Page 2543 - Politics
US demonstrators call to continue Russia probe
Thousands of demonstrators across the US have called on President Donald Trump's administration to maintain the investigation into the alleged Russian 2016 presidential election meddling, led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
PM Modi wishes Uttarakhand on state foundation day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wished the people of Uttarakhand on the occasion of their statehood day.Greeting the people on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter, "Heartfelt wishes to the people of Devbhumi (God's Land) Uttarakhand The precious confluence of nature, progress and rich culture, this state will continue to establish new records on the path of development."The state of Uttarakhand became the 27th state of India on this day in the year 2000. The hill-state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000, under the BJP government, after a long-drawn agitation.
Congress denies ticket to Vyapam whistleblower
The Congress has denied ticket to Vyapam scam whistleblower Dr Anand Rai for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.Speaking to the media, Rai said, "I have not been given a ticket to fight elections even though Rahul Gandhi had assured me of it. It was only because of me that the Congress's Sanjeev Saxena (Vyapam accused) was not given a ticket."Meanwhile, Saxena told media, "I am innocent and the truth will come out. For now, I will work towards strengthening the Congress. For once, I felt that I have been betrayed but now I feel that I should walk behind those with bigger issues."Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, including state unit president Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijay Singh will not be contesting in the forthcoming Assembly elections as the party announced in its final list of candidates on Thursday.In its fourth list released on Wednesday, the Congress had named 29 candidates including the brother-in-law of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj ...
B'desh to hold general elections on Dec 23
Bangladesh will hold parliamentary elections on December 23, the country's Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda announced on Thursday.Addressing a presser here, Huda was quoted by The Dhaka Tribune as saying, "The proper environment to organise the polls has been created (so) I urge all political parties to resolve all disputes or differences of opinions among themselves and participate in the polls. I also urge the political parties to remain alert so that competition and rivalry do not turn into retribution or violence."Candidates wishing to stand in the general elections must file their nomination papers, either online or manually, between November 8 and November 19.On November 22, the nomination papers will be scrutinised by the returning officers. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 29."There is a constitutional obligation to hold the election before January 28, 2019. The countdown has already started," Huda said.He added that all necessary ...
US slaps additional sanctions on Russia over Crimea annexation
The United States on Thursday imposed a new set of sanctions on a dozen of Russian individuals pertaining to Russia's annexation of Crimea.The Treasury Department levied sanctions against two individuals and one entity for "serious human rights abuses" and on another eight organisations and one individual for playing a role in advancing Russian interests in Crimea, which the US has asserted that it was "forcefully seized" from Ukrainian territory in 2014.One of the eight entities also includes an organisation linked to Bank Rossiya and Russian businessman Yuri Kovalchuk, who was also sanctioned previously, and others accused of "operating" in Crimea, The Hill reported."Treasury remains committed to targeting Russian-backed entities that seek to profit from Russia's illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea. Our sanctions are a clear reminder that efforts seeking to normalize investment and economic relationships with those operating in Crimea will not be tolerated," said Sigal ...
US envoy to embark on four-nation visit
Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar with an interagency delegation from November 8 to 20.He will meet with Afghan government officials and other interested parties to advance the goal of an intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations that include the Taliban and lead to a sustainable peace, the US State Department said in a press release.It added that "a sustainable peace requires that all Afghans have a say in their country's future."On his last trip to the region in October, Special Representative Khalilzad had called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to organise authoritative negotiating teams. He has been encouraged to see that both parties are taking steps in that direction."The United States remains committed to a political settlement that results in an end to the war and to the terrorist threat posed to the United States and the world. A peaceful Afghanistan
U.S., Mexico, Canada ministers to sign trade pact Nov. 30, official says
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Cabinet ministers from the United States, Mexico and Canada will sign a new trade agreement on Nov. 30, Mexico's economy minister said on Thursday.
Greece to hold general elections in Oct 2019
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said his country will hold the parliamentary elections in October 2019 and the ruling coalition of the Radical Left, commonly known as Syriza, will win.
