Page 271 - Politics
NIA crackdown on Kashmiri separatists, 3 more in custody (2nd Lead)
Continuing its crackdown on separatists in Kashmir, the NIA on Tuesday took custody of Masarat Alam Bhat, the alleged kingpin of stone pelting, along with Shabir Shah, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party and Asiya Andrabi, the head of women's secessionist group Dukhtaren-e-Millat, to question them about their role in terror funding.
NIA arrests 3 separatists in terror funding case; court grants 10-day custody
Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam Bhat were arrested Tuesday in connection with a terror funding case and produced before a Delhi court which allowed NIA their 10-day custodial interrogation. The case relates to alleged terror funding in the Valley and involves Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind based based in Pakistan. The National Investigation Agency arrested the trio during in-chamber proceedings before Special Judge Rakesh Syal and sought 15-day custodial interrogation, advocate M S Khan, appearing for the accused, told PTI. Shah and Andrabi were already in custody in separate cases, while Alam was brought from Jammu and Kashmir on transit remand where he was lodged in jail for alleged terror activities. Both Shah and Andrabi were produced before the court from jail in pursuance to the production warrants issued earlier. NIA had filed a charge sheet in January 2018 against Saeed, another terror ...
Endgame for 'gathbandhan': Mayawati and Akhilesh look at fighting assembly bypolls alone
The opposition 'gathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday looked set to unravel with BSP chief Mayawati declaring her party will fight the assembly bypolls alone and SP president Akhilesh Yadav responding quickly to say he will do the same if they go different ways. In a statement 10 days after the defeat of the alliance in the Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati said she can work with the SP in future if Yadav is able to "fulfil his duties". Reacting to the statement, Yadav told reporters in Ghazipur, "Even if our paths are different, we welcome it." "If the alliance ends, we will field SP candidates on all 11 seats up for bypolls after consulting party leaders soon," Yadav said, adding that he will deliberate on the issue very carefully. Mayawati, who wrested the initiative on the matter, said the Bahujan Samaj Party's relationship with the Samajwadi Party is not going to end and she will try to ensure their relationship stays intact. "On the other hand, political compulsions cannot be ...
Harsimrat's charges on drugs misleading: Amarinder
Trashing Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's allegations that his government had failed to curb drugs menace, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said it was her Shiromani Akali Dal that was using a grave issue like drugs to divert public attention from their own shortcomings.
Army, Air Force joint exercises end in Punjab
A major week-long exercise jointly by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out in Punjab concluded on Tuesday.
Bengal to replace vandalised Vidyasagar bust on June 11
Almost a month after the vandalising of the statue of Bengali polymath Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during the BJP President Amit Shah's road show in the state capital, the West Bengal government has decided to replace the bust as a symbolic gesture on June 11 at the college named after the social reformer.
AIIMS Bhopal to offer course in medical management of nuclear
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal is going to conduct a post-graduate course in 'Medical Management of Chemical-Biological- Radiological-Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Disaster' from July, it said Tuesday. The course was being offered "at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", AIIMS Bhopal director Sarman Singh told reporters here. It will be a six-month course in "medical management in the event of cross-border CBRNE attacks or similar situation caused by some accidents", he said. "AIIMS, Bhopal will be the first centre which is launching this certificate course. Later, AIIMS centers of Delhi and Jodhpur will also launch this course," Singh said. The doctors working for organizations or in areas considered vulnerable to CBRNE attacks or accidents, such as industrial complexes, shrines, areas prone to terror attacks and border towns would find the course beneficial, he said. The course would be conducted through "open and distant ...
Investment in petroleum, gas sector discussed at high profile meeting of Home Minister Shah
The issue of investment in petroleum and gas sector cropped up prominently along with other matters during a high profile meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah here on Tuesday.The meeting was attended by among others External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.According to sources privy to what transpired in the meeting, the condition of investment in the petroleum and gas sector was discussed. The meeting was also attended by the chairmen of ONGC, BPCL, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Petroleum Secretary.Shortly after taking the charge, Home Minister Shah had on Saturday held a meeting with top officials of the ministry and had discussed a slew of issues related to internal security along with terrorism and Naxalism.It is worth noting that Kashmir is the focus area for Shah in view of the promises made in the BJP manifesto like abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the
Yechury urges parties to join hands against BJP
Calling the 2019 Lok Sabha election results a "severe setback" for the Left, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said, here on Tuesday, the party would take up independent initiatives to strengthen itself and urged secular democratic forces to join hands to protect the constitutional republic of India.
Local body polls: TRS defeated in KCR's adopted village
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) suffered defeat in Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao's adopted village and her daughter K. Kavitha's own village but the ruling party was way ahead of others in the rest of the state in the rural local body elections.
