Page 2514 - Politics
PM Modi to meet US VP Mike Pence in Singapore
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United States Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed.Addressing a presser here, Secretary (East) in the MEA, Vijay Thakur Singh said, "We can confirm that a meeting will take between the Prime Minister and the US Vice President on November 14. We will brief you later about the meeting and the outcomes of that meeting."Delving on Prime Minister Modi's two-day visit to Singapore, Singh said that this would be Prime Minister's second visit to the island nation. Previously, he undertook a visit to Singapore in June."He will leave for Singapore on 14th morning and leave for Delhi late afternoon of 15th November. His first engagement would be a keynote address in the Singapore FinTech festival, where there is an Indian pavilion. It is one of the largest festivals. This year's FinTech festival will be the third edition. This will be the first ..
Telangana BJP chief files nomination from Musheerabad seat
Telangana unit Bharatiya Janata Party president (BJP) Dr Laxman filed his nomination papers from Musheerabad Assembly seat on Monday.After filing the nomination Laxman told the media, "I am the first person to file nomination from Musheerabad constituency. I am confident and hopeful that the people of Musheerabad will support me. People have witnessed four and a half years of KCR family's rule. Now they want to get rid of them."The Telangana State Assembly was dissolved prematurely by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The Assembly elections in the state are due to be held on December 7 to elect 119 MLAs from across the state.
Cong continues consultations on finalising candidates
: The Congress Monday continued its consultations on finalising candidates for the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and state party leaders held talks with the party leadership in Delhi Monday. Reddy told reporters in Delhi that discussions were on. The process of filing nominations began Monday with the Election Commission issuing notification for the polls. The last date for submitting nominations is November 19. Congress has teamed up with TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) to form a "grand alliance". Congress had earlier announced its decision to leave 14 seats to TDP, eight to TJS and three to the CPI. However, the CPI has been pushing for at least five seats, though it said it would remain in the alliance. AICC incharge of party affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia said on Thursday last that the first list of candidates for the polls would be released on November 10. There are 119 ...
Canada in talks with Pakistan over possibly taking in Asia Bibi
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned. "We are in discussions with the Pakistani government," Trudeau said in an interview with AFP in Paris, where he was attending a peace conference organised by French President Emmanuel Macron. "There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don't want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country," he said. Bibi has been blocked from leaving Pakistan after the overturning of her conviction prompted a wave of protests among Islamist hard-liners. She has since been flown to a "safe place" in the country as several governments have offered to grant her family asylum. Her husband has appealed in particular to Britain, Canada and the United States, claiming that Bibi's life would be in danger as .
Modi pays last respects to Ananth Kumar
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his last respects to Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar, who passed away here in the early hours of Monday. Modi flew in here from Varanasi and drove straight to the residence of Kumar at Basavanagudi, where the body was kept and consoled his family members. The Prime Minister laid a wreath on the mortal remains of Kumar. He consoled Kumar's wife Tejaswini and his two daughters Vijeta and Aishwarya. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa were also present. Earlier, Modi was received at the HAL airport by the Governor and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Centre withdraws its nominees from IIM Boards
The Union government on Monday approved the process of constitution of Board of Governors for the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in accordance with the IIM Act 2017.
Turkey slams 'unacceptable' French comments over Khashoggi probe
Turkey on Monday slammed as "unacceptable" comments by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of playing a "political game" over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey had shared recordings linked to the Saudi journalist's murder last month with Riyadh, as well as the United States, France, Britain and other allies, without giving details of the tapes' specific content. In an interview with France 2 on Monday, Le Drian said he "for the moment was not aware" of any information transmitted by Ankara. Asked if the Turkish president was lying, he said: "It means that he has a political game to play in these circumstances." His comments provoked fury in Ankara. "We find it unacceptable that he accused President Erdogan of 'playing political games'," communications director at the Turkish presidency Fahrettin Altun told AFP. "Let us not forget that this case would have been already covered up had it not been for ...
