Page 2517 - Politics
Republicans escalate Florida fraud claims amid recount
Senior Republicans on Sunday doubled down on claims by Donald Trump that Democrats were attempting to steal the razor-thin senatorial race in Florida, accusing both the incumbent and election officials of fraud. The intensifying feud comes 18 years after the Sunshine State found itself at the heart of a battle for the US presidency, when George W. Bush prevailed over Al Gore after recounts were halted by the Supreme Court. Republican Rick Scott, the state's governor until January when his term expires, launched into his rival Bill Nelson in his most direct terms to date Sunday, accusing him of orchestrating "fraud to try to win this election" as county officials scrambled to complete a recount by a Thursday deadline. The theme was echoed by prominent Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, escalating a campaign led by the president who said Saturday on Twitter: "Trying to STEAL two big elections in Florida! We are watching closely!" Democrats for their part have accused ...
British FM in Saudi Arabia for talks on Khashoggi, Yemen
British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt held talks Monday with Saudi King Salman, state media said, during a visit to press the kingdom over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the escalating Yemen war. Hunt, who is also expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, discussed the "latest developments in the region" with the 82-year-old monarch, the Saudi Press Agency said. The visit comes amid international outrage over the murder of Saudi insider-turned-critic Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2. "The international community remain united in horror and outrage at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi one month ago," Hunt said ahead of his trip, which includes a visit to the United Arab Emirates. "It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear. "We encourage the Saudi authorities to co-operate fully with the Turkish investigation into his death, so that we deliver justice for his family and the watching ...
No govt role in summoning Badals, Akshay: Punjab CM
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Monday his government had no role in the summoning of the Badals and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar by a special investigation team (SIT) probing a sacrilege and police-firing case three years ago. "The SIT was an independent entity and was functioning without any government interference," Singh said in response to a question after inaugurating the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital here. The government's job was to form the SIT as per the unanimous decision of the Assembly, the chief minister said, adding that the onus of investigation was on the probe team now. The SIT is probing police firings at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in Faridkot in 2015 after a series of sacrilege incidents in the state. Two persons were killed in the firing at Behbal Kalan. On Sunday, it had summoned former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal and actor Akshay Kumar. To a question on the ongoing teachers' protest, the chief minister said the ...
North Korea removes 636 land mines from border: Seoul
North Korea has removed 636 land mines from the truce village of Panmunjom straddling the border with South Korea, Seoul's Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-Doo said on Monday.
Modi to meet US Vice President in Singapore
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to Singapore on November 14-15 for India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS), a senior official said on Monday.
Kerala govt mulling all-party meet on Sabarimala
The Kerala government is likely to convene an all-party meeting to discuss various matters relating to the Sabarimala temple, which has been rocked by the issue of entry of women in the menstrual age, ahead of the annual pilgrim season commencing this week. "We are thinking of having an all-party meeting. We have not taken a final decision yet. There are plans...," Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran told reporters here. The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala opens on November 17 for the two-month long season in the backdrop of continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the temple. A batch of review petitions against the September 28 verdict that ended the ban on entry of women in the 10-50 age group into the shrine, will be heard Tuesday. Surendran said a decision on the all-party meeting would be taken based on the outcome of the court hearing. The temple and nearby areas had witnessed massive protests from ...
Ghanaram Sahu joins BJP
A day after resigning as the vice president of Congress' Chhattisgarh unit, Ghanaram Sahu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Monday in the presence of the party chief Amit Shah.The senior Congress leader resigned on Sunday, a day before the state was heading for the first phase Assembly elections. Sahu cited mental harassment by the party's state president Bhupesh Baghel arising out of personal grudges as the reason for his resignation.Chhattisgarh underwent the first phase of elections on Monday, in 18 constituencies in eight Naxal-affected districts in Bastar region. Out of these 18 seats, 12 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, while one is a Scheduled Caste reserved seat.The polling for remaining 72 constituencies will take place on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 11. A total of 1,291 candidates are in the fray for the two-phased state polls.
