Page 2669 - Politics
Tripura CM, BJP leaders to campaign in Mizoram
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and other state BJP leaders would campaign for the party in the November 28 Assembly polls in Congress ruled Mizoram, a party official said here on Tuesday.
AGP holds protest rally in Guwahati against Citizenship Bill
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Tuesday staged a massive protest rally here against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, asking the BJP-led government at the Centre to throw the legislation into the dustbin if they respected the historic Assam Accord and the people of the state.
Pawar hits out at PM Modi over CBI row
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday said if the central government was "effective", there would not have been bribery charges at the highest level in the CBI, and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act over the matter. He also attacked the BJP-led Centre over the Rafale jet deal and demanded a probe into it by a joint parliamentary committee. Pawar was replying to queries during an interaction at the "Mumbai Manthan" conclave organised by television news channel Aaj Tak. The feud between Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana turned murkier with the arrest of a deputy superintendent of police in the Special Investigation Team headed by Asthana over bribery charges. Asked about the Modi government's performance, Pawar said people's expectations from the present dispensation were not fulfilled. "What was promised in 2014 is not seen on the ground after four years. (Former prime minister) Manmohan Singh tried his
Security pact with India provides institutional guarantee to combat trans- border crimes: China
China on Tuesday said its first internal security cooperation agreement with India will provide institutional guarantee to combat trans-border crimes, but did not indicate any change in its stance on blocking India's efforts to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. The agreement was inked during the first India-China high-level meeting on bilateral security cooperation which was co-chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Zhao Kezhi, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, China, in New Delhi. "This cooperation treaty is very important in terms of advancing law enforcement and security cooperation so that the two countries enjoy the sound development of bilateral relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing answering a question on the pact and the talks between the two ministers. Referring to the April informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hua said,
Saudi Foreign Minister pledges 'fair probe' into Khashoggi's death
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir, who is in Indonesia on an official visit, said on Tuesday that the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be thoroughly investigated and those responsible would be punished.
Trump's adviser meets Russian defence minister in Moscow
US President Donald Trump's national security adviser is meeting with Russia's defense minister in Moscow just a few days after Trump announced that he intended to pull the United States out of a landmark nuclear weapons treaty. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday lauded National Security Adviser John Bolton for his two-day visit. Russian news agencies quoted Shoigu as saying that "even small steps will benefit our relations and help restore trust" between the two countries. Bolton arrived in Russia on Monday when he met Security Council chairman Nikolai Patrushev. He is expected to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday. Trump over the weekend declared his intension to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because he claims Russia has violated it.
I will not contest polls: Prashant Kishor
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who is the new national Vice President of Bihar's ruling JD-U, said on Tuesday he will not contest any elections for the next 10 years to concentrate on bringing the state out of the "undeveloped" tag.
Khashoggi killing: Turkey says would cooperate with international probe
Turkey's foreign minister says his country would cooperate with international bodies if they were to launch an independent probe into the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. In an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu also said Tuesday that Turkey has not shared evidence concerning his death at the Saudi consulate with any country but added that there may have been "an exchange of views between intelligence organizations". Saudi Arabia has said Kashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family, was killed Oct. 2 in a "fistfight" with officials sent to encourage him to return to the kingdom. Turkish media and officials say the 59-year-old Washington Post columnist was killed and dismembered by a 15-man Saudi hit squad. Cavusoglu said: "If a request for an international investigation is made ... we would cooperate.
Cabinet meet cancelled, Yogi leaves for Chhattisgarh
The weekly meeting of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet was cancelled on Tuesday as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath headed for poll-bound Chhattisgarh to canvass support for BJP candidates, an official said.
India summons Pakistan High Commission official, lodges protest
The External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission here and lodged a strong protest over the cross-border infiltration attempt in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday in which two terrorists and three Indian soldiers were killed.
BJP reschedules 'rath yatra', to be led by Shah, in Bengal
The central leadership of the BJP has deferred a "rath yatra", to be led by its chief Amit Shah, in West Bengal by two days in view of the party's Assembly election campaigns in other states, sources in the saffron party said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state general secretary Sayantan Basu said Shah will now kick off the "yatra" on December 5, instead of December 3, from the temple town of Tarapith in Birbhum. Five states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Telangana and Chhattisgarh -- are set to go to the polls between November 12 and December 7. "Taking the Assembly polls into consideration, the party has decided to reschedule the dates for the rath yatra in the state," a senior BJP leader said. The "yatra" will be taken to all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state -- three chariots covering 14 seats each -- he added. Sharing the programme details, Basu told PTI, "The first rally will begin from Birbhum on December 5. The second and third rallies will start from ...
