Page 2523 - Politics

Pakistani JeM terrorist killed in Kupwara shootout

A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist from Pakistan was killed in a shootout on Sunday after the ultras attacked a security forces party in Handwara area of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. "In the afternoon hours, a group of terrorists while moving through Handwara was intercepted by a naka party near Chattipora which led to a brief exchange of gunfire," a police spokesman said. He said in the gunfight, a militant was killed. Some arms and ammunition and incriminating material were recovered from the slain terrorist who was identified as Ishtiyaaq from Pakistan, the spokesman said. "Ishtiyaaq was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM and was involved in a series of terror attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in the area," he said. Police have registered a case and initiated investigation, the spokesman said.

107 TRS candidates given B Forms by Rao

: TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Sundayissued B-forms to 107 party candidates, whose names have been so far announced for the December 7 Assembly elections KCR (as Rao is popularly known as), will also file his nomination papers on November 14 forGajwelconstituencyfrom where he is contesting, party sources told PTI. Earlier in the day, KCR also interacted with party activists from Gajwel constituency. He handed over theauthorised forms about candidature to party nominees at Telangana Bhavan here Sunday evening and also addressed them, they said. As the filing of nominations for the the elections will begin from Monday, the TRS nominees are likely to commence filing their nominations from Monday onwards, they added. TRS had earlier announced candidates for 107 seats (out of the total 119) on September 6 when the Assembly was dissolved prematurely.

'If voted to power, Cong to launch 'Aatta-Daal-Chini' scheme for SCs in Hry'

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala Sunday said the party if voted to power in Haryana after next year's assembly polls, would provide flour, pulses and sugar at subsidised rates to Scheduled Caste families and give monthly scholarship to the SC students. Addressing a 'Garib Adhikar' rally here, Surjewala announced that Congress government would launch 'Aatta-Daal-Chini scheme' for the SC families and provide 20 kg flour at the rate of Rs 2 per kg, 2 kg pulses at the rate of Rs 20 per kg, 1 kg sugar at the rate of Rs 12 per kg to all 15 lakh Dalit families in the state. The scheme, in fact, played a major role in catapulting the SAD-BJP combine to form successive government in 2012. He also promised that "Congress government will waive all pending water bills of Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme; will appoint one SC member in Haryana Public Service Commission and Haryana Staff Selection Commission, fill up 60,000 state government backlog posts in one year and constitute ..

Clashes as thousands protest petrol price hikes in Bulgaria

Thousands of Bulgarians demonstrated across the country on Sunday against high fuel prices, blocking traffic in around 20 cities and on key highways to Greece and Turkey. Protesters clashed with police in Burgas, where traffic was backed up around 10 kilometres (six miles) at several entry points to the Black Sea town, public radio BNR reported. In the capital Sofia around 1,000 demonstrators rallied outside the government offices shouting "Rubbish" and "Resign". "How can they sell petrol here at the same prices as in Spain and Luxembourg when we are the poorest country in the European Union?" asked taxi driver Ivan Naydenov. A litre of petrol or diesel fuel costs around 2.40 leva (USD 1.13/1.2 euros), or USD 5.15 per gallon, after rising five per cent from August to October, in a country where the average salary is 575 euros per month. Motorists are also paying higher taxes on polluting vehicles and higher prices for heating fuel. Three major motorways and many smaller roads were ...

Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa leaves Sirisena's party, joins SLPP

As the political crisis intensifies in Sri Lanka, wartime strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa has exited from President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Sunday."Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today joined the #SriLanka Podujana Peramuna (@PodujanaParty)," he tweeted.Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa joined SLPP on Saturday to contest in the January 5 snap elections while hinting at the former President's participation in the upcoming elections."I am joining the @PodujanaParty effective immediately. We will strive to create a broader coalition with many stakeholders under the leadership of @MaithripalaS & @PresRajapaksa to face the upcoming General Election and come out victorious," Namal tweeted.Along with the Rajapaksa father-son duo, former parliamentarians representing the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) also joined SLPP, according to Colombo Page.Furthermore, several other Members of Parliament (MP) from

Mizoram: ECI to review panel names received for CEO

New Delhi [India], Nov 11 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday received the panel of names for the post of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) from the Chief Secretary of Mizoram."Full commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat, Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavaasa will be meeting to review the names," said a poll body official.Noting that the Commission will only appoint someone as CEO only if he or she is capable of conducting a 'free, fair and peaceful election', the functionary said the poll body may demand for another set of names if it has reservations."The commission will either take a call or it will seek another panel, but only after reviewing the names," he added.Meanwhile, SB Shashank, the incumbent CEO will also be meeting the top poll body officials for briefing them on the status of the poll preparations in poll-bound Mizoram."The Commission will again be meeting SB Shashank to know what exactly the level is and ...

