Page 2565 - Politics
US announces India will be exempt from Iran oil sanctions
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that Washington was exempting India from the sanctions on importing oil from Iran.
Fmr Delhi chief secy appointed fourth advisor to J-K Guv
Former Delhi chief secretary K K Sharma has been appointed as the fourth advisor of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik, a government order said Monday. Sharma, a 1983-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, hails from Jammu and will join the other three advisors of the governor -- B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khursheed Ganai. He is likely to be allotted education, agriculture and other departments of the state, sources said. Sharma had played key role in implementing flagship projects of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi in the areas of education and health.
Guj: Cong corporator alleges abduction ahead of mayoral polls
A Congress corporator has alleged that he was Sunday kidnapped by BJP's Gandhinagar mayoral candidate's husband due to which he could not vote in the polls Monday. The BJP's Rita Patel and Congress' Pinky Patel are pitted against each for the post of mayor of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. The Congress has 15 members in the GMC against the BJP's 17. Speaking to reporters Monday, Congress corporator Ankit Barot claimed that Ketan Patel, husband of BJP's Rita Patel, and another person were behind his abduction as he had refused to shift allegiance to the BJP. Barot returned to Gandhinagar Monday after voting for the post of mayor and deputy mayor was completed. "I was kidnapped by Ketan Patel who took me in a vehicle on the pretext of meeting the local MLA in connection with the mayoral poll. I was then handed over to a group of people who took me to a farmhouse, snatched my mobile phone and threatened me with a revolver," Barot told reporters. Barot claimed he ...
Pushing for ordinance on Ram temple incorrect, should wait for SC order: Athawale
Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Monday said bringing ordinance for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will not be right as the matter is sub judice.
Netanyahu calls start of new Iran sanctions a 'historic day'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called the start of new US sanctions against his country's main enemy Iran a "historic day" that will reduce Tehran's "aggression" in the region. "Today is a historic day," Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party, according to his office. "Today is the day the US under President (Donald) Trump's leadership imposed extremely harsh sanctions on Iran, the harshest sanctions imposed on Iran since the effort to curb its aggression began." Earlier Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the new sanctions a "critical" blow to Iran's actions in the region. The measures described by Washington as "the toughest sanctions ever" follow Trump's controversial decision in May to abandon the multi-nation nuclear deal with Tehran. They aim to significantly reduce Iran's oil exports -- which have already fallen by around one million barrels a day since May -- and cut it off from international finance. Israel had long opposed ..
Kerala govt deploys policewomen above 50 yrs at Sabarimala;
The Kerala government has declared its resolve to enforce the Supreme Court's order on women's entry into Sabarimala temple, but it deployed only policewomen over 50 years of age at the shrine when it opened Monday, a move welcomed by both the Congress and the BJP. The two parties are up in arms against the Left Front government for its decision not to file a review petition against the apex court's order lifting the ban on entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine. Officials said only women personnel who were not in the menstruating age group have been deployed for security inside the temple complex while those younger are stationed along the route from Nilackal base camp to Pamba, from where the pilgrims trek 5 km to the temple of Lord Ayyappa, its perennially celibate deity. M M Hassan, a senior Congress leader and former state unit chief of the party, said he did not find any "fault" with the government's decision and that deploying ...
SWIFT says suspending some Iranian banks' access to messaging system
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging service said on Monday it is suspending some unspecified Iranian banks' access to its messaging system in the interest of the stability and integrity of the global financial system.
BJP releases second list for upcoming MP assembly elections
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released the second list of 17 candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. The list includes two women, four Scheduled Tribe (ST) and one Scheduled Caste candidate.Current Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Anoop Mishra, nephew of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, will be contesting from the Bhitarwar constituency.Current state minister Sharad Jain, whose name was not in the first list, found a place in the second list. He will be contesting from Jabalpur Uttar constituency from where he won last time.List also includes names of sitting legislators such as Hari Singh Sapre from Kurwai, Rampyare Kulaste from Niwas, Ramlal Rotal from Anuppur and Mohan Yadav from Ujjain Dakshin constituencies respectively.Nirmala Bhuriya, daughter of veteran tribal leader Dileep Singh Bhuriya, has got ticket from Petlawad (ST) constituency from where she was elected in 2013 assembly elections.The BJP released the first list of 177 ...