'RSS leader's statement that age proof of women police
: The Opposition Congress Monday termed as 'shocking', RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri's remarks that he and some others had checked the age proof of women police officers at Sannidhanam (temple complex) at Sabarimala on November 6. Thillankeri had yesterday said at a public function that he and others had the "privilege of inspecting the age proof of 15 women police officials deployed at Sabarimala" when the shrine was opened for a special pooja on November 6 on the occassion of Sree Chitira Atta Thirunal. "This statement proves that Sabarimala was under the control of RSS. Thillankeri not only spoke over megaphone of the police, but now it has come to light that he even checked the age proof of women police officials. This is a complete failure of the government," Chennithala alleged. He said that it was a matter of shame that the police was acting "as per the whims and fancies of the RSS." "This affects the morale of the police force. The Chief Minister, who handles the
Anti-BJP front: Guj leader Vaghela meets Sharad Pawar
Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela recently met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar as part of efforts to forge an anti-BJP grand alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabh polls. "Met NCP President Sharad Pawarji and Praful Patelji before few days and shared my support towards Uniting and Strengthening Mahagathbandhan for upcoming National Loksabha Elections," Vaghela tweeted. His aide said Vaghela met Pawar and Patel in Delhi before Diwali. Vaghela had earlier declared that he will act as coordinator between regional parties to forge such a front. As part of the effort, Vaghela has also met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CHief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, his aide Partesh Patel said. Vaghela had told the media that he will meet leaders from different political parties who are opposed to the BJP and work to form a front that can fight against the BJP and its allies ...
US condemns 'sham' elections in Russia-controlled Eastern Ukraine
The United States on Monday dismissed leadership elections in separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine as a "sham" one day after voters cast their ballots. "The United States joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham 'elections' in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. "Yesterday's illegitimate processes were an attempt by Moscow to institutionalize its Donbas proxies, the so-called 'Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
No militancy threat to Punjab: Army chief
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said Monday there was no threat of the revival of militancy in Punjab, but said there was a need to stay alert. "There is not much threat (of revival of militancy) in Punjab, but we need to be alert about it. It is better to be alert than to allow things (to go out of hand)," Rawat told reporters here. The Army chief responding to a question about the threat of revival of militancy in Punjab after recoveries and arrests of some people in various places of the state and the 'Referendum 2020' campaign started by separatist and pro-Khalistan elements from other countries. "The governments were fully aware of this and were taking appropriate action. (The) Union government is taking full action on this. We are fully aware of what is happening. "Punjab Chief Minister (Amarinder Singh) is concerned about this. He is taking action to ensure that this kind of violence does not spread in the state of Punjab," Rawat said. The Army chief said the people of Punjab, ..
Maharashtra soldier cremated with full military honours
An Army soldier from Maharashtra, Keshav S. Gosavi, who was killed in Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday, was cremated with full military honours at his native village Srirampur, on Monday evening, an official said.
28 Air Defence Regiment affiliates with Madras Regiment
The 28 Air Defence Regiment on Monday affiliated with Madras Regiment at an official ceremony at the Madras Regiment Centre at Wellington near here. The Air Defence Regiment was created from the 16th Battalion of Madras Regiment (Travancore) in Hyderabad in 1956 and the 62-year-old alliance came alive during the affiliation ceremony, an official press release said here. The affiliation would lead to inter-arms relations facilitating better training and camaraderie, besides providing an opportunity to understand each other's capabilities and share military knowledge, the release said. The charter of affiliation was signed by Colonel of the Madras Regiment Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghopra and Director General Army Air Defence Colonel Commandant Lieutenant General A P Singh, it said. Commanding Officer 28 Air Defence Regiment attended the ceremony which saw attendance of serving officers, families and veterans, the release said.
BJP's lone Muslim nominee in MP impressed with Chouhan's work
The lone Muslim candidate fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Madhya Pradesh polls Monday said she joined the saffron party as she was impressed by the good work being done by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for all sections of the society. Fatima Rasool Siddique, daughter of former state minister and Congress leader Rasool Ahmed Siddique, said she saw Chouhan, who was heading the BJP government in the state since 2005, as a "secular" politician. She joined the BJP last Thursday and hours later, the 35-year-old got the party ticket to fight the upcoming Assembly polls from the Bhopal North seat against five-time MLA of the Congress, Arif Aqueel, who had contested against her father in 1993. The BJP had fielded a Muslim candidate from Bhopal North, which has a sizebale population of the minority community, in the last Assembly polls also. In the 2013 polls, BJP's Arif Beg had lost to Aqueel by a margin of 7,000 votes. The family of Fatima Siddique, testing electoral
Wickremesinghe vows new alliance to face impending elections
Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced Monday to forge a new political alliance to fight the January 5 general elections even as he dismissed President Maithripala Sirisena's justification for dissolving Parliament, saying no one had feared any bloodshed. Sirisena dissolved Parliament on November 9 and announced snap polls to be held on January 5 next year after it became evident that he did not have enough support in the House to prove the premiership of 72-year-old Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he appointed prime minister after abruptly sacking Wickremesinghe on October 26. The President said the decision to dissolve Parliament was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers and blamed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya for not accepting his presidential powers. Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party (UNP), said his party will form a new alliance with the other parties with a new face to pull the nation out of the present crisis, Daily Mirror ...
