Page 261 - Politics
Denmark votes with centre-left set to win
Voters cast ballots in Denmark on Wednesday in a general election where the opposition Social Democrats are tipped to return to power following a campaign dominated by concerns over the climate, welfare cuts and immigration. Opinion polls indicate the centre-left Social Democrats will win more than 27 percent of the vote, almost 10 points ahead of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen's ruling Liberal Party, which has been in power for 14 of the last 18 years. Voting at a school in Copenhagen, Rasmussen said he was staying "calm". "The only count that matters is the one that can be settled when the election is decided tonight," he told reporters. If the Social Democrats emerge victorious, they intend to form a minority government -- common in Denmark's proportional representation system -- relying on the support of other parties to pass legislation. The party, led by Mette Frederiksen, appears to have boosted its appeal after adopting the right wing's long-standing restrictive stance on
EU talks delay risks toppling Macedonia government: PM
North Macedonia's prime minister on Wednesday urged the EU to start membership talks with Skopje immediately, warning any delay could topple his government and bolster nationalist, anti-European parties. EU member states are expected to discuss Skopje's bid to join the bloc in Luxembourg later this month, and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev warned that a negative response would open the door to greater influence from outside powers like Russia and China. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, says North Macedonia and Albania are both ready to start talks to join the EU, but several existing members such as France and the Netherlands are reluctant. "With a negative decision, they will bring back nationalism and radicalism again in North Macedonia and in whole region," Zaev told reporters in Brussels. "They will open the space for third sides like China and Russia." North Macedonia has made major changes under Zaev as it seeks to join the EU and NATO -- not least amending the ...
CBI probing conspiracy to auction atomic minerals block
The CBI is investigating the collusion between senior government officials and private companies for allegedly setting up an official channel, which apparently paved the way for the auction of blocks bearing rare and atomic minerals to private parties for mining.
Sudan commander says will not allow descent into 'chaos'
The commander of Sudanese paramilitary forces accused of a deadly crackdown on demonstrators insisted Wednesday that the country would not be allowed to slip into "chaos". Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of Sudan's ruling military council, leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that protesters say is responsible for a "bloody massacre" that has left at least 60 people dead. "We will not allow chaos... we must impose the authority of the state through law," the commander, known as Himediti, told troops in a televised address. The general singled out makeshift barricades erected across streets by demonstrators that are aimed at blocking the security forces. The RSF are paramilitary groups with origins in the Janjaweed militia accused of abuses during the 16-year-old conflict in Darfur. Security forces on Monday moved in to brutally disperse a sit-in outside army headquarters in Khartoum that was demanding a handover to civilian rule. Sudan's military council has controlled the ...
Trump says was 'never a fan' of Vietnam war
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has no regrets about being able to avoid serving during the Vietnam war, because he was not a "fan" of the highly unpopular conflict. "I was never a fan of that war, I'll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war. I thought it was very far away," Trump told interviewer Piers Morgan on ITV television while visiting Britain for ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in World War II. "You're talking about Vietnam and at that time nobody had ever heard of the country," Trump said. "This isn't like 'I'm fighting against Nazi Germany, we're fighting against Hitler.'" Trump graduated from the Wharton School of Finance in 1968, becoming eligible for the draft to be sent to the war which, despite his comment, was at a peak in that year, with around half a million US soldiers deployed. It was also the year of the Tet offensive, a failed push by communist forces into US-backed South Vietnam that left thousands dead ..
Asiya Andrabi linked directly with Pakistani army, received funds from ISI (Lead, correcting name)
Intensive questioning of Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi reveals that she came in close contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba kingpin Hafeez Saaed through a serving Pakistan Army officer. The officer happens to be a relative of Andriba, the leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, presently being interrogated by National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with two other separatist leaders.
Asiya Andriba linked directly with Pakistani army, received funds from ISI
Intensive questioning of Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andriba reveals that she came in close contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba kingpin Hafeez Saaed through a serving Pakistan Army officer. The officer happens to be a relative of Andriba, the leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, presently being interrogated by National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with two other separatist leaders.
