Page 2715 - Politics
Frenchman held in Yemen released with Saudi help: presidency
A Frenchman held captive in war-torn Yemen for over four months after his boat ran into trouble near the port of Hodeida has been released, the French presidency announced Tuesday. Alain Goma dropped anchor in Hodeida on June 3 after running out of water while sailing to India. Hodeida is under the control of Iranian-backed Huthi rebels, who took him prisoner. It is not clear whether they made any demands of France in return for the release of Goma, who is in his fifties. In a statement President Emmanuel Macron thanked authorities in Oman and Saudi Arabia for helping obtain his release. He described Oman's role as "decisive" but said Saudi Arabia had also provided "assistance." Goma's release comes as Saudi Arabia battles allegations that officials murdered a US-based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi was critical of some of the policies of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Security forces in J&K asked not to fire first at Pakistan
: Accusing Pakistan of trying to destablise India by sending terrorists across the border,Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been asked not to fire first, but to retaliate without counting the bullets, if provoked. "It (Pakistan) is our neighbour, so don't fire first. But if even one bullet comes from that side, then dont take count of the bullets (fired in retaliation)," he said in his directive to the Armed forces. Addressing a public meeting at Guntur,Singh said Pakistan has not been desisting from sending terrorists into the country,but India was taking 'swift action' against terrorism. "Pakistan is trying to destabilise us by sending terrorists. But I would like to compliment our Army jawans, security forces and Jammu and Kashmir police. All three are acting in mutual coordination and are engaged in wiping out terrorists daily and are succeeding," he said. Referring to the recent gunning down two TDP leaders, including ..
Pompeo seeks answers from Saudi King on missing journalist
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and other key officials here on Tuesday over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who Turkish officials say was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
UDP to announce its candidate for Shillong LS seat soon
The United Democratic Party, an ally of the National People's Party (NPP) led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, Tuesday said it will announce its candidate for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat on October 31. The UDP also appealed to the regional allies in the government to support the party candidate. The central executive committee (CEC) which met here has also accepted the application from two candidates who want to contest the Shillong seat, UDP working president B M Lanong told reporters. Lanong said the party will finalise the official candidate of the party on October 31. He said that the UDP intends to let the National Peoples Party to know the intention of the party to have a common candidate for both Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats. The UDP leader further informed that the party has also decided to approach the other regional political parties which include the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party (HSPDP), Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) and Khun Hynniewtrep ...
'Not a bird was harmed' during J-K civic polls: Guv
"Not a bird was harmed" and the civic elections were conducted peacefully, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said Tuesday. Malik, in an exclusive interview to PTI soon after the conclusion of the urban local body polls' final phase, also said the NC and the PDP should not have boycotted it and asserted that articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution were non-issues in this election. The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had announced they would not contest the polls over the legal challenge to the articles. Expressing satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the polls, Malik said, "It (the response) has been very good. The four-phased elections has been concluded and not a bird was harmed, it was a peaceful election." "Today (Tuesday), Srinagar saw 9,578 votes being cast. Ganderbal saw 1,000 votes. The turnout is better than some recent elections," he said. The real achievement of the elections was that it was conducted peacefully and people came .
BJP rankled by yet another poster put up by Cong leaders
Posters proclaiming a "reward" of Rs 5 crore to whoever came up with the names of 35 airports supposedly built during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides the "truth" of the Rafale deal, were seen at some places here in the Bihar capital Tuesday. The posters were put up by local Congress leaders Siddharth Kshatriya and Benkatesh Raman, whose images figured prominently on those, besides that of party chief Rahul Gandhi and a sketch of Modi. The posters that described the "offer" as "Puja Dhamaka" -- a reference to the ongoing Durga Puja festival -- also carried a newspaper clipping, wherein Modi had claimed that only 65 airports were built in the 67 years before he came to power as against the 35 since he took charge in 2014. Responding to the development, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters, "Perhaps the only man who can win the prize of Rs 5 crore is Rahul Gandhi himself." "We wonder what truth is being sought. Everybody ..
