Page 2341 - Politics
DAC approves procurements worth Rs 3000 crores, including BrahMos and ARVs
The Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) on Saturday approved procurements of about Rs 3000 crores including BrahMos Missiles for two Indian Navy ships, and Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) for Indian Army's Main Battle Tank Arjun. The DAC meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.As a follow up of the Cabinet Committee on Security's (CCA) decision in October this year for the procurement of four P1135.6 Follow-on Ships, the DAC granted approval for procurement the indigenous BrahMos Missiles for two Indian Navy Ships to be built in Russia as primary weapon on board these ships. The indigenously designed BrahMos Missile is a tested and proven supersonic cruise missile.The DAC also approved the procurement of ARVs for the Indian Army's MBT Arjun. These are designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and would be manufactured by Indian Public Sector Undertaking, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML). ARVs ensure efficient and speedy ...
Satyapal Singh counters Adityanath, says caste system didn't exist in Ramayana
Contrary to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claim of Lord Hanuman being a Dalit, Union Minister Satyapal Singh has said caste system did not exist during the time of Ramayana."During the time of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman, in our country, no caste system was being followed in the society. No one was branded as a Dalit or backward class," he told ANI.Singh, who serves as the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, further said Lord Hanuman belonged to the Arya caste.Hindu Mahasabha chief Swami Chakrapani said Adityanath's comment was an "insult" to gods and goddesses. He has also sent a letter to the Election of Commission urging them to ban the Chief Minister from campaigning for elections."It is an insult of Hindu Sangathan dharma, the way Yogi Adityanath had commented on Lord Hanuman. To involve gods in casteism is their insult. Therefore, I have sent a letter to the Election Commission and asked them to take strict action against those who use God's name for
PM Modi turned surgical strike into political asset, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the surgical strikes into a political asset when it actually was a military decision."Mr. Narendra Modi actually reached into the Army's domain and turned their surgical strikes into a political asset when it actually was a military decision," Rahul said during an interaction with the business community and professionals in Udaipur.The Congress chief further said: "What the Army would have liked was we'll do it and it's beneficial if nobody knows we did it. But Mr. Modi didn't want that as he was fighting an election in Uttar Pradesh where he was about to lose. So, he did so to turn a military asset into a political asset."Appreciating efforts of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul asserted that three surgical strikes were held during his tenure. "Do you know that like Mr Narendra Modi's surgical strike, Manmohan Singh ji did that 3 times? When Army came to Mr Manmohan Singh and said we need to
Saudi prince back on stage to Putin delight, Macron warning
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman showed himself to be no pariah Friday at the G20 summit, with a beaming Vladimir Putin welcoming him but European leaders warning him over the killing of a dissident journalist. Less than two months after Saudi Arabia outraged allies when a hit team murdered Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, Prince Mohammed flew into Buenos Aires to take his place among leaders of the top 20 global economies, a sign that he intends to remain firmly in charge. In an image that quickly went viral online, Russian President Putin and the 33-year-old prince grinned broadly and gave each other an effusive handshake as if they were long-lost friends reunited at the G20. Their embrace comes amid reports that Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached a pact to cut oil production when the OPEC cartel meets on December 6 in Vienna, to help shore up collapsing crude prices. Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, told reporters that Putin .
Ex-US President George H.W. Bush dead
George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the US and father of the 43rd who steered the nation through a tumultuous period in world affairs, has died at the age of 94 in Houston, his family said in a statement on Saturday.
Tweaking data as in an Orwellian world (Column: Political Circus)
The British magazine, The Economist, once wrote about the Chinese growth figures being stir-fried. Is India emulating China in keeping with the "Wuhan spirit"?
'Dec 6 crucial for RLSP-NDA ties'
BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on said on Saturday said he will take a final call by December 6 on whether to continue with the NDA or walk out.
