Page 2711 - Politics
Saudi Arabia has assured OPEC there will be no crude shortage: OPEC chief
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has assured OPEC that it is "committed, capable and willing" to ensure there will be no shortage in the oil market, OPEC's secretary-general said on Wednesday.
'Action!' US campaign videos go viral in 2018
An eye-popping USD 4.5 billion is projected to pour into US political advertising in 2018, but a few thousand bucks last spring may have been the best-spent money of the entire midterm election cycle. When working-class New Yorker and political newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heard the offer by two socialist-leaning videographers to produce her introductory congressional campaign ad for under USD 10,000, her cash-strapped campaign jumped at the opportunity. The result was a riveting, two-minute online video, with a persuasive voiceover by the then-28-year-old candidate who is shown changing into heels on a subway platform and making her case to voters. "This race is about people versus money," Ocasio-Cortez says in the video released in late May. "We've got people. They've got money." The ad -- empathetic, defiant, authentic -- was an instant hit, earning a staggering 5.1 million views. Four weeks later Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political establishment by defeating a Democratic ...
Lanka govt rejects reports on President Sirisena's assassination plot
Sri Lankan government on Wednesday rejected as "completely untrue" media reports that President Maithripala Sirisena accused India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination and he opposed awarding a key port project to India. The media reports came ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speed up India-backed projects, including the East Terminal project, in the island nation. Sirisena accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the economynext.com reported quoting a ministerial source after a heated Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The minister, who declined to be named, claimed that the president said that India's external intelligence agency RAW was behind the plot. Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne on Wednesday dismissed the ..
Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra joins BJP in a boost for Congress in Rajasthan
In a big boost to the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Manvendra Singh, son of former Union Minister and one of the founders of the BJP, Jaswant Singh, joined the Congress party on Wednesday.
Elections will be meaningful only if all sections of society participate: Fmr CEC
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, S Y Quraishi Wednesdaysaid elections in India will become meaningful only if all sections of the society enjoy complete freedom to exercise their right to franchise. Speaking at the annual Sir Syed Day celebrations, Quraishi said India was a land of minorities and the hallmark of the world's largest democracy was to hold "inclusive" elections. He said that the largest minority in the country were women as they constitute 49 per cent of the electorate and if they were unable to exercise their right to franchise, either because of fear or any law and order issue, it would question the very foundation of the country's democratic process. What makes India's elections a very special feature in the world's democratic system, is that there is no country in the world which has such a large diversity of religion, caste and language, he said. It is therefore imperative that this wide canvas of diversity is preserved and protected through our ...
Workers strike over pay at South African arms maker Denel
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Hundreds of South Africa's Solidarity union members held a strike on Wednesday over a pay dispute at cash-strapped state-owned weapons manufacturer Denel.
Japan protests China ships near disputed isles ahead of Abe visit
Tokyo lodged an official protest with Beijing Wednesday after Chinese ships cruised around disputed islands, days before a historic summit between the leaders of the Asian rivals. Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga called the intrusion "extremely regrettable" but said Tokyo was nonetheless hoping to "take Japan-China relations to the next level". The complaint, which is only the latest in a string of similar protests, comes before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe heads to China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping. The trip will be the first official visit to China by a Japanese leader in seven years, as Asia's two biggest economies take gradual steps to improve their tense relations, marred by bitter memories of the World War II. Abe has only been to China for international events in recent years, with relations between the two nations deteriorating from 2012 when Tokyo "nationalised" some of the disputed islets. Since then, the two top Asian economies have taken ...
America's most famous pimp, poised for elected office, dies
America's most famous pimp partied for days with porn stars, political pals and others to celebrate his 72nd birthday, but the revelry ended when Dennis Hof was found dead in one of his Nevada brothels. Hof, a Donald Trump-style Republican who won a GOP primary for a seat in the state Legislature this year, spent his last nights at celebrations that drew notables from politics and the sex industry two worlds he managed to bridge. His body was found Tuesday morning. State elections officials say Hof's name will remain on the November ballot, but signs will be posted at polling places notifying voters of his death. If Hof wins, Republican officials will nominate another to fill the vacancy. A Nevada sheriff says there's no sign of foul play.
Suspects in missing Saudi journalist case linked to Crown Prince: Report
One of the suspects identified by Turkey in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a frequent companion of the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the media reported.
BSP plans to contest all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan
The Bahujan Samaj Party is planning to contest all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, a party leader said amid plans by BSP chief Mayawati to hold rallies in different parts of the state. Earlier this month, Mayawati ruled out any alliance with the Congress in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming assembly polls. In Chhattisgarh, the BSP is fighting the elections along with Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress. Rajasthan will go to the polls on December 7. The party won three seats in the 2013 assembly elections in the state, securing 3.37 per cent votes. The vote share was 7.60 per cent in the 2008 elections when the party won six seats. "Our preparations are in full swing and we will contest on all 200 seats in the forthcoming elections," state party vice president Dungarram Gedar said. In the last assembly elections, the party had contested in 195 constituencies. He said the candidates will be finalised soon and Mayawati will hold rallies in the state. "We are expecting to increase our .
Cong, BJP join Ayyappa devotees' protest in Pamba, Nilackal
As agitating devotees took to the streets in large numbers over the Sabarimala issue, the opposition BJP and Congress Wednesday joined their stir at Pamba and Nilackal, the entry points to the hill shrine. With the issue of women of all age groups being allowed into the Lord Ayyappa temple taking a political turn, the BJP and Congress have extended support to devotees who are protesting against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision to implement the verdict and not file a review petition. The base camps of Pamba and Nilackal witnessed intensified protests as the Lord Ayyappa temple opens for the five-day monthly pooja this evening, for the first time after the landmark top court verdict. The Left front government termed the agitation as "politically motivated" and said it would be met politically. Police evicted members of tantri (head priest) family, including elderly women, and the Pandalam royals who were protesting at Pamba, reciting Ayyappa 'mantras'. After their eviction, .
