Page 2338 - Politics
Asean experts to meet on military medicine in Lucknow
A four-day meeting of a experts in military medicine from Asean countries, being co-chaired by India and Myanmar, will be held here from Sunday, an official spokesman of the Central Command said on Saturday.
Bush made Europe 'safer, more united' says EU's Juncker
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker hailed US president George HW Bush on Saturday for the part he played in bringing unity and peace to Europe after the Cold War. "I will never forget the role he played in making Europe a safer and more united place following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain," Juncker said of Bush, who died on Friday aged 94. Bush's "calmness, leadership and close personal relationships with (German chancellor) Helmut Kohl and (Soviet Russian leader) Mikhail Gorbachev were decisive in restoring peace and freedom back to so many people across our continent," the former Luxembourg prime minister added. "We Europeans will forever remember this," Juncker said. European Parliament president Antonio Tajani in a tweet said that "Europe has lost a champion of its freedom and unity during the Cold War.
Cong pushed Hindi-speaking states into BIMARU category: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday accused the Congress of pushing seven Hindi-speaking states into the "BIMARU category". BIMARU is an abbreviation for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and coined in the early 1980s, reportedly to convey the dismal state of these states. At an election rally in Rajasthan, Adityanath said the Congress ruled major Hindi-speaking states including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand for maximum duration and alleged that its "mis-governance" pushed them into the "BIMARU category". Yogi, a star campaigner of the BJP, addressed rallies in Anta, Baran, Ramganj Mandi, Masuda and Jamdoli on Saturday. He alleged that the Congress did not focus on development and governance and worked to create a divide in the society. "Congress divided the country for its greed, for power. Later, the party divided the country on the basis of caste, region and language," he alleged. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not have had ..
Indian American lawmakers elected to powerful Congressional caucus
Two Indian-American lawmakers -- Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna -- have been elected to leadership positions of a powerful Congressional Caucus. Jayapal, the first Indian-American Congresswoman, has been elected as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), along with Congressman Mark Pocan. The elections for the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus - which will have more than 90 members - was held on Thursday, which also saw California Rep Ro Khanna elected to replace Jayapal as first vice chair of the CPC for the 116th Congress beginning January 2019. Both Jayapal, who represents Washington and Khanna, representing Silicon Valley, were re-elected to the House of Representatives for their second consecutive term during the mid-term polls held on November 6. In the outgoing Congress, Jayapal was the First Vice Chair of the CPC. Established in 1991, the CPC aims to reflect the "diversity and strength" of the American people and seeks to "give voice to" the ...
Modi wants to create two Indias -- one for rich, other for poor: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to create two Indias -- one for the rich and the other for the poor. Addressing a rally in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Gandhi said one part is for farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers, while the other is for industrialists like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. "Modi wants to create two Hindustans, which is not acceptable to us. There will be one flag and one country," he said. Gandhi said nobody could insult the farmers of the country, no matter if he was the prime minister of the country or the president of the US. "The BJP leaders are talking about several issues, but there are only two issues. One is employment and the other is of betterment of farmers," he said. Gandhi reiterated that the Congress government would waive farmers' loans within 10 days of coming to power in Rajasthan. The Congress chief recalled that when Modi was contesting the 2014 general election, he had ...
Sidhu repeats thief slur against PM
Going beyond the slur used against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu Saturday said even the watchman's dog was into stealing. Addressing an election rally at Khairthal in Alwar district, Sidhu alleged corruption in the Modi government's deal with France to purchase 36 Rafale military aircraft, a charge repeatedly denied by the Centre. He claimed the plane worth Rs 500 crore was being bought for Rs 1,600 crore. The crowd chanted, chowkidar chor hai (the watchman is a thief). The slogan was given by Gandhi who had earlier mocked Modi's claim that he will act like watchman against graft in the country. Even the watchman's dog is involved, Sidhu then said. He claimed the BJP government's 'Make in India' slogan had not yielded results, saying the government had a deal on Rafale with France and on the bullet train with Japan. He claimed the Sardar Patel statue recently installed in Gujarat was bought from China. Will the people of .
