Page 2491 - Politics
South Korea dismantles guard posts with dynamite, excavators
South Korea is dismantling frontline guard posts with dynamite and excavators as part of its agreements to lower military tensions with North Korea. The two Koreas last week completed withdrawing troops and firearms from some of their guard posts along their border before dismantling them. The steps are part of their tension-reduction agreements signed in September. South Korea's military on Thursday invited journalists to watch the destruction of a guard post with dynamite on the central border town of Cheorwon. Plumes of thick, black smokes billowed from the site. The military later allowed the journalists to watch soldiers bulldozing a guard post with construction equipment. The two Koreas have agreed to dismantle or disarm 11 of their guard posts each by the end of this month.
Justice Department and CNN spar over Acosta's press pass
President Donald Trump's administration is trying to fend off a legal challenge from CNN and other outlets over the revocation of journalist Jim Acosta's White House "hard pass." US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments Wednesday afternoon from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department. The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta's press credentials which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex. Kelly said he would announce his decision Thursday afternoon. Acosta has repeatedly clashed with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. But the dynamic devolved into a near-shouting match during a combative press conference last week following midterm elections in which Republicans lost control of the House. Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn't want to hear anything more from him. Trump called Acosta a ...
China coercing India, Japan to exert its "illegitimate" influence : US report
The security and wellbeing of the US are at a greater risk than at any time in decades, a report has said, acknowledging that China presents a "daunting" challenge to US' supremacy as Beijing coerces American allies like India and Japan to exert its "illegitimate" influence. A congressionally mandated panel tasked with examining and making recommendations with respect to the National Defense Strategy Commission (NDSC) said the rivals and adversaries are challenging the US on many fronts and in many domains. Observing that America's ability to defend its allies, its partners, and its own vital interests is increasingly in doubt, the report said that if the US does not act promptly to remedy these circumstances, the consequences will be grave and lasting. "The security and wellbeing of the United States are at greater risk than at any time in decades. America's military superiority the hard-power backbone of its global influence and national security has eroded to a dangerous degree,"
Ashish Kundra appointed new Mizoram chief electoral officer
The Election Commission Thursday appointed IAS officer Ashish Kundra as poll-bound Mizoram's new chief electoral officer, replacing S B Shashank. The order came after some civil society groups in Mizoram demanded Shashank's ouster over a row on allowing Bru voters lodged in Tripura relief camps to exercise their franchise from there. "The Election Commission of India in consultation with the Government of Mizoram hereby nominates Ashish Kundra as the chief electoral officer for the state of Mizoram with immediate effect," a notification issued by the EC said. The EC had earlier asked the Mizoram government for a panel of names to replace Shashank. Mizoram goes to polls on November 28.
Message to Trump: Focus on the economy already
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A week after his Republican Party lost majority control in the U.S. House of Representatives to Democrats, President Donald Trump is getting advice from economists and investors to sharpen his focus on a possible winning issue for him as the 2020 White House campaign gets under way: the economy.
Party to decide my constituency: Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief Sachin Pilot on Thursday said that it was up to the party high command to decide from where he would be contesting the December 7 assembly elections.On Wednesday, the Congress had announced that former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot would be contesting the ensuing Rajasthan Assembly elections.Ever since the announcement was made, the party workers from Jaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Bundi, Kota, and Tonk among others have been urging Pilot to contest from their areas.However, Pilot stated that he had left the final decision on the party high command. "It is the party's decision that I have to contest the elections. I am a diligent party worker. I have left the decision of choosing my constituency to the party," Pilot told ANI.He further said that the party has done a lot of brainstorming over the list of candidates which will be out soon. "It is a good sign that most of the leaders and party workers have agreed to ...
Modi government, RBI set for uneasy truce: sources
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's government and its central bank are getting close to ironing out some of their policy differences, said two sources familiar with the discussions, as they seek to defuse worsening tensions that had threatened to unnerve investors.
President, PM greet Jharkhand on Statehood Day
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended their greetings to the people of Jharkhand on their Statehood Day on Thursday.
Pence emphasises US commitment to Asean partnership, security
US President Mike Pence on Thursday reiterated Washington's firm commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during the bloc's annual summit here.
Trudeau says Canada to work with China on eventual free trade deal
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday his country would work with China towards a free trade deal.
South African President likely to be Chief Guest at Republic Day
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to be the chief guest at the 2019 Republic Day parade here, sources said. Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended an invitation to US President Donald Trump, but he expressed his inability citing "scheduling conflicts."Cyril Ramaphosa will be the second leader from South Africa to attend India's Republic Day parade as the chief guest. Former President Nelson Mandela was the chief guest at the 1995 Republic Day parade.South African President Ramaphosa is a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. A few months back, he led as many as 5,000 people at the annual 'Gandhi Walk' event organized at Lenasia, a few kilometers away from Johannesburg in an attempt to promote fitness and community awareness.India and South Africa are making efforts to develop bilateral relations in order to boost trade and investment relations. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit held in Johannesburg. During the ...
Shamli DM transferred over discrepancies in counting of votes
RLD MP Tabassum Hasan Thursday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to transfer the Shamli district magistrate over charges of irregularities during counting of votes in the Kairana by-polls. Speaking to reporters here, she noted that her party had filed a complaint with the poll body after she found discrepancies in the margin of votes polled in her favour in the by-polls held in May this year. The Election Commission has found lapses on part of District Magistrate/Returning Officer Inder Vikram Singh during the Kairana by-polls in May 2018, an official said. Singh has been transferred on the direction of the poll body, he said. Akhilesh Kumar was posted as the new district magistrate of Shamli on November 13, the official added.
