Page 2597 - Politics
US warns of strong and swift retaliatory action against any foreign election interference
The US has warned of "swift" and "severe" retaliatory action in case of any foreign meddling in the crucial mid-term polls as the America's intelligence community Wednesday expressed its concern over ongoing election interference campaign by foreign actors, in particular Russia, China and Iran. In the November 6 mid-term elections, Americans would elect 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats in Congress. The US has said that the foreign interference in the US elections is a threat to America's democracy. The intelligence community is concerned about ongoing interference campaigns by Russia, China, and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in the democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies, a senior intelligence official told reporters. And, as such, identifying and preventing this interference is a top priority for the federal government, the official said. The US has said that it will take .
Congress leaves 24 Telangana seats for TDP, allies
Telangana's main opposition Congress party on Thursday decided to contest 95 Assembly seats and leave the remaining 24 seats for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other constituents of the grand alliance.
Connectivity projects must respect countries' sovereignty, territorial integrity: India
In what can be seen as remarks targeting China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Thursday said that regional connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
Maha: winter session from Nov 19; Oppn says not long enough
The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature which is set to start here from November 19 will go on for two weeks, it was announced today, with the opposition slamming the government for its 'short' duration. The two-week session will be unique as it will be held in Mumbai instead of Nagpur after 57 years. The opposition Congress and NCP demanded at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of both houses here Thursday that the session should be extended by one week. However, the government rejected the demand, a legislature officer said. Conventionally, the winter session is two-week long. As announced at the end of monsoon session, the winter session will start on November 19. It will go on till November 30, the official said. The number of working days will be eight as two public holidays -- Eid and Gurunanak Jayanti -- fall in this period. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that by refusing to extend the session, .
J-K govt amends Municipal Laws to choose mayor, ULBs heads through secret ballot
The Jammu and Kashmir government has amended Municipal Laws, paving way for election of mayors of Srinagar and Jammu, and heads of local urban bodies (ULBs) through secret ballot. The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met here Wednesday under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik approved 'The Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018', an official spokesman said. The amendment will pave the way for election of mayors and deputy mayors of the municipal corporations and presidents and vice presidents of the municipal councils, municipal committees through secret ballot, the spokesman said. The meeting was attended by Advisers, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai and Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam. The decision, in this regard, has been taken in order to remove the anomalies between the provisions of the Municipal Acts, after their amendments through the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2010, and relevant Regulations/ Bye-laws ..
BJP irked at Congress for mocking Modi
A social media post mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Congress on Thursday was slammed by the BJP saying the party was "losing its values".
Ram won't vote: Farooq Abdullah taunts BJP over temple issue
Taking a strong exception to the verbal volleys by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on the Ram Temple issue, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said not Ram or Allah but people's vote will help in winning elections."They (BJP) feel Ram will win them the election. It's not the Ram or Allah that wins you the election, it's the people who vote and make you win elections," Abdullah said when asked for his views on Ram Temple issue."It's not the questions of temples, mosques or gurudwaras, this nation has all these religions and every religion has got a place in this nation," he said.Farooq, who came to New Delhi along with his son Omar Abdullah, said that the Opposition should talk and find a way forward in forging an alliance for the upcoming elections."It's not a question of the anti-BJP front. Where is the dollar? Where is the economy? What is happening in RBI? Can you see that?" said Farooq when asked about the opposition's possible alliance."It's a question
If Ram Mandir isn't built in India, will it be constructed in Pak, asks Cong MLA
Claiming that Muslims are not against construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is building up the issue since Lok Sabha elections are approaching, Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Shivajinagar Roshan Baig on Thursday said that "if the temple is not built in India, will it be constructed in Pakistan?"Speaking to ANI, Baig said: "Muslims are not against the construction of Ram Mandir. If Ram Mandir is not built in India, will it be constructed in Pakistan? It should be built in India only."The Congress leader sharpened his attack on BJP saying that it is trying to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims. "The Ram Mandir matter is in the court. They are just trying to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims."He claimed that BJP is trying to bring an ordinance as parliamentary elections are approaching. According to him, the Ram Mandir issue is being raked up as people are unhappy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi led central ...
Russia slaps sanctions on Ukraine politicians, businesses
Russia on Thursday imposed financial sanctions on hundreds of Ukrainian individuals and dozens of companies, in what it described as countermeasures for Kiev's actions against Moscow. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the document published on the government's press service that called for Russian assets of 322 Ukrainian citizens and 68 businesses to be frozen. On the list are Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who is among the favourites for president in polls next year, and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. The defence minister and the parliament speaker also feature, along with several chemical and mining companies. Moscow said the sanctions were linked to "unfriendly actions by Ukraine in relation to Russian citizens and legal entities". Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter feud since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Moscow has been accused of fuelling a rebel conflict in eastern Ukraine that has cost the lives of some 10,000 people. Last month a region in ...
