Page 2559 - Politics
President and predecessor feud in proudly stable Botswana
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has used his first state-of-the-nation address to openly attack his predecessor Ian Khama in an unprecedented clash in a nation that prides itself on stability. Masisi, who was hand-picked by Khama, took power in April when Khama stepped aside after serving the maximum 10 years in office. But the two men have since fallen out in a public spat that threatens to undermine Botswana's carefully-crafted reputation for stable government. "Batswana are all aware that the transition from the previous administration has not been as smooth as expected," Masisi said in a keynote address to parliament on Monday, using the term for the people of Botswana. He said he had tried to "smoothen the process" by appointing senior politicians to negotiate with Khama. "I regret to announce that their efforts have not borne fruit," Masisi said, adding that a central cause of friction had been Khama's retirement entitlements and pension. Khama has reportedly been enraged ..
Iran oil exports to plummet in Nov, then rebound as buyers use waivers
SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's oil exports have fallen sharply since U.S. President Donald Trump said at mid-year he would reimpose sanctions on Tehran, but with waivers in hand the Islamic Republic's major buyers are already planning to scale up orders again.
First chairperson of Meghalaya Lokayukta sworn in
Retired Gauhati High Court judge Pranoy Kumar Musahary was on Tuesday sworn in as the first chairperson of Lokayukta in Meghalaya. The Lokayukta is empowered to probe allegations of corruption against public functionaries such as the chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers, speaker and deputy speaker of Assembly, MLAs, besides government officials. Governor Tathagata Roy administered the oath of office to Justice (retd) Musahary at a function in the Raj Bhavan here. The chairperson of the Lokayukta urged the Conrad Sangma government to speed up the appointment of four other members of the Lokayukta. Cabinet ministers Metbah Lyngdoh and Lahkmen Rymbui, Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma and senior government officials attended the oath taking ceremony.
Congress-JD-S trounces BJP 4-1 in Karnataka by-elections (Third Lead)
In a Diwali gift ahead of 2019 general election, the JD-S-Congress coalition on Tuesday worsted the BJP 4-1 in the Karnataka by-elections, winning two Lok Sabha and two Assembly constituencies, while conceding the Shimoga parliamentary seat to the saffron party.
Karnataka win shows secular alliance can defeat BJP: Congress
Congress-JD(S) combine victory in Karnataka bypolls indicates that the alliance with secular parties can defeat the BJP, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Tuesday in remarks that are viewed as endorsement of his party's bid to lead a front of such parties. The JD(S)-Congress coalition candidates Tuesday won both the assembly constituencies and two of the three Lok Sabha seats in the bitterly fought by-polls held in the southern state last Saturday. Buoyed by the development, Chavan said he had addressed two to three meetings in Jamkhindi assembly constituency--one of the two segments where bypolls were held--along with Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjun Kharge. "The situation was good. The Congress victory in the BJP stronghold of North Karnataka belt is very significant. Similarly, the money power of Reddy brothers in Ballari Lok Sabha seat did not work and the Congress won with a huge margin," said the former Union minister. Chavan said the ...
China grants Trump family 18 trademarks in 2 months
China has given companies linked to US President Donald Trump and his daughter 18 new trademarks in the last two months, raising concerns about conflicts of interest in the White House on the eve of national elections. The trademarks cover products from perfume to voting machines and will be finalised after 90 days if no one objects. Ivanka Trump said in July she was shutting her namesake brand to focus on her role as a White House adviser. Critics have been especially concerned that China, where the courts and bureaucracy are designed to reflect the will of the ruling Communist Party, could try to use the Trump family's valuable intellectual property for political leverage. China has said it handles all trademark applications equally under the law.
Karnataka bypolls indicative of 'changed mood' in country: Congress
Buoyed by the party's good showing in the Karnataka bypolls, the Congress Tuesday said it was indicative of the "changed mood" in the country. The Congress and the other progressive and pluralistic forces had "vanquished" the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last 10 bypolls in the country, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said at a press conference. "Today, the news from Karnataka is extremely encouraging...This is indicative of the changed mood in the country," Tewari said. In an emphatic endorsement of Karnataka's ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition by the voters, its candidates Tuesday won both the assembly constituencies and two of the three Lok Sabha seats in the bitterly fought by-polls held on Saturday. The by-election results have come as a major setback for the main opposition BJP ahead of the 2019 elections with the party losing the Ballari Lok Sabha seat, considered a stronghold of the controversial mining barons -- the Reddy brothers.
