Page 2648 - Politics
Oppn demands dismissal, arrest of Punjab minister over text to woman official
Opposition parties on Thursday sought the dismissal and arrest of a Punjab minister who allegedly sent "inappropriate" messages to a woman government official. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) criticised Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's statement that he believed that the matter has been "resolved" to the victim's satisfaction. Singh had said he had taken up the matter "very seriously" and asked the minister to apologise. "The government should dismiss the cabinet minister who sent inappropriate messages to a woman official," BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh said in a release here. He also demanded that the minister, who remains unnamed, should be arrested. Akali Dal leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal accused Singh of brushing aside a serious matter by saying that minister has apologised. "What precedent is the chief minister setting by stating that a mere apology will suffice?" he asked. An apology alone will not make up for the trauma and ...
Haryana Roadways employees extend strike till Oct 29
The Haryana Roadways employees Thursday decided to further extend their strike till October 29 as their fresh round of talks with the government failed to make any headway. The employees are on strike since October 16 against the government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners. The only option left with us is to extend strike till October 29 after the government rejected our demand to withdraw its decision of hiring 700 private buses, said Balwan Singh, member of the coordination committee of the Haryana Roadways Employees Union. Subhash Lamba, general secretary, Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, said employees from several other departments would proceed on mass casual leave from Friday to express solidarity with the Roadways employees and to protest the "autocratic behaviour" of the government. On Wednesday, Roadways union leaders and a high-level government delegation led by Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar had met to resolve the issue, but they could not reach any ..
'Over 80,000 Indian tourists expected to visit Israel by Dec'
Israel is expecting over 80,000 Indian travellers by December this year, a senior official of the Israel Ministry of Tourism said here Thursday. The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMoT) conducted a roadshow in the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana this afternoon to enhance commercial ties with Indian travel trade fraternity. "By end of this year, we are expecting 80,000-90,000 Indian tourists to visit Israel," Director of IMOT, India and Philippines, Hassan Madah, said. The middle eastern nation has been witnessing a steady year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals from India, he said. "India has always been an important market for us especially with the growth of Indian arrivals to Israel in the last four years. There has been a growth of 84.6 per cent from January to September when compared to 26,400 arrivals in 2014 and 48,800 Indian visitors in 2018," Madah told PTI here. He said a lot of initiatives have contributed to this rise including the recent reduction in visa fee for Indian .
Rafale deal: Sitharaman says details of offset partners will
Denying any cronyism in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here Thursday that details about offset partners will be known only when the procurement begins. "...Dassault and two or three companies are participating in the supply of Rafale. So each one of them will have an offset obligation to be fulfilled," she said at the 'India Summit: Status of the nation', organised by the Economist magazine. Asked about the controversy surrouding Dassault Aviation's choice of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as an offset partner, Sitharaman said each company involved in the supply will have its offset partners in India. "Now for Dassault alone to come back to me to say that their offset is getting fulfilled completely, through one, two, three or any number of companies with whom they either go with investments or go for a buying of a product or buying of a service, (it) is left to Dassault to come to me to claim it. "Till such time they claim ...
WB Cong chief flays attempts to shunt CBI director
West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra Thursday said that the decision to send CBI director Alok Verma on leave and subsequent transfer of several officials will lead to loss of faith of common people on the premier investigating agency. "When common people of West Bengal are in tears for having been looted in the Saradha, Narada scams, such steps will be interpreted as an attempt to suppress all such scams having taken place all over the country," Mitra told reporters. He said such a move would erode the faith of common man in CBI and go against the claim of 'Swachh Bharat' pronounced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked if ongoing crisis in the CBI would help ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Mitra said, "It will indirectly help the TMC. Infact anyone having aided and abetted corruption and graft." "Those covered in graft and corruption, are now living in great happiness in the wake of developments in CBI," he said. Echoing the views of the Congress ...
Gang of 4 persons working against PM Modi: Swamy on CBI rift
Reacting to the rift in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), senior Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said that "a gang of four persons" is working against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hurt the party's image."A gang of four persons is working against Prime Minister Modi. Our party's image is being hurt. Nirav Modi, Choksi and Mallya escaped. How can we fight against corruption if this continues? I am still a supporter of the Prime Minister. He is still the best. But his aides are working against him," Swamy said.On Tuesday, Swamy lauded the honesty of CBI Director Alok Verma by calling him "an upright officer" who was doing a great job. At the same time, he sharply criticised Special Director Rakesh Asthana for not being pro-active in a case involving former finance minister P. Chidambaram."I urge Prime Minister Modi to reconsider the action taken against Alok Verma," Swamy said.Swamy had alleged that the government was protecting those guilty ..