Spanish court suspends exhumation of Franco remains
Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the exhumation of the remains of dictator Francisco Franco while it considers an appeal from his family against the move. Spain's Socialist government had planned to move the remains on Monday from an opulent mausoleum near Madrid to a more discreet state-run pantheon but the plans have been fiercely resisted by Franco's heirs and many on the right. The court said in a statement it had "decided unanimously" to suspend the exhumation to avoid "harm" that could be caused if a court ultimately ruled that his remains should not have been moved and they would have to be returned to the mausoleum where they currently rest. Socialisy Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has made transferring Franco's remains a priority of his government since he took office in June 2018. His plans have revived tensions dating back to Spain's civil war in the 1930s and the subsequent four decades of Franco's rule which ended when he died in 1975. Franco's tomb currently lies
Karnataka JDS chief quits, flays functioning of coalition
Karnataka JD(S) president A H Vishwanath Tuesday resigned from his post owning "moral responsibility" for the party's rout in Lok Sabha polls and flaying the ruling coalition's functioning. The resignation is the first major fallout of the Lok Sabha poll debacle for the coalition with JD(S) and Congress getting a seat each out of 28, even as BJP walked away with 25 seats. BJP backed independent Sumalatha Ambareesh won the Mandya seat. "I take moral responsibility for the (party's) defeat," said Vishwanath, who is also reportedly unhappy over being sidelined and not being taken into confidence on key issues by his own party. Vishwanath was locked in a public spat in recent weeks with senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah over his functioning as the ruling coalition coordination committee chief and for not preparing the common agenda for the two partners. Speaking to reporters, Vishwanath said even after a year of the government formation, the coordination committee headed by ...
TMC protests against LPG price hike
The Trinamool Congress took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against the fresh hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder.The protest was led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.Hundreds of protestors were holding placards and raising slogans against the Centre government. They demanded to withdraw it in public interest.Earlier in the day, Congress also expressed concern over the increase in the price of subsidised and non-subsidised LPG cooking gas cylinders on the first day of the second term of the Modi government."The government has created a crisis before the people by increasing the price of subsidised and non-subsidised LPG cylinders for the fourth consecutive month," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said while addressing a press conference here.The prices for domestic LPG cylinder (14.2 kg) has increased to Rs 771.50 without subsidy. However, there is no change in the prices of commercial gases ..
Pune MP Girish Bapat resigns from Maharashtra Assembly
After getting elected as a Member of Parliament from Pune Lok Sabha constituency, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Bapat on Tuesday submitted his resignation to the Speaker of State Legislative Assembly.In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Bapat defeated Congress' Mohan Joshi from Pune seat.Bapat was the Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration, Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Abdul Sattar claims 8-10 more MLAs would resign after Vikhe Patil
Former Congress leader Abdul Sattar on Tuesday said the party MLAs are not happy with the leadership in the state and blamed them for ruining the party's chances of winning in Maharashtra."The party MLAs are not happy with the working style of the senior leaders in the state and the state senior leaders are to blame for ruining the party in Maharashtra," Sattar told ANI here.The Congress party faced debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state, where it won just two out of 48 seats.Sattar added that more MLAs would resign from the party after Congress veteran leader and MLA Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's resignation which took place earlier in the day."Eight to 10 MLAs will resign after the decision of Vikhe Patilji," Sattar said.Patil had resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly in April. He, however, said that he has no issue with the party leadership."I didn't campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha election. I don't doubt the high ...
Army chief visits Vaishno Devi shrine
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat visited the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi in Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Tuesday. Rawat paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, officials said. The Army chief was received by Simrandeep Singh, chief executive officer of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, and Jagdish Mehra, deputy CEO of the board, they said. He also visited the Bhairon Temple before departing for Katra, the officials added. General Rawat accompanied Rajnath Singh on his first official visit as the Union Defence Minister to the Siachen glacier on Monday.
Giant 'Trump Baby' blimp glides over London in protest
A new version of the "Trump Baby" blimp was unleashed in London on Tuesday as part of protests against the state visit of US President Donald Trump to the UK.
Karnataka JD-S chief quits over poor LS show
Karnataka Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) chief A.H. Vishwanath, here on Tuesday, quit his post, owning moral responsibility for the ruling party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
Army's training exercise in Punjab ends
A major training exercise conducted by the Indian Army in Punjab ended Tuesday, an official statement said. The exercise "Kharga Prahar", which began on May 27, was undertaken in the plains of Punjab by various units and formations of Army's Kharga Corps. "Validation of latest operational concepts designed to deliver a swift punitive blow to the adversary were the key features of this exercise," a defence release said here Tuesday. The components of the Indian Air Force also participated in the exercise. "The exercise setting also incorporated aspects of joint training wherein para drops from Indian Air Force aircraft were carried out and simulated battlefield air strikes were conducted in support of ground forces," it said. The exercise was successful in validating many important operational aspects and brought out valuable lessons as also reinforced a high degree of operational preparedness of the Kharga Corps, it further said.
Erdogan vows to keep S-400 deal with Russia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday vowed to buy Russian-made S-400 missile defence system despite being threatened with sanctions from the US.