Page 2720 - Politics
Cong loses votes when I give speeches: Digvijay
A video of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has gone viral on the social media in which he says that the Congress loses votes when he gives speeches.
Two Cong MLAs set to join BJP
In a boost to the BJP, two Congress MLA, who resigned from the Goa Assembly, are set to join the saffron party amid its vigorous efforts to strengthen the thin majority of its alliance government in the state. Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte met BJP president Amit Shah here Tuesday and later said they will be joining the party. BJP sources said more opposition MLAs may join its ranks. Both legislators have quit as MLAs. Their departure will bring down the effective strength of the 40-member state assembly, denting the Congress' attempts to cobble up a majority to replace the Manohar Parrikar-led alliance government. Parrikar has been critically ill for a while, causing some unrest among a few of the BJP's allies. The strength of the Congress, which has so far been the single largest party with 16 MLAs, will now come down to 14. The BJP also has 14 MLAs.
Former Mizoram minister Buddha Dhan Chakma resigns from Cong
Former Mizoram minister Buddha Dhan Chakma quit the Congress on Tuesday and is all set to join the BJP. After tendering his resignation as a legislator from the state Assembly, Chakma submitted his resignation from the primary membership of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) to party functionaries here. The resignation letter from the MPCC was addressed to MPCC president, Lal Thanhawla, who is also the chief minister. Speaker Hiphei has accepted Chakma's resignation from the House, Assembly secretary S R Zokhuma said. Election to the 40-member House is scheduled to be held in the state on November 28. Mizoram BJP unit president Prof John V Hluna told PTI that Chakma would be joining the BJP on Tuesday. The saffron party would field Chakma from Tuichawng seat in the assembly polls, Hluna said. With Chakma's resignation, three Congress MLAs have resigned from the Assembly recently. The present strength of the state legislature is 37 after resignation of the three .
Pompeo to meet Saudi crown prince on missing journalist
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who arrived in Riyadh Tuesday for talks with King Salman on missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, will also meet the Saudi crown prince, a US official said. After talks with the king earlier in the day on what happened to Khashoggi after he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, Pompeo will have dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official said, requesting anonymity. The controversy over the disappearance of Khashoggi, a US resident who had been increasingly critical of the youthful crown prince, has dealt a huge blow to his efforts to showcase a reform drive and burnish the kingdom's image.
Kerala CM warns protestors ahead of Sabarimala temple reopening
Sending a stern message to the people protesting against the Supreme Court's ruling on Sabarimala temple, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that his government would not allow anyone to take the law and order into their hands.The Chief Minister also assured all sort of facilities to the devotees visiting the shrine of Lord Ayyappa.The temple is set to reopen tomorrow, however, contrary to the age old tradition, this time women of ages will be allowed to enter the holy shrine, as per the recent order by the apex court."We will not allow anyone to take law and order into their hands. The government will ensure facilities to devotees who will visit Sabarimala Temple to offer prayers," Vijayan said while addressing the media in Trivandrum.He also reiterated that the state government does plan to challenge the verdict and will ensure implementation of the Supreme Court.On September 28, a five-judge bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, allowed ...
BJP accuses Kejriwal of not approving Phase-4 Metro construction
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not permitting construction work for the fourth phase of the Metro rail project.
Mattis visits Vietnam to strengthen military cooperation
US Secretary of Defence James Mattis arrived here on Tuesday where he will meet his Vietnamese counterpart to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.
Rahul Gandhi prays at Gurdwara in MP
Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day tour of the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, visited a Gurdwara here on Tuesday.
Delhi to get Korean war memorial: South Korean envoy
South Korea and India have agreed to build a Korean War memorial here and the city government has already designated a place for it in central Delhi, the country's envoy said Tuesday. Korean envoy Shin Bong-kil said India and South Korea have agreed but "some administrative process" is needed. "Basically, both sides (India and South Korea) have agreed to build a Korean War memorial in India (Delhi). The city government has already designated a place for it," he said. Shin said South Korea expects that the work would be "completed by the end of next year". "We need some sort of a design," he said. India had sent medical aid during the Korean War from 1950-53 and there is an association of Korean War veterans in India, the envoy said. "We already have Korean War memorials in the UK (London), the US (Washington, DC)," he said.
Pompeo in Saudi for crisis talks on missing journalist
US top diplomat Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia for urgent talks with King Salman Tuesday seeking answers about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid US media reports the kingdom may be mulling an admission he died during a botched interrogation. "Rogue killers" could be to blame for the disappearance of Khashoggi, who has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to sort out marriage paperwork, US President Donald Trump said after telephone talks with the king. Trump dispatched Pompeo to Riyadh for what the State Department described as "face to face meetings with the Saudi leadership". Turkish police on Monday searched the consulate for the first time since Khashoggi, a Saudi national and US resident who became increasingly critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, went missing. Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed - a claim Saudi Arabia has denied - with the controversy dealing a huge blow to the ..
