Page 2692 - Politics
Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law to contest C'garh polls from Akaltara
As the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections are inching closer, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has released the second list of candidates for the upcoming polls, which includes Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) founder Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law Richa Jogi's name.As mentioned in the list of candidates, the former Chhattisgarh chief minister's daughter-in-law will be contesting polls from Akaltara constituency in Janjgir-Champa district. Akaltara seat is at present being represented by Chunnilal Sahu of Congress.It is believed that Richa Jogi has played a major role in constructing the two-year-old party founded by Ajit Jogi after the latter broke away from the Congress in 2016.The four-member Jogi family, comprising Ajit, his wife Renu, son Amit and daughter-in-law Richa, now belong to three political parties- JCC, BSP and the Congress.On Friday, Amit Jogi announced that his father Ajit will not contest the upcoming state assembly elections, but will instead campaign for the alliance ...
Russian woman charged in first 2018 election meddling case
The US accused a Russian woman Friday of conspiring in a sweeping effort to sway American public opinion through social media in the first federal case alleging foreign interference in the 2018 midterm elections. The criminal complaint alleges that Russians are using some of the same techniques to influence US politics as they relied on ahead of the 2016 presidential election, methods laid bare by an investigation from special counsel Robert Mueller into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's campaign. The Justice Department unsealed the criminal complaint on the same day that U.S. intelligence agencies, in a rare public statement , asserted that Russia, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in continuous efforts to influence American policy and voters in the upcoming elections and beyond. National security adviser John Bolton heads to Russia on Saturday. The US is concerned about the foreign campaigns "to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and ...
Ex-UK Dy PM to head Facebook's global policy, communications teams
Social media giant Facebook announced the appointment of United Kingdom's former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as the vice president of the firm's global affairs and communications department.Facebook's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg took to the social media platform to announce the news of Clegg's appointment, and hailed the latter as a "thoughtful and gifted leader" who "understands deeply the responsibilities we have to people who use our service around the world."Sandberg, in the Facebook post, also thanked the outgoing vice president of the firm's global affairs and communications department, Elliot Schrage, for the contributions he made during his ten-year stint at Facebook.Clegg, who has been an active part of Britain's political arena for 20 years, led the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015, including five years in the coalition government with the Conservatives. He lost his seat at last year's general election, prior to which he was a member of the European
UK PM May tells businesses EU is committed to autumn Brexit deal
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May told business leaders during a teleconference on Friday that EU politicians are committed to reaching a Brexit agreement this autumn, striking what one source told Reuters was an upbeat tone.
Economists sign declaration against Brazil frontrunner Bolsonaro
More than 350 economists -- among them a Nobel Prize winner -- have signed a declaration saying Brazil's frontrunner to be president, far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro, is not the best choice for his country. The experts stated that Bolsonaro's leftist rival, Fernando Haddad, was "the best alternative" to uphold "Brazilian democracy and the institutions of the Rule of Law," according to the text and list published by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper on Friday. With Brazil's presidential run-off election just over a week away, on October 28, the statement was seen as a counterpoint to the wave of investor enthusiasm that has greeted Bolsonaro's candidacy. A large part of that comes from Bolsonaro's choice to be his economy minister: Paulo Guedes, a US-educated liberal economist who has talked of reducing Brazil's notoriously protectionist policies, selling off state assets to reduce the public debt, and streamlining taxes. The signatories of the published declaration -- counting 200 .
India calls for early adoption of anti-terrorism treaty
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism (CCIT) that it had introduced in the UN in 1996.
UK's May tells business leaders EU wants autumn Brexit deal
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May told business leaders on Friday she had come away from this week's European Council meeting in Brussels with a sense that EU leaders wanted to reach a Brexit deal as soon as possible this autumn, her office said.
BJP MP Bhola Singh passes away
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Bhola Singh died on Friday in Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital at the of 79.Singh was Lok Sabha MP from Bihar's Begusarai.Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over demise of Singh and tweeted, "Anguished by the demise of Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Shri Bhola Singh Ji. He will be remembered for his outstanding service to society and efforts towards the development of Bihar. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief."A former eight-time member of Bihar Assembly, Singh is survived by his wife, Savitri Devi, three sons and two daughters.Singh has also served as the deputy speaker of the Bihar Assembly.
Punjab: Police thwarts Referendum 2020 campaign, arrests 2 people
The Punjab Police on Friday arrested two members of a Khalistani module, allegedly engaged in propagating the Khalistan Referendum 2020 campaign by putting up banners and posters at public places here.The police also seized various materials used in making the banners and posters from the residence of Sukhraj Singh alias Raju and Malik Singh alias Meetu.As per initial investigations, Sukhraj and Malikit were being funded from overseas as part of the campaign started by Gurpartap Singh Pannu, Legal Advisor of Sikh for Justice, a New York-based organisation.An FIR under sections relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the two for allegedly attempting to spread hatred by motivating youngsters and instigating the public through the campaign, according to a police spokesperson.Giving details of the operation, the spokesperson said that information was received from reliable sources by Commissionerate Police Amritsar about the campaign being carried out to ..
Ukraine secures new $3.9 billion IMF deal after gas price hike
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine secured a new $3.9 billion stand-by aid agreement with the International Monetary Fund on Friday, helping the country maintain financial stability and the trust of investors as it heads into a choppy election period next year.