European leaders pay tribute to Bush Sr.
European leaders on Saturday paid tribute to the late former US President George H.W. Bush who died a day earlier at the age of 94.
People displaced from PoK demand facilities to visit religious places across LoC
An organisation representing the families displaced from PoK Saturday demanded facilitation of their visit to religious places across the Line of Control, days after India and Pakistan laid foundation stones for the Kartarpur corridor. "We were displaced from PoK over seven decades ago and craving for a visit to our religious places. Priority should be given to us so that we pay obeisance at our gurdwaras and temples," SOS International chairman Rajiv Chuni told reporters here. He said he was surprised over the demand by Kashmiri Pandits for opening of Sharada Peeth temple for them. "When they (pandits) used to visit the Sharada Peeth prior to their displacement from Kashmir? It belongs to us, the people of PoK, and we will shed our blood if such a thing (passage to the temple for Pandits) happens. We will not allow anyone to play with our sentiments and our history," he said. India laid the foundation stone of the Kartapur corridor in Punjab to facilitate Indian Sikhs in visiting the
Sabarimala row: 'Women wall' to be formed on January 1 in Kerala, says CM
In an attempt to garner support following recent protests by Hindu groups across Kerala over entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala shrine post Supreme Court verdict, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said a "women wall" would be formed on January 1 from the northern district of Kasargode to the state capital pledging support to the state government stand.
PM Modi meets Argentinian President, discusses ways to strengthen bilateral ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Argentinian President Mauricio Macri and held extensive discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in areas like defence, nuclear energy and agriculture. The two leaders met over a breakfast hosted by Macri in a special gesture to Modi. Modi also thanked the president for hosting the two-day G-20 summit. The G-20 is a grouping of the world's 20 major economies. "Had a productive meeting with President @mauriciomacri. We had extensive discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Argentina. Also thanked President Macri for hosting a wonderful G-20 Summit," Modi tweeted after the meeting. The prime minister also said he is looking forward to welcome Macri in India. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ravish Kumar also tweeted, "Starting the day on a bright note! In a special gesture, President of Argentina @mauriciomacri hosted PM @narendramodi over breakfast at his official residence.
Special Forces of India, US complete tactical exercises of Vajra Prahar 2018
The Special Forces of India and United States on Saturday completed the final manoeuvres of their three-day tactical exercise called 'Vajra Kayaa' which is part of their joint military drill 'Vajra Prahar 2018'.In a mock drill, joint squads consisting of Indian and US troops closed in on the mock up village after extensive recce and detailed planning. They then systematically cleared each house of the village to zero in on to the main target. Once the location of the main target and the leader of the terrorist was ascertained, the joint teams then gained entry into the suspected house by carrying out room intervention drills.Vajra Kayaa was based on narrative of an imaginary country going into a civil war due to weak democratic structure and which has now been taken over by armed terrorists. As per storyline, a United Nation Peace keeping force was established in this country and the Indian and US joint Special Forces team were part of this UNPKF, mandated to neutralise the head of ..
Allow representatives of political parties while transporting EVMs to counting centres: Ahmed Patel
"I am submitting 4 suggestions to Election Commission ahead of Chattisgarh counting. 1) Kindly allow representatives of all political parties while transporting EVM's to counting centres from strong rooms. 2) Cross check if postal ballots were received from eligible voters. 3) Review conduct of top officials in 3 districts -- Rajnandgaon, Kondagaon and Bilaspur, and 4) Initiate second round of counting only after completion of first round. I hope EC will implement these suggestions in letter and spirit," Patel said in a series of Tweets.Patel had earlier on Saturday alleged EVM tampering attempts were on in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and urged EC to investigate. "Sensing a defeat in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, some are indulging in desperate measures by attempting to tamper with EVM's in strong rooms. Urge the EC to investigate and take concrete action," Patel tweeted.Patel also posted a CCTV video on Twitter where two men can be seen carrying two boxes to the strong rooms, .
