Page 2347 - Politics
U.S.-China dispute casts shadow as world leaders gather in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The leaders of the world's top economies gathered in Argentina on Friday for talks overshadowed by a U.S.-China trade war that has roiled global markets, bracing for the kind of geopolitical drama U.S. President Donald Trump often brings to the international stage.
Modi meets Chinese President Xi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit here and discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship across all aspects of bilateral ties.
Do not use religion, Kartarpur Sahib to fulfil your evil designs, Harsimrat Badal warns Pakistan
Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Friday warned Pakistan that it should not use the Kartarpur Corridor issue and religion to fulfil its "evil designs" of vitiating the peaceful atmosphere in India and particularly in Punjab. She said the Indian and the Punjab governments are ready to give a befitting response to Pakistan, which needs to build bridges or face further isolation across the world. The minister, who represented India at the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor along with her colleague Hardeep Singh Puri, said the issue was a matter of faith and there is no scope for "one-upmanship" and "petty politics" on it. Her remarks come a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed its prime minister Imran Khan's "googly" forced the Indian government to engage with the country on the Kartarpur Corridor issue. "Going to Sri Kartarpur Sahib was a matter of faith for me. Indulging in one-upmanship on this sacred issue is uncalled for. No one was bowled ..
Bloomberg announces USD 50 million to fight opioid epidemic
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's charity has announced a USD 50 million donation to help fight the nation's opioid epidemic. Bloomberg Philanthropies said over the next three years it will help up to 10 states address the causes of opioid addiction and strengthen prevention and treatment programs. Its initiative involves a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Johns Hopkins University and Vital Strategies. Bloomberg, who has been considering a 2020 Democratic presidential bid, was expected to discuss the funding on Friday during his keynote address at The Bloomberg American Health Summit in Washington. A spokeswoman said there was "no stated link" between his political aspirations and the USD 50 million investment to fight opioids. Bloomberg's charity said CDC data shows there were more than 70,000 US drug overdose deaths last year, including more than 47,000 from opioids, the highest numbers on record. It said those ...
BJP's Tripura ally IPFT to agitate in Delhi for separate state
The IPFT, a ruling ally of the BJP, said Friday that it would organise a rally in Delhi to press for Tripraland, a separate state for tribals, and the scrapping of the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) General Sectary Mangal Debbarma said the decision to hold the mass rally in the second week of December was taken in the executive body meeting of the party recently. Over a thousand of IPFT activists and supporters would hold a sit-in-demonstration and organise a mass rally, Debbarma said. On the sidelines of the demonstrations, a delegation of the party will try to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Sigh, he added. The senior IPFT leader also said that they would observe a dawn-to-dusk strike on December 5 in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to push for their demands. The TTAADC constitutes two third of the state territory and is home to tribals, which form one third of the state ...
Congress joining hands with Naxals to oust PM Modi: BJP
BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao Friday accused the Congress of joining hands with the Naxals to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Congress party has joined hands with Naxalites to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his leadership, Rao told reporters here at a press conference. In his poll rallies, Modi has also accused the Congress of backing 'urban Maoists'. Rao also claimed that Congress has promised Scheduled Caste (SC) status to the Christians in its election manifesto for Telangana. "The promise made in the election manifesto is an open challenge to Indian Constitution. It has pointed fingers on the country's entire system," he said.
US, Canada and Mexico sign deal to replace Nafta
Leaders of the US, Canada and Mexico on Friday signed a new trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) that Donald Trump touted as a huge win for the American economy.
