Page 2630 - Politics

Goa government finally admits CM Parrikar has pancreatic cancer

Months after both the Goa BJP and the state administration refused to disclose Manohar Parrikar's ailment, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday admitted that the Chief Minister was suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Suspects in Khashoggi case to be tried in Saudi Arabia: Minister

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday said that the suspects in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be prosecuted in the kingdom.

Haryana ready for simultaneous elections if poll panel decides: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Saturday he favoured simultaneous parliamentary and assembly elections if the Election Commission (EC) so decided.

Modi arrives in Japan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here late on Saturday to hold the annual India-Japan bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Govt, CVC were hand in glove in action against CBI Chief Alok Verma, alleges Congress

The Congress on Saturday alleged that the Chief Vigilance Commission and the government were hand in glove in divesting CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and termed it as a "sinister conspiracy to put a lid on investigation" into Rafale deal. The opposition party questioned why CVC Commissioner K V Chowdary had "abruptly cancelled" his scheduled foreign tour to hold an urgent meet at night on October 23 on the matter and issued an "illegal" order against Verma. Addressing a joint press conference with AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot, AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala claimed there were layers of drama in the late night that day wherein "a fraud was played on the Constitution by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with CVC, which was now out in the open". There was no immediate reaction from the CVC and the Prime Minister's Office on the Congress' allegations. The government had divested powers of Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana's in the early hours of ...

Stern action should be taken against stone throwers: Gen Rawat

A day after a soldier was killed in stone-pelting in Kashmir, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that stone-throwers are overground workers of militants and strict action should be taken against them.

Singh ridicules Cong, says allies may launch Metoo campaign

In remarks that could stir up a row, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday used the #MeToo movement analogy to take potshots at Congress and warn parties wishing to ally with it for elections that they should not repent later and be compelled to run a similar campaign. All the opposition parties, which had allied with Congress, have repented their decision later, Singh claimed, as he alleged that the parties who want to form alliance against the BJP do not have any agenda associated with national interest. "Later, let such a situation not arise that all the opposition parties form alliance and later when they face deception by Congress, they become constrained to run a 'MeToo' campaign," he said, apparently referring to the movement that has empowered women to call out those who harassed them. "...I would like to remind all the opposition parties... Whoever has gone with Congress, it is finished, no force in the world could save it from being erased," he ...

Iran president urges Parliament to approve 4 new ministers

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Parliament to approve four new ministers and help his government "resist" and "fight" the U.S. as it reinstates sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Rouhani's comments came as lawmakers were discussing the vote for candidates vying for the ministries of Labor, Finance, Industry and Transportation. The US has steadily restored sanctions on Iran following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord in May. Next month, the US plans to impose sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry. Iran is already in the grip of an economic crisis, and has seen sporadic protests in recent months though Iranian officials have generally tried to downplay the sanctions and their effects. "We have problems that we must solve with each other's help," Rouhani told lawmakers. Rouhani added that the US was undoubtedly the Iran's largest enemy, saying: "If it weren't, why would they impose sanctions on medicine and food?" Iran and the US are in an ..

Mattis: China's defense chief to visit Washington next week

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is announcing that China's defense chief will travel to Washington next week for a meeting that has been delayed by tensions between the two nations. Mattis tells a security conference that he'll meet with Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. Relations in the past year have been rocked by disputes over China's militarization of the South China Sea and trade tariffs pushed by the Trump administration. A Chinese destroyer also came aggressively close to a US Navy ship earlier this month. Mattis said strategic competition doesn't imply hostility, and he is committed to cooperating with countries like China and Russia. He spoke at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. Mattis met with Wei during a recent conference in Singapore, and US officials said they sense military relations may be stabilizing.

Saudi rejects Turkey call to extradite Khashoggi killers

Riyadh on Saturday dismissed Ankara's calls to extradite 18 Saudis wanted for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi, as Washington warned the crisis risked destabilising the Middle East. "The individuals are Saudi nationals. They're detained in Saudi Arabia, and the investigation is in Saudi Arabia, and they will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a regional defence forum in Bahrain. He was responding to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who on Friday renewed his call for the 18 men to be extradited for trial in Turkey. Khashoggi, 59, who had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017, vanished after entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Gruesome reports have alleged that he was murdered and his body dismembered by a team sent from Saudi Arabia to silence the Washington Post columnist, who had criticised Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. After weeks of ...

CM Naidu meets Mayawati amid efforts to build grand alliance for LS polls

TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Saturday met BSP supremo Mayawati here amid efforts to build a grand alliance to take on the BJP in next year's Lok Sabha elections. Naidu met the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Saturday evening along with Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu and some TDP MPs, BSP functionaries said. It was not immediately known about what transpired in the nearly hour-long meeting, but it comes close on the heels of Mayawati accusing the Congress of trying to finish her party and not making efforts to take on the BJP. Mayawati's stand against the Congress ahead of the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is being seen as a setback to form an opposition alliance against the BJP. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was part of the NDA till March this year. It pulled out of the ruling coalition at the Centre alleging the government's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Jana Sena ...

Catalan former leader forms new party a year after independence bid

A year after threatening the unity of Spain with an attempt to declare independence, the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont launched a new party on Saturday, as he tries to rally separatists from his base in Belgium. The new group, named "The Call", will hold a founding congress Saturday evening, marking the one year anniversary of the secession push, but it has struggled to attract a groundswell of support, with some allies languishing in Spanish jails and others choosing a more moderate political path. "The year that separates us from this historic date did not unfold as we wished," said new Catalan leader Quim Torra, in a sombre televised address to mark the October 27, 2017 declaration of independence. "But turning back is not an option." The independence declaration threw Spain into political turmoil, with the central government ousting Puigdemont, who then fled to Belgium, dissolving parliament and imposing direct control over the wealthy northeastern region. Snap polls .