U.S. imposes new sanctions on Russia for Crimea, investments
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Ukrainians, a Russian officer and nine entities for Moscow's annexation of Crimea and profiting from the occupation, the U.S. Treasury said.
Democrats vow action on gun control after California shooting
Newly ascendant Democrats are promising congressional action on gun control amid a rash of mass shootings, including the assault at a California bar that killed 12 people. Measures including expanded background checks and a ban on assault-style weapons are likely to reach the House floor when Democrats retake control after eight years of Republican rule. "The American people deserve real action to end the daily epidemic of gun violence that is stealing the lives of our children on campuses, in places of worship and on our streets," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader who is running for a second stint as House speaker. Pelosi vowed to push for a range of actions to stem gun violence, including restrictions on high-capacity magazines and a measure allowing temporary removal of guns from people deemed an imminent risk to themselves or others. The measures could win approval in the Democratic-controlled House next year but will face opposition from the ...
US to send representative to Moscow meeting on Afghanistan
The United States Embassy in Moscow will send a representative to a meeting in the city on Afghanistan, State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino said.He added that the agreement was reached following a consensus with the Afghan government, TOLOnews reported.The much-anticipated meeting, organised by Russia, is slated to take place in Moscow on Friday, where deliberations are expected to be held on the peace process in Afghanistan."The United States believes that all countries should support direct dialogue between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban to reach an end to the war and we have been clear that no government, including Russia, can be a substitute for the Afghan government in direct negotiations with the Taliban," Palladino said."In coordination with the Afghan government, the United States embassy in Moscow will send a representative to the working level to observe the discussions and the United States stands ready to work with all interested parties to ...
Pak approves extradition treaty with UK
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Thursday approved an agreement in regards to the exchange of prisoners with the United Kingdom.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who chaired a session of the federal cabinet, deliberated on various issues with his ministers. He also reviewed the implementation of decisions taken during previous meetings and his recent visit to China, which he termed as "successful", Geo News reported.The Imran Khan-led government approved a 21-point agenda and deliberations on law and order situation in the country were held.Last month, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, Shahzad Akbar, had met British Home Secretary Sajid Javid in London, where the two held discussions on various issues such as the provision of mutual legal assistance, extradition requests, prisoner transfer agreement and steps to combat money laundering, as per the report.The cricketer-turned-politician has prohibited federal ministers from availing medical ...
Goa: BJP leader calls for state unit president's resignation
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday said that the current set up of the party in the state needs to be changed, calling for state unit president Vinay Tendulkar's resignation.Speaking to ANI, Parsekar said, "In the interest of the party, the present set up has to be dismantled. Particularly, the BJP state unit president should vacate the chair. It is in the interest of the party. I don't have any personal grievances against anyone.""The president is inefficient and cannot take decisions on his own and, therefore, he should resign. The party high command should act on this," he added.In October, Tendulkar had sought an apology from Parsekar for allegedly using bad words during a telephonic conversation with BJP national president Amit Shah.The rift within the BJP's ranks come amid the health concerns surrounding Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.However, the rumours have been dispelled by a number of BJP leaders, with panchayat
MP assembly polls: BJP releases fourth list of candidates
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released the fourth list of seven candidates for the upcoming state Assembly elections.The party has fielded Prahlad Lodhi for its constituency in Pawai, Prem Shankar Verma from Seoni-Malwa, Bahadur Singh Chauhan from Mahidpur and Devilal Dhakar from the Garoth constituency.The BJP has also fielded Brijendra Singh from Panna replacing Kusum Mehdele, who represents the constituency at present.The list also consists of one Scheduled Tribe from the Lakhnadon constituency for which it has fielded Vijay Uike and the only woman candidate in the list is Fatima Rasul Siddaki for the Bhopal Uttar constituency.In the third list released, the party included general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya's son Akash Vijayvargiya from the Indore-3 constituency and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Babulal Gaur's daughter-in-law Krishna Gour from Govindpura constituency.The state is slated to go to polls on November 28 for 230 constituencies. Counting of ...