Health Minister urges Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal to join Ayushman Bharat Scheme
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has written to the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal urging them to join the Central government's flagship health protection scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).According to a statement from his office, the Union Minister talked to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in this regard.Taking stock of the situation that three States and one Union Territory (UT) are yet to join the AB-PMJAY scheme, he said, "It is important that the benefits of the visionary scheme like Ayushman Bharat should reach all deprived and vulnerable people in the country. I will make all efforts to convince the remaining states and UT to bring the benefits of the scheme to their people and ensure that no eligible person is deprived of these benefits."In his letter, the Minister claimed that it is due to clear and .
Andhra BJP chief writes 7 letters to CM, levels corruption charges against Naidu govt
BJP Andhra Pradesh unit president Kanna Lakshmi Narayana on Wednesday wrote seven letters to chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy levelling corruption charges against previous TDP government.Through the letters, Narayana has demanded action against culprits in corruption charges.Narayana, in his first letter, stated that 40 lakh families were affected by the Agrigold scam and asked the Chief Minister to order a CBI investigation to punish the culprits."This Rs 10,000 crore scam is bigger than the Saradha scam of West Bengal. The scam is so grave that nearly Rs 7,000 crores were collected from nearly 32 lakh depositors spread over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Odisha", Narayana wrote.In the second letter, the BJP leader asked Reddy to undertake steps to resolve the "long pending problem of dotted lands.""Due to intentional improper maintenance of land records, ambiguous law and rules regarding government lands and irresponsible attitude of officials, people have
Panneerselvam, son offer floral tributes at MGR,Jaya memorials
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his son P Raveendranath Kumar, newly elected MP, offered floral tributes at the memorials of party founder M G Ramachandran and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa here Wednesday. Senior AIADMK members, including Revenue minister R B Udhayakumar, were among those present. Raveendranath Kumar was the only AIADMK candidate who managed to win in the April 18 Lok Sabha polls from the State. Kumar's name along with senior leader V Vaithialingam was doing the rounds for a berth in the Council of Ministers for nearly a week. However, none could find a place in the NDA cabinet.
Uttarakhand minister Prakash Pant passes away
Uttarakhand minister Prakash Pant died in the US on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. The 58-year-old had been in the US for some time for treatment. Pant was Uttarakhand's minister for parliamentary affairs and finance besides being in charge of a host of other portfolios.He was a BJP MLA from Pithoragarh in the state assembly and was considered one of the most important and knowledgable members of Rawat's cabinet. He was one of the probables for the post of chief minister when the BJP swept to power in the state in 2017. Condolences poured in as the news of Pant's death spread. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to express his condolences. "Anguished by the passing away of Uttarakhand Finance Minister Shri Prakash Pant. His organisational skills helped strengthen the BJP and administrative skills contributed to Uttarakhand's progress. My thoughts are with his family and supporters," he said in a tweet. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed deep grief at ...
Cut in annual defence budget won't impact our response to any threat, says Pak Army Chief
Pakistan Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, on Wednesday said that the voluntary decision to cut the annual increase in defence spending will not impact Pakistan's response to any potential threat.The News International quoted Bajwa as saying, "This initiative is not a favour to the nation as we are one, through thick and thin.""Irrespective of the voluntary cut in defence budget coming financial year (FY), there shall be no impact on our response potential to all types of threat and quality of life of the soldiers. The no pay raise decision is also only for the officers and not for the soldiers. We shall manage the shortfall during the FY by tightening our belt in areas where it doesn't affect the two aforesaid aspects," the chief of Pakistan's army staff (COAS) added.The Pakistani Army, on Tuesday, in an unprecedented move for the betterment of the national economy, decided to not to receive an increased share under defence budget.Prime Minister Imran Khan further lauded the ...
