Page 2576 - Politics
French PM dodges rights questions in Vietnam
France does not "sweep anything under a rug" when it comes to the issue of human rights in Vietnam, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe insisted on Sunday, after sidestepping questions over the Asian country's dismal record on dissent. His comments came on the final day of a state visit to Vietnam, that was largely aimed at drumming up business deals with one of Asia's fastest-growing economies as both sides signed contracts worth a total of nearly USD 12 billion. But the French premier would not be drawn on the Communist government's handling of dissent, which includes jailing people for posting their opinions about hot-button issues on Facebook. More than 50 activists, rights campaigners and bloggers have been put behind bars in 2018, one of the harshest crackdowns in recent years. When questioned by reporters in Ho Chi Minh City, Philippe insisted, "we do not sweep anything under the rug, but we have discussions with the Vietnamese authorities that do not go through the ...
Path to power: Senate races to watch on election night
Republicans have a huge advantage as they seek to hold or expand their 51-49 Senate majority, with the battle for control running mostly through states that President Donald Trump won in 2016. Out of the 35 Senate contests taking place Tuesday, 10 involve Democratic incumbents seeking re-election in states that Trump won, often handily. He's spending much of the final week before the election traveling to those states in the hope that it will nudge his supporters to the polls. Meanwhile, Democratic hopes of taking the Senate hinge on nearly all of their incumbents winning a difficult task and on flipping seats in a few states that lean Republican, most notably Arizona, Tennessee and Texas. Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is trying to fend off Republican businessman Mike Braun in a state that Trump won by 19 percentage points. Donnelly is Indiana's lone Democrat elected statewide and has sought to align himself with Trump on the hot-button issue of expanding the border wall with Mexico.
Obama to rally for Indiana senator who backs Trump policies
Former President Barack Obama's national campaign tour to boost Democratic candidates takes an unusual path Sunday with an Indiana rally for Sen. Joe Donnelly, who has sounded more like Donald Trump while trying to persuade voters in the conservative Midwestern state to grant him a second term. Obama's rally for the Democratic senator in Gary will be sandwiched between his successor's trips to the state Friday and Monday on behalf of GOP Senate candidate Mike Braun. For Braun, a businessman who has campaigned as a steadfast Trump ally, the current president's appearances in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne are no-brainers in a state he won two years ago by 19 points. But for Donnelly, who frequently touts how often he votes with Trump, the Obama rally is a little more complicated. "If he does need to inoculate himself from some of his firmer conservative rhetoric, it's a pretty effective way to do it," said Christina Hale, a former state lawmaker and the Democratic nominee for lieutenant ..
EC official asks Telangana govt to take action on allegations
Election authorities have asked the Telangana government to initiate necessary action into allegations that public relations officers (PROs) working with caretaker ministers were allegedly involved in 'canvassing' for the TRS on social media ahead of the assembly elections next month. In his October 31 letter to the state General Administration Principal Secretary, Additional Chief Electoral Officer V Saida drew his attention to the complaint made by some journalists at a recent press meet that PROs were allegedly posting party programmes in social media groups, particularly WhatsApp. The letter requested the government to accord top priroity to the matter and take necessary action keeping in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and to furnish a compliance report. The matter was raised by some journalits at a press meet on October 27. Assembly elections in Telangana are scheduled to be held on December 7.
Kerala Minister dismisses nepotism allegations
A Kerala Minister on Sunday dismissed nepotism allegations levelled against him by the state opposition, saying they were baseless.
Tamil prisoners may be released to tilt scales in favour of Rajapaksa
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's legislator son Namal on Sunday indicated that the long held demand of the Tamil minority community to release all Tamil prisoners may be fulfilled soon, a move aimed at persuading the Tamil legislators to support Rajapaksa. "President (Maithripala) Sirisena and Prime Minister Rajapaksa would make a decision (on the issue) very soon," Namal tweeted in Tamil language. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Rajapaksa, who was the president at the time, has repeatedly said that the war was against the LTTE and not against the Tamil community. Since the war with the LTTE ended in 2009, the Sri Lankan government has denied that the imprisoned LTTE members are political prisoners. Tamils say some of the prisoners ...