2nd round of talks held between IMF, Pak
The technical team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Pakistan government held their second round of talks in Islamabad on Thursday.During the deliberations, the IMF delegation was briefed by the power division officials pertaining to the rise in electricity prices.The team, which arrived on November 7 in Islamabad, will hold talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for a period of two weeks on a possible bailout package requested by the latter, in a bid to stem the country out from the economic and financial woes, Geo News reported.Information on different sectors of Pakistan's economy was also shared with the IMF delegation during the meeting, as per sources. Talks between the two sides are scheduled to resume on November 12.Despite securing a USD 6 billion bailout package from Saudi Arabia, the Imran Khan-led government had previously requested the IMF for an additional USD 6-7 billion to stave off the economic crisis in the country.Last month, IMF ...
US imposes new sanctions on Russia
The US has imposed new sanctions against individuals and entities supporting Russia's role in Ukraine issue, according to a statement issued by the Department of the Treasury on Thursday.
'No plans' for new US missiles in Europe despite treaty pullout
The US has "no plans" to deploy new missiles to Europe, a senior official said Thursday, despite announcing it will pull out of a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia. Last month's decision by President Donald Trump, to terminate US participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) sparked alarm from some European countries and warnings from the Kremlin of a new arms race. Washington says Russia has been violating the treaty since 2013 with a new missile system and repeated attempts to persuade Moscow to come back into compliance have been met with silence or obfuscation. While Trump has signalled the US will pull out, officials said that as yet no legal steps have been taken to put the decision into effect and American officials are currently in Europe to consult allies and try to reassure them. A senior administration official told reporters in Brussels that Russian President Vladimir Putin's allegation that Washington is stoking a new arms race was ...
Three dead in first car bomb in Mosul since IS ouster: officials
A car bomb killed three people in Iraq's Mosul on Thursday, medical and security officials said, the first such attack since jihadists were ousted from the city last year. The Islamic State group, which once controlled a cross-border "caliphate" home to millions of people, lost control of Mosul and the rest of its urban strongholds in 2017 but it has continued to wage guerilla-style attacks across Iraq. On Thursday, a car bomb went off around dinner time at a restaurant in the war-ravaged west of Iraq's second city. "A terrorist attack via car bomb hit near a restaurant in western Mosul," Iraq's security services said in a statement distributed to media. The blast killed three people and wounded 12 others, a security official told AFP. A medical source confirmed the toll. Neither could say whether the victims were civilians or combatants, but witnesses in Mosul said the restaurant is known to be frequented by security personnel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the ..
Central American migrants in Mexico want buses to US border
Central American migrants in a caravan that has stopped in Mexico City demanded buses Thursday to take them to the US border, saying it is too cold and dangerous to continue walking and hitchhiking. Mexico City authorities say that of the 4,841 registered migrants receiving shelter in a sports complex, 1,726 are under the age of 18, including 310 children under five. "We need buses to continue travelling," said Milton Benitez, a caravan coordinator. Benitez noted that it would be colder in northern Mexico and it wasn't safe for the migrants to continue along highways, where drug cartels frequently operate. He said the route and departure time would be decided at a meeting Thursday night. The Mexican government has said most of the migrants have refused offers to stay in Mexico, and only a small number have agreed to return to their home countries. About 85 per cent of the migrants are from Honduras, while others are from the Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and ...
California senator calls for stronger federal gun regulations
Top Democratic leaders on Thursday called for stringent federal gun control regulations as another US mass shooting in a southern California bar killed at least 12 people, including a police officer. "Some will say California's strong gun laws didn't prevent this shooting, but without stronger federal gun regulations, there's little California can do to keep guns coming in from other states. Without stronger laws to prevent straw purchasing and close the gaping holes in our background check system, a presumptive murderer barely has to lift a finger to buy a gun," Senator Dianne Feinstein said. As Americans grieved the deaths of innocent lives in the bar shooting on Wednesday night, Feinstein blamed the ruling Republicans for blocking efforts towards a major gun control laws. "Today we add Thousand Oaks to the ever-growing list of communities that have suffered mass shootings," she said. "These mass murders are depressingly pervasive. Schools. Theaters. Malls. Offices. Synagogues. ...