Modi leading India in right direction: Rathore

Claiming that Narendra Modi was leading the country in the right direction, BJP leaders led by Union minister Rajyavardhan Rathore Sunday urged people to re-elect Modi as prime minister in 2019. Addressing volunteers of the "Modi for PM" initiative, Rathore urged them to take success stories of government initiatives to the grassroots level. He reminded them about the alleged scams that were reported about before 2014, and said the then prime minister projected a "weak picture" as authority seemed to be concentrated in "a handful of people". He said Modi raised the issue of blackmoney and ensured that the benefits of government schemes and policies reached the last man in queue. "India has got the direction (disha) under the visionary leader Modi and the condition (dasha) of India is already on its way to improvement," he said. The minister spoke on initiatives taken by the government, including opening of 30 crore bank accounts, Mudra loans and ensuring electricity in every ...

Lanka crisis: Ahead of polls, Rajapaksa ends ties with Sirisena's party

Rajapaksa's move signalled that he would contest the snap polls, to be held on January 5, under his own party banner

Now no election, Pawar on Pune Lok Sabha candidature poser

"Now no election" was Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's one-line reply on being asked whether he would consider contesting next year's Lok Sabha polls from Pune. Pawar and former Tripura governor Srinivas Patil were being interviewed by Sudhir Gadgil at a function here Sunday to mark the launch of "Pune Ekekali", a coffee-table book on Maharashtra's second-largest city. The question came up after Pawar told the gathering about his long association with Pune, including having won polls for four consecutive years while studying in a local college. "Perhaps, the elections fought and won in college were the foundation of my 52 years of electoral politics in Parliament and the (Maharashtra) Assembly," the NCP chief said. It was then that Gadgil asked the former Union agriculture minister if he would consider contesting next year's general election from Pune since he had such a long association with the city. "Now no election," Pawar replied. Addressing the function, the

US-backed force says resuming anti-IS offensive in east Syria

A Kurdish-led force backed by the US-led anti-jihadist coalition said Sunday that it was resuming its offensive against the Islamic State group in eastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), joint Arab-Kurdish units, had announced a suspension to their operation on October 31 after Turkey shelled Kurdish militia posts in northern Syria. The SDF said the resumption followed "intensive contacts" with the international coalition.

Naxalism breathing its last under Raman Singh: Adityanath

A day ahead of the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lauded the efforts of incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh in curbing Naxalism in the state and said it is taking its final breath under Singh's government.Adityanath also said that Singh developed the security-sensitive state from the clutches of Naxal-inflicted terror and made it progressive under his leadership.Attacking the Congress, Adityanath said that under the leadership of Congress, Naxalism would have grown, and lambasted Congress leaders for calling Naxals "revolutionary.""Naxalism in Chhattisgarh spread due to Congress. They made a breeding ground for the Naxals here. The Congress is shamelessly glorifying the Naxals as revolutionaries. Congress's culture is just to promote loot, Naxalism, and corruption," he said.Adityanath further claimed that the Congress was the main obstacle in the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. "Congress does not want the Ram Mandir to be

Union Minister retracts comments on replacing Parrikar

A day after suggesting that ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar needed to be replaced, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Sunday retracted his comments saying that Parrikar was handling the state administration efficiently.

Trump, Putin will wait to meet in Argentina

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he didn't have a separate meeting with President Donald Trump at events in Paris marking the end of World War I, but says they will meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina later this month. Putin said he and Trump decided "not to interrupt the schedule" of the World War I events with a separate meeting. Putin spoke to RT's France network. Putin also praised the idea of a European army because he said it could "strengthen the multipolar nature of the world." Macron has pushed the idea of a European army.

Sitharaman discusses land issues with Arunachal CM

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday co-chaired a high-level meeting with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu to discuss land acquisition for defence purposes in the state bordering China, Myanmar and Bhutan.

Macron snubs US arms in defence spat with Trump

Europe should not spend higher defence budgets on US-made weapons, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview due to air Sunday, after a defence row with President Donald Trump. One of dozens of world leaders attending World War I commemorations in France this weekend, Trump tweeted after landing in Paris that Macron's call for a "real European army" was "insulting". In an interview recorded on Saturday with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron said the two leaders had spoken about what his office has portrayed as a misunderstanding. "We had a regular discussion this morning and he confirmed in front of the press that he was ok," Macron told CNN. Both leaders agree there should be "better burden-sharing within NATO", meaning Europe should be less reliant on US spending for its defence, Macron said. But Macron told CNN: "To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defence in order to buy American and other arms or ...

