Page 2339 - Politics
PM Modi hails Bush as leading statesman passionate about strong Indo-US ties
Former American President George H W Bush was a leading statesman at a critical juncture of world history and passionate about strong Indo-US relations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday. Bush, the 41st president of the US who led America during the collapse of the Soviet Union and engineered the defeat of an audacious Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, died in Houston on Friday. He was 94. Modi, who is currently in Argentina to attend the G-20 summit, expressed condolence on the death of the former US president. "Condolences to the Bush family and the people of USA on the passing away of former President George H .W. Bush. He was a leading statesman at a critical period of world history," Modi tweeted. "Former President George H W Bush was passionate about strong relations between India and USA. His presence will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace," the prime minister said.
Rahul's remarks on surgical strike an insult to martyrs, says Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday hit back at Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Modi government turned the surgical strikes into a political asset and said that it was an "insult to martyrs" of Uri.
BSF, Pak rangers exchange of sweets along IB in Jammu
The BSF and Pakistani Rangers Saturday exchanged sweets along the International Border (IB) in Jammu as the Indian border guarding force celebrated its 54th raising day, officials said. "On the occasion of BSF's 54th raising day, both border guarding forces of India and Pakistan-- Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers-- exchanged sweets and greeted each other in Samba, Hiranagar, Ramgarh, R S Pura and Pargwal sectors of IB in Jammu region," a BSF official said. Both the sides committed to maintain peaceful atmosphere and harmonious relation on the occasion, the official added. BSF observed the 54th raising day at all its camps and headquarters across Jammu region with pomp and show, the official said further.
Cong leader files graft plaint against Kerala CM, Excise minister
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Saturday moved a vigilance court here and sought a probe against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Excise Minister T P Ramakrishnan, alleging graft worth crores of rupees while issuing licenses to set up brewery and distillery units in the state. Chennithala, who is the opposition leader in the state assembly, appeared in person before the Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, D Ajith Kumar, and contended that he had evidence on record to prove that the chief minister and the minister had not consulted the cabinet and acted in secrecy. He has also arraigned Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh as an accused in the matter. Chennithala said there was "actually no environmental assessment study" on the availability of water resources and without identification of the land for the project, a feasibility report was considered and accepted. "The criminal conspiracy hatched in secrecy is readily gatherable from the face of record which inspires ...
JAI trilateral meeting: Leaders agree to address maritime, connectivity issues
At the first-ever Japan-America-India (JAI) trilateral meeting, which was held on the sidelines of G20 summit, the leaders of three nations agreed to work together to address maritime and connectivity issues.At a press briefing, India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Donald Trump, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the central role of ASEAN countries and exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific.Terming the trilateral meeting as "warm," Gokhale stated that Trump and Abe complimented Prime Minister Modi for the reforms and the development work that he has done. "They all agreed that a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order is essential for the region's peace and prosperity," Gokhale stated.Prime Minister Modi offered some ideas on how the concept of Indo-Pacific should be taken forward and how the three countries can work together to promote this concept.Gokhale also stated that Prime Minister Modi felt ...
DAC approves purchase of BrahMos, armoured vehicles
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Saturday approved the procurement of equipment worth Rs 3,000 crore which included the BrahMos missile for Navy ships and Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) for the Army's main battle tank Arjun.
Pak against "negative propaganda campaign" against Kartarpur Corridor: FO
Pakistan on Saturday said the Kartarpur Corridor initiative was taken solely to fulfill the longstanding wishes of "our Sikh brethren" and criticised the "negative propaganda campaign" against the historic move. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who completed 100 days in office, on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor linking two revered gurdwaras on both sides of the border in Kartarpur in Punjab province. Khan used the ceremony, also attended by two Union ministers from India, Harsimrat Kaur and Hardeep Singh Puri, along with Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, to call for steps to resume bilateral talks, including on the Kashmir issue, receiving a sharp reaction from New Delhi which regretted that he used the pious occasion to make unwarranted references to Kashmir, an integral and inalienable part of India. Also, on Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed that Khan bowled a "googly" to ensure the presence of Indian government .
HIGHLIGHTS NORTH 5.45 PM
These are the top stories from the northern region at 5.45 pm NEWDELHI DEL17 PB-LD-SIDHU-MINISTER Chandigarh: A Punjab minister Saturday sought Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation over his jibe at Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, even as the cricketer-turned-politician backtracked on his claim that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had sent him to Pakistan for the Kartarpur corridor event. JODHPUR ELX2 ELE-RJ-JODHPUR CONTEST Jodhpur: As poll campaign gains momentum in Rajasthan, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's home turf Jodhpur is bracing for an interesting fight with the Congress putting all its efforts on 10 seats of the district, of which the BJP had swept nine in the last assembly elections in 2013. JAIPUR ELX7 RJ-POLL-SHAH Jaipur: BJP chief Amit Shah Saturday alleged that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was insulting slain Army soldiers by claiming that the 2016 surgical strike across the LoC was conducted to win the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. JAIPUR DEL8 ...
TDP chief accuses NDA govt of using CBI, IT to harass rivals, create fear
Accusing the NDA government of harassing political rivals through agencies life the CBI and the Income Tax department, TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he joined hands with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders to work in national interest. Speaking during a roadshow in the city, Naidu criticised the NDA government for demonetisation, "faulty implementation" of GST and price rise and alleged that there was a feeling of insecurity. "Today, the government led by Narendra Modiji in the country is indulging in attacking political rivals. They are harassing rivals as per will. "If anyone questions, (they) send Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Income Tax. Attacks on media. Attacks on political leaders. By carrying out attacks on business organisations, creating fear, (they) wish to see that nobody speaks," the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said. Therefore, he said, he spoke to all political parties in the country, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, .
