Page 2634 - Politics
Mattis says Russia cannot replace US in Mideast
Russia is no replacement for the United States in the Middle East following Moscow's military intervention in Syria, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told a regional security conference on Saturday. "Russia's presence in the region cannot replace the longstanding, enduring, and transparent US commitment to the Middle East," Mattis told a meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama. He was speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to hold talks in Istanbul with the leaders of France, Germany and Turkey on Saturday seeking to find a lasting political solution to the seven-year civil war in Syria. Russia supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs some rebel groups seeking to oust the Syrian leader. Mattis told the Manama Dialogue that Moscow's "opportunism and willingness to overlook Assad's criminal activities against his own people evidences its lack of sincere commitment to essential moral principles." Iran's support for the Syrian regime "coupled
Syria ordered Gaza rocket fire at Israel with Iran backing: army
The Israeli army accused the Syrian government Saturday of instructing a Palestinian militant group to fire dozens of rockets at Israel from Gaza with Iran's supported and vowed to respond where it chose. "The rockets that were launched against Israel... we know that the orders, incentives were given from Damascus with the clear involvement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force," army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, referring to the Guards' foreign operations unit. Conricus told reporters Israel's response "is not limited geographically." At least 39 rockets have been fired at southern Israel by the Islamic Jihad group since late Friday, with 17 of them intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system, and the rest hitting open fields, the army said. Israeli aircraft carried out extensive retaliatory strikes in Gaza, targeting approximately 90 sites belonging to the territory's Islamist rulers Hamas. Conricus said that Israel held Hamas responsible for ...
Sri Lankan President prorogues Parliament
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued Parliament on Saturday, a day after he sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Separatism in J-K more out of convenience than conviction: Jitendra Singh
Separatism in Jammu and Kashmir is more out of convenience rather than conviction and the children of separatists are enjoying while those of common people are suffering, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said. The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said terrorism in the Valley was mercenary in nature and is not driven by any conviction, ideology or motivation. "It is a paid terrorism perpetrated, funded and sponsored by hostile powers which all of us know," Singh said in an apparent reference to Pakistan. He said Pakistan never reconciled to Jammu and Kashmir becoming a part of India and therefore resorted to all kinds of tactics and strategies which failed to yield the kind of results which it had envisaged. "There is no such issue as Kashmir issue. Jammu and Kashmir is a part of Indian Union very much like other States of UP, Bihar or Punjab," he said. Singh said if at all there was any issue pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir, it was to retrieve the ...
Obama slams Trump in election rally
Campaigning for Democrats ahead of the crucial mid-term elections to be held on November 6, former US president Barack Obama took a swipe at his successor Donald Trump and his Republican party, alleging that they were indulging in divisive politics and were unable to fight corruption. "They (Republicans) promised to take on corruption. Remember that? They have gone to Washington and just plundered away. In Washington, they have racked up enough indictments to field a football team," Obama told an election rally in Wisconsin on Friday and underlined that nobody from his administration was indicted. He was referring to the indictment of several officials from the Trump camp by the Robert Mueller investigation, which is probing allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government. Obama also said the Republicans had said they would fight for common man but "instead, they have catered to the most wealthy, the most powerful". "USD 1.5 trillion in tax cuts ...
Sacked Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe seeks emergency session of parliament
Ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday sought an emergency session of Parliament to prove his majority, as the island nation plunged into a constitutional crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked him and made former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa the new premier. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya's office said that Wickremesinghe has sent a letter, seeking an emergency session of the Parliament, which was scheduled to meet on November 5 to debate the budget. Wickremesinghe, who has been asserting that the swearing in of Rajapaksa in his place is "illegal and unconstitutional", wants the issue be settled in parliament with show of numbers. Sirisena on Saturday formalised the sacking of his former ally by issuing two extraordinary gazette notices. First notice is on Wickremesinghe being removed as prime minister and the other on the appointment of Rajapaska as the new premier. After Rajapaksa took oath at the Presidential Secretariat here Friday, Sirisena wrote ..
