Page 2419 - Politics
Saudi prince lands in UAE on first foreign tour since Khashoggi murder
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has embarked on a regional tour starting with the United Arab Emirates, his first official trip abroad since critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder tipped the country into crisis. Prince Mohammed will visit a "number of brotherly" Arab states at the request of his father, King Salman, the royal court said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, without naming the countries. Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed welcomed him on his first stop in the UAE on Thursday, a close ally that is part of a Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Yemen, according to the Emirati state news agency WAM. The prince is also set to travel to the Tunisian capital on Tuesday, a presidential source in Tunis told AFP. The regional tour, just before the crown prince is expected to attend the G20 summit in Argentina next week, comes as international pressure has mounted on Riyadh over the grisly murder of Washington Post columnist ...
Shivraj conducts road show, assures to work for MP's welfare
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a road show here on Thursday and asserted that he will continue to work for public welfare and development of the state, without any discrimination.As Chief Minister Chouhan's convoy passed through roads of northern Bhopal, he waved and greeted his supporters lined on either side of his convey.Addressing a public gathering in between the road show, Chief Minister Chouhan said, "I am your chief minister for last 13 years and there has been Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for last 15 years and during all this time on one side we have done development work whereas on the other hand, have left no stone unturned for the welfare of public. We have undertaken welfare work for people irrespective of any religion."He also attacked Congress and claimed that while it has been raising slogans of removing poverty since decades, the party has failed to do anything concrete in this regard."Since Indira Gandhi's tenure ...
Trump hints could make first visit to troops in Afghanistan
US President Donald Trump has hinted he might soon visit American troops in Afghanistan for the first time. Addressing service members in a Thanksgiving telephone conference on Thursday, the president told one colonel deployed to the country: "I'll see you back when you're in the United States or maybe I'll see you over there." Questioned later by journalists on whether he would make the trip, the president simply said: "At the appropriate time, we'll be doing some very interesting thing." While 14,000 US military personnel remain deployed in Afghanistan 17 years after the war began in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Republican president has yet to make a visit after nearly two years in office. Presidential trips to conflict zones are usually kept secret until the last minute. Trump also said the US is currently in "very, very strong negotiations" regarding Afghanistan. "We are talking about peace," he said, without explicitly confirming if those talks were directly ...
Russia may deploy missiles on allies' territory: lawmaker
A senior Russian lawmakers says that Moscow could deploy missiles on the territory of its allies if the U.S. stations such weapons in Europe. Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, said Thursday that the US intention to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty could herald the way for deployment of missiles banned by the pact to Europe. He warned that if such deployment happens, Russia will target US missiles with its weapons. Kosachev added that Russia may also respond to such a move by deploying similar missiles closer to its neighbors and, "if necessary, on the territories of our allies." The lawmaker said those options are hypothetical and Russia still hopes that the INF Treaty can be preserved.
Iran waives visa-stamping rules in bid to boost tourism
Iranian media is reporting that the country has implemented a measure allowing officials to waive rules relating to stamping visas in foreigners' passports. The Thursday report by Seday-e Miras, a news website affiliated to the country's tourism department, said the decision is aimed at increasing visits by tourists. Since 2015, people that have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen have faced restrictions when applying for visas to visit the United States. In June, Former NATO chief Javier Solana's online application to enter the U.S. was rejected for having previously traveled to Iran. Other countries, including Israel, have applied similar measures.
UK group Bellingcat names Russian suspect in Montenegro plot
Investigative group Bellingcat and Russian website 'The Insider' claim they have identified a second Russian GRU military intelligence officer involved in a 2016 coup attempt in Montenegro. Montenegro's prosecutors have accused two Russian GRU officers of organizing the botched coup attempt in order to prevent the small Balkan nation from joining NATO. Russia has opposed Montenegro's bid as part of the alliance's expansion eastward, but denied any involvement in the plot. Montenegro joined NATO in June. Bellingcat and 'The Insider' had previously said the first GRU suspect was Eduard Shishmakov. On Thursday, they said they had determined the real name of the second suspect, who only had been known to Montenegro prosecutors under his cover identity, Vladimir Popov. They said the officer's true name is Vladimir Moiseev.