NGT fines Delhi govt Rs 50 crore for not taking action against illegal steel pickling units
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Tuesday fined the Delhi government Rs 50 crore for not taking action against steel pickling units in residential areas as they fall under the prohibited list of industrial activity. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel rapped the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for not closing the industrial units despite its specific directions. The NGT also directed the Delhi government to shut these units with immediate effect. The order came on a plea filed by an NGO, the All India Lokadhikar Sangthan, seeking the execution of its order by which the green panel had directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to take action against stainless steel pickling industries in residential areas as they fall under the prohibited list of industrial activity as per the Delhi Master Plan (DMP), 2021. The plea alleged that such units functioning at Wazirpur discharged effluent in open drains which ultimately met the Yamuna river. It contended .
Separatist-sponsored strike disrupts normal life in Kashmir Valley
Normal life was affected in poll-bound areas of Kashmir Valley Tuesday due to a strike called by separatists against the conduct of urban local body polls in the state. Shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in poll-bound areas of Ganderbal and Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. They said public transport was off the roads in these areas even as few private cars, cabs and auto-rickshaws were seen plying. The government has also declared a holiday in poll-bound areas. The officials said life was normal elsewhere in the valley. The separatists - Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had asked people living in the areas where voting was underway Tuesday to observe strike. Meanwhile, authorities have reduced mobile Internet speeds across the valley as a precautionary measure. Polling began at 6 am amidst stringent security arrangements at 308 ...
Har 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 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, Bhiwani, Sirsa and Chandigarh. The Essential Services Maintenance Act prohibits strikes by employees in an essential service. Police personnel were deployed at several bus stands to prevent any untoward incident and buses plied with police escort at some roadways depots. 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. "We want the Haryana government to withdraw its decision of introducing private buses in the state," a union leader said Tuesday. They said the government should instead increase the number of buses under the roadways ...
NSUI prez quits after sexual harassment charges, Rahul Gandhi accepts resignation
NSUI national president Fairoz Khan has stepped down from his post following charges of sexual harassment, sources in the Congress said Tuesday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has accepted his resignation, the sources told PTI. Khan, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, submitted his resignation on Monday. The party had set up a three-member committee to look into the issue after a woman levelled charges of sexual harassment against the chief of its youth wing. The Congress worker from Chhattisgarh also lodged a complaint against him in the Parliament Street police station, saying that she feared for her life.
Oil prices dip amid expectations of higher U.S. inventories
SEOUL (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Tuesday amid expectations of an increase in U.S. crude inventories, but signs of a fall in Iranian oil exports this month kept losses in check.
Rahul Gandhi visits gurudwara in poll-bound MP
Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited a gurudwara here Tuesday on the second day of his campaigning in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. Gandhi met Congress cadres here in the morning and later paid obeisance at the Data Bandi Chhor Gurudwara, located in the Gwalior Fort. The gurudwara's head priest presented a sword to Gandhi on the occasion. Gandhi was accompanied by state Congress president Kamal Nath and senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. The three leaders tied a 'saropa' (head scarf) during their visit to the religious place. Gandhi later flew to the state's Sheopur district where he will address a public meeting. After his public meeting in Sheopur, Gandhi will hold a 42-km long roadshow in Morena district. He will fly to Gwalior in the evening. The 48-year-old Congress leader, who is on a two-visit to the state, went to Moti Masjid here Monday night and offered prayers. The assembly polls will be held in MP on November 28.
Saudis likely to admit journalist Khashoggi died during interrogation: Report
Saudi Arabia is preparing a report in which it is likely to admit that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, missing since October 2, died during an interrogation at its consulate in Istanbul, according to a media report. Khashoggi, 60, is feared to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US as he lived here as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'. Khashoggi, a US resident, vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish authorities suspect he was abducted and murdered by the Saudis. But Riyadh insists that the journalist, a known critic of Saudi King Salman, had left the building and that murder claims are "baseless". US lawmakers have been demanding scrapping of the USD 110 billion mega defence deal with Riyadh, whereas heads of several companies, CEOs, newspapers have announced not to attend an upcoming finance conference in Saudi Arabia. President
BJP has 'taken' 2 Goa Congress MLAs: Official
In a fresh twist to the ongoing saga of political instability in Goa, two Congress MLAs who left the coastal state for Delhi late on Monday, may have been "taken" by the BJP, Congress leader A. Chellakumar said here on Tuesday.
Mattis: Trump says defence chief's job is '100 percent' safe
Amid speculation that he may soon be replaced, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump told him he supports the retired Marine general "100 percent." The assertion comes just days after Trump mused on national television about Mattis leaving his post. Mattis said Trump gave him this assurance during a phone call while Mattis was flying from Washington to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Tuesday. A few hours earlier, Mattis told reporters traveling with him that he and Trump had never discussed the possibility of Mattis leaving the Pentagon job. Mattis initially was responding to reporters' questions about Trump's comments on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday that Mattis "may leave" his administration and that he thinks the retired Marine Corps general is "sort of a Democrat." Asked what he made of Trump's comments, in which the president also said he likes Mattis and that eventually all appointees move on, Mattis said, "Nothing at all," adding, "We have never talked about me ...
CPEC may regain pace after Imran Khan's visit to Beijing
Islamabad expects that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would regain pace after Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Beijing next month with the signing of a framework agreement on industrial zones, progress on agricultural cooperation and addition of a social sector joint working group.