Israeli cross-border operation kills 7 in Gaza
A Hamas military commander along with six other Palestinians was killed in a cross-border operation conducted by the Israeli Special Forces in Gaza on late Sunday night.CNN reported that apart from the casualties in Gaza, an unnamed Israeli army officer also lost his life during the operation and moderately wounded a second Israeli soldier. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have identified 10 launches but the actual reason that triggered the escalation of fire is still undisclosed.The ground operation on Sunday was followed by sirens, indicating rocket fire from both the sides of the border.Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two prominent militant groups in Gaza, announced that their fighters were also on high alert, CNN mentioned in its reports.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris last week to commemorate 100 years since the end of First World War, had to cut short his trip after receiving the news of the latest crisis.CNN also confirmed that the .
No straight fight for Cong and BJP in Bundelkhand; SP & BSP add new twists and turns
It's not only the geographical and social features that sets the Bundelkhand region apart from the rest of Madhya Pradesh, leaders believe the electoral politics is also much different here with the fight not being limited to the arch-rivals BJP and Congress. Just like its treacherous hill roads, the region is expected to see an interesting poll battle. Some leaders claim that non-BJP parties have even resorted to 'friendly fights' on some seats to stop the saffron party from taking advantage of non-consolidation of votes for a joint opposition candidate due to complex caste equations in the area dominated by Dalits and other backward castes. Given the geographical and cultural proximity of over two dozen assembly seats in this area to the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, two key political parties with a strong presence in the state across the border -- Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party -- are leaving no stones unturned in challenging the ruling BJP. The four bordering districts of ..
Bangladesh election day pushed back by a week to Dec 30
Bangladesh poll authority on Monday deferred the date for next month's general elections by a week to December 30, a day after the country's main Opposition alliance demanded delaying the polls by a month to allow them to prepare for the poll. Last week, the Bangladesh Election Commission announced that the 11th general election will be held on December 23. The Jatiya Oikya Front a political alliance of opposition parties that includes the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has urged the Election Commission to defer the polls by a month. The BNP, led by imprisoned ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, on Sunday said it would participate in the general election next month, after it boycotted the 2014 polls that returned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League to power. The BNP boycotted last election, citing unfair conditions for the polls. "The 11th general election will be held across Bangladesh on December 30," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda announced while ...
Envoy: Russia plays Afghanistan broker due to US 'failure'
A senior Russian diplomat said Monday that Moscow is trying to be an Afghan peace broker because it considers the U.S. has failed in Afghanistan. Russia's presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said a Moscow conference on Afghanistan Friday that brought together representatives of the Afghan authorities and the Taliban marked an attempt to "take a modest first step toward full-fledged peace talks." Kabulov said Monday that Russia's efforts to help an Afghan peace settlement have been driven not by a desire to undercut the U.S. efforts, but by legitimate security concerns. He emphasized that the continuing fighting in Afghanistan threatens the interests of Russia and its allies in Central Asia. "Afghanistan is close to our underbelly so national interests of Russia and its allies are at stake," Kobulov said at a briefing. "We can't just sit back and watch impassively what's going on, and we have let the U.S. know that it doesn't appear to be successful in settlement ...
Ananth Kumar: staunch RSS man known for political adroitness
A staunch RSS idealogue and long-time BJP member, Union minister Ananth Kumar was the quintessential organisation man who kept Karnataka and the party as the twin focuses of his career. The Parliamentary Affairs minister, who passed away early Monday after battling lung cancer for several months at the age of 59, was the first person to speak in Kannada in the UN in October 2012 and was often regarded as the Delhi face of the Karnataka BJP. Kumar was a six-time member of Parliament from Bangalore South, a constituency that remained his bastion till the very end. Bengaluru's "most loved" gregarious MP was known for his political adroitness, managing to be in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now. He was born to a middle class Brahmin family on July 22, 1959, in Bengaluru to Narayan Shastri, a railway employee, and Girija N Shastry. His early education began under the guidance of his mother who ...
Ananth Kumar dead; 3-day mourning in Karnataka (Third Lead)
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar died on Monday at a private hospital here due to multiple organ failure, a BJP spokesman said. He was 59.