Darbar Move: J&K secretariat to start functioning from Monday
All necessary security arrangements have been put in place as the Civil Secretariat, seat of the Jammu and Kashmir government, will reopen here on Monday after a 10-day break owing to the bi-annual 'Darbar Move'. The Civil Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and other Darbar Move offices closed in Srinagar on October 26 after six months functioning there. The 'Darbar Move' was started by the then Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape the extreme heat during summers in Jammu and biting cold of winters in Srinagar. The practice was continued by elected governments post-independence to provide governance benefits -- by turns-- to both Kashmir and Jammu regions of the state for six months. All necessary security and other arrangements have been made to ensure smooth functioning of the government from here, officials said. They said the security agencies have worked out their strategy to deal with any kind of law and order situation and maintain peace in the city. In the aftermath of the killing of a
N Korea welcomes Cuban president to Pyongyang
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was due in Pyongyang on Sunday, North Korea's state media reported, describing the visit as a "historic event" highlighting the "invincible friendship" of the two allies. The visit comes amid stalled talks between North Korea and the United States and only days after Washington imposed fresh economic restrictions on Cuba. Washington's ties with Havana were fully restored in 2015 after more than half a century of enmity, but have deteriorated since President Donald Trump took office. Communist Cuba is one of North Korea's few remaining allies. "The Korean people warmly welcome the visit to Pyongyang by Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez," said an editorial carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper. "His current visit... is a historic event which powerfully demonstrates invincible friendship and unity and comradely friendship," it added. The paper featured a separate profile and photo of Diaz-Canel, who took office in April in a historic transition .
TMC announces Rs 1lakh compensation to kin of those killed in Tinsukhia
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation led by party leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday met the families of the five people who were killed by United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists.The delegation, comprising TMC Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Mamata Bala Thakur, Rajya Sabha legislator Nadimul Haq and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mahua Moitra, announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to be paid to the kin of those who were killed.The deceased, identified as Ananta Namasudra, Abinash Namasudra, Subal Das, Dhanai Namasudra and Syamal Biswas from the Bengali community, were killed at around 7 pm on November 1 in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya Bridge.State Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had condemned the attack and directed law enforcement agencies to take stringent action against the culprits.The ULFA is a separatist outfit operating in North-East India for the indigenous Assamese people. Their main aim is to establish a sovereign Assam with an armed ...
Iranians rally to mark anniversary of US Embassy takeover
Thousands of Iranians have staged a rally in Tehran marking the anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy takeover as Washington restores all sanctions lifted under the nuclear deal. The crowd chanted "Down with US" and "Death to Israel" during Sunday's rally in the capital, and state TV says similar demonstrations were held in other cities and towns. On Friday, the Trump administration announced the restoration of sanctions on Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors, the second batch of penalties to be restored after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear agreement in May. Iranian students stormed the embassy shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
TMC delegation meets kin of those killed in Tinsukhia
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation led by party leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday met the families of the five people who were killed by United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists.The delegation included TMC Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Mamata Bala Thakur, Rajya Sabha legislator Nadimul Haq and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mahua Moitra.The deceased, identified as Ananta Namasudra, Abinash Namasudra, Subal Das, Dhanai Namasudra and Syamal Biswas from the Bengali community, were killed at around 7 pm on November 1 in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya Bridge.State Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had condemned the attack and directed law enforcement agencies to take stringent action against the culprits.The ULFA is a separatist outfit operating in North-East India for the indigenous Assamese people. Their main aim is to establish a sovereign Assam with an armed struggle.The central government had banned ULFA in 1990 citing it as a terrorist organisation, while
PM Modi swallowing up CBI, RBI like Anaconda: Andhra FM
Launching a scathing attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the Prime Minister is an 'Anaconda' who is swallowing up institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI), among others."Who is a bigger Anaconda than (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. He himself is the Anaconda, who swallowed all the institutions. He is swallowing up institutions like CBI, RBI etc. Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders should know this," he claimed.Ramakrishnudu further asserted that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will fight dictatorship, hegemony, and pride- three qualities, he claimed, the BJP possesses."Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is speaking of past politics. Past cannot be present or future. But present and future will become past. The critics of TDP should understand this truth. TDP was not established against any single party. It was found against the system. Late NTR had founded TDP to ...