Ethiopia gets 1st woman President
The two houses of Ethiopia unanimously elected United Nations diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the first female President of the African country on Thursday.Fitsum Arega, the Prime Minister's Office's Chief of Staff, tweeted announcing the historic decision. "In a historic move, the two Houses have elected Ambassador Sahle-Work Zewde as the next President of #Ethiopia. She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia. A career diplomat & senior official at the UN, she brings the right competence & experience to the office," Arega tweeted.He further mentioned that Zewde's selection "normalises women as decision-makers in public life" in a "patriarchal" society like Ethiopia's. "In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalises women as decision-makers in public life. #Ethiopia," he said.The vote was made during the second Special Joint Session of Ethiopia's House of People's ...
Very concerned about developments in CBI: Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Thursday expressed concern over the latest developments in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and also called for an independent probe into the alleged Rafale fighter aircraft scam. The top two officials of the CBI, Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, are at loggerheads and on Tuesday were divested of all powers and sent on leave. As an interim measure, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave charge of the CBI to Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, an Odisha-cadre officer. "We are very concerned about it (developments in the CBI)," Tharoor told reporters here after attending The Economist India Summit 2018 here. He noted that many key opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, have already talked about a direct link between the developments within the CBI and the alleged Rafale scam. Further terming the NDA government's Rafale fighter jet deal as "one of the .
Israel PM warns of plot to topple him
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the Jewish state's president and a former minister of conspiring to have him toppled, triggering charges of "paranoia" ahead of elections. "I know that a former Likud minister has been holding discussions with the coalition and concocted a subversive plot, with me winning a large victory at the next elections and him making sure I am not prime minister," he told a gathering of his right-wing Likud party on Wednesday night celebrating his 69th birthday. Under the scheme, President Reuven Rivlin would use his prerogative as head of state to name an alternative Likud candidate to head a post-election government. Although Netanyahu did not explicitly name him, Gideon Saar, a former minister and leading rival within Likud, on Thursday publicly denied any such manoeuvre, while Rivlin mocked it as "paranoia" on the premier's part. Israel's next legislative elections are scheduled for November 2019 but early polls could be held in case of .
Impossible to reopen Kaesong complex, says S Korea
South Korea has no plans to restart the Kaesong industrial complex until international sanctions on North Korea are lifted, officials said on Thursday.The officials of Cheong Wa Dae, the South Korean presidential office, made the comments in response to media reports stating that North Korea has decided to take back its decision to confiscate South Korean assets in the joint industrial complex. Pyongyang also said it would return the seized South Korean assets at Mount Kumgang resort, the reports claimed.However, South Korean officials have dismissed these reports, saying such plans were "not true at all," Yonhap News Agency reported.The Kaesong industrial park, jointly run by the two Koreas, was shut down in 2016 when the previous Park Geun-hye's government ordered the closing down of its businesses and recalled their workers from the complex after the sanctions by Seoul were imposed on Pyongyang over the latter's fourth nuclear test in that year.The industrial complex, during its ...
Israel's Punjabi community seeks Captain Amarinder's help for facilitating religious events
A delegation of members of Israel's Punjabi community on Thursday met Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and sought his help in securing permission from local authorities to hold religious functions in the country. They also sought Chief Minister's help in procuring land for building a Gurdwara.While assuring help, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he would ask India's Ambassador in Israel, Pavan Kapoor, to help them, and advised them to meet the envoy. The Chief Minister, however, told the delegation that he had been informed by the Embassy officials that the local administration has very strict guidelines on these issues. "The embassy will see what can be done," he said.The delegation also raised the issue of illegal agents fleecing Punjabi youth seeking visas for travel to Israel. Captain Amarinder told them his government was already cracking down on such agents, with stringent guidelines having been issued to check their proliferation in the state. The Chief Minister
Chavan slams BJP govt over water scarcity, 'interference' in
Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan Thursday accused the BJP-led government of ignoring the needs of drought-affected regions in the state, and said the ruling party was busy interfering with the institutions in the country, including the CBI. He said 2019 will be worst year in decades for Marathwada, which was grappling with acute water scarcity, as the ruling party was "turning a blind eye" to the hardships of people. Chavan was speaking at a rally in Udgir in Latur district of Maharashtra as part of the party's statewide Jan Sangharsh Yatra. "The BJP-Sena government promised daily drinking water supply to Udgir. Today, Udgir gets water only once every 12 to 15 days," he said. Marathwada is presently facing severe water scarcity. Jayakwadi dam, the lifeline of Marathwada region, currently has only 37 per cent live storage as against 100 per cent stock reported in 2017. In Manjara dam, Latur's main water source, live storage is zero per cent, he said. "The Latur ...