Modi to hand over keys of houses to PMAY beneficiaries in Maharashtra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and interact with them at popular temple town Shirdi in Maharashtra on October 19, an official said Tuesday. Modi will be present at the e-griha pravesh ceremony for 40,000 beneficiaries of the affordable housing scheme of the government, he said. The prime minister will also participate in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust. Modi is also expected to perform ground breaking ceremony for some projects of the trust, including the new "darshan" queue shelter to be constructed in the Sai temple, the official said. President Ram Nath Kovind was in Shirdi earlier this month to inaugurate the centenary programme. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde Tuesday claimed that the state government is spending Rs 2 crore to bring beneficiaries for the
Women scribe groups seek Akbar's dismissal; court to hear defamation case on Thursday (Roundup)
As the court listed the criminal defamation case filed by Union Minister M.J. Akbar against a woman journalist for Thursday, two women journalist bodies sought Akbars removal from the government for the sake of fair and impartial probe.
Bragta to coordinate Jan Manch at secretariat level in HP: CM
MLA and BJP chief whip in Himachal Pradesh Narender Bragta will coordinate the Jan Manch programme at the secretariat-level to make it more effective and result-oriented, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Tuesday. Addressing a delegation of Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly constituency, represented by Bragta, Thakur said Jan Manch is one of the most important and people-centric programmes of the state government which aims at redressing public grievances nearer to their homes. All the ministers take part in Jan Manch which is held on first Sunday of every month, he said, adding that Bragta would coordinate the progress and development of the programme at the state-level so that grievances of the people can be redressed at the earliest.
Delhi BJP leader writes to Union ministers on use of contraceptive injections
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Kapoor has demanded the Centre's intervention in checking the advertisements on the use of "contraceptive injections" on FM radio stations in view of the safety of young girls. Kapoor has written to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, seeking their intervention to ensure that the injection is prescribed by government hospitals only to married women. Citing "multiple reasons" such as the prevalence of sexual relations among youngsters and the sex-trade mafia luring young girls, the BJP leader has expressed concern over possible "misuse" of contraceptive injections. Saying his views may be considered as "orthodox", the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader added that his concern was regarding the health and safety of the young girls who may use contraceptive injections.
Naidu trying to keep Cong alive by putting it on ventilator:
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday took potshots at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, saying the latter was trying to keep the Congress party alive by "placing it on a ventilator." Singh advised the Telugu Desam Party supremo to look into Congress history before "falling into its trap." "The Congress is not going to survive, Chandrababu. The UPA has now become a non-performing asset," Singh said. The Union Home minister was addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for BJPs Andhra Pradesh headquarters at Reddipalem near Guntur here. "The Congress is taking its last breath. Chandrababu Naidu thinks he can keep it alive for a while by placing it on a ventilator. But the Congress is not going to survive," Singh asserted, indirectly referring to the TDPs efforts to tie-up with the Congress. "Whoever fell into its (Congress) trap have gone," he remarked. The veteran BJP leader said the opposition parties in the country now had only ..
Hry Roadways employees on 2-day strike against govt's decision to introduce 700 pvt buses
The Haryana Roadways employees went on a two-day strike on Tuesday to protest the state government's decision to introduce 700 private buses in the state. Despite the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) being in force, the roadways workers went on strike and staged sit-ins at several depots across the state, including in Rohtak, Sirsa, Hisar, Ambala and Chandigarh, under the banner of Haryana Roadways Karamchari Joint Action Committee. The ESMA prohibits strikes by employees in an essential service. The agitating employees said they would not allow the government to launch 700 private buses in the state as it would lead to privatisation of the transport department. They also alleged that the move is an attempt to favour some chosen few. "We want the Haryana government to withdraw its decision of introducing private buses in the state," Haryana Roadways Workers Union general secretary Sarbat Singh Punia said. He said the government should instead increase the number of buses ...
Two Goa Cong MLAs join BJP
Two Congress MLAs from Goa, including a former state party chief, joined the BJP Tuesday, dealing a blow to the opposition party in a state where the saffron party-led alliance government enjoys a thin majority. Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, both of whom have resigned from the assembly, met Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah at his residence in the national capital and were later inducted into the party at a press conference addressed by Union minister Piyush Goyal. Goyal described Shirodkar, a six-time MLA and former state Congress president, and Sopte, a two-term legislator, as leaders of high stature and popular among the masses, adding that their presence in the BJP would boost its state government's development agenda. Goa BJP leaders Vishwajit Rane, a minister in the Parrikar government, and Shripad Naik, an MP from the state and a Union minister, were also present at the press conference, with Rane claiming that the Congress in the state is "heading towards a ...