Not aware of India's protest over China-Pakistan bus service: Beijing
Beijing on Thursday said it was not aware of India's protest to the bus services planned between China and Pakistan along the route of disputed Kashmir, maintaining the CPEC has nothing to do with the territorial dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Odisha airport renamed Veer Surendra Sai Airport
The Centre on Thursday decided to rename the Odisha's Jharsuguda airport after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai.
Union Cabinet approves renaming of Jharuguda Airport
ANIVeer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha."Renaming of the Jharsuguda airport in his name will fulfill long-pending demand of the Odisha Government, which reflects the sentiments of the local public of the respective area," read the government press release.The change of name will also be a befitting tribute to the contribution of the revered personality associated with the State, it added.
BJP candidate in Karnataka quits party, back in Congress
L. Chandrashekar, the BJP candidate in the by-election to the Karnataka Assembly from Ramanagara on November 3, on Thursday announced that he had quit the party to return to the Congress.
Will you back bill on Ram temple, BJP MP asks opposition
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha on Thursday asked opposition leaders if they will support a private member bill that he is mulling to bring in Parliament on Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Chandrababu Naidu to meet Rahul Gandhi on Thursday: TDP sources
TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to unite the opposition parties to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections next year, will meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi here on Thursday, sources said. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) sources said Naidu will meet Gandhi at his residence around 3:30 pm and they are likely to hold discussions for an alliance for the December 7 Assembly elections in Telangana. They said the two parties are engaged in talks over seat sharing. Naidu, a former BJP ally who quit the NDA early this year over the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh, met BSP chief Mayawati, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha here in the national capital on October 27. According to TDP sources, Naidu "coincidentally" met senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here earlier on Thursday. The TDP chief is playing the ..
Australia warns against US-China tensions
China's rising and "unprecedented influence" in the Indo-Pacific region will challenge American interests, but confrontation must not define relations between the two powers, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned Thursday. In his first major foreign policy speech, Morrison tried to tread a careful line between Australia's alliance with the United States and engaging a rapidly and evermore assertive China. "Inevitably, in the period ahead, we will be navigating a higher degree of US-China strategic competition," Morrison told the Asia Society Australia in Sydney. "It is important that US-China relations do not become defined by confrontation," he said, against a backdrop of the two economic behemoths trading economic sanctions and counter-sanctions in an ever-deeping trade dispute. Australia -- a member of the "Five Eyes" Western intelligence alliance and with long-standing and close military ties with Washington -- finds itself slap-bang in the middle of one of the 21st ...
Trump turning down R-Day invite purely scheduling issue: US envoy
US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster Thursday said President Donald Trump's inability to participate as the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations next year was a "purely scheduling issue". Trump has declined India's invitation to be the chief guest at the parade citing pressing engagements, including his State of The Union (SOTU) address, around the time India will celebrate its Republic Day on January 26. Asked if Trump declining India's invitation had something to do with India signing a deal with Russia on S-400 missile defence systems, Juster, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, said, "No, that is a purely scheduling issue." Earlier this week, a White House spokesperson, when asked about Trump's decision, had said, "President Trump was honoured by Prime Minister Modi's invitation to him to be the chief guest of India's Republic Day on January 26, 2019, but is unable to participate due to scheduling constraints." Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ...
Days of caste equations over: UP BJP chief
Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey on Thursday sought to belittle the efforts of opposition parties to stitch up an alliance with the SP and the BSP as key partners for the general elections next year, saying "days of caste equations are over". Pandey's remarks assume significance in light of the recent statement by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav that an alliance between his party and the BSP for the Lok Sabha polls was very much alive and would be firmed up after the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. "I don't think that they (opposition parties) will be in a position to face us. They are still dabbling in politics of yesteryears, when after calculating the caste votes, tickets were distributed and alliances stitched," Pandey told PTI. "Days of caste equations are over. This era belongs to an active and continuously performing prime minister," he said in an interview. The Uttar Pradesh BJP chief exuded ...
Trump's India visit cancelled due to 'scheduling issue': US Ambassador
US Ambassador to India Kenneth Ian Juster on Thursday said that President Donald Trump's visit to India was cancelled only due to "scheduling issue"."It's completely a scheduling issue. Right now there is no Speaker of the House that has even been selected," Juster told ANI on the sidelines of the South Asia Regional Connectivity Conference 2018.Earlier on October 30, the White House confirmed that the US President would not attend India's Republic Day celebrations due to "scheduling constraints"."President Trump was honored by Prime Minister Modi's invitation for him to be Chief Guest of India's Republic Day on January 26, 2019 but is unable to participate due to scheduling constraints," a statement from White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders read."The President enjoys a strong personal rapport with Prime Minister Modi, developed through two meetings and several phone calls, and remains committed to deepening the U.S.-India strategic partnership. The President very much looks forward
Graveyards of B'deshi freedom fighters along borders to be protected: Envoy
Indian and Bangladeshi authorities would jointly develop and protect the graveyards of Bangladeshi freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the 1971 Liberation War, an envoy of the neighbouring country has said.