China, US showdown looms on trade at fractious G20
The United States and China, the world's two largest economies, will see Saturday if they can find a breakthrough to exit a spiraling trade war as their presidents meet at a tense G20 summit. With markets watching nervously, US President Donald Trump has described the Buenos Aires summit of the 20 leading economic powers as a deadline for China to meet his demands or risk even further pressure. The summit itself, with leaders from France, Russia and Saudi Arabia among those attending, has been struggling to carve out any accord on fighting climate change while hot-button disputes such as Ukraine loom large. Trump, who has already slapped $250 billion in tariffs on China, sounded upbeat about making progress with his counterpart Xi Jinping after weeks of dire warnings. "We're working very hard. If we could make a deal, that would be good," Trump told reporters Friday as he met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the first of the summit's two days. "I think they want to, and I think ..
Former US president George H W Bush dies
George H W Bush, the 41st president of the US who led America during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the turning back of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, died on Friday. He was 94. His death, which was announced by his office, came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush. "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," George Bush Jr, who went on to serve as the 43rd US president, said in a statement. He was "a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. 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, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens," Bush Jr added. President Bush was suffering from Parkinson's disease that forced him to use a wheelchair in recent years, and he had been in and out of hospitals in recent months as his health declined. There were ...
J&K bars Hurriyat meet, puts Mirwaiz under house arrest
A n one-day Hurriyat session on Saturday here was disallowed by the Jammu and Kashmir authorities, who also placed separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest.
Modi-Macron to meet on G20 sidelines amidst Rafale row
French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina on December 1.Confirming the news, the Ambassador of France to India, Alexandre Ziegler tweeted, "Glad to confirm that PM Modi @PMOIndia will meet PR Macron @EmmanuelMacron on sidelines of the #G20 tomorrow afternoon in Argentina."The high-level engagement comes amidst the Rafale deal row. India's main Opposition party, the Congress, has been accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government of irregularities in the high-profile defence fighter jets contract. They have claimed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is procuring the aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore each as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.Rahul Gandhi, the chief of the Congress party, had alleged that Dassault (the makers of the jet) invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil ...
G-20 enters final day with work to do on bridging divisions
The Group of 20 summit enters its crucial second and final day Saturday with hours left for diplomats to bridge divisions on major issues including world trade, climate change and tackling migration. The day will also see a highly anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose nations have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now. The divisions among the world's leading economies were evident from the moment Argentina's president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planet's problems. Trump sought to use the gathering to make his own trade deals. Meanwhile, two men under heavy criticism from the West lately Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appeared to seek refuge in each other, bonding with a tough-guy hand grab as the leaders sat down around a huge round table for ...
Former US president George Bush, head of political dynasty, dead at 94
George H.W. Bush -- the upper-crust war hero-turned-oilman and diplomat who steered America through the end of the Cold War as president and led a political dynasty that saw his son win the White House -- died Friday. He was 94. George W. Bush called his father a "man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," in a statement announcing his death. "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, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens." Bush's passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife and revered first lady Barbara Bush -- his "most beloved woman in the world" -- to whom he was married for 73 years. The 41st American president was a foreign policy realist who navigated the turbulent but largely peaceful fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 and assembled an unprecedented coalition to defeat Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein two years ...
India, Russia, China hold trilateral after 12 years; call for reforming multilateral institutions
Leaders of India, China and Russia have called for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN and WTO, as they underscored the benefits of a multilateral trading system and an open world economy for global growth and prosperity during a trilateral meeting they held after a gap of 12 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the trilateral meeting, the second among the three countries after a gap of 12 years, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here to discuss cooperation in various areas. "Excellent meeting of the RIC (Russia, India, China) Trilateral. President Putin, President Xi Jinping and I discussed a wide range of subjects that would further cement the friendship between our nations and enhance world peace," Modi said. The Russia-India-China (RIC) meeting came hours after Prime Minister Modi, his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump held their first trilateral meeting on the ...