Trump says prepared for G20 meeting with China's Xi
US President Donald Trump insisted Thursday he was "very prepared" for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next week at the G20 summit in Argentina, and suggested a deal could be reached to end the trade war. The president will meet Xi on the sidelines of the summit, which is taking place from November 30 to December 1 in Buenos Aires. "I have been preparing for it all my life," he told journalists at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he gave a lengthy press conference after a Thanksgiving day telephone address to US troops deployed overseas. "I know every ingredient, every stat. I know it better than everybody knows it. My gut is always right," he said of his preparations. Beijing and Washington have been locked in a trade war since this summer, with the US imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese goods worth USD 250 billion per year. In retaliation, China imposed tariffs on USD 110 billion of US goods. Washington has threatened to toughen measures even further if .
Iran says no trust in Trump's US for new nuclear talks
Iran sees no point in fresh nuclear talks with the US without guarantees it will not renege on any deal made, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May, branding the deal to restrict Iran's nuclear work a "disaster". Iran continues to stick to the terms of the deal, and European nations also continue to support it and engage with Iran. But Zarif said that without guarantees, Trump's US could not be trusted for any further talks. "If we are to make an agreement with the United States, what is the guarantee that the agreement will last after the flight? You remember Canada?" he said, referring to Trump's withdrawal of his signature from a G7 summit closing statement in June after his plane left host Canada. "How are we to be confident that the signature stays on the paper?" Zarif told the MED Dialogues conference in Rome. Sweeping new American sanctions against Iran, which ...
Trump issues Thanksgiving threat to close US-Mexico border
President Donald Trump made a Thanksgiving Day threat to close the US border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines that its southern ally has lost "control" on its side. Trump also said he has given the thousands of active-duty troops he sent to the border before the Nov. 6 midterm elections the "OK" to use lethal force against migrants "if they have to." And he said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, whom he has faulted for not being tough enough on immigration, is "in there trying." "It's a tough job," he said. The president would not discount the possibility of a partial government shutdown early in December over lawmakers' refusal to allocate the billions of dollars he is demanding for a border wall, the central promise of his 2016 campaign. "Could there be a shutdown? There certainly could, and it will be about border security, of which the wall is a part," Trump said. Trump made the comments in a wide-ranging ...
Chandrababu Naidu condemns dissolution of J-K assembly
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir assembly is the "epitome of fascist acts" of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders at the Centre."We strongly condemn the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir assembly before completion of its tenure. It is undemocratic and anti-constitutional. This is against the federal spirit. It is an evidence of Bharatiya Janata Party dictatorial and feudal acts. The entire nation, all political parties, mass organisations should condemn the act in unison," he said.Training his guns against Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, Naidu said the latter should have at least considered People's Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti's request to form the government instead of dissolving the assembly.Substantiating his point further, he asserted, "The hand of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders at the center is evident in events like Fax machine not working in the Raj Bhavan, governor etc. It ...
German car bosses willing to attend White House meeting - sources
BERLIN (Reuters) - The heads of Volkswagen , BMW and Daimler are ready to attend a meeting at the White House with the Trump administration, but have not yet received a formal invitation, industry sources said on Thursday.
Iran still complies with nuclear deal, says IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday confirmed that Iran is sticking to the 2015 nuclear accord.
No crisis in the state government after senior leader's resignation:Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinammol Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said there is "no crisis" in the government after party's senior leader Sovan Chatterjee resigned from the cabinet and city Mayor's post.
Swaraj interacts with Indian diaspora, highlights strengthened India-Laos relations
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj interacted with the Indian diaspora here on Thursday on the sidelines of her two-day visit to the nation during which she is slated to co-chair the 9th Meeting of India-Lao PDR Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation with her Laos counterpart."Highlighting the civilizational and cultural linkages. EAM @SushmaSwaraj addressing the Indian community in #LaoPDR. Appreciated the role of the community in acting as a bridge to strengthen India - Lao PDR relations," the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Raveesh Kumar tweeted.The function started off with the rendition of Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan 'Vaishnav Jan To', sung by Laotian singer Phonesavanh Lathavong 'Namfone'.Keeping with her tradition of interacting with the Indian diaspora regardless of which nation she visits, Swaraj highlighted the strong relations between the ASEAN nation and India. She also underscored the Indian government's work both domestically ..
