Page 2665 - Politics
Security forces need to be more accountable: Mehbooba Mufti
Two days after a civilian lost his life in an explosion which occurred in Kulgam district, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said security forces need to be made more accountable in order to avoid such incidents in the future."Security forces need to be made more accountable for their actions so that an incident like Kulgam does not reoccur," Mufti told ANI.Ubaid Laway, a native of Laroo, breathed his last at a hospital in Kulgam after he sustained injuries in an explosion which took place on Sunday.Meanwhile, Mufti met with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar earlier in the day, wherein the two leaders discussed the current situation in the Valley."I spoke to the minister (Rajnath) about the situation in the state and also asked him to take steps towards initiation of talks with our neighbouring country Pakistan. We all know that however Pakistan maybe it is our neighbour and it affects the situation in Kashmir," she added.
Notification issued for 1st phase of panchayat polls in J-K
Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra Tuesday issued the notification for the conduct of the first phase of panchayat polls in the state. In Kashmir division, the notification has been issued for some panchayats in Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Kargil and Leh districts, an official spokesperson said. In Jammu division, the same has been issued for certain panchayats in Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts, he said. The last date for filing nominations is October 30 and the scrutiny of nominations will be held the following day, the official said. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is the November 2, while the polling, if necessary, will be from 8.00 am to 2.00 pm on November 17. Counting of votes will be held the same day unless notified otherwise, the spokesman said, adding that the election process shall be completed before or on 17 December.
Italy says EU's budget rejection no surprise, calls for "respect"
ROME (Reuters) - Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday the European Commission's unprecedented rejection of Italy's budget was fully expected and called for the EU executive to have "respect" for Italians and their government.
US to 'demand answers' after Erdogan account of journalist death: Pence
US Vice President Mike Pence vowed Tuesday to press Saudi Arabia for answers after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate was meticulously planned. "The world is watching. The American people want answers and we will demand that those answers are forthcoming," Pence told an event at The Washington Post, where Khashoggi was a contributing opinion writer.
Mnuchin announces sanctions against 9 individuals
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says that the US and six other Middle East countries are taking action to expose and disrupt terrorist activities being conducted by the Taliban and Iran to undermine the government of Afghanistan. Mnuchin says the seven countries have designated nine individuals associated with the Taliban and their Iranian sponsors for sanctions. The seven nations make up the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center which has an operations center in Saudi Arabia. Mnuchin met with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia on Monday after announcing last week that he would not attend an investment conference in Saudi Araba following the death of a journalist in the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The administration sees Saudi Arabia as a key ally in its sanctions campaign against Iran.
Rajnath Singh chairs high-level meet in J-K to review developmental initiatives in the state
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday announced that a new highway would be constructed in Jammu and Kashmir along the border from Kargil to Gurez. Singh made this announcement at a high-level meeting convened here to review the implementation of various developmental initiatives in the state, an official spokesman said. Governor Satya Pal Malik, advisers to the governor, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam and other officials from the state and the Centre were present in the meeting, he said. Singh said the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways had been asked to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the new highway joining Kargil, in Ladakh, and Gurez, in Bandipora district, after traversing through Drass, Machhil, Keran and Tangdhar, the official said. He said Singh also reviewed the projects being implemented under the Prime Minister's Development Programme (PMDP) and the Dal Lake .
Imran Khan calls on Saudi King as cash-strapped Pak govt seeks bailout from friendly nations
Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday as a "desperate" Pakistan government eyed a generous bailout from the cash-rich Gulf kingdom to shore up its debt-ridden economy. Khan, visiting Saudi Arabia for a second time since assuming office in August, discussed bilateral, regional and international issues with King Salman, the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported. During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the high-profile Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh, both leaders expressed their desire to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation, the report said. They also discussed issues of mutual interest, trade, investment and economic ties, Pakistan PM Office said in a press release. Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Finance Asad Umar and other senior officials were also present during the meeting. Ahead of his visit to Riyadh, Prime Minister Khan said Pakistan must continue to ...