Irked by low turnout, minister Pon Radhakrishnan refuses to take dais
Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan, refused to get on the stage at a government event in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district after he expressed discontent over low crowd turnout at the venue.Radhakrishnan was there to inaugurate a family welfare centre of the Tamil Nadu government on Friday. Twenty people were present at the event. Irked by the thin attendance, the union minister lost his cool and pulled up the state health department officials.Video footage being circulated over social media shows Radhakrishnan reprimanding officials over the low crowd turnout."Where are the villagers? Why should I attend this function for government officials?" a visibly upset Radhakrishnan told the officials.The minister said that he will not take the stage unless the organisers brought more people to attend the event.The union minister finally took the stage and delivered his speech after the organisers brought in around 50 more people to the venue.
Ousted Sri Lankan PM Wickremesinghe calls emergency parliament session on Monday
Amid political turmoil in Sri Lanka, the now-ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for an emergency Parliament session to display his majority.Talking to ANI from Colombo, Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed that almost 113 members will be paraded in the session called for Monday.Calling the ouster of Wickremesinghe "unconstitutional", Senaratne said: "They cannot remove a Prime Minister. There are certain provisions and a process to remove a Prime Minister. We have called for an emergency session of the Parliament on Monday where as many as 113 members of our party will be paraded to prove majority. We are confident about proving a majority."Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on Friday night replacing him with his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa following the collapse of the governing coalition between Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United National Party (UNP).However, Wickremesinghe in a statement, insisted that he ..
Khashoggi, Saudi Crown Prince, Thomas Friedman and lamb kebabs (Comment)
I interviewed Jamal Khashoggi in Jeddah in December 2001, months after 9/11. What struck me were his strong opinions on the Palestinian issue. Since US military action in Afghanistan, following the destruction of the twin towers in New York, was the big story, that naturally was the focus of my interview (it can be seen on www.saeednaqvi.com) but Palestine is what riled Khashoggi.
Former NCP leader Tariq Anwar joins Congress
Veteran politician and former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar joined Indian National Congress (INC) on Saturday.Anwar met Congress president Rahul Gandhi after joining the party. He was also accompanied by former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and other party leaders.Anwar, a member of 16th Lok Sabha from Katihar, Bihar, had resigned from NCP on September 28 in protest against the party leadership's alleged support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal controversy.Following his resignation from NCP, Anwar told ANI that he decided to resign from the party as the statement of party president Sharad Pawar on Rafale deal created a 'misunderstanding' among the people regarding the Opposition.However soon after the incident, Lok Sabha member and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, in an exclusive interview to ANI, had said that her father was misquoted by Marathi media outlets and rubbished the subsequent perception that saw the NCP and Sharad ...
PM Modi departs for Japan for annual summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for a two-day visit to Japan for the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit. He will arrive in the East Asian country in the evening.Before leaving for Japan, the Prime Minister, in his departure statement said that India's ties with Japan, both economic and strategic, stood completely transformed in recent years.Prime Minister Modi also touted Japan as 'one of the most trusted partners' in India's economic and technological modernisations. He said, "Our complementarities make India and Japan a winning combination. Japan today is one of the top investors in India. Projects like Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail and Dedicated Freight Corridors reflect the high level and strength of our economic engagement. Japan is also at the forefront of engaging in our national initiatives, such as 'Make in India', 'Skill India', 'Digital India', 'Startup India', etc."Prime Minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, are expected to hold wide-ranging ..
Khashoggi murder 'must concern us all': Mattis to Arab forum
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis warned Arab leaders on Saturday that the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul "must concern us all". The United States "does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," Mattis told a meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama. "Failure of any nation to adhere to international norms and the rule of law undermines regional stability at a time when it is needed most." A critic of Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi was murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. On Thursday, CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest developments in the investigation after a fact-finding mission to Turkey. Pro-government Turkish media said that intelligence officers showed Haspel video images and audio tapes of Khashoggi's killing gathered from the consulate. His murder has generated ...
2 top TRS leaders join Congress
In a setback to Telangana's ruling TRS ahead of the December 7 assembly elections, two of its senior leaders joined Congress party on Saturday.