Jolt for Congress in Mizoram, Speaker quit party, joins BJP
Ahead of the Assembly polls, in a big jolt for the ruling Congress, Mizoram assembly Speaker Hiphei on Monday resigned from his post and the party before joining the BJP.
2019 LS polls should be conducted using ballot paper: Tewari
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari Monday demanded a return to ballot papers for polling and questioned the Election Commission's "protectiveness" of EVMs despite people "losing" faith in them. He was speaking at a press conference in Chhattisgarh which will go to polls in two phases on November 12 and November 20. "The question is not that the EVM (electronic voting machine) is safe or not, but it is whether people of the country have faith in EVMs or not. Trust is the base of democracy. Then you need to have faith in this process," Tewari said. "Today, people have lost trust in EVMs. The thing we dont understand is why Election Commission is so protective of EVMs," he said, in reply to a query. Tewari said the ECI was not the only stakeholder in the country's democratic process. Several political parties have stated the question is not whether an EVM could be tampered with, but that there is a doubt in the minds of the people about them, he added. "That is enough ...
No need for ordinance on Ram temple: Ramdas Athawale
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale Monday said the issue of Ram temple should be settled through discussion among Hindus and Muslims and that there was no need for an ordinance as the the court was yet to pronounce its verdict. "We can all understand very well the emotions and sentiments of the people of the Hindu community who want construction of the Ram temple. But any decision would be taken after discussion with the Muslim community," Athawale, the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment told reporters here. "We all should wait till the Supreme Court gives its verdict. Till then I feel no one should take the law in their own hands to construct the temple," he added. The chorus for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya has been growing with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) demanding an ordinance to acquire land at the disputed site to build the temple. "I don't feel there is any need for bringing in an ordinance. The ...
Mizoram CM writes to PM seeking CEO's removal; Shashank apologises
Amid growing demand for the ouster of Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S B Shashank, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking immediate removal of the CEO as "people have lost faith in him". Shashank Monday said he had "no intention to hurt the sentiments" of the state's civil societies and apologised for rankling them in any way. The NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella body of major civil societies and student organisations, had sought Shashank's exit from the state, shortly after the Election Commission (EC) removed the state's principal secretary (Home) Lalnunmawia Chuaungo. A section of the media said Shashank had complained to the EC that Chuaungo was interfering in the poll process. "As people have lost faith in him, the only solution for the smooth conduct of Assembly elections 2018 now would be removal of CEO S B Shashank from office forthwith," the chief minister wrote in his letter to the prime minister. A copy of ...
U.S. grants temporary Iran oil waivers to eight countries including China, India: Pompeo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has granted exemptions to eight countries allowing them to temporarily continue buying Iranian oil, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday, as Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran's banking, energy and shipping industries.
U.S. imposes more sanctions on Iran, Tehran decries 'bullying'
WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States announced a new raft of sanctions on Iran on Monday and threatened further action to pressure its old adversary, steps the Islamic Republic condemned as "economic war" and vowed to defy.
Court acquits Kejriwal in criminal defamation case
A Delhi Court on Monday acquitted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation case filed by Congress leader Sheila Dikshit's ex-aide Pawan Khera.Khera, who was the political secretary of Dikshit when she was the chief minister, had filed the defamation case over Kejriwal's alleged remarks against Dikshit during the power tariff hike protests in October 2012.Khera had alleged that Kejriwal had used objectionable language against Dikshit in a television show.Kejriwal had claimed that there was a nexus between Dikshit and power companies.