BJP rakes up Ram Temple issue during elections to divert people's attention: Pilot
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said Tuesday that the BJP rakes up the Ram Temple issue during elections to divert people's attention from real problems. "The BJP talks about temple and mosque after remaining silent on the issue for over four years. They give controversial statements to divert people's attention even when the matter is pending before the Supreme Court," Pilot said at a press conference here, adding that people of the state have made up their minds to send the saffron party packing. He said the Congress would not let the BJP divert from real issues. Pilot said BJP leaders might tour the state and have tea at voters' residences, but the party would have to pay the price for neglecting the state for five years. He added that the people of the state had given their mandate to the BJP and the party would not escape its liabilities by denying tickets to its sitting MLAs. Talking about the Congress manifesto, the state unit in-charge said the party had received over ...
Voting begins in crucial midterm polls in US
Voting began on Tuesday in the crucial midterm elections in the US which could be seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's controversial policies and the outcome would determine the next two years of his presidency. Polling started in the eastern states including Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia at 6:00 am (local time), amidst last-ditch effort by President Donald Trump to retain majority in the House of Representatives. Americans would elect 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats, 36 governors' posts and seats in state legislatures across the country in the mid-term polls. The Republican party currently has majority in both the Senate and the House and Trump and his team left no stone unturned to campaign in favour of his Republican party. According to political pundits, the Democrats have a good chance of winning the House, while the Republicans are likely to retain the Senate. US House of Representatives - similar ..
Congress should lead the grand alliance against BJP: Kumaraswamy
Bolstered by the bypoll success of the JD-S-Congress coalition in the bypolls, Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday that Congress should lead the proposed grand alliance against the BJP in the 2019 elections as it will be the leading party of the opposition and will win the largest number of seats.
Govt seeking Rs 3.6 lakh crore RBI reserve to dole out freebies ahead of 2019 polls: Cong
The Congress Tuesday said if the government's reported proposal seeking Rs 3.6 lakh crore from the RBI fructifies, it will tantamount to "the great Indian robbery", and alleged the amount was being sought to dole out "freebies" ahead of the 2019 parliamentary election. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, at a press conference, said such a move would have "profound" implications on the macro-economic stability of India. Alleging that the NDA government was "demolishing" the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Tewari asserted that the Congress would resist all attempts to undermine the economic sovereignty of India and this "adventurism" would not be allowed. "The facts which are emerging in the public space, the government wants the RBI to part with Rs 3.6 lakh crore out of Rs 9.59 lakh crore which constitutes the cash reserve of the RBI...," he alleged. The RBI has been resisting this very strongly, Tewari said, adding the demand by the government was "unprecedented". "If this were to ...
Sirisena suffers reversal in his Lanka parliament majority claim
In a setback to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, a deputy minister of his United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government resigned Tuesday and backed ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the ongoing political crisis. President Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a controversial former president, and suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16. Manusha Nanayakkara, who was in Sirisena/Rajapaksa original list of 96 MPs, said in a letter to Sirisena Tuesday that in his opinion Wickremesinghe was still the legitimate prime minister as accepted by the parliamentary speaker Karu Jayasuriya. He resigned as the deputy minister of Labour and Foreign Employment to leave the Sirisena camp and join Wickremesinghe. He was sworn in as the deputy minister only on November 1. In a video message, Nanayakkara said that he does not approve of the arbitrary political appointments that have taken place and ...
Veteran PTI journalist passes away: Family
K P S Srivastava, a veteran PTI journalist, died on Tuesday after a brief illness, his family said. He was 93. Srivastava worked his way up from a reporter at Lucknow PTI to become its Editor in the 1980s. He is survived by his only child, Indu Srivastava. KPS, as he was known in the journalistic circles, joined PTI Lucknow as a reporter in the early fifties, and was transferred from there to Mumbai and then to Delhi. He rose to become an Editor and retired in the late eighties. During his tenure as a Special Correspondent, he covered the Congress party and prime ministers starting from Jawaharlal Nehru. After retirement, he was the press advisor to former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar.
Goal to win all 28 LS seats: Kumaraswamy after bye-election victory
Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that the victory of Congress-Janata Dal(Secular) (JD-S) alliance in the bye-elections was the first step towards winning all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019 general elections.Addressing a press conference following the alliance's victory in two out of three Lok Sabha and two state assembly constituencies, Kumaraswamy said, "We have already decided to contest Lok Sabha polls together, but there is no question of us getting carried away by this. Our intention is to win all 28 seats in the Lok Sabha polls and to give the people as many programmes as possible by achieving that goal. This is not an empty promise just because we have won today. This (victory) reflects the confidence people have on us. This win is not making us arrogant."The chief minister underlined that although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, the moral victory was theirs."BJP might have won in Shimoga but the moral .