Dhinakaran loyalists to stay put at TN's waterfalls town
Disqualified AIADMK MLAs loyal to AMMK leader TTV Dhinkaran are staying at Courtallam, a tourist town in Tirunelveli district, triggering speculations it could be a repeat of 'resort politics' witnessed last year. Amid reports that it was an attempt by Dhinakaran to keep his flock together, his close associate P Vetrivel asserted there was no problem and the 17 disqualified MLAs and three ruling party MLAs were likely to stay there for some more time. "There is no problem at all...," Vetrivel, who is among the 18 disqualified MLAs, said here, adding he would also join his party colleagues. The Madras High Court has reserved orders on their petitions challenging their disqualification by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal in September last year for alleged anti-party activities. Vetrivel, north Chennai-based loyalist of Dhinakaran, said the sitting and disqualified legislators including Thanga Tamilselvan Tuesday took part in the Tamirabarani Pushkaram festival in ...
Bench to decide on plea for EC collegiums
The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred to a Constitution Bench a plea seeking formation of a collegium for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners.
Japan: Man believed to be missing journalist in Syria freed
Japan's government says a man believed to be a Japanese freelance journalist who went missing three years ago while in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference late Tuesday that Japan was informed by Qatar that the man, believed to be Jumpei Yasuda, has been released. Yasuda was last heard from in Syria in 2015. Suga said Qatar's government told Japanese officials that the man is being protected by the Turkish authorities and is being identified, and that he is most likely Yasuda.
Sweden, Denmark react to Erdogan speech
The leaders of Sweden and Denmark have reacted after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi Arabia murdered Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi after plotting his death. Stefan Lofven, Sweden's acting Prime Minister, says, "It seems very credible that something terrible has happened there, something horrible." However, Lofven refrained from commenting further pending more facts, Sweden's TT news agency reported. In neighbouring Denmark, Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen summoned the Saudi ambassador and said the meeting would be held "as soon as possible". He said, "There are still a lot of unclear questions and I believe it is fair to give the ambassador the possibility to explain himself." Samuelsen had earlier said there would be no official Danish participation in an investment conference in Saudi Arabia as "a natural consequence of the actual situation.
Haryana govt invites roadways employees for fresh round of talks
In a bid to end deadlock, the Haryana government has invited roadways employees on a strike for the last eight days for a fresh round of talks on Wednesday. Protesting against the state government's decision to hire 700 private buses for the Haryana Roadways, the state transporter's employees had Monday extended their strike by three days. "We have been invited for fresh round of talks by the government. Talks will be held between the union leaders representing the roadways employees and Haryana Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar," said Balwan Sigh, a member of the coordination committee of the Haryana Roadways Employees Union. When asked that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had ruled out to roll back the government's decision to hire 700 private buses, Balwan Singh said, "We are going to attend the talks with an open mind. We don't want to prejudge anything. Nobody should blame us tomorrow that we ran away from talks. Let's see what the government has to offer now". The ...
BJYM organising 3-day hi-tech youth summit in poll-bound Telangana
With the BJP seeking to position itself as the main challenger to the ruling TRS, its youth wing BYJM will organise a three-day hi-tech "mega summit" in poll-bound Telangana starting Friday. Party president Amit Shah will address a rally on the concluding day of the event. Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief Poonam Mahajan Tuesday announced that the three-day 'Yuva Mahadhiveshan' would be held from October 26 in Hyderabad. Addressing a press conference at the party office, Mahajan said the summit would be inaugurated by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and it would conclude with a rally by BJP chief Amit Shah on October 28. "This will be the party's first mega youth summit in South India and more than 72,000 office-bearers of the BJP's youth wing will attend this event, where they will be addressed by number of senior party leaders and Union ministers," she said. She said more than two lakh people were expected to attend Shah's rally on the concluding day. About the events and ...
Ex-Nepal prime minister, Jaitley to speak at India Ideas' Conclave
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will deliver the maiden Atal Bihari Vajpayee memorial lecture at the fifth edition of the India Ideas Conclave, which will also be addressed by former Nepalese prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and several Union ministers. Organised by India Foundation, the three-day event starting October 26 will see a number of speakers, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Harivansh Narayan Singh, and Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Suresh Prabhu, Jayant Sinha, Hardeep Singh Puri and Satyapal Singh, a statement said Tuesday. The three-day conclave, it added, will have "citizens manifesto" as the theme. The foundation has also instituted the "Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture" in the memory of the former prime minister, a BJP stalwart who died on August 16 following a prolonged illness. Jaitley, a BJP leader, will be delivering the lecture on the topic of "Indian democracy-its maturity and challenges", it ...
