Page 2618 - Politics
J-K adviser visits IB to review operational preparedness
The adviser to the Jammu and Kashmir governor Monday visited forward areas along the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts and reviewed the security situation. Vijay Kumar visited BSF headquarters at Paloura Camp in Jammu where he was welcomed by Additional DG BSF (Western Command) Kamal Nayan Choubey and IG BSF (Jammu Frontier) Ram Awtar. The IG BSF gave a detailed operational briefing and assessment on the threat perception and various measures undertaken by the BSF to strengthen the border domination grid, a BSF officer said. Kumar highlighted the importance of synergy between all security agencies working in the Jammu region with the civil administration. The adviser asked the BSF to prioritise the issues of concern and proposals to be taken up with the civil administration and assured the border guarding force of speedy action on part of the state government, the officer said. After the briefing, Kumar visited border observation posts in Londi (Tapan) and Katao as ...
Analysis: Under the radar: Iran's oil exports harder to track as sanctions loom
LONDON (Reuters) - According to Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, no one has any idea how much oil Iran will be able to export after new U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic kick in on Nov. 4.
Analysis: Under the radar - Iran's oil exports harder to track as sanctions loom
LONDON (Reuters) - According to Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, no one has any idea how much oil Iran will be able to export after new U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic kick in on Nov. 4.
"CM leading a govt of Corruption, Commission and Collection"
: DMK chief M K Stalin Monday attacked the ruling AIADMK, saying Chief Minister K Palaniswami was leading a government of 'Corruption, Commission and Collection' and was scared of facing the public in the local body polls and bypolls. Speaking at a wedding function at Thirukkadaiyur in the district, he said the government was facing the wrath of the people on all fronts and was scared of facing them. "Despite the Madras High Court's directions to hold local body polls in the state, the State Election Commission is delaying the process. When bypolldates to Thiruvarur and Thirparankundam assembly constituencies were to be announced, the Chief Secretary wrote to the Election Commission of India,requesting for postponement, citing the coming monsoon as the reason." All these actions clearly showed that the government was afraid of facing the people through the democratic electoral process, he said. Stalin also referred to corruption charges against the Chief Minister and a ..
Trump says media is 'Enemy' after shooting, bomb plot
President Donald Trump is accusing the media of being "the true Enemy of People" in the wake of a mass shooting and a mail bomb plot. Trump tweeted Monday: "There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news." He added that the media "must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly." The president's comments follow a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a mail bomb scare targeting Democrats and CNN. The election season violence rattled a divided nation and prompted questions about whether Trump should tone done his rhetoric. Trump condemned the Pittsburgh attack as an act of anti-Semitism and has denounced political violence. But he has continued to hold political rallies.
Trump's sanctions on Iran tested by oil-thirsty China, India
WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced in May he would reimpose sanctions on Iran, the State Department began telling countries around the world the clock was ticking for them to cut oil purchases from the Islamic Republic to zero.
Three dead in Nigeria after Shiites and army clash
Three supporters of an imprisoned Shiite cleric were killed over the weekend in the Nigerian capital Abuja after clashes with the army, a military spokesman said. According to Nigeria's military, soldiers transporting weapons and ammunition were "attacked" by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) at the Zuba Bridge on Saturday afternoon. The IMN members had established an "illegal roadblock denying motorists free passage" and when the military tried to clear the barrier they were met with "stiff opposition", James Myam said in a statement released on Sunday. Soldiers opened fire on the IMN members after they "pelted the troops with stones" and attempted to "cart away the ammunition and missiles the troops were escorting", the statement said. "Unfortunately, during the encounter three members of the sect were killed while two soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries," Myam said. But the IMN disputed the claim, calling the military account "false" ...
CPI to hold talks with opposition to boost anti-Modi campaign
The CPI will hold talks with all opposition parties in order to strengthen the campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, general secretary of the party S Sudhakar Reddy said on Monday. The decision was taken at the national executive of the Communist Party of India (CPI) held here on Saturday, he said. "The party has decided to intensify its agitation to expose the Rafale scam and the desperate attempts by the government through blatant misuse of official machineries for its cover-up operations," Reddy alleged. He also claimed that the ruling political dispensation at Centre was forcing independent and even statutory authorities to bend rules to suit their anti-people, anti-constitutional, scam-driven activities. Expressing concern over the ongoing turmoil in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Reddy said the tussle had damaged the credibility of the premier investigating agency. "The mid night coup of Modi government to remove (the) ...