Anna Hazare warns of hunger strike from January 30
Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said that he would be forced to launch a hunger strike at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra from January 30, 2019, on 71st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to protest against the non-appointment of Lokpal, Lokayuktas despite repeated assurances by the government.Hazare has written to Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, accusing the Central government of making excuses to avoid the appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states."The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was passed in 2013. People of the country were hopeful about the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta to arrest widespread corruption. However, there was a change of power and Narendra Modi government came to power. After Modi government came to power, we wrote thirty times to the government for appointment of Lokpal, Lokayuktas. However, Modi ji did not even send a reply," reads the letter."Initially, Modi government said the Lokpal
Sushma fires fresh salvo at Rahul over his 'religion'
Union Minister for External Affairs and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader Sushma Swaraj on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi, stating that Gandhi and his party are confused about his religion and caste.While addressing media in Jaipur in poll-bound Rajasthan, Swaraj said: "Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not know the meaning of being a Hindu. He said that because Rahul and Congress are confused about his own religion and caste. For years, the party presented him as a secular leader but near polls when they realised that Hindus are in majority, they created his new image."Further sharpening her attack on the Congress president, she added, "We came to know that he is a 'Janeudhari Brahmin' but I did not know that the knowledge of this 'Janeudhari Brahmin' has increased so much that we will now have to learn the meaning of Hindu from him. God forbid that day when we will have to learn something like that from Rahul ...
Himachal CM seeks release of Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday spoke with Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over phone regarding bringing back 14 Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia due to visa problems.
At G-20, possible 'breakthrough' seen after all-night talks
All-night talks at the Group of 20 summit have resulted in a possible "breakthrough" on fixing the global trading system, European diplomats said Saturday as the gathering entered its crucial second and final day in the Argentine capital. Despite deep divisions going into the summit and resistance from the United States, European Union officials said countries also are making progress on a final statement that will acknowledge problems with the World Trade Organization but commit to reforming it. US President Donald Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU. One EU official told reporters that the G-20 summit's final statement is likely to reflect 19 members supporting the Paris climate accord with the US stating its opposition to it. The official said the US delegation also held up discussion of how to manage refugees and migrants, but that the final statement is expected to mention the need to manage migration on a global level. The .
NC workers stage protests against decision to treat J-K bank as PSU
Workers of the National Conference Saturday took out protest rallies across the Jammu division, seeking revocation of the decision of Governor S P Malik-led state administrative council to treat the J&K bank as a public sector undertaking (PSU). The main rally was taken out from NC headquarters at the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan with dozens of workers carrying the placards in support of their demand for immediate rollback of the decision for the larger interests of the state which enjoy special position, a party spokesman said. The protesters led by district president Dharamveer Singh Jamwal staged a sit-in dharna at busy Raghunath chowk. They criticized the decision and expressed apprehensions that this would adversely impact the functioning of the bank and shake the confidence of its huge clientele. The agitators also castigated the administration for eroding the special status of the state, saying such decisions are detrimental to the interests of the people. Former minister of state
Trump, China's Xi poised for high-stakes summit over trade war
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will wrap up a global summit on Saturday with high-stakes talks expected to determine whether they can begin defusing a damaging trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
Mehbooba Mufti demands Kartarpur-type corridor to Sharda Peeth
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a Kartarpur-type corridor to Sharda Peeth in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Presidents, others praise former President George H.W. Bush
Praise for former President George HW Bush, who died Friday: (He) "was a man of the highest character. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad." - Former President George W. Bush. "George HW Bush's life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. And he did tremendous good along the journey." - Former President Barack Obama. "The legacy of George HW Bush will be forever etched in the history of America and the world. It is a lifelong record of selfless patriotic service to our nation." - James A Baker III, secretary of state in the Bush administration. "Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service to be, in his words, "a thousand points of light" illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of America to the world." - ...