PPP lauds India, Pak governments for Kartarpur Corridor
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), lauded the governments of India and Pakistan's decision to open the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims on Thursday.Zardari claimed that his mother, late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, had first proposed to grant a visa-free corridor to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib from the International border with India."Recognising the decision as the fulfillment of the dream of former Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto after a quarter century, he recalled that Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had first proposed to grant a visa-less free corridor to Kartarpur shrine from the Indian border. Since then Sikh devotees had been impressing upon the Government of India to accept Pakistan's proposal and facilitate Sikh pilgrims visiting their holy shrine," the media cell of PPP stated.Quoting the Chairman, the media cell further mentioned, "Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP always stood for people to .
Satya Pal Malik is Centre's slave, says Farooq Abdullah
A day after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was dissolved by Governor Satya Pal Malik, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah claimed that the Governor was just a "slave" of the central government."It (dissolution of state assembly) proves that he (Satya Pal Malik) is just a slave of the Centre. If the Centre tells him to sit he will sit and if they tell him to stand up he will do the same. He didn't dissolve the house earlier when we requested while he waited for so long only for the trading of MLAs to be done for the formation of BJP government," Abdullah told reporters here, adding that the institution of Governor now needs to have a relook.Reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Ram Madhav's remark on NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stitching an alliance on the basis of instructions from across the border, Abdullah said that the NC has never waited for Pakistan's signal."Madhav should apologise not only to the people of Jammu and Kashmir but also ..
Development on Kartarpur corridor not in response to Pak proposal, clarifies India
India has clarified that the resolution on the Kartarpur Corridor project was passed by the Union Cabinet after months of deliberation, and not in response to Pakistan's proposal.Sources privy to the matter said that any suggestion that the corridor or the celebrations are being planned as a response to a Pakistani proposal is not only preposterous, but hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community.The Union Cabinet passed the resolution on the Kartarpur Corridor- from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to India-Pakistan International Border - after many weeks of internal consultations and preparation within the government earlier in the day. The resolution is a comprehensive document that contains detailed information on the plans for the celebration of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, not just on the corridor.The source informed that India has asked for the Kartarpur corridor to be opened 365 days in a year for 24 hours. It has also called for removing restrictions, ..
Kejriwal attack: Delhi govt to hold special assembly session on Monday
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday announced that a special session of the Assembly will be held on Monday to discuss the alleged attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and stand of the Centre and Delhi police in the matter.Apart from a discussion on the attack, Sisodia said that the Assembly will also discuss "deletion" of 30 lakh names from Delhi's voter list."A special session of the Assembly will be held on Monday to discuss the attack on the Chief Minister and stand of the Centre and Delhi police. Besides this issue, the deletion of 30 Lakh voters in Delhi, done by the BJP along with the EC, will also be discussed," Sisodia said.On November 20, the Delhi Police arrested the man who allegedly attacked Kejriwal with chilli powder in the Delhi Secretariat.The police further informed that 40-year-old Anil Kumar Sharma, the attacker, was found to be "unstable and incoherent".The Delhi Police, in a statement, had said that the chilli powder, which was found on the
Farmers call off protest after Maharashtra government's assurance
Lok Sangarsh Morcha, which led the farmers' protests at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, called off the protest after getting written assurances on their demands from the Maharashtra Government on Thursday.The government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will address the demands of the farmers within a period of three months.Pratibha Shinde, who leads the Morcha, announced the same in the presence of Maharashtra's Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, who was also present as the representative of the government.The farmers were protesting for the fulfillment of their demands, which included farmland ownership and implementation of the Forest Rights Act. Farmers from across Maharashtra began their march on Tuesday and reached Byculla Bridge in the city this morning.This is the third mass protest of farmers in Maharashtra within a year. Earlier in March, around 25,000 farmers under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha carried out a protest march, demanding a complete farm loan waiver. .
Church denies involvement in Mizoram elections
The Church in poll-bound Mizoram has clarified that it has no role to play in elections as it remains apolitical and doesn't influence voting in any manner.In northeastern states, particularly in the Christian majoritarian state of Mizoram, Churches are said to cast an influence on the voters and are considered as key centers that can make or break the fortune of any political party or candidate. Voters are said to be largely influenced by the view of the Church before going for voting.The Church, however, has clarified that it doesn't interfere in any manner in the election process, adding that it is solely upon the people of the state to decide the fate of political parties through voting.Representatives of various Churches said that they work mainly for the welfare of the people without any political motive. They also said that people are independent to choose any political party of their choice to lead the state."The election should be free and fair and without any influence. The .