Estonian envoy calls on Assam CM to discuss investment options
Ambassador of Estonia to India Riho Kruuv called on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here Monday to discuss issues of mutual interest, including investment opportunities and trade relations, an official release said here. During the meeting, Chief Minister Sonowal talked about the potential sectors for investment in Assam with the envoy and requested him to take a lead in bringing business from Estonia to the state, it said. The CM also outlined the initiatives taken up in Assam to maximize business potential, under India's Act East Policy, and transform Guwahati into gateway of South East Asia. In response, Kruuv evinced interest in developing strong trade relations between Assam and the European country, the official statement said. Sonowal also sought cooperation from the Estonian ambassador in tackling cyber crime, which has surfaced as a major global threat, it stated. Principal secretary to the chief minister, Sanjay Lohiya, was present at the meeting, the ..
PM Modi leaves for home after summit talks with Abe
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for home on Monday after holding two-day 13th India-Japan annual summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during which they discussed issues of bilateral interest, the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and the two sides signed several agreements. "PM @narendramodi departs for Delhi after a fruitful visit to Japan that re-emphasised India's commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties and open new vistas for cooperation," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi, who arrived in Japan on Saturday night, held extensive talks with Abe on Monday during which they reviewed developments in bilateral relations and explored new areas of cooperation, focusing on shared vision for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, where China is flexing its muscles. The two leaders also agreed to initiate 2+2 dialogue involving their foreign and defence ministers. Abe hosted Modi days after he went to Beijing where held talks ...
Holding CBI hostage disastrous for nation: Pawar
Charging the Modi government with holding the premier investigating agency CBI as 'hostage', Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar said here on Monday this could have disastrous consequences for the country.
'Four of five Cong Kathua municipal councillors join BJP'
In a major setback to the Congress, four of its five successful councillors in Kathua Municipal Council joined BJP Monday along with two other independent councillors backed by it. Those who joined BJP included senior Congress leader, Naresh Kumar, who earlier had held the post of Kathua municipal council chairman for two years. The six joined the BJP saying they had been "feeling suffocated" in the Congress Those joining the BJP with Kumar also included two other Congress-backed independent municipal councillors of Kathua urban local body. State BJP president Ravinder Raina welcomed Kumar and his five other colleagues in Kathua Municipal Council, saying their joining the BJP has made the district "Congress-mukt". Kumar was among the five Congress candidates who had won in the 21-member Kathua Municipal Council in the recent urban local bodies polls. I am happy to announce that all the successful candidates of the Congress from Kathua municipal council under the leadership of Kumar ...
Modi, Abe ask Pak to bring Mumbai, Pathankot terror attacks perpetrators to justice
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Monday called on Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks. The two leaders strongly condemned the growing threat of terrorism and its universal reach during their formal summit here. "They called upon Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, including those of November 2008 in Mumbai and January 2016 in Pathankot," according to the India-Japan Vision Statement issued after the two leaders held two days of summit talks. Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists had sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks, killing 166 people and injuring over 300 in November 2008. India has expressed concern to Pakistan over allowing Mumbai attack mastermind and Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed to roam freely in the country and has demanded bringing him to justice. India blames the Pakistan Army for supporting the "non-state actors", ..
Pol parties condemn killing of SI and PDP worker in Kashmir
Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir Monday condemned the killing of a police officer and a PDP activist by militants in separate incidents in the Valley on Sunday. Imtiyaz Ahmed Mir, a 30-year-old Jammu and Kashmir Police sub-inspector posted in the CID department, was gunned down by terrorists in the militancy-infested Pulwama district of South Kashmir when he was on his way home to meet his elderly parents. Later, militants shot dead a PDP worker - Mohammad Amin Dar (40) near his residence in Gangbugh area of Tengpora in the city outskirts here. Condemning the killings, former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over violence "becoming rampant in the valley. "Again a young budding SI Imtiyaz Mir & Mohd Amin Dar, a political activist fell prey to the cycle of violence .Condemning these acts of violence & conveying my heartfelt condolences to families of Mohd Amin Dar- our party activist and Sub Inspector Imtiyaz Mir of @JmuKmrPolice, Mehbooba .