Karnataka BJP to corner Cong-JDS coalition on "failures"
Buoyed by the party's victory in the Lok Sabaha polls, the BJP's Karnataka unit Wednesday at its legislature party meeting Wednesday decided to corner the Congress-JD(S) coalition government on drought and developmental issues. At the meeting chaired by state BJP chief B SYeddyurappa, the party decided to hold a three-day protest against the "failures" of the state government and allegeddiscrimination with regard to development. "There is severe drought in Karnataka. Despite several requests and warnings to the state government, it has been of no use. To put pressure on the government and to know the facts, leader of opposition and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa will travel to parts of North Karnataka on June 7, 8 and 9," state BJP general secretary Arvind Limbavali said. Speaking to reporters after the legislature party meeting here, he said Yeddyurappa would visit places including Badami, Hungund, Koppal, Lingasugur, Yadgir and Gurmitkal. "During his travel he ...
Centre reaches out to Cong for cooperation in Parliament
The government reached out to the opposition Congress on Wednesday and sought the party's cooperation in the upcoming session of Parliament, starting June 17. According to sources, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, along with the two ministers of state in his ministry -- Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan -- met Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad at his residence here. The ministers conveyed their best wishes to the senior Congress leader on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and sought his party's cooperation in the upcoming Parliament session. The government has convened an all-party meeting in Parliament on June 16, ahead of the Lok Sabha session, where it will seek the cooperation of all the political parties in ensuring a smooth session, the sources pointed out. The Lok Sabha will commence from June 17. After the new MPs take oath on the first two days, the Speaker will be elected on June 19. President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint sitting of .
Trump joins Queen, world leaders to mark 75th D-Day
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, joined Queen Elizabeth II, here on Wednesday, for the official commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
D Raja to represent CPI at Communist and Workers Party meet in Turkey
CPI national secretary D Raja will represent the party at the 21st International meeting of Communist and Workers Party in Turkey, party sources said Wednesday. The two-day working group meeting will be held on June 7 and 8 in Izmir, Turkey. Raja will be leaving on Thursday. The Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary, who is among the key members of the party, is speculated to replace party general secretary Sudhakar Reddy. Reddy is likely to resign next month.
Trump commemorates 'unprecedented' D-Day events with Queen, world leaders
United States President Donald Trump, who is currently on a state visit to the United Kingdom, commemorated an "unprecedented" set of events on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day in Portsmouth on Wednesday in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime Minister Theresa May and other world leaders, including Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.The Normandy landings were the landing operations made on June 6, 1944, by the Allied forces of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed as 'Operation Neptune' and often referred to as the 'D-Day', the Normandy landings was the largest ever seaborne invasion in history.Voice of America reported that the events of the day included musical performances and historical readings, including Trump reciting a prayer that former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt read to those listening on the radio after the start of 1944 invasion.May's office released a statement highlighting the "historic international ...
Indian, Pakistan security forces exchange sweets on LoC, IB
Indian and Pakistan security forces on Wednesday exchanged sweets and greetings on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Senators seek to block Trump's arms sales to Saudis
Senators across the political spectrum on Wednesday moved to block President Donald Trump's plan to sell $8.1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies as US lawmakers' frustration with the kingdom soars. The Trump administration last month said it would use emergency powers to defy Congress and provide munitions, aircraft maintenance and other military components to Saudi Arabia along with the United Arab Emirates. The move infuriated lawmakers who believe the weapons could be used to kill civilians in Yemen, where the Saudis and Emiratis are mounting an offensive and millions are at risk of starvation. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who is usually in lockstep with Trump, voiced hope for "strong bipartisan support" in preventing the sales. "While I understand that Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, the behavior of Mohammed bin Salman cannot be ignored. Now is not the time to do business as usual with Saudi Arabia," Graham said, referring to the kingdom's ambitious ...
Cabinet panel on security formed
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was constituted on Wednesday. The key panel, which deals with issues related to national security and foreign affairs, is headed by the prime minister and has the defence, home, external affairs and finance ministers as its members. The present CCS, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sithataman as its members, sources in the government said. The cabinet panels are constituted or reconstituted when a new government takes over or the cabinet undergoes a reshuffle.