Congress' manifesto committee to visit Mumbai next week
The Congress' manifesto committee, headed by senior leader P Chidambaram, will visit Mumbai on October 27 to interact with industry representatives, the party said Wednesday. City Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said the committee, set up to draft the party's manifesto for the next year's Lok Sabha elections, is meeting various stakeholders across the country. The main committee led by Chidambaram, a former finance minister, will meet representatives of industry, trade, the banking sector and the investor community, while a sub-committee will visit here on October 23 and interact with civic activists on urban issues, Nirupam said. This sub-committee will be headed by former Union minister Selja Kumari, he said.
Jaswant's son Manvendra, former BJP MLA Deshmukh join Congress
Former BJP Union Minister Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh and former Maharashtra BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh on Wednesday joined the Congress.
Shivpal Yadav moves into Mayawati's old bungalow
Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM) founder Shivpal Yadav Wednesday shifted to the govenment bunglow vacated by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati at 6 Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg here. "After having 'puja and hawan', Shivpalji has formally entered the bungalow today on the occasion of Durga Ashtmi," an SSM leader said. Yadav reached the bungalow with supporters this morning and performed religious rituals before entering it. The Yogi Adiyanath government had allotted the bungalow to Yadav after Mayawati vacated it following a Supreme Court directive. "I have been allotted the bungalow as there were intelligence reports of threats to me," Yadav had said after allotment of the bungalow. "I am a five-time legislator and it has been allotted to me as a senior member of the state assembly," said Shivpal Yadav, who is Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother and the estranged uncle of party president Akhilesh Yadav. While the Congress suggested favouritism in the allocation, saying .
EU offers to extend Brexit transition as leaders meet
The European Union is ready to extend Brexit's post-divorce transition period by a year to allow more time to find a trade deal, diplomats said Wednesday ahead of a difficult summit. Prime Minister Theresa May is due in Brussels later in the day to address the other 27 EU leaders on the stalled negotiations towards a divorce deal to bring Britain out of the Union. Talks are at an impasse over the issue of a legal backstop to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic open after the UK leaves the bloc on March 29 - but EU negotiator Michel Barnier has an idea. According to two European diplomats, Barnier is ready to add a year to the 21-month post Brexit transition period - taking it to the end of 2021 -- to provide more space to strike a trade deal. This offer would not in itself resolve the back-stop issue, which must be settled in the Brexit treaty that must be ratified before March to avoid a damaging "no deal" scenario. But the extension would grant more time .
Afghan election candidate among four killed in bomb attack
A bomb placed under a sofa killed four Afghans including an election candidate on Wednesday, officials said, as deadly violence escalates ahead of the October 20 parliamentary ballot. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, which takes the number of candidates killed so far during the campaign season to at least 10. Abdul Jabar Qahraman had been meeting with supporters in his campaign office in the southern province of Helmand - a Taliban stronghold - when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded, provincial governor spokesman Omar Zhwak told AFP. Qahraman was among four people killed by the blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, interior minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another seven were wounded and three suspects have been arrested, he added. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack on Qahraman, who he had sent to Helmand in 2016 as an envoy to help defeat the Taliban. Qahraman later resigned. In other poll-related violence, gunmen ambushed a ...
BSP plans to contest on all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is planning to contest on all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, a senior leader of the party said. The party won three seats in the 2013-assembly elections by securing 3.37 per cent vote share, which was 7.60 per cent in the 2008-elections when the party had won six MLAs. "Our preparations are in full swing and we will contest on all 200 seats in the forthcoming elections," state party vice president Dungarram Gedar said. In the last assembly elections, the party had contested in 195 constituencies. He informed that the tickets will be finalised soon and BSP chief Mayawati will hold rallies in the state. "We are expecting to increase our tally in the 2018-elections because people are unhappy with both the BJP and the Congress. There is a resentment against the ruling BJP and people are not seeing any hope in the Congress," another BSP leader Bhagwan Singh said. He informed that the party chief will hold rallies in different parts of the state during ...
India needs a strong and decisive leadership at the Centre to remain a "sweet spot" of the world: Arun Jaitley
What does India need....India needs a strong and decisive leadership at the Centre. A weak leadership could not have handled the crisis within days, the way present government did...A crisis in the making was handled with swiftness is just one example of the way this government functions, said the Finance Minister, addressing the 98th Annual meeting of the chamber with a theme: New India: Working for 125 billion aspirationssaid at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi today.
3 Myanmar journalists in court over story gov't calls false
Three detained journalists appeared in a Myanmar court on Wednesday to face charges filed against them by the Yangon city government, which alleges a story they published was false. An increasing number of journalists have been arrested and jailed for their work under Myanmar's civilian government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner. The senior journalists for local Eleven Media Group were arrested Oct. 9 after publishing a story alleging fund mismanagement by Yangon government officials. A director in the Yangon city government filed a complaint saying the journalists editor in chief Kyaw Zaw Lin, managing editor Nari Min and chief reporter Phyo Wai Win violated a law banning publication of "incorrect information" that could cause "fear or alarm to the public." Punishment under the law can include two years' imprisonment and a fine. Human Rights Watch called for the charges to be withdrawn. "By arresting these three journalists for ...
SocGen CEO cancels attendance at Saudi Arabia investment conference
PARIS (Reuters) - The chief executive of French bank Societe Generale has cancelled his attendance at a Saudi Arabia investment conference, as leading business executives pull out amid widespread concern about the fate of a Saudi journalist.