IWPC asks Rajnath, Maneka to intervene for fair and impartial probe against Akbar
A leading women's body Tuesday wrote to Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Maneka Gandhi, urging their intervention for a "fair and impartial probe" against M J Akbar who is battling allegations of sexual harassment that have surfaced in the #MeToo campaign. The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC), in the letter, expressed "dismay" that despite a long list of complaints involving Akbar, no formal inquiry comprising of serious charges of sexual harassment has been instituted at any level in the government. "In addition to the investigation into the specific allegations against a minister, the government must also examine whether media organisations have put in place effective institutional mechanisms for dealing with sexual harassment as required by the law," said the letter signed by IWPC President T K Rajalakshmi and General Secretary Ravinder Bawa. "Your intervention for a fair and impartial probe is only possible if the said minister relinquishes office in the interests of natural ...
Kerala CM vows to protect devotees' rights, blasts Congress, BJP
Declaring that the Kerala government will protect the rights of all Sabarimala devotees, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday accused the BJP and Congress of trying to destroy the state's secular fabric by politicising the issue.
Use ballot papers in assembly polls, MNF urges to EC
The opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) on Tuesday demanded that ballot papers be used in the November 28 assembly polls in Mizoram instead of EVMs. The MNF also appealed to the visiting EC team led by Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat to install mobile jammer at counting halls during counting of votes to be held on December 11. "Why should electronic voting machines be used in Indian elections? Even developed countries use ballot papers. EVMs are extremely expensive," senior MNF leader H Rammawi said after meeting the EC team. The EC team is on a visit to Mizoram to review poll preparedness in the state. The election to 40-member Mizoram assembly would be held on November 28. Another opposition party, the National People's Party, urged the poll panel to instruct to the Mizoram government to improve road condition before the polls. Most of the roads and highways in the state were in extremely bad condition and movements of poll workers as well as political ...
NC, PDP shouldn't have boycotted J&K civic polls: Guv
The NC and the PDP should not have boycotted the civic polls, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said Tuesday, asserting that articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution were non-issues in this election. The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had announced not to contest the polls over the legal challenge to the articles. Expressing satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the polls, Malik, in an exclusive interview to PTI soon after the conclusion of the urban local body elections' final phase, said, "It (the response) has been very good." "Today (Tuesday) Srinagar saw 9,578 votes being cast. Ganderbal saw 1,000 votes. The turnout is better than some recent elections," he said. The real achievement of the elections was that it was conducted peacefully and people came out to vote without any fear, the governor said. "The real factor is being overlooked. The four-phased elections has been concluded and not a bird was harmed, it was a peaceful ...
Putin will be in Paris on November 11 to mark 100 years since WWI end: advisor
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a November 11 ceremony in Paris marking 100 years since the end of World War I, his advisor Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday. The ceremony will be attended by a number of other heads of state including US President Donald Trump, it was earlier confirmed. "On November 11 we are planning to fly to Paris. We will take part in the ceremony on the Champs Elysees," Ushakov told journalists. Putin will go to a working breakfast organised by French President Emmanuel Macron and later lay flowers at a monument to Russian soldiers in the capital, he added. Trump confirmed his attendance at the event in August. The US leader had been planning to hold a parade in Washington but criticised local politicians who he said were asking for too much money for the event. Ushakov on Tuesday also confirmed that US National Security Advisor John Bolton would be in Moscow at the start of next week for talks with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. However Bolton ..
Guj: Cong's Gohil to file defamation suits against Rupani
Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil Tuesday said he would file criminal and civil defamation suits against Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for stating that the opposition party's "Bihar in-charge" was responsible for the recent attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in the state. Gohil is in charge of the Congress party's affairs in Bihar. Several districts in the northern parts of Gujarat were rocked by violence after a labourer from Bihar was arrested on the charge of raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28. It led to the exodus of thousands of migrants from the state. Speaking to reporters in Lucknow Monday, Rupani, without mentioning anyone by name, had said the Congress party's Bihar in-charge was responsible for the violence, adding that over 50 of those arrested in this connection were Congress workers. Incidentally, Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor is the party's Bihar in-charge secretary. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has, on several occasions, ...
AAP in Punjab to name 4-5 candidates for 2019 Lok Sabha polls
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Tuesday said that it will declare the names of four to five candidates next month for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. A decision in this regard was taken by the 22-member core committee of the AAP. "We have decided that names of at least four to five candidates will be announced next month for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said here. Earlier this month, the AAP leadership in Delhi had asked Punjab MLAs to start looking for potential candidates for the polls in 2019. They were asked to find candidates "with good character and clean image". In 2014, the AAP had won four out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Cheema said the party's Scheduled Caste wing was also formed with the appointment of MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur and Kulwant Singh Pandori as president and vice president, respectively.