Farmers take protest to country's power centre, non-BJP parties join in show of strength
Thousands of farmers marched through the streets of the capital, chanting slogans and flashing flags, to press their demands like debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce and were joined by social activists and leaders of non-BJP parties in a show of strength near Parliament here. The farmers, who had gathered from various states and camped at the Ramlila ground overnight, started their march around 10.30 am amid heavy policy deployment, only to be stopped at the Parliament Street police station. The government came in for severe criticism for "not implementing a single major initiative for farmers in the past four and a half years". National secretary of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) Asish Mittal said farmers from 24 states joined the protest. Banded under the AIKSCC, which claims to be an umbrella body of 207 organisations of farmers and agricultural workers, many protesters arrived in the city on Thursday, on trains, buses and other modes of
2 senior BJP leaders in Odisha quit party; say they cannot be 'treated as furniture'
In a jolt to the BJP in Odisha, two senior leaders--Dilip Roy and Bijoy Mohapatra--on Friday resigned from the party, saying they cannot be 'treated as furniture' and 'showpieces'. The move by the two BJP leaders came ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and state Assembly elections in 2019. Besides sending a joint resignation letter to BJP president Amit Shah, Roy, who represents Rourkela constituency in the state Assembly, also resigned as an MLA. The development sparked speculation that the two leaders may return to the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), of which both were founding members. While Mohapatra was expelled from the BJD in 2000, Roy was thrown out two years later. Reacting to the development, BJP state unit president Basant Panda said the party would not be affected by the resignation. Roy, once considered by many as the foster son of former chief minister Biju Patnaik, said he called on Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat Friday morning and tendered his resignation from the membership of .
Rahul Gandhi sent me to Pakistan, Amarinder like father to me:
Amid the raging row over his Pakistan visit, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu said Friday it was Congress president Rahul Gandhi who sent him there for attending the foundation laying ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and that he was his "captain". Sidhu's visit had riled Punjab Chief Minister Capt. (retd) Amarinder Singh, who said on record he tried to dissuade Sidhu, a member of his cabinet, following a grenade attack on a religious congregation in Amritsar that left three people dead, but he paid no heed. Singh had blamed Pakistan's spy agency ISI for the attack. "Rahul Gandhi is my captain. It is he who sent me to Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi is the captain of the captain (Amarinder) also," Sidhu told a press conference here when asked about Singh's disapproval of his Pakistan trip. Sidhu said 50-100 Congress leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, Harish Rawat and Randeep Surjewala "patted" him on his back for the visit. The Congress leader, however, ...
Assam declares panchayat election day a holiday
Assam government has declared a public holiday under the Negotiable Instrument (NI) Act in the state's 16 districts going to polls in the first phase of the Panchayat elections on December 5. All Government/Non Government offices, educational institutions and business establishments including banks, tea garden and industries in those 16 districts will remain closed on the day, an official release said Friday. The 16 districts are Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, Majuli, Golaghat, Nagaon, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Morigaon, Kamrup (M) and Kamrup District. Panchayat elections in the state will be held in two phases on December 5 and 9. The counting will take place on December 12.
HP to outsource 2,300 persons to implement schemes
Instead of making regular appointments, the Himachal Pradesh government will outsource 2,300 people to implement various schemes of the Irrigation and Public Health Department, officials said. In a meeting held here Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, HP cabinet has given its consent on the decision, a government official said. The cabinet decided to create a directorate of Disaster Management to support the HP Disaster Management Authority and the State Executive Committee under the Department of Revenue. It decided to create ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation under the control of the Transport Department to oversee the implementation of all the ropeways and mass rapid transportation system projects. The cabinet also gave its nod to make necessary amendments in the HP Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, 1999 for removing certain infirmities in the existing legislation. Besides, the cabinet has ...
TDP MLA resigns from party
In a jolt to the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh, its MLA Ravela Kishore Babu resigned from the party and assembly membership Friday. He is likely to join the Jana Sena Party of actor Pawan Kalyan, according to sources close to the legislator. A first time MLA, Ravela served as social welfare minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet from June 8, 2014 to April 1, 2017. He was sacked for non-performance and his controversial behaviour. He was elected from the Prathipadu Assembly constituency in Guntur district but reportedly never maintained cordial relations with the local party leaders. He has been staying away from party affairs for some time now. Babu sent his resignation letter to the Assembly Speakers office Friday evening, party sources said. He also sent a note, addressed to Chandrababu Naidu, to the TDP state office at Guntur, saying he was resigning from the primary membership of the TDP with effect from November 30. He, however, did not give any ...