Govt decides to expedite implementation of def projects in Arunachal Pradesh
The defence ministry has decided to expedite implementation of key military infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh, particularly in areas bordering China, officials said. They said a number of projects including setting up of an ammunition storage depot and a firing range for the Army near Tawang were pending for the last couple of years due to complexities involved in land acquisition process. They said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her visit to the state last week, reviewed implementation of various military infrastructure projects in the strategically important state, and issued instructions to remove bottlenecks in their expeditious completion. The officials said Sitharaman also reviewed progress in acquisition of around 600 hectares of land near Tawang for a firing range for the Army. The defence minister held a high-level meeting where she emphasised the need for expeditious acquisition of land for the key projects, they said. The meeting was attended by ...
Kejriwal dismayed at Khattar not responding to his Nov 2 letter
After challenging his Haryana counterpart to conduct surprise inspections at Mohalla clinics in the national capital in a recent letter, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent another letter to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Monday expressing dismay at not getting any response to his earlier communique. In the beginning of the month, Kejriwal had written to Khattar expressing his wish to inspect some state-run dispensaries in Haryana on November 12. Further, he had also invited Khattar to visit 'mohalla clinics', which have been set up by the AAP dispensation, to check the "ground reality" of the health institutions of Delhi. "I had written a letter to you on November 2, but received no reply. I felt a little bad about this. No matter how many political differences we may have, it is expected that a chief minister will respond to the letter of another CM," Kejriwal wrote to Khattar in his latest letter. In the communication, the Delhi chief minister mentions about ...
Extremely shocked and saddened by Kumar's death: Advani
Veteran BJP leader L K Advani on Monday expressed extreme shock at the death of Ananth Kumar, who was a core member of his team for a long time, and said the Union minister's demise at such an early age is "even a bigger and irreparable loss to all of us and the country". Advani described Kumar, who died of cancer at the age of 59 years, as a distinguished and outstanding Parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House and who played a significant role in the BJP. "He was a remarkable leader who entered public life at a young age and had tremendous willpower and had carved a special niche for himself in politics," the 91-year-old leader said in a statement. "I am extremely shocked and saddened by the untimely demise of Union Minister Shri Ananth Kumar. Such an early age demise is even a bigger and irreparable loss to all of us and the country," he added. The Karnataka leader was a close confidante of Advani when the latter called the shots in the party. When he was the BJP's .
USD 5.3 billion taken out of Pakistan illegally: Govt
Assets worth USD 5.3 billion have been taken out of Pakistan through illegal means, the government said on Monday. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, Shahzad Akbar, disclosed the figures at a press briefing here. "We have so far identified more than 5,000 fake accounts which were used for money laundering," he said detailing the progress made by Assets Recovery Unit. The Unit was set up by Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring illegal money stashed abroad. "We have found that assets worth USD 5.3 billion were accumulated abroad through alleged money laundering which is equal to Rs 700 billion," he said. He said the focus was on 10 countries including the UK and the UAE. "In Dubai alone, the land authority claims that Pakistanis are the third largest owners of property," Akbar said. He also said that this amount was only tip of the iceberg and more would be unearthed in the ongoing investigations. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on media Iftikhar Durrani said ..
Iran sticking to nuclear deal conditions: IAEA
Iran has been abiding by the terms of its nuclear deal with global powers, the latest report from the UN atomic watchdog indicated Monday, days after fresh US sanctions hit the country. The International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report showed that as of early November, Iran had been complying with the restrictions to its nuclear programme laid down in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Sweeping new American sanctions against Iran, which came into effect on 5 November, have raised fears about whether the deal can survive.