Need to come out of 'environment of violence' to move forward in Indo-Pak relations: Indian envoy

There is a need to come out of the "environment of violence" to move forward in relations between India and Pakistan, the Indian envoy here said on Sunday. High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Basaria said it was the Indian High Commission's effort to take steps to improve relations with Pakistan. "There is a new government in Pakistan and we would like to talk to it and move forward. We need to come out of the environment of violence and move ahead in our relations," Basaria said here during his visit to Lahore's famous Liberty Market where he came for shopping. "Both countries have moved forward in some matters. The people of both countries love each other. It will be our utmost effort to move forward in relations between the two countries," he said. The Indian envoy further said there is potential of USD 37 billion in direct trade between Pakistan and India. "At present there is trade of USD 2 billion between the two countries. We need to take steps to have direct trade between us," .

Devi Lal nurtured INLD, but 15-odd people are eating it like termites: Naina Chautala

A day after Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and his brother brother Digvijay Chautala refused to accept their expulsions from the INLD amid a family feud, their mother and Dabwali MLA Naina Chautala Sunday attacked their detractors, saying late Devi Lal nurtured the party but some 15-odd people are eating it like termites. Tau Devi Lal planted the tree which became INLD, he nurtured it all his life, but some 15-odd people have infested it like termites and are eating it, she said addressing a gathering of women supporters. She said both her sons Dushyant and Digvijay, who headed the now disbanded Indian National Students Organisation, were working hard to strengthen the party at grassroots, but some people in the party were not happy with their hard work and have been trying to sideline them. I was shocked and hurt that accusations of indiscipline were levelled against my children. They were victimised because some supporters raised slogans in their favour (in an INLD rally). If someone ...

SAD expels senior leaders Brahmpura, Ajnala for 'anti-party activities'

The Shiromani Akali Dal Sunday expelled senior leaders Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Rattan Singh Ajnala from the party's primary membership for six years. As the two leaders were indulging in "anti-party activities", the core committee of the Akali Dal took the decision with a "heavy heart", SAD senior leader Harcharan Bains said. Brahmpura's son Ravinder PalSingh Brahmpura and Ajnala's son Amarpal Singh Boni too were ousted for six years from the primary membership of the party, Bains told reporters here. Bains said the party regretted that Brahampura and Ajnala along with their sons, "have recently been acting in a manner which showed utter insensitivity and disregard for the immense respect and the liberal and magnanimous treatment extended to them by party leaders, Parkash Singh Badal and the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal." The core committee felt that former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir displayed "extraordinary patience, humility and tolerance even in the .

Alive to emerging threats in Indo-Pacific, concerned by modernisation rate in neighbourhood: Dhanoa

The Indian Air Force is "very much alive" to emerging threats that could arise in the Indo Pacific region, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said Sunday, and asserted that his force was prepared to deal with any challenge to protect India's national interests. He also said there is a cause for concern over the rate of modernisation and induction of new equipment in India's neighbourhood, even as India faces challenges emanating from "unresolved territorial disputes" and "sponsored" non-state and transnational actors. But the IAF is capable of, and is moving ahead, for countering them effectively, he told PTI in an interview. Asked whether the IAF can play a role in smashing terrorist training camps across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he did not rule out such a possibility. "The IAF is well equipped to take on threats which occur from across the border, be it in the realm of sub-conventional or other domains," the Air Chief Marshal said. Referring to India's immediate security .

Kushwaha attacks Kumar, seeks appointment with Shah

Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha Sunday attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over reports that an MLA of his party may join JD(U) and said he would apprise BJP chief Amit Shah of the "humiliation" he had suffered at the hands of Kumar Kushwaha said he would also request Shah to clear the "confusion" over seat-sharing among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents in the state at the earliest. He also made a jibe at Kumar, saying the JD(U) president is adept at breaking parties but he will continue with his fight. Kushwaha's barb at Kumar through a tweet came after his party's MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar met JD(U) national vice-president Prashant Kishor, triggering speculation that he may switch sides. "You (Kumar) are adept in breaking parties," Kushwaha tweeted and referred to past switchovers of RJD and Congress leaders to the JD(U), adding that people are watching his actions. The RLSP had won two seats in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls. The other MLA of ...