Naidu meets Portuguese, Greek PMs
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is attending the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit here held bilateral meetings with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras respectively and called for strengthening Indias ties with both the countries.
Modi attends 'Ravan Dahan'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday set Ravan's effigy on fire by shooting an arrow symbolically, bringing the icon of evil down in a blaze of fire to the joy of thousands of celebrants on the occasion of 'Vijaya Dashmi' here.
Trump 'cheerleading' violence against media: press group
Donald Trump is "cheerleading" violence against the media, an association representing White House correspondents said Friday after the president applauded an assault by a congressman on a reporter. "All Americans should recoil from the president's praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job," Olivier Knox, head of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement. "This amounts to the celebration of a crime," Knox said. He was referring to a moment at a campaign rally in Montana on Thursday when Trump heaped praise on local congressman Greg Gianforte who used a wrestling move to slam a Guardian reporter on the floor in 2017. "Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of guy," Trump told the rally about Gianforte, winning prolonged applause and laughter. "Don't wrestle with him." Knox said: "We should never shrug at the president cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent news media." Gianforte pleaded ...
Assange sues Ecuador over 'fundamental rights
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sued the Ecuador government Friday for violating his "fundamental rights" and limiting his access to the outside world while in asylum at its London embassy. The whistleblowing website said its general counsel arrived in Ecuador on Thursday to launch a legal case against the government for "violating (Assange's) fundamental rights and freedom". "The move comes almost seven months after Ecuador threatened to remove his protection and summarily cut off his access to the outside world, including by refusing to allow journalists and human rights organisations to see him," WikiLeaks said. It added that the embassy was requiring Assange's visitors -- including journalists and lawyers -- to disclose "private or political details such as their social media usernames". The Ecuador government issued no immediate statement in response. Assange's legal action comes with speculation mounting that Ecuador was preparing to end its standoff with the British government
Hezbollah leader calls on Saudi Arabia to end war in Yemen
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah has called on Saudi Arabia to make a "courageous" decision and end the fighting in Yemen, saying the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey has tarnished the kingdom's image to an unprecedented degree. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech in Beirut Friday that "the international cover" for the war in Yemen has begun to collapse. "Saudi Arabia's image worldwide is the worst in its history," Nasrallah said, referring to the Khashoggi case. Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's internationally recognised government and has since March 2015 led a coalition battling the country's Iran-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis. Yemen's stalemated three-year war has killed over 10,000 people and devastated the country's infrastructure. The Saudi-led coalition faces widespread international criticism over airstrikes that kill civilians.
Modi congratulates leader of victorious Bhutanese party
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Lotay Tshering, President of the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) party that has won Bhutan's general elections.
EU, Singapore sign free trade deal
The European Union and Singapore signed a landmark trade deal on Friday on the sidelines of a Europe-Asia summit that Brussels hopes can be a rebuke to protectionism in Washington. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the accord in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency. Hailing the Singapore agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we can make it clear that the world is about creating win-win situations." These deals "make it clear that what benefits one, can also benefit the other," she added as she arrived for an EU-Asia summit where the deal was signed, in a tacit criticism of US President Donald Trump. The text still needs to be validated by the European Parliament before it enters into force in 2019. The leaders also signed of the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement, the more controversial aspect of .
US, South Korea again call off major military exercise
The Pentagon and South Korea are cancelling another major military exercise this year, citing a push for diplomatic progress with North Korea. The top Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana W White, says Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue." That word comes while Pentagon chief Jim Mattis is in Singapore for a meeting of Asian defence ministers. Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise. It was held last year in December with US and South Korean air forces. In June the Pentagon canceled this year's Freedom Guardian exercise after President Donald Trump abruptly announced that he disapproved of the maneuvers, calling them provocative and expensive. Trump made the announcement after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
US, S. Korea suspend additional military exercise: Pentagon
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo have canceled the "Vigilant Ace" military exercise that was slated for December, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Friday. The two officials agreed to suspend the drill to "give the diplomatic process" with Pyongyang "every opportunity to continue," spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement. "Both ministers are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces," the statement read, saying the need for future exercises would continue to be evaluated. Japan's Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya was consulted on the matter, the statement said. Following US President Trump's June meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the United States said it would suspend "select" exercises with South Korea, including the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises scheduled for August. Vigilant Ace is an air exercise aimed at improving coordination between the two armies that takes place ...
J&K guv advisor reaches out to Jammu people, meets 33 deputations
The advisor to governor of Jammu and Kashmir, B B Vyas, Friday met people from industry and Jammu region and listened to their grievances, an official spokesman said. The people from Jammu region apprised Vyas about the developmental needs of their respective areas and sought immediate government intervention, he said. Legislators Rajesh Gupta and Sukhnandan Choudhary also called on the advisor. The advisor to the governor assured the people he met that the issues pertaining to departments other than his purview will be forwarded to the concerned for timely action. A delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) raised various issues related to industry and commerce in the state. They made several demands including a reduction of GST rate on almond kernels from 12 per cent to 5 per cent, a fast-track mechanism for clearance of vehicles carrying industrial goods at Lakhanpur.