader, and Sam Rainsy, his self-exiled chief political rival and critic, has sometimes played out in deadly violence. But on Sunday, soup rather than blood was likely to be spilled. The two titans of Cambodian politics, who normally agree over nothing, made stunningly similar calls to their followers this past week. On Sunday, they said, all Cambodians should gather with their neighbours and sit down for a meal of num banh chok, a popular Cambodian rice noodle soup usually consumed at breakfast. From his prime minister's perch of unchallenged authority, Hun Sen promoted eating "the Khmer (Cambodian) noodles of unity and solidarity." Sam Rainsy, co-founder of the country's only credible but now disbanded political party, called for "eating Khmer noodles for the sake of friendship in the framework of the entire, giant Cambodian family." Both encouraged sharing with folks from the other side of the political fence. It .
UN labour body, survivor from League of Nations, turns 100
Of all the institutions set up in Geneva under the League of Nations after World War I, only one, the International Labour Organization, survived the rise of fascism and World War II. Historians have pointed to several reasons why the ILO, which marks its 100th anniversary on Monday, endured while the rest of the League collapsed. They included anxiety in the West about worker uprisings following the Russian Revolution, the election of US president Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, and the ILO's exile in Montreal from 1940-47. More modern concerns will top the agenda at the ILO's annual congress this week, where dozens of leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev are expected. Following the #MeToo movement, ILO delegates will consider a convention on harassment and violence in the workplace, but may end up settling for a non-binding "recommendation," the organisation's director general, Guy Ryder, told ...
Kazakhs hold first presidential vote without three-decade strongman on ballot
Kazakhs went to the polls Sunday to elect their first new leader in 30 years following the departure of ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev with his handpicked successor set for victory. Career diplomat and interim president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 66, is running for the country's ruling party with enthusiastic backing from Nazarbayev, who stepped down from the presidency in March. The 78-year-old strongman's departure shocked Kazakhs who had lived under his rule since Soviet times but he is still expected to call the shots in the oil-rich Central Asian state of 18 million people. Tokayev has six rivals in the polls that open at 0100 GMT including one low-key opposition figure, but none are widely known in Muslim-majority Kazakhstan. Tokayev, by contrast, has won endorsements from pop stars and film actors, and appears to have the weight of the state machine behind him. Speculating on the outcome of the tightly-controlled vote, Tokayev's campaign chief told journalists Friday that he ...
Iran denounces latest US sanctions targetting petrochemical secto
Sharpening its attack, Iran on Saturday slammed the United States for its decision to impose fresh sanctions on the country's largest petrochemical group, calling it a violation of "principles of international law.""Only week-long patience proved the US president's void assertion that he was willing to hold talks with Iran," Anadolu News Agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi citing state-run IRNA."These measures are in contrast with principles of international law and the international commitments of the US administration," he said.On Friday, the US slapped sanctions on Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) for allegedly indirectly supporting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as part of Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran."By targeting this network we intend to deny funding to key elements of Iran's petrochemical sector that provide support to the IRGC. This action is a warning that we will continue to target holding ...
Israel can annex parts of West Bank, says US envoy
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Saturday opined that Israel has the right to annex "at least some" parts of the West Bank, a move that could violate international law and invite wrath from Palestine."Under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank," Friedman told The New York Times.The envoy's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said in April that he would soon begin annexing settlements in the West Bank during campaigning in a bid to woo right-wing voters.When asked how the US would react if Netanyahu went ahead with his decision, Friedman said, "We really do not have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region and why does it not create more problems than it solves. These are all things that we would want to understand, and I do not want to prejudge."The move could hamper the prospects of a ...
Ravinder Raina claims he's on Hizbul Mujahideen's hit list
President of BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit Ravinder Raina has claimed that he is on the hit list of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen.Speaking to ANI, Raina claimed that he was briefed by some senior officials of intelligence agencies that three terrorists belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen have done a recce of his residence and BJP office in the state."Pakistan and terrorists are cowards. They only know to backstab. This shows their frustration. Senior officials of intelligence agencies have informed me that three terrorists from Hizbul Mujahideen, one from Pakistan and two from Kashmir have done a recce of my residence and party office. According to inputs, the terrorists are planning a fidayeen attack," he said.Raina, who has been quite vocal against Pakistan and its proxy terror apparatus in the state, maintained that he is not afraid of such things and will continue to promote nationalism in the Valley."However, there is nothing to worry about. We used to work like a soldier, and will ...
UK's Boris Johnson says would withhold Brexit bill as PM
Boris Johnson, considered the frontrunner to succeed British Prime Minister Theresa May, said on Saturday he would refuse to pay the country's Brexit bill until the EU agrees better withdrawal terms. The former foreign secretary -- the leading contender to replace May after her resignation as Conservative leader Friday -- also signalled he would scrap a controversial provision for the Irish border contained in the current divorce deal. "Our friends and partners need to understand that the money is going to be retained until such time as we have greater clarity about the way forward," he told The Sunday Times. "In getting a good deal, money is a great solvent and a great lubricant," Johnson added, in his first newspaper interview since launching his bid to become Britain's next premier. May stepped down as Conservative Party leader on Friday and formally triggered the race for a successor -- currently being contested by Johnson and 10 other MPs -- but will remain prime minister until a
Hillary Clinton: Mueller report shows obstruction occurred
Hillary Clinton says there are two inescapable conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller's report. The first is that Russia conducted a sweeping and systemic interference into the 2016 election and the second is that obstruction of justice occurred. "You cannot read the report, chapter and verse, fact after fact, without reaching those conclusions." Clinton said. She made the comments during an appearance with Madeleine Albright Saturday at their alma mater, Wellesley College. "People just want to quit hearing about it and get back to their normal lives. There is nothing normal about undermining the rule of law. There is nothing normal about attacking the press. There is nothing normal about trying to undermine another branch of government," she said. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the Mueller report shows no collusion between his campaign and the Russians. Clinton said she was also worried that the speed of online communications could make the country vulnerable to ...
Three killed in Trinamool-BJP clash in Bengal
Three political workers, including two from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one from the Trinamool Congress, were killed in a clash between the supporters of the two parties in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, on Saturday, police said.