India, Iran, Afghanistan discuss Chabahar port
In the face of fresh sanctions imposed by Washington on Tehran over its nuclear programme, India, Iran and Afghanistan discussed the full operationalisation of the Chabahar port that the three countries are jointly developing at the first trilateral meeting of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement held in the Iranian capital on Tuesday.
Cong-led alliance will do injustice to Telangana: TRS leader
The TRS Tuesday attacked the "grand alliance" of opposition Congress, TDP and others for the assembly polls, claiming injustice would be meted out to Telangana in the irrigation sector if it came to power as TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is allegedly opposed to such projects. Naidu, in his capacity as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, has written 30 letters to the Centre opposing the Palamuru lift irrigation project, which would serve Mahabubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts of Telangana, TRS leader and minister in the caretaker government K T Rama Rao said. "When you go door-to-door from tomorrow (for campaign), tell the farmers that, by mistake, if Congress and TDP comes to power, the controlling power of that grand alliance would be in the hands of Chandrababu Naidu and if the controlling power is in the hands of Chandrababu Naidu... it will be injustice to Telangana once again," he said. Rama Rao, son of TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, ...
Trump sends CIA director to Turkey to review Khashoggi case
President Donald Trump dispatched the director of the CIA to Turkey in a quest to get more information about the death of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi and weigh a possible US response. Trump said Monday he was not satisfied with the explanations he's heard about the Washington Post columnist and critic of the kingdom who died on October 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia has said he was killed in a fistfight, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Khashoggi's death was part of a planned operation. "It appears, on the eve of the murder, 15 Saudi security personnel, intelligence officials and a forensics expert arrived in our country," Erdogan said. "It has been ascertained that six of them left on Oct. 2" later that evening on two planes. "The Saudi Arabian administration has taken an important step by admitting the murder," Erdogan said. "As of now we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible from the highest ranked to the lowest
Former diplomat Satender Kumar joins Congress
Former diplomat Satender Kumar, a Dalit from Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday joined the Congress.
BJP trying to hijack Netaji Bose as their idol: CPI(M)
The BJP was trying to hijack Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as its idol in its desperation to misappropriate icons of India's freedom struggle, the CPI(M) charged Tuesday. The Left party's statement came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a veiled attack on the Nehru-Gandhi clan had alleged the contribution of great leaders -- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B R Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose -- to the freedom struggle was "deliberately" forgotten to glorify "one family". "In its desperation to misappropriate icons of India's freedom struggle, the BJP is now seeking to hijack Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as their idol," the CPI(M) said in a statement by the party's polit bureau. Donning the famous Azad Hind Fauj cap, prime minister Modi had on Sunday hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort and unveiled a plaque to mark the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Azad Hind government by Bose. The Left party alleged that it is "well-established" that the RSS and its political ..
Raj polls: Over 800 volunteers to work at booth-level for BJP
The Rajasthan BJP Tuesday assigned task to over 800 'Booth Vijay Volunteers' to connect to the electorate at the booth level. The volunteers will work in 98 of 200 Assembly constituencies in the state and establish contact with people, Rajasthan BJP chief Madan Lal Saini said after a meeting with the party workers here. BJP state organisational general secretary Chandra Shekhar said that old and new party workers should hold booth committee meetings for party's success in the upcoming Assembly election. The party Tuesday organised a 'Booth Vijay Volunteer' event here in which workers from Jaipur, Bharatpur and Ajmer divisions were present. Similar events would be conducted in Jodpur for workers of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota and Udaipur divisions. Union minister Prakash Javadekar, the party's in charge for Rajasthan election, will be on a two-day tour in the state, a party spokesperson said. Javadekar will Wednesday hold a meeting of election committee, district in charge, MPs and ...