India, China among 8 countries allowed to buy Iranian oil: Pompeo
India, China and Japan are among eight countries temporarily exempted from the US sanctions for buying Iranian oil as they showed significant reduction in oil purchase from the Persian Gulf country after the Trump administration reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday. Pompeo vowed that the US will be "relentless" in pressuring Iran as he announced the list of the countries temporarily exempted from the sanctions during a press conference broadcast live. Italy, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey also figure in the list released by Pompeo. The US on Monday imposed "the toughest ever" sanctions on a defiant Iran aimed at altering the Iranian regime's "behaviour". The sanctions cover Iran's banking and energy sectors and reinstate penalties for countries and companies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere that do not halt Iranian oil imports. While the US had previously wanted countries including India to completely halt oil purchases from Iran .
Myanmar's ruling party wins 6 of 13 by-election seats
Myanmar's ruling party led by Aung San Suu Kyi has won at least six seats in by-elections to fill 13 of the 1,171 seats in national, regional and state parliaments, according to preliminary results released Monday. The results for Saturday's polls, available for all but one race, showed the National League for Democracy generally retaining support in the country's heartland, but yielding seats to parties representing ethnic minorities in the areas where they live, mostly in border regions. The NLD won a landslide victory in the 2015 general election, when there was wide-ranging popular support to end decades of military rule. But minority groups have been disappointed that the government of NLD leader Suu Kyi has failed to meet their demands for greater autonomy and a halt to aggressive army activities in their territories. While the results of the small number of races have a negligible effect on the political balance of power, the contests were being watched for trends ahead of the .
AAP welcomes Kejriwal's acquittal in defamation case
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday welcomed the acquittal of its chief Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation case filed by a former aide of Congress leader Sheila Dikshit and said political battles should not be fought in courts. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted relief to the Delhi chief minister citing lack of evidence against him. Kejriwal was accused by Pawan Khera, the political secretary of the then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, of levelling "false and defamatory" allegations against her during power tariff hike protests in October 2012. The AAP believes that political battles should be fought on political platforms only and not in courts, senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey said. "In principle, we have been against criminal defamation cases. In a healthy political set up, parties should be welcomed for doing politics over facts and evidence and should not be slapped with defamation cases," he said. As far as Dikshit's defamation is concerned, ..
Germany's Merkel: I can work well with any party successor
German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted Monday that she can work well with any potential successor as leader of her party, including a one-time rival seeking a comeback after a decade-long absence. Merkel also stressed that her centre-right Christian Democratic Union is committed to its troubled coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats. Merkel announced a week ago that she plans to give up the CDU leadership after 18 years but remain as Germany's chancellor. There are three high-profile candidates to succeed her: CDU general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is the closest to Merkel's centrist approach; and two contenders who stand for a more conservative profile, former parliamentary leader Friedrich Merz and Health Minister Jens Spahn. Germany's chancellor of the past 13 years has said she is ready to continue in that job for the rest of the parliamentary term, which is supposed to last until 2021. Pressed Monday on whether she really wants to do that, she replied: ..
Former chief secy joins chorus for Mizoram CEO's ouster
Joining the chorus for Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S B Shashank's ouster, former Mizoram chief secretary Lalfak Zuala on Monday said the senior poll official was wrong in "working against Principal Secretary (home) Lalnunmawia Chuaungo". NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella body of major civil societies and student organisations, had sought Shashank's exit from the state, shortly after the Election Commission (EC) removed principal secretary-level state officer Lalnunmawia Chuaungo. Shashank had complained to the EC that Chuaungo was interfering with the poll process. He also hinted at intrusion in electoral roll revision and deployment of central armed police forces (CAPF) in the state. Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly are scheduled to be held on November 28. Lalfak Zuala, who is also a senior member of Zoram People's Forum (ZPM), said the CEO should have complained against the state government to the EC, as Chuaungo had taken the decision in ...