Pak certainly needs to do more in its fight against terrorism : US
Pakistan certainly needs to do more in its fight against terrorism and the Trump administration expects Islamabad to act against terror groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba in same way as it did against al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, a top American official has said. State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Alexander Sales said during a Congressional hearing that the US was "very concerned" over the support for terrorism in any region of the world. "And I can tell you we have communicated to the Pakistani government at the highest levels that we expect them to do more just like we expected them to act with us after 9/11," Sales said on Wednesday. "Pakistan has in the past been a very effective counterpart in taking the fight to al-Qaeda. We need them to do the same thing with respect to the Haqqanis, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the other terrorist groups that are active in the region," he said. Sales said Pakistan "certainly needs to do more" in the fight ...
Signature Bridge scuffle: Kejriwal named as accused in Manoj Tiwari's FIR
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named as an accused in a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Delhi Police on the complaint of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit chief and Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari in connection with the scuffle that took place during the inauguration ceremony of Signature Bridge.On November 4, Tiwari got into a brawl with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and the Delhi Police at the event after which he wrote to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North- East Delhi and filed a complaint against AAP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Amanatullah Khan, Kejriwal and unknown persons. Khan was caught on camera shoving Tiwari during the inauguration ceremony of the Signature Bridge.In a video footage of the incident, Tiwari was seen standing at the edge of an elevated platform when Khan, an AAP MLA from Okhla, pushed the BJP's Delhi unit chief, nearly causing him to fall. A large number of police personnel and AAP workers were also ...
African leaders meet for 'last push' on AU reforms
African leaders are set to gather this weekend for a special summit aimed at pushing through long-debated reforms to their pan-continental body. The changes seek to streamline and empower the African Union -- an ambitious call for an organisation often seen as toothless and donor-dependent, and analysts say time for forging a deal is short. Egypt, which will assume the chairmanship of the AU early next year, has little interest in the reforms, they say. The special summit is being held at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa this Saturday and Sunday at the insistence of Rwandan President Kagame, the pioneer of the reforms. Elissa Jobson, head of African advocacy for the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank, described the talks as a "last push" to enact as many changes before Kagame's one-year term as chairman expires in January. "The concern there is that Egypt is very unlikely to push the reforms forward, even if it doesn't try to reverse them," she said. Long criticised for ...
'Undeclared war' between Afghanistan, Pak must end: Ghani
Asserting that Islamabad's support to violence has not benefitted either Pakistan or Afghanistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the "undeclared war" between the two neighbours must end. Ghani said the spectre of violence needs to be removed and that Pakistan needs to support direct discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban. "The undeclared war between Afghanistan and Pakistan must end," he told a Washington audience through video conference from Kabul. "We have not supported any movement against Pakistan from Afghanistan. The Afghan soil is not being used. We've exercised immense restraint and control because we seek a cooperative relationship," Ghani said in response to a question at the School of Advanced international Studies of the John Hopkins University on Monday. Of the view that there is a need to define "what is a normal relationship" between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said Kabul can offer a lot in the way of cooperation. "We are the key to ...
Duterte defends need to 'power nap' after summit no-shows
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday made light of his penchant for daytime dozes after his office said "power naps" had caused the gruff leader to miss a number of key meetings at a Singapore summit. Duterte is attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting alongside a string of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin, Japan's Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and US Vice-President Mike Pence. But on Wednesday, the mercurial leader missed four of the eleven meetings he was slated to attend, as well as a gala dinner hosted by Singaporean leader Lee Hsien Loong. "What's wrong with my nap?" the 73-year-old told reporters as he arrived at the summit venue on Thursday morning for another long day of meetings. Asked if he felt fully rested he replied: "Still not good enough, but enough to sustain the endurance for the last days." Duterte's no-shows on Wednesday prompted a statement from his office explaining he had only had three hours .
PM Modi participates in ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit in Singapore
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday participated in the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit in Singapore and underlined the need for maritime cooperation and centrality of trade for the prosperity of the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Modi began his two-day visit to Singapore Wednesday by delivering his keynote address at the prestigious Fintech Festival. He also held separate bilateral meetings with the premiers of Singapore, Australia and Thailand and discussed ways to further strengthen ties, including in areas of trade, defence and security. "PM Narendra Modi participated at ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit in Singapore. Reaffirmed cooperation in maritime domain and centrality of trade and investment towards prosperity of Indo-Pacific," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. "Had a great interaction with ASEAN leaders at the ASEAN-India Informal Breakfast Summit. We are happy that ties with ASEAN are strong and are contributing to a peaceful and ...
Quad countries to hold talks in Singapore: US
Senior officials of the 'Quad' countries India, Japan, Australia and the US are meeting in Singapore on Thursday to reaffirm a "shared commitment" to strengthen an Indo-Pacific region, the United States said. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs W Patrick Murphy will represent the United States at the US-Australia-India-Japan Consultations, an official statement said Wednesday. The consultations are being held to reaffirm a shared commitment to maintain and strengthen an Indo-Pacific region based on clear and transparent rules, with respect for international law, the State Department said. While in Singapore, Wells will also take part in bilateral engagements with other partners on the margins of the East Asia Summit.
PM Modi to attend ASEAN-India summit, EAS today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Breakfast Summit, followed by the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on Thursday."The ASEAN meetings, they are annual meetings and they are very integral part of our diplomatic calendar. It is where India engages with the ASEAN countries essentially because we have a very active Act East Policy, we have continued engagements with our Eastern neighbours," Vijay Thakur Singh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) had said at a media briefing on November 12.The 13th East Asia Summit will be held in two segments on Thursday- the East Asia Lunch Retreat followed by the EAS in a plenary setting. Prime Minister Modi will emplane for India after the EAS' conclusion.The EAS is a leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific region comprising all 10 ASEAN member states- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the ...