Imran Khan should resign for lying, secretly agreeing to IMF's condition: PML-N
Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing him of lying to the nation and secretly agreeing to the IMF's condition to secure loans that caused the historic devaluation of the country's currency. Pakistani Rupee suffered a massive hit on Friday as the dollar rose to all time high at Rs 144, a day after the government celebrated its 100-day achievements. Experts believe that the devaluation was linked with the government's talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure loan. Recently, the cash-strapped Pakistan's negotiations with the IMF for a bailout package faced difficulties as the international lender sought complete disclosure of Chinese financial support and hiking of energy prices and levying more taxes. "Historic devaluation of rupee (from Rs134 to Rs144 against one US dollar) shows the Imran Khan government has signed the agreement with the IMF without taking anyone onboard," PML-N's ..
India approves acquisition of defence equipment worth $431 million
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has approved the acquisition of defence equipment worth about 30 billion rupees ($431 million), the government said in a statement on Saturday.
Congress ATM of lies, BJP ATM of development: Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday compared the Congress with an automated teller machine (ATM), saying that it was a machine of "lies". "The Congress is an ATM of lies, whereas the BJP is an ATM of development," Shah said, while addressing an election rally in Balotara town in Rajasthan's Barmer district. He said the saffron party was a "development ATM", where problems were resolved once it was brought to notice. Asking the Congress to clear its stand on the Ayodhya dispute, the BJP chief said: "I want to make it clear that the BJP wants to build a grand Ram temple at the earliest (at the disputed site).
Polling for 6th phase of Panchayat polls ends peacefully in J&K
Polling for the 6th phase of Panchayat polls ended peacefully on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir under tight security arrangements.
India's top sugar producing state Uttar Pradesh to keep prices unchanged
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's biggest sugar producing state, Uttar Pradesh, will keep prices that mills must pay to cane growers on hold in the current season, a senior government official told Reuters on Saturday.
Modi used surgical strikes to avoid defeat in UP polls: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he exploited the surgical strikes of 2016 to prevent defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls last year and claimed that the UPA government did three similar strikes but kept them a secret.
Why CBI functionaries making hue and cry: TDP leader on bribery case
A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accused the Andhra Pradesh government of being allegedly non-cooperative in the probe of a bribery case, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Lanka Dinakar on Saturday questioned why certain functionaries of the agency were making a hue and cry over an official, already booked by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)."After the withdrawal of general consent by Andhra government to the CBI, MK Ramneswar, CBIC Superintendent, was booked by the state government's ACB. He was caught with the cooperation of CBI SP, who gave information to the ACB and fully cooperated with the agency. Why are some CBI functionaries raising a hue and cry?" Dinakar told ANI.On Friday, the CBI had shared details of a bribery case and claimed that the Andhra Pradesh government did not provide its consent for timely action against the accused in the case, and instead shared the confidential details with the state ACB.Criticising this alleged ...
Trump reaffirms commitment to hold summit with Kim Jong-un
United States President Donald Trump, who is on an official trip to Argentina to attend the G20 summit, reaffirmed that he is committed to holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un early next year.Appreciating Kim's upcoming visit to Seoul, Trump noted that the trip may create new momentum for efforts to denuclearise North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Yonhap News Agency.Meanwhile, Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.While talking about the bilateral meeting, Moon's top press secretary Yoon Young-chan said, "While affirming his commitment to holding a second North Korea-U.S. summit early next year, President Trump asked that South Korea and the U.S. closely cooperate so the next summit will be another historical milestone in the process of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula."Last month at a press conference, Trump had expressed hope that he would meet Kim early next ...
Rahul Gandhi daydreamer: Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday said that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was a daydreamer and asserted that the saffron party was too strong to be defeated in Rajasthan.Addressing an election rally at Phalodi, Shah said, "While returning from Mangalore, I saw Rahul Baba on TV, saying the Congress will form the government in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. As soon as I heard it, I tried to find out if it were day or night. No one is prohibited to dream, but do we dream during the daytime."Stating that it is impossible to defeat the BJP in Rajasthan, Shah said, "BJP's foothold in Rajasthan is like Angad's foot, which cannot and will not be shaken." Angad is an important character in the Hindu epic Ramayana.Talking about the surgical strikes, Shah said that before the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes after the terror attack in Uri, there were only two nations-US and Israel who were known for taking revenge of their martyred soldiers."India, however, became ..
CBI chargesheets Hooda, Vora, AJL in re-allotment of institution plot
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, senior Congress leader Motilal Vora and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in connection with the alleged re-allotment of an institutional plot in Panchkula.As per the reports, cases of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy were filed for their alleged involvement in the irregularities in the allotment of the plot (C-17) in Sector 6, in Panchkula.The CBI filed the charge sheet in the Court of Special Judge under 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy), 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 (2) R/W and 13 (1) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.Vora, however, termed the filing of charge sheet as "dirty politics" and said that he would respond in the court in this regard."As General Elections are slated for next year, the ruling party has started dirty politics to retain power. However, whatever charge sheet is filed against
Former US President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 (Roundup)
George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the US who is best known for sanctioning the Gulf War, presiding over the fall of the Berlin Wall and steering America through the end of the Cold War, has died at the age of 94 in Houston.