Come home and vote, President Tsai tells Taiwanese Americans
Taiwan's President has called on Taiwanese Americans to return home and vote in local elections this month, urging them to help safeguard the country's democratic values in the face of Chinese pressure. In an address to the Taiwanese Association of America in Washington DC, Tsai Ing-wen said the island could always count on the expat group that has chapters across the US "to stand up and help in times of need". "I want to make a plea to everyone, come back to Taiwan to vote, or call your relatives and friends in Taiwan to support us," she said. "The whole world is watching whether the Taiwanese people are going to choose a pro-China party or a party that is committed to democracy and sovereignty," she added in a recorded message on Saturday that marked the association's 50th anniversary. Tsai also said the relationship between Taiwan and the US has improved in recent years. Earlier this year, US congress passed the Taiwan Travel Act and the 2019 National Defence Authorisation Act ...
Cong manifesto doesn't mention ban on RSS: Kamal Nath
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath Monday said the BJP was "distorting" his party manifesto's reference to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to divert public attention. His statement comes a day after BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, party vice president Prabhat Jha and MP unit chief Rakesh Singh lashed out at the Congress for being "opposed to Lord Ram and the RSS". "The BJP is intentionally fanning the RSS issue to divert people's attention from the public welfare issues mentioned in our 'Vachan Patra' (document of pledges). In our manifesto, we have not mentioned that the RSS would be banned, nor do we have any such intention," Nath told reporters here. He asserted that neither the party nor he himself have said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will be banned. The Congress manifesto, released on Saturday, under a head titled 'administration reforms' reads, "The holding of RSS shakhas in government premises would be banned and the order regarding relaxation given to ...
EU ministers told no Brexit deal yet: official
The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator warned ministers from the other 27 member states on Monday that no deal has been sealed on Britain's departure from the bloc. "Michel Barnier explained that intense negotiating efforts continue, but an agreement has not been reached yet," the European Council, which represents the member states, said in a statement. "Some key issues remain under discussion, in particular a solution to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Trudeau: Canadian intelligence has heard Khashoggi tapes
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has become the first Western leader to acknowledge his country's intelligence agencies have listened to recordings of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trudeau, speaking in Paris Monday, said "Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share." On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had given the "tapes" to some countries, but the Canadian leader is the first since that announcement to officially confirm that his country's intelligence has heard the audio. He added that he personally had not heard the recording. Trudeau said he thanked Erdogan for "his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation" on the sidelines of the WWI centenary ceremonies this weekend. Trudeau didn't give details of what was on the recording.
Will move court if no permission is granted for Shah's rath
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Monday threatened to move court if the state government does not grant permission for the proposed Rath Yatras of party president Amit Shah in the state in December. Ghosh said if TMC tries to disrupt the proposed Rath Yatras then the people of the state will come out in protest as it is meant for restoring democracy in Bengal. "The police and the state government are yet to grant permission. Time and again we have tried to meet the police officials and the home secretary, but in vain. Until and unless we have the permission how will we organize the entire route ?" Ghosh said. BJP national president Amit Shah is set to kick off three Rath yatras which will cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal on December 5, 7 and 9. "If the government is trying to delay the permission so that our Rath Yatra program can be cancelled then it is living in a fool's paradise. If they don't grant us permission then we will move court and fight ..
U.S. says India paid bigger cotton subsidies than WTO allows
GENEVA (Reuters) - India has paid out far more in cotton subsidies than the World Trade Organization allows, with payments "vastly in excess" of what it had officially declared, the United States said in a filing to the trade watchdog on Monday.
Turkey: search launched for 10 migrants after boats sinks
Turkey's state-run news agency says the country's coast guard has launched a search-and-rescue mission to locate 10 migrants who are reported missing after their boat sank in the Aegean Sea. Anadolu Agency says the boat went down on Monday off the coast of Dikili, in Izmir province, close to the Greek island of Lesbos. It said authorities launched the rescue operation after two of the migrants managed to swim to shore to seek help. There was no immediate detail on the nationalities of the migrants. Although their numbers have decreased in recent years, migrants still try to cross into Greece from nearby Turkey in the hopes of making their way to other European countries.