Divesting CBI chief of powers a grave "violation" of Constitution: Kharge
Stepping up its attack on the government for divesting CBI Director Alok Verma of his charge, the Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the decision was a grave "violation" of Supreme Court orders and the Constitution.
Suspicious device addressed to Biden intercepted in Delaware: reports
A suspicious device addressed to former vice president Joe Biden was found Thursday at a postal facility in Delaware, the latest in a wave targeting prominent Democrats, US media reported. NBC News said the package was similar to at least nine others sent to such Democratic luminaries as former president Barack Obama and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
At CPI rally in Patna, Left, Cong and other anti-NDA leaders put up a show of unity
Leaders of various non-NDA parties came on one platform here Thursday in a show of opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due next year and lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The occasion was a rally organized by the Communist Party of India (CPI) which was attended by Congress national general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI national general secretary Sudhakar Reddy, its leader Atul Anjaan and D Raja, CPI(M) politburo member Mohd Salim, NCP leader D P Tripathi and Loktantrik Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav among others. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was conspicuous by his absence. His party said that he was away as part of a state-wide tour. Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar also came in the firing line of the leaders at the rally for "betraying" the 2015 mandate and joining hands with the BJP to form a government in the state after dumping the Grand Alliance last year. In his speech, Azad flayed the BJP-led NDA government over its ...
President rejects call to disqualify 27 AAP MLAs, party celebrates
In a major boost to the AAP, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of 27 party MLAs on charges of holding Office of Profit as Chairpersons of Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) in Delhi government hospitals, prompting the ruling party in Delhi to claim victory.
Belgium to buy US F-35 stealth fighter jets: official
Belgium will buy US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of F-16s, Prime Minister Charles Michel announced Thursday, discounting the Eurofighter Typhoon. In March 2017, Belgium launched a bidding process for 34 fighter jets to replace its F-16s for an estimated 3.6 billion euros (USD 4.1 billion). The F-35 decision comes as Belgium also buys drones, frigates, minesweepers and armoured vehicles "within the framework of NATO and European defence," Michel told a press confernce. "The planes and drones are American, the other equipment is European and Belgium will enjoy the economic benefits," Michel added. According to Pentagon figures earlier this month, 320 F-35s have been delivered globally, mainly to the US but also to Israel and Britain, as well as other partner countries. The F-35 ran against a bid from the Eurofighter, developed by a European consortium that also comprises Italy's Finmeccanica and Airbus. Jean-Dominique Giuliani, who heads the Robert Schuman .
Russia claims US led drones toward Russian base in Syria
Russia's deputy defense minister claims a U.S. military aircraft took control of 13 drones over Syria and attempted to have them attack a Russian military base there, but that the drones were downed before they could reach their target. Alexander Fomin says the drones were heading toward Hemeimeem air base in Latakia province when a U.S. Boeing P-8 Poseidon flying over the Mediterranean "took control" of them. Fomin says the drones were destroyed before they could reach the base. He didn't say who the drones belonged to or when the alleged incident happened. There was no U.S. comment on the claim. Russian news agencies reported Fomin's remarks Wednesday in Beijing. It's the first time Moscow directly accuses the United States of coordinating an attack on Russian assets in Syria.
Alok Verma remains CBI Director, Asthana Spl Director, Rao given only interim charge: CBI
The CBI on Thursday said Alok Verma, who has been divested of his powers, will remain its Director and the agency's number two Rakesh Asthana will continue as the Special Director, while M Nageshwar Rao has been given interim charge of the agency. To bring the perspective of the Central Vigilance Commission order recommending the divesting of powers of Verma and Asthana, Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao has been given the charge to look after the duties and functions of the Director as an interim arrangement, a CBI spokesperson said. "Alok Verma continues to remain the Director of the CBI, Rakesh Asthana remains as Special Director and M Nageshwar Rao is looking after duties and functions of the Director in the interim period till the time CVC looks into allegations and counter allegations," the spokesperson told reporters. The CBI spokesperson's response came after he was asked about the present status of Verma and Asthana in the CBI. He described as "false" news report that appeared ..
Corrupt BJP trying to stop corruption in CBI: TMC
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership Thursday mocked at "corrupt" BJP for trying to "rein in corruption" in the CBI and said the recent turn of events in the investigating agency proves that it is being controlled by the saffron party to serve its political purpose. "We have been witnessing a series of events that have taken place in the CBI in the last few days. It seems like the BJP, which itself is a corrupt political party, is trying to stop corruption in the CBI. This is ridiculous," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said. The series of events proves that the CBI is being controlled by the BJP to serve its own political purpose, Chatterjee said. "We have been alleging this for the last few years and now it has been proved," he said. Describing the allegations as "baseless", BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "Why are they so concerned about what is happening in the CBI? They should be more concerned about the corruption cases of Narada and Saradha chit fund scam." On .