Page 2