China's defence minister to visit Washington: Mattis

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe would visit Washington next week, following tensions between the two powers. "I would just point out that (our) strategic competition does not imply hostility," Mattis said at a Middle East security conference in Bahrain, in response to a question about tensions. "I have met with my counterpart in Beijing a month ago, I have met with him again in Singapore a week ago. He is coming to Washington next week to continue our discussions," Mattis added. But in early October, a US defence official said that a planned visit by Mattis to China had been cancelled, because Beijing declined to make General Wei available. The cancellation came amid military tensions and an escalating dispute between the two countries over tariffs. In September, US tariffs came into effect, targeting Chinese goods worth $200 billion (175 billion euros). Beijing also rebuked Washington for its "provocative" flights of bombers over the ..

Sri Lankan PM secures majority in Parliament: Party

Sri Lanka's newly-appointed Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has secured a majority in the island's 225-member Parliament and will continue to retain his job despite protests from the ruling United National Party (UNP), the Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said here on Saturday.

Dhinakaran rules out discord in appealing against HC verdict

: Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran Saturday said his party and the 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs backing him were united in appealing against the Madras High Court verdict that upheld their debarment. Dhinakaran, nephew of V K Sasikala, now serving a prison term in a disproportionate assets case in a Bengaluru jail, said there was no "clash of ideas or differences of opinion," in a meeting of disqualified MLAs, where it was decided to appeal against the verdict. Such reports of discord were defamatory, he said. "All of us are together," he said, adding that appealing in the Supreme Court was the only way to show that the disqualified MLAs "did no wrong" and that the Speaker P Dhanapal's action was not correct, he said. Asserting that AMMK was ready to face elections for the 18 Assembly segments, he said "in case" the elections were called for these constituencies, the disqualified MLAs were even willing to face the polls. He said the MLAs could ...

Parrikar to chair cabinet, investment board meetings at his

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will chair two official meetings at his private residence here next week. He will chair a cabinet meeting at his residence on October 31, an official in the chief minister's office said Saturday. Since he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi and returned to the state on October 14, Parrikar, who has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment, is recuperating at his residence. Agenda of the cabinet meeting, to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday, was yet to be decided, the official said. He will also chair a meeting of the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) at his residence on October 30 where certain investment proposals would be discussed, the CMO official said. Opposition Congress took exception to these meetings being held at Parrikar's private residence. "When we say CM's residence, it has to be the official residence allotted by the government," said Congress spokesperson Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. "You ...

PM Modi arrives in Japan for annual summit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for his official two-day visit, during which he is scheduled to take part in the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit.During the summit, progress in India-Japan ties will be reviewed, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. Kumar also tweeted that efforts will be made to deepen strategic dimension between the two nations during the annual summit between Prime Minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.The leaders are expected to hold wide-ranging talks in strengthening collaboration in key areas such as Defence, security, Indo-Pacific cooperation, and technology during the summit slated to be held on October 28 and 29.Prime Minister Modi will visit Yamanashi Prefecture on October 28, located in the foothills of Mount Fuji and an informal lunch will be held in the honour of the Prime Minister by Abe at a hotel with the mountain in the backdrop.After lunch, the two leaders will take

NAB initiates probe against Shehbaz Sharif in graft case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday initiated an inquiry against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif in connection to his alleged involvement in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case.Quoting sources, Geo News reported that Sharif did not answer most of the questions on holding disproportionate assets asked by the NAB officials in connection to the Rs 14 billion housing scam.On October 5, Sharif was arrested by the NAB on charges of misusing authority and corruption in the housing scheme during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. He was sent to a 10-day remand by an accountability court. The Pakistan opposition leader's physical remand was extended to 14 days on October 16.The PML-N chief has denied any wrongdoings and called the allegations as "baseless". Scores of party leaders staged a protest across the country, calling for Sharif's release.Earlier, former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif had termed ..

Leaders meeting to keep India's diversity alive: Farooq Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that different leaders are meeting to find a way to keep the diversity of India alive.Abdullah's remarks came after meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is meeting with a number of top politicos in the national capital.Speaking to reporters post his meeting with Naidu, Abdullah said, "The chief minister came and he is trying to see whether we can save the diversity of India and unite India with its diversity. So that everybody from poor to rich feels he belongs to this nation and will work for the progress of this nation. Today the nation is in dismay, the prices have gone to the sky, the farmers are self-killing themselves, and poor are getting poorer. For this, the leaders are going to meet and find a way forward to keep this diversity alive and to keep India alive."The NC Chief, however, said that they are not yet deciding on who will be the

Congress hints at midnight conspiracy in CBI director's removal

Congress Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday leveled strong charges of rules being tweaked for the temporary removal of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma.Addressing the media here, Surjewala claimed that a conspiracy was hatched in the dark hours of the night as the CBI was about to register an FIR regarding corruption in the Rafale deal. He also released details of the various steps that led to the removal of Alok Verma from an active role in CBI."CVC chief KV Chaudhary had to leave for an official tour to Denmark on 23rd October, which was canceled abruptly. Even before CVC orders, CBI Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao was sent to CBI office in the anticipation of the order of removal of CBI director by CVC around 11:00 PM. At 11:30, Delhi police commissioner alerted his subordinates that an operation has to be conducted tonight and Khan Market would be the meeting point. Delhi police than reaches CBI headquarters but CISF is already stationed