Rajasthan polls: Congress, BJP to slug it out for ten seats in Gehlot's home turf
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. The Congress has given tickets to eight new candidates, while retaining Gehlot from Sardarpura and Hira Ram from the Bilada constituency. On the other side, BJP has repeated all its sitting legislators in the nine seats it had won last time. On the one seat the saffron party lost last time, Gehlot's Sardarpura, the party has again fielded the candiate who had fought against the Congress heavyweight five years ago. BJP has pitted Shambu Singh Khetasar opposite Gehlot, who was defeated in the 2013 election by 18,478 votes. Khetasar is the chairman of the State Seed Corporation and enjoys a ministerial status in the current BJP government. "Sardarpura is a strong bastion of Gehlot. He has been elected from this ..
Former US President George H W Bush passes away at 94
The 41st President of the United States of America, George H W Bush, passed away on November 30 (local time, December 1 IST).Jim McGrath, the Spokesman for Bush tweeted a statement issued by the former President's son, the 43rd President George W Bush."Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. 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, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens," read the statement.The 41st President held his post from 1989 and 1993 and steered the foreign policy of the United States in the face of the collapse of the USSR.He was a World War II veteran and was wheel-chair bound in his last days.He suffered from vascular Parkinsonism, however specific cause behind his death is unclear as of yet.
Maha to demarcate Cuffe Parade Koliwada in Mumbai: Minister
The Maharashtra government would soon carry out the demarcation of Koliwada fishermen's colony in the Cuffe Parade business district in south Mumbai, the Legislative Council has been told. Replying to a calling attention motion tabled by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLC Rahul Narvekar Friday, Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said a committee constituted for effecting a survey and demarcation of fishermen colonies in Mumbai has completed the work to measure external boundaries of seven such clusters. "A locality with significant numbers of fishermen at Cuffe Parade will be declared as a fishermen's colony as a special case and its measurement and demarcation will be carried out," he said. The minister said the officers in the fisheries department will be consulted and a decision in the matter will be taken after verifying the records. "Similarly, a meeting of all the concerned will be convened to discuss the problems of the fishermen in such colonies," he said.
N.Korean soldier defects to Seoul across militarised border
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Saturday across the eastern part of the militarised border separating the two countries, according to defence officials here.
Raninder is first Indian to be elected international shooting body's vice-president
Raninder Singh has become the first Indian to be elected one of the four vice-presidents of the International Shooting Sport Federation. The 51-year-old Raninder also heads the National Rifle Association of India. The former trap shooter bagged 161 votes to occupy the coveted post, while Kevin Kilty of Ireland received 162 votes, USA's Robert Mitchell got 153 votes and Republic of China's Wang Yifu was re-elected with 146 votes in Munich. Last year, Raninder was re-elected president of the NRAI for a four-year term with an overwhelming mandate in Mohali. In 2014, Raninder got 22 out of 25 votes in the General Assembly meeting at Munich, becoming the first from the country to be elected as a member of the global body representing the sport of shooting. On Friday, the NRAI president was awarded the ISSF diploma of honour gold medal at the general assembly. He was presented with the diploma and medal by the outgoing longest serving president of the ISSF, Olegario Vazquez Rana, who was at
J-K: Sixth phase of Panchayat elections underway
In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, polling for the sixth phase of Panchayat elections has begun. Voting, which commenced at 8 am, will end at 2 pm today.Voters were seen queuing up outside polling booths in Harwan constituency of Srinagar as well as Udhampur's Malhar polling station, amongst others, in order to exercise their franchise. In Rajouri, too, voters were seen waiting to cast their votes.Furthermore, security personnel were seen manning the polling booths in order to keep a check on law and order in the region.A total of 7,156 candidates are in the fray for 6 Sarpanches and 2277 Panches in this phase. Moreover, an electorate of 5,97,396 will be voting for Sarpanch constituencies while 4,57,581 electorate will vote for Panch constituencies.The Election Commission has categorised 771 polling stations as hypersensitive, of which 410 are in Kashmir Division and 361 in Jammu Division.Basic minimum facilities have been ensured in all polling booths for facilitating the voters. ...