Mekedatu;oppn AIADMK demands convening of spl assembly session
: The Opposition AIADMK Friday demanded that the ruling Congress immediately convene a special assembly session and adopt a resolution to condemn the Centre for its nod to Karnataka to prepare a Detailed Project Report for building a dam at Mekedatu across Cauvery river. Speaking to reporters here, the party's legislature wing leader A Anbalagan alleged that both the Congress and BJP had been doing injustice to farmers, who depend on the Cauvery for irrigation. He sought to know why the DMK, which announced a protest demonstration on December 4 at Tiruchirapalli over the issue, had not asked its ally, the ruling Congress to convene the special assembly session and adopt a resolution to condemn the nod given to the Karnataka government. He said that the Puducherry Chief Minister should come out with a firm stand to protest the nod given by the Centre to Karnataka government to construct the reservoir. Anbalagan also objected to the 'delay' in Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran .
Farooq Abdullah extends support to farmers rally, says Kashmir stands with them
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah extended his support to farmers, who have gathered here to press for their demands, and urged people to join hands to overthrow the BJP government in the upcoming elections. The national conference leader joined several leaders from the opposition parties at Jantar Mantar in the national capital where thousands of farmers from across the country have gathered to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce. Abdullah, in his address at the venue, said Kashmir was a part of India and would always remain a part of it, and added, "Kashmiris are standing with farmers and support them in their rights". "We all know your plight. We know how you spend everything on your farms and when you do not get the right produce you have to starve. The farmers' movement to Delhi is a wake up call for the government," he said. He also said the Muslims were not against the Ram temple. "Muslims are not ...
Anti-corruption bureau nabs excise official on graft charges
The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau Friday nabbed a Central Excise Department official in a bribery case in Machilipatnam, officials said. This comes days after the state government issued an order withdrawing the "general consent" accorded to the CBI under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. This effectivelybanned the Central Bureau of Investigation from exercising its authority in the state. ACB Director General R P Thakur said in a release the Central Tax and Central Excise Superintendent M K Ramaneswar was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 for doing an official favour to a businessman in a GST (Goods and Services Tax) matter. Thakur said the superintendent demanded the bribe from the businessman to not harass him on production of records related to input tax credit and also further auditing of business records. A chemical test conducted on the fingers of the accused yielded positive result, the release said. Ever since he snapped ...
G-20 Summit: PM Modi starts second day with BRICS meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started off his second day here by taking part in the BRICS Leaders Informal Meeting at the Alvear Palace Hotel.Leaders of the other BRICS nations - President of Brazil Mechel Temer, President of China Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President of South Africa, Cyril Maraphosa reached Argentina before the session.Following the meeting, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to arrive at the Centro Costa Salguero, the G-20 Summit venue for a Leaders Retreat and the Plenary session.The Prime Minister is one of the leading speakers at the conference's first session titled 'Putting People First', where he will be touching on women's empowerment.Prime Minister has a meeting slated with Chinese President Xi for the fourth time after the plenary session, following which he shall be meeting with new President of Chile Sebastian Piñera.There will be a Russia, India, China (RIC) Informal Summit in the evening, which will be followed by a cultural ...
U.S., Canada, Mexico sign trade deal after last-minute brinkmanship
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States signed a North American trade pact on Friday after brinkmanship over the final details of the deal continued through the eve of the signing.
'Substandard' bureaucrats from Gujarat in key central govt post: Andhra CM
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu Friday alleged that "substandard" bureaucrats from the Gujarat cadre, holding key central government posts, have destroyed the governance system and left the entire administration demoralised. The all-India bureaucracy has also become "substandard" because these "inefficient" bureaucrats from Gujarat have been appointed to crucial posts at the Centre, Naidu said addressing a day-long conference of district collectors here. "Gujarat is a small state. Delhi is a big place. It has to deal with 29 states. If all the people (officers) are brought from a small place, you will have all inefficient people," the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said. Naidu claimed a majority of Gujarat officers were in crucial positions at the Centre and they were "substandard". Because "these people are substandard, all India level bureaucracy has also become substandard", the chief minister said. The issue came up during a presentation on performance ranking of government ...
Kerala issues media guidelines, opposition fumes
The Kerala government on Friday issued fresh guidelines for the media which the opposition said amounted to gagging the independent press.