Pyongyang Declaration will expedite denuclearisation: S Korean President
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said that the latest agreement reached at the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last month will help to advance North Korea's denuclearisation process.He made the comments during a cabinet meeting, where the South Korean government ratified the Pyongyang Declaration of the leaders of two Koreas, Yonhap News Agency reported.Moon said that the agreement "will work to promote the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and make it easier by reducing military tension and developing inter-Korean relations."The military agreement was also ratified in the cabinet meeting that was signed between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the summit last month. Under the pact, the two Korean leaders vowed to cease hostilities and never use military force against each other.The South Korean President underlined that the inter-Korean agreements reached in his previous meetings with Kim would benefit the people of the Korean Peninsula."It is
Resigning from Assembly as I cannot fulfill duty: Assam MLA
First-time BJP MLA Terash Gowalla Tuesday said he has sent his resignation letter from the Assam Assembly to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The legislator from Duliajan constituency said he has sent his letter to Sonowal, who is the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the state, on Monday night. Confirming the development, a senior BJP party official said, "Yes, he has sent the resignation to the CM's office on Monday." Asked about the reasons for resigning from the house, Gowalla said, "There are various issues. I am not able to fulfill my duties as MLA. So, taking the moral responsibility, I am resigning from the Assembly." When pointed out that the issue of not offering him any post, particularly in Assam Gas Company Ltd (AGCL), during the recent appointments, Gowalla said, "That is one reason. The AGCL is in Duliajan and people elected me as their representative. They had some expectations from me. "However, without consulting me, the appointment in the ...
Hyderabad: CEC flags off mobile vehicles on awareness of EVMs, VVPATs
Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat on Tuesday flagged off mobile awareness vehicles that will give demonstration of the working of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) ahead of the assembly elections in the state scheduled on December 7.Underlining the importance of casting vote, slogans like 'Your vote, your future', 'Make your vote count' and 'Think democracy is in your hand' have been displayed on the vehicles.A high-level team led by the Chief Election Commissioner held a meeting with all the DEOs, SPs, DIG and IGs of Telangana to assess the ground reality on poll preparedness in the state on the second day of their visit.While reviewing poll preparedness on Monday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) team held a meeting with the recognised political parties in the state. Each political party was given 10 minutes to represent their party voice on the preparations for upcoming elections.Counting of votes of the Telangana ...
China-US ties sinking amid acrimony over trade, politics
"Both ignorant and malicious" was how the official China Daily newspaper recently described comments by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, offering a stinging insight into the current bitter tone of discourse between the countries. The White House's move to expand Washington's dispute with Beijing beyond trade and technology and into accusations of political meddling has sunk relations between the world's two largest economies to the lowest level since the Cold War. A major speech by US Vice President Mike Pence on Oct. 4 was the clearest, highest-level sign that US strategy was turning from engagement to confrontation. Pence accused China of interfering in the midterm elections to undermine President Donald Trump's tough trade policies against Beijing, warned other countries to be wary of Beijing's "debt diplomacy" and denounced China's actions in the South China Sea. "What the Russians are doing pales in comparison to what China is doing across this country," Pence told an audience .
Torture in Palestinian jails 'systematic': HRW
The Palestinian security forces "systematically" abuse and torture prisoners in what could amount to crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The rival authorities of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas both used threats, arbitrary arrests and violent abuse against detainees, said the New York-based group. The report is likely to put pressure on governments that fund the PA's forces, including the United States, which has maintained security funding despite cutting aid to the Palestinians. Omar Shakir, HRW's Israel-Palestine director, said the actions by both sides amounted to potential war crimes that could be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court. "Both the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas authorities in Gaza are systematically, arbitrarily detaining critics and torturing those in custody," he told AFP. "Systematic torture as part of a government policy is a crime against humanity." He said the allegations undermined Palestinian criticism of
Pakistan to launch aggressive campaign against India over IWT: Report
Pakistan will launch an aggressive campaign against India to highlight its concerns over the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after New Delhi failed to let Pakistani officials visit two hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said Tuesday. Pakistan's Commissioner on Permanent Indus Water Commission Syed Mehr Ali Shah said the Indian water commissioner had promised on the conclusion of the August 29-30 annual meeting to arrange a visit to the 1,000MW Pakal Dul and 48MW Lower Kalnai in Jammu and Kashmir in the last week of September. But the visit was delayed to October 7-12 due to local government elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said. Shah alleged that the Indian side did not honour its revised schedule as well, saying Panchayat elections were being held in the state after 20 years. Shah said he wrote a letter of disappointment and then talked to his counterpart a few days ago on phone and based on that discussion he did not expect a visit soon, Dawn newspaper ...
Iran's oil minister says U.S. sanctions cannot stop crude exports: Tasnim news
LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister said on Tuesday that the United States could not stop Iranian oil exports by imposing sanctions on Tehran, warning that the sanctions on the Islamic Republic's oil exports would ensure the market remains volatile.
Sunderbani sector firing: Senior Pak High Commission official summoned
The Ministry of External Affairs summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission in the national capital and a demarche was made lodging strong protest at the fatal casualties of Indian soldiers during an attempted cross-border infiltration by Pakistani terrorists in Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir on October 21.Five to six Pakistani armed intruders tried to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and fired on an Indian Army patrol in the Sunderbani sector of Jammu region. Three Indian Army soldiers were killed and one suffered injuries in the unprovoked cross-border action by Pakistan. Two intruders were also killed by the Indian armed forces. However, the identities of the intruders who were wearing combat uniform could not be ascertained.The Pakistani side was informed that two of their armed intruders have been killed by the Indian security forces during the ensuing firefight and the Government of Pakistan should take custody of the dead bodies of its nationals, the MEA .
Modi's handpicked CBI officer caught red-handed: Yechury on Asthana
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose "hand-picked" Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana was "caught red-handed" he said, as the probe agency registered a graft case against one of its own.