Bangladesh PM asks technocrat ministers to resign ahead of polls
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked four technocrat ministers to resign as part of a process to reconstitute the Cabinet ahead of the parliamentary polls expected in December, a party leader said Tuesday. The announcement came amid speculation that the Kamal-Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya front may place a proposal on Wednesday during the talks with the Prime Minister to form an election-time Cabinet inducting some ministers from the opposition parties. "She has asked the technocrat ministers in the Cabinet to tender their resignation letters," ruling Awai League's general secretary Obaidul Quader told reporters at the premier's Ganabhaban official residence. Quader, who is also the road transport minister, said "there is no space for unelected individuals at the election-time Cabinet" but did not point out when the resignations would come into effect. The 54-member council of ministers currently has four technocrat ministers - Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment ...
Cong-JDS used money, muscle power to win by-polls, claims Yeddyurappa
The BJP Tuesday accused the Congress and the JD(S) of using money and muscle power to win the bypolls in Karnataka, but said it would introspect the outcome and strengthen the party before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "The truth of the matter is that money and liquor had a bigger role in this election. Congress and JD(S) won the election using money and power," BJP state unit president B S Yeddyurappa said. The BJP won the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat but lost Ballari to the Congress, which also bagged the Jamkhandi assembly segment. Congress' coalition partner JDS won the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency and in Ramanagar, from where Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha was elected. Yeddyurappa claimed that the by-election results once again proved that the Congress and the JD(S) were experts in hatching conspiracies. "We are not keeping quiet after the defeat. We have lost only the Ballari Lok Sabha seat. We will introspect our performance so that we win the 2019 elections. "There
US, Commonwealth press for early convening of Lankan Parliament to end political crisis
The United States and the Commonwealth have sought reconvening of the Sri Lankan Parliament to allow the elected representatives to have their say in resolving the political crisis in the island nation. Sri Lanka is facing a major constitutional crisis sparked by President Maithripala Sirisena's move to oust Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, replace him with ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa and suspend Parliament. Amidst growing international pressure on Sirisena to summon the Parliament to allow Wickremesinghe to seek a vote of confidence, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz met with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Tuesday. "Met Speaker of Parliament Hon. Karu Jayasuriya @KaruOnline to discuss the importance of Parliament reconvening to put an end to this political crisis. "These democratic institutions should serve the people of #SriLanka; let the elected representatives have their say," Teplitz tweeted. India has said that it was "very closely" following the developments in ..
Pranoy Kumar Musahary sworn in as first Meghalaya Lokayukta chair
Justice Pranoy Kumar Musahary, who retired as a judge of the Gauhati High Court, was sworn in on Tuesday as the chairperson of Meghalaya's first Lokayukta.
MP polls: New faces dominate Congress' third list
The Congress has issued its third list of 13 candidates for the November 28 assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, which mainly comprises new faces. The party has dropped Pandhurna MLA Jatan Uikey and replaced him with Neelesh Uikey. Loyalists of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia also found place on the list. Both Scindia and Nath, the sitting MP from Chhindwara seat, are believed to be the top contenders for the chief minister's post from the Congress. With the latest list issued Monday night, the Congress has so far announced 184 nominees for the total 230 assembly constituencies. The announcement for the remaining 46 candidates is awaited as only three days are left for filing nominations. The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. The incumbent Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government is seeking a fourth straight term. Among the 13 candidates, the Congress has fielded former state minister Deepak Saxena, a close confidante
Punjab govt employees protest against non-payment of pending dues
Punjab government employees staged a protest here on Tuesday over non-payment of their pending salaries ahead of Diwali and raised slogans against the Congress-led state government. Saanjha Mulazam Manch, an umbrella body of 23 employees' associations, held a protest march in Sector 17 here and criticised the government's "apathetic" attitude. "For us, the state government has gone bankrupt as it has failed to pay the dues of its employees," Saanjha Mulazam Manch convener Sukhchain Singh Khaira said. Earlier, the Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association held a demonstration at the Civil Secretariat premises and gave "alms" to the office of Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. "If they are unable to give us our money, then their condition is no better than beggars. Therefore we decided to give 'bheekh' (alms) to the finance minister so that the state government can fill its coffers," said Khaira, who is also the president of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff ...