Page 2612 - Politics
Former top officials arrested in China for corruption
Two former senior officials from the Hebei and Inner Mongolia provincial government in China were arrested over graft charges on Tuesday.
BJP getting voters deleted from electoral rolls: AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused the BJP of getting names of thousands of voters deleted from Delhi's electoral rolls illegally in a bid to win the Lok Sabha elections.
Israel holds municipal vote, Jerusalem chooses new mayor
Israelis are voting in municipal elections across the country. In the closest watched race Tuesday, four candidates are hoping to become the next mayor of Jerusalem a city with great importance to billions of people around the world. Ofer Berkovitch, a young secular activist, is running against Moshe Lion, a longtime political activist, Cabinet minister Zeev Elkin, who is supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ultra-Orthodox candidate Yossi Daitch. If no one captures 40 percent of the votes, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff. Jerusalem is a diverse city, with a Jewish population divided between secular residents, modern Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox. In addition, about one-third of the population is Palestinian. Few Palestinians vote, however, seeing participation as recognition of Israeli control over east Jerusalem.
Mass protest rally in Lanka against ousted PM's sacking
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Colombo on Tuesday at a mass rally organised by ousted Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's party against what it said was a "coup" by President Maithripala Sirisena, amid efforts by opposing sides to secure their numbers in Parliament to end the country's political crisis. Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) demanded that Parliament be convened immediately and democracy restored. Wickremesinghe said that President Maithripala Sirisena had assumed he would get his way. However, he said the UNP and its partners in the United National Front will not give up and will continue to push for Parliament to convene immediately. Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority nation in the Indian Ocean, was plunged into chaos on Friday when Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe as prime minister in a surprise move. He also suspended Parliament in an apparent bid to shore up support for newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sirisena is under increasing
YSRCP demands CBI or judicial probe into Jagan attack case
The YSR Congress Party on Tuesday demanded a CBI or judicial probe into the recent attack on its chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport and alleged that the incident was a "conspiracy" hatched by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Rubbishing the allegations, Andhra Pradesh chief minister's OSD for media affairs Telaprolu Srinivas Rao claimed that YSRCP leaders were trying to create unrest in the state. The YSRCP alleged that the state police is "biased" in its investigation and is working as per the direction of the chief minister. The party, however, asserted that Jagan, also is the leader of opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly, will continue his 'padayatra' across the state, undeterred by such attacks. On October 25, Jagan was attacked by J Srinivas, who worked in a cafeteria at the airport. Addressing the media here, YSRCP Rajya Sabha member V Vijaya Sai Reddy alleged: "The direct attack on Jagan is part of a big criminal conspiracy and was pre-planned. There is a
FIR against R'than minister for controversial remarks
A Rajasthan minister has been booked under the Representation of the People Act for allegedly promoting enmity between two groups in his speech at an election rally last week, officials said. A video has gone viral on social media in which Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Dhan Singh Rawat can be seen as purportedly saying, "If Muslims can vote unitedly for Congress, then all Hindus can also unite and go with the BJP and make it win with a thumping majority." At the public meeting in Banswara district on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator had claimed that his party was a "protector" of the "sanatan sanskriti" (traditional culture)' of India and termed the Congress a "party of Muslims". State Chief Electoral Officer Anand Kumar said the district election department had lodged an FIR and the matter was being investigated. A case has been registered against Rawat at Banswara Kotwali police station on Monday under Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in ..
BJP's 'Achhe Din' over in 4 years: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his promise of "Achhe Din" had gone up in smoke in just four years and now people were alleging that "chowkidar chor hai" (watchman is corrupt).
Nehru-Gandhi family responsible for J-K unrest: Swamy
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday blamed first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru and the entire Gandhi family for the turmoil in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.Swamy's statement comes a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that the central government is responsible for the killing of army personnel in the state. "Jawahar Lal Nehru handing over Kashmir on a platter to the United Nation caused this whole dispute which didn't exist earlier. All other princely states merged peacefully into India, but Nehru went to the United Nation and caused this dispute. He and his family are responsible for the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir and we are trying to rectify it," Swamy said.Berating Congress president for making baseless allegations, Swamy further said that unless he furnishes proof of his charges, people would not take him seriously."Rahul Gandhi is moving all around the country just making charges. It has ...
Sushma Swaraj departs for maiden Kuwait visit
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj, who is on an official four-day visit to two Gulf countries, departed from Qatar for her maiden visit to Kuwait on Tuesday."Shukraan Qatar! After a successful visit to Qatar, EAM @SushmaSwaraj departs on her maiden visit to Kuwait. EAM will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait and interact with Indian community members," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted on Tuesday.During the second leg of her visit, Swaraj will hold a bilateral meeting with her Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, who also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister in the state.She will also call on the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and interact with the members of the Indian community.Outlining the bilateral relations between India and Kuwait, the MEA, in a statement, said, "The Gulf nation is a "reliable energy supplier to India... The nation is also home to about ten lakh Indians, ...
AAP announces 5 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Punjab
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced names of five candidates for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state.As per the list, Members of Parliament Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh will be contesting from Sangrur and Faridkot, respectively. Party's Makhan zone in-charge Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal will contest from Amritsar Sahib.Hoshiarpur's zone president Ravjot Singh will be contesting from his zone while Narinder Singh Shergill who is also chairperson of the finance committee of the party will fight from Anandpur Sahib.In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP had bagged four out of total 13 seats.
Equatorial Guinea celebrates 50th anniversary of Independence Day
On the occasion of 50 years of Independence of a flourishing country on the West Central coast of Africa, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea will host a reception to celebrate this iconic moment.It is the first official event organized by the Ambassador Manuel Mbela Bama Ndong, since establishment of the Mission in 2016. Being the 160th Diplomatic Mission in India, the Embassy aims to position Equatorial Guinea as the leading trade and investment destination for Indian enterprises on African continent.The reception is also a celebration of strengthened relations between both countries, marked by reciprocal presidential visits in 2018, where the President of Equatorial Guinea Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was a part of the first International Solar Alliance Summit held in March 2018. Based on an extended invitation, just within one month, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind visited Equatorial Guinea, discovering the country during his 3-day visit. At that time,
If apologies, will reconsider filing defamation suit against Rahul: Chouhan
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that he would reconsider his decision of filing criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, if the Congress president apologises for his Panama paper allegations on him and his family."If a junior leader made these allegations then it would be different, but the Congress president leveling such allegations is unfortunate. We will file a defamation case. We will reconsider if he apologises. One should not drop to such level," Chouhan said.The Chief Minister was reacting to Gandhi scion's allegations at a public rally in Jabua on Monday that Chouhan's son was named in the Panama papers.Launching an attack on Chouhan, the Congress chief had said, "Shivraj Singh's son has been named in the Panama papers. Even the country like Pakistan has punished its former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when he was named in the Panama papers. But here, no action has taken place as of now."Later, Chouhan hit back at Gandhi and tweeted ...
SC allows Tamil Nadu to decide 2-hour slot for bursting crackers
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the state of Tamil Nadu to decide the time slot for bursting firecrackers on Diwali festival with a condition that the period should not exceed two hours.The apex court's decision came while hearing the state government's plea seeking reconsideration of its order that had set a deadline of two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm for bursting of crackers.Today's decision of the court is stipulated only for Tamil Nadu; other states will have to follow the 8 pm-10 pm slot.The state government in its plea had asked the top court to extend the two-hour duration for Tamil Nadu. However, the apex court refused to extend the time slot.On October 23, the Supreme Court had refused to impose a blanket ban on cracker bursting with certain conditions. The court had stated that people will only be allowed to burst crackers between 8 pm and 10 pm on the festival of Diwali.This year Diwali will be celebrated on November 7.
I was confused: Rahul clarifies on allegations against Chouhan's son
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday clarified that he got confused when he leveled allegations that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son was named in the Panama papers. Gandhi scion had leveled the allegations at a public rally in Jabua on Monday.In a scathing attack on Chouhan, Gandhi had said, "Shivraj Singh's son has been named in the Panama papers. Even the country like Pakistan has punished its former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when he was named in the Panama papers. But here no action has taken place as of now."Covering up his factually wrong statement, Gandhi today said that though the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was not involved in Panama but "has done scams like e-tendering and Vyapam.""There is so much of corruption in the BJP that yesterday I got confused. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister hasn't done Panama but he has done scams like e-tendering and Vyapam," the Congress chief said.On Monday late night, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister ...
Rahul says linked MP CM's son to Panama Papers out of 'confusion'
Facing a defamation suit for alleging Madhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son was named in the 'Panama Papers', Congress president Rahul Gandhi clarified on Tuesday he had got "confused". "For campaigning I am touring Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan these days. The ruling BJP has indulged in so many scams and corruption that yesterday I got confused," Gandhi said here. "In Panama Paper leak case, Madhya Pradesh chief minister has no role," Gandhi told a select group of journalists when asked about his comments during a rally in Jhabua district of poll-bound Madhya Paresh on Monday. The Panama papers refer to 11.5 million leaked documents published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in 2016 with details of offshore entities set up by a Panama-bassed law firm. The list included a number of Indian entities and many of them are facing investigations. Without naming the chief minister or his son, Gandhi had alleged during the rally ...
Khaleda cannot contest elections: Bangladesh A-G
Bangladesh's leader of opposition and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will not be able to contest the upcoming general elections after she was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison in two separate graft cases, Attorney-General Mahbubey Alam said on Tuesday.
Social conflict can't end unless forces fanning it cease to exist: Tushar Gandhi
Noted author and great-grandson of Mahatama Gandhi, Tushar Gandhi Tuesday said the social conflict cannot end unless the forces having vested interest in creating it cease to exist. There can be no peace in the world as long as the military-armament industry continues to call the shots in global affairs, he said, adding this industry would collapse if there is peace in the world. Gandhi made the remarks while delivering his keynote address at a seminar on Gandhian Perspective on Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Aligarh Muslim University here. It is the downtrodden, common people of the world who pay the price for the greed of power-brokers and the manufacturers of armaments, he said. Referring to the internal peace in the country, Gandhi said, "There are forces at work which thrive by creating internal conflicts in the country and as long as there are political forces which gain mileage out of conflicts, the country can never be at peace." He said India will truly become a nation
Republican Harry Arora hopes to reverse Obama wave this Nov in Connecticut to enter Congress
Harry Arora, an Indian-American engineer-turned-entrepreneur is hopeful of reversing the 2008 Obama wave to take back a Congressional district in Connecticut from the Democrats to the Republican party and be the first from the community from the East Coast in the next Congress. If elected to the Congress in the November 6 mid-term elections, the Baroda-born Sikh promises to be a "tireless advocate" of the Indo-US relationship and strongly push for doing away with per country quota for Green Card, which has resulted in an agonising wait for hundreds and thousands of Indian professionals in the US. The tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut has one of the largest population of Indian-Americans in the US, but so far there has been no representation of the community in the Congress. Arora said he hopes and is confident to break that, by winning back the Democratic seat for his Republican party. "The reality is that numbers are quite favourable (for the Republicans this ...
Stone pelting 'alternative terror mechanism' in Valley: Panun Kashmir
Panun Kashmir, an organisation advocating the cause of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Tuesday said stone pelting has assumed the status of an "alternative terror mechanism" in the Valley. Speaking to reporters here, Panun Kashmir chief Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo alleged supporters of this mechanism can be found in every political party in the state. He also cited the recent death of an Army jawan who was attacked by a group of stone pelters at Anantnag. "Stone pelting has formally assumed the status of an alternative terror mechanism and its advocates have, unfortunately, made their way into every political party (in Valley)," Chrungoo said. The Panun Kashmir president also endorsed Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's statement that stone pelters in Jammu and Kashmir were "overground workers of terror groups and should be dealt with sternly". He appealed the Centre and state Governor to think afresh about the menace of stone pelting and review the policy regarding the same.
Arun Jaitley hits back at RBI, says it allowed lending excesses
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday for failing to stop a lending spree between 2008-2014 that left banks with huge bad debts, inflaming a row that recently erupted between the government and the central bank.