Undermining RBI will be disastrous: Employees Union
Days after RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya spoke on the need for the central bank's autonomy, the RBI Employees Association on Monday came out in his support by stating that "undermining the country's central bank is a recipe for disaster".
PM Modi holds 'fruitful and extensive' talks with his Japanese counterpart
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe Monday held "fruitful and extensive" talks during which they discussed issues of bilateral interest, the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and threats posed by nuclear terrorism as the two sides signed several agreements including on a high speed rail project and naval cooperation. The two leaders also agreed to initiate 2+2 dialogue involving their foreign and defence ministers. India has a similar agreement with the US and the two sides held the first round of 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi last month. "Held fruitful and extensive talks with PM @AbeShinzo. Today's discussions focused on aspects relating to better economic ties, stronger cooperation in areas of defence and security," Modi tweeted after two days of summit-level talks. During the 13th annual summit, the two prime ministers reviewed developments in bilateral relations and explored new areas of cooperation, focusing on shared vision for peace and ...
India attacks Pak Army administrative HQ near Poonch
The Indian Army has fired at Pakistan Army's administrative headquarters situated near Poonch district along the Line of Control (LoC).According to sources, the attack by Indian forces comes in retaliation to the firing of mortar shells witnessed in Poonch and Jhallas on October 23.Soon after the firing from the Indian side took place, sources said residents in the neighbouring villages of Poonch witnessed smoke emanating from the site.However, sources said that the Indian Army has exercised maximum restraint in spite of continuous provocation by Pakistan. In doing so, the Indian side has consciously avoided targeting or harassing civilian population in Pakistani towns of Hajira, Nikial and Samani which are in close proximity to the LoC.The attack comes over two years after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes in September 2016 at terrorist launch pads across the LoC in response to the strikes witnessed in Uri and Nagrota sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.Earlier in the month, a ...
Cong should apologise for Tharoor's remarks: Vijaywargiya
The Congress should apologise for party MP Shashi Tharoor's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shivlinga, and sack him if it found the statement derogatory, BJP leader Kailash Vijaywargiya said Monday. Tharoor on Sunday claimed that an unnamed RSS source had told a journalist that Prime Minister Modi was like a scorpion sitting on a Shivlinga who cannot be removed by hand or hit with a chappal (slipper). Referring to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's visit Monday to the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain as part of his two-day tour of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the BJP leader asked if the former would "apologise to the people of the country while standing in the Mahakal temple". He also asked whether Gandhi believed what Tharoor had said was proper. "Will you apologise to the people of the country while standing in the Mahakal temple? But if you really agree with Tharoor's statement, then I don't have to say anything as in that case people of the nation will come to know that ...
J-K looks to facilitate 500 new startups in next 10 yrs under new policy
The Jammu and Kashmir government will facilitate the growth of at least 500 new startups in the state in the next one decade under its 'Start-Up Policy2018', a top official said. The Jammu and Kashmir government last month rolled out the 'Start-Up Policy 2018', which will be in forcefor the next 10 years, for inspiring and nurturing a new breed ofentrepreneurs. "The policy will facilitate and nurture the growth ofat least 500 new startups in Jammu and Kashmir in next 10years", Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce ShailendraKumar said. Under the policy, the government will establish at least10 new incubators across all three regions ofthe state. Apart from facilitating access to early-stageinvestments for aspiring and existing start-ups, the policy willfacilitate setting up of innovation Labs in selected highersecondary schools and colleges across the state, he said. The government will also facilitate setting up of threefabrication labs, one each in Jammu, Ladakh and ...
Merkel says will step down as German chancellor at end of term
Angela Merkel said Monday she would step down as German chancellor at the end of her term in 2021 after a series of political crises and regional vote debacles rocked her fragile coalition. Merkel had earlier informed her centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) that she would not stand again to be the party chairman at a congress in December to make way for new leadership. "Today it is time to begin a new chapter," she told reporters at her party headquarters.