Media using pipe bomb scare to score political points: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Friday called for ending the "politics of personal destruction" as he accused the media of using "sinister actions of one individual" to score political points against him and his party. Trump's comments at an election rally in North Carolina came hours after police apprehended a 56-year-old man from Florida on charges of sending package bombs to at least 10 present and former high-level government officials including former president Barack Obama, former vice president Joe Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Trump asserted that he "will do everything" to stop political violance and said media has a major role to play in unifying the nation. "Political violence must never, ever be allowed in America, and I will do everything in my power to stop it. In recent days, we've had a broader conversation about the tone and civility of our national dialogue. Everyone will benefit if we can end the politics of personal destruction, Trump said amidst
Modi leaves for Japan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for Japan to hold the annual India-Japan bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
Post Rajapaksa's swearing in as PM, Swamy says will visit Colombo soon
A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said he will soon visit the island nation to raise the issue of the Indian fishermen and will also suggest a solution for resolving the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils.The BJP leader took to twitter to inform that he received a call from Sri Lanka's premier Mahinda Rajapaksha, whom he congratulated for being elevated as country's prime minister. The former Sri Lankan president had travelled to India last month on an invitation by the BJP Member of Parliament."I was happy to receive a call from Prime Minister Rajapaksha. I congratulated him and said I will come to Colombo soon and raise remaining issues of Sri Lankan Tamils and suggest solutions after consulting Sri Lankan Tamils. I also will raise the Indian fishermen issue with him," Swamy wrote on Twitter.On Friday, Sri Lankan President Maithripla Sirisena sacked country's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe ..
Tariq Anwar joins Congress
Nearly a month after quitting the Nationalist Congress Party, Tariq Anwar Saturday joined the Congress after meeting its chief Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, sources said. Anwar along with his supporters met Gandhi at his Tughlaq Lane residence and was welcomed into the party fold, the sources said. The former MP from Katihar Lok Sabha constituency would make a formal announcement of his joining the Congress party later in the day, they said. Anwar announced he was quitting the NCP and was also giving up his Lok Sabha membership on September 28 after Sharad Pawar's "defence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale fighter jet deal. Pawar was quoted in the media as having given a clean chit to Modi on the deal. Pawar, however, had clarified he was misquoted in the reports and he had given no such clean chit to Modi. A former president of Congress's Bihar unit, Anwar formed the NCP in the 1990s along with Pawar and the late P A Sangma, opposing Sonia Gandhi taking over as AICC ...
Dreams of those who wanted to break AIADMK shattered: TN CM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has said the dreams of those who tried to break the AIADMK and come to power have been shattered following the Madras High Court verdict upholding the disqualification of 18 MLAs. Both party founder late M G Ramachandran and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had launched various welfare schemes for the benefit of the people of Tamil Nadu and worked for their uplift, Palaniswami said at a function in the city Friday. In an apparent reference to Dhinakaran, Palaniswami alleged that after Jayalalithaa's death, "some betrayers" joined hands with the DMK to split the party and topple the government, by creating obstacles. However, with blessings of God and Jayalalithaa, the "enemies" were given the right punishment for the betrayal and attempt to topple the government, he said. "We will work hard to protect the organisation which was nurtured by two great souls," he added. Dhinakaran has denied that the verdict was a setback to his camp and termed
Sirisena issues gazette notice making Rajapaksa Lanka's PM
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday issued two extraordinary gazette notices making controversial strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa the new Prime Minister and formally recognising Ranil Wickremesinghe's dramatic dismissal, leading to a constitutional crisis in the island nation. Hours after sacking his former ally Wickremesinghe, Sirisena issued two gazette notices. First notice is on Wickremesinghe being removed as prime minister and the other on the appointment of Rajapaska as the new permeir, Colombo Gazette reported. Wickremesinghe, however, has asserted that the swearing in of Rajapaksa in his place is "illegal and unconstitutional" and he will prove his majority in Parliament. The United National Party (UNP) leader on Friday vowed to carry on as prime minister despite being removed by Sirisena. "I will continue to be the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment is unconstitutional," Wickremesinghe said. After Rajapaksa took oath at the Presidential ...
J-K : CISF ASI killed in grenade attack
A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) was killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowgam area after terrorist lobbed a grenade at him.The CISF officer, Rajesh Kumar, deployed at Wagoora, Nowgam got wounded on Friday night. He later succumbed to his injuries.The area has been cordoned off.Further details are awaited.On Friday, Rajendra Singh, an army soldier of the Quick Reaction Team, succumbed to his injuries in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.Singh was hit on the head on Thursday when some unidentified persons hurled stones at the convoy passing through the Anantnag bypass tri-junction.Besides Singh, two other soldiers were also killed in Sopore and Tral in two separate incidents in the past two days.