Democrats lead in House preferences ahead of midterms: Poll
Heading into the critical US midterm elections, the Democrats have retained their advantage in the battle for the House of Representatives, but Republicans could be buoyed by increasingly positive assessments of the economy, according to a new poll.
N Korea warns of returning to nuclear policy
North Korea has warned the United States it will "seriously" consider returning to a state policy aimed at building nuclear weapons if Washington does not end tough economic sanctions against the impoverished regime. For years, the North had pursued a "byungjin" policy of simultaneously developing its nuclear capabilities alongside the economy. In April, citing a "fresh climate of detente and peace" on the peninsula, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the nuclear quest complete and said his country would focus on "socialist economic construction". But a statement issued by the North's foreign ministry said Pyongyang could revert to its former policy if the US did not change its stance over sanctions. "The word 'byungjin' may appear again and the change of the line could be seriously reconsidered," said the statement carried by the official KCNA news agency late Friday. At a historic summit in Singapore in June, US President Donald Trump and Kim signed a vaguely-worded statement .
Unaccounted cash worth Rs 50 lakh seized in poll-bound Rajasthan
As part of its vigil against the illegal supply of money and other valuables ahead of elections, unaccounted cash worth Rs 50 lakh, two kilograms of gold and two quintals of silver were seized by Rajasthan Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).The consignment was seized on Saturday night from Delhi-Ahmedabad Ashram Express at Ajmer, Jaipur and Beawar stations.Following a tip-off about the presence of hawala money in the parcels being loaded in trains, a team of the ATS in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) searched the luggage coaches and seized the consignment.A GRP officer Ramavatar said, "We were monitoring the luggage loaded in the trains since few times. We received inputs from the ATS about the unaccounted cash and valuables items in Delhi-Ahmedabad Ashram Express. Hence, along with the ATS, we conducted a raid in the train."Rajasthan is slated to go for polls on December 7, and counting of votes will be done on December 11.
US midterm elections: A referendum on Trump's policies? (Comment)
The US midterm elections will be held on November 6. Many knowledgeable observers are calling these midterms the most important elections in a generation. Thats because, even though this is an off-year election in which there is no presidential contest, the election itself is a referendum on Donald Trump.
Trumps vows to stop immigrant caravan from entering US
US President Donald Trump said in a campaign rally in Florida that he won't allow a caravan of Central American migrants, which is heading towards the Mexico-US border, to enter the country.
Suspicious package causes closure of New York streets
Police in New York closed several streets due to a suspicious package in the commercial area of Herald Square in Manhattan, which turned out to be abandoned luggage.
Know why 1st phase of Chhattisgarh polls is special
With just over a week for the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections, the battlefield has been set and the political parties have also blown the election bugle.The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is ruling the state for the last 15 years, is seeking to win its fourth electoral term, while the Congress will aim to dethrone the Chief Minister Raman Singh-led government and win the polls.In the Chhattisgarh assembly polls, there are two phases of voting. In the first phase, voting will be held in 18 constituencies in the southern part of the state. On a closer look, 18 out of 12 seats are located in Naxal-affected Bastar division and six are located in Rajnandgaon district. As many as 192 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the state assembly elections.The first phase of the assembly elections assumes plenty of significance as both the arch-rival parties, BJP and Congress, are going all out to woo the people for votes while engaging in a political ...
Rafale row: Rahul stalling country's growth, says BJP
Delhi Chief of the Bhartiya Janata Party, Manoj Tiwari on Saturday hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi asking him not to disrupt the growth of the country.He said, " Mr Gandhi let the armed forces develop and be stronger, Do not disrupt the nation's growth by becoming a hurdle. Rafale can exchange fuel for 3-4 days in the air, can even load weapons during the flight."Tiwari told ANI, "The way in which Narendra Modi has strengthened the defence of India, it is becoming a big issue for the Congress and its allies. If someone is having a problem with the strengthening of the defence sector then we do not have any solution for it."Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday had attacked the Congress president by saying, "Rahul Gandhi is quite confused about the Rafale Deal. Every time he speaks about Rafale, he gives a wrong data about the deal."Rahul Gandhi drew the flaks after he said that Dassault invested Rs 284 Crore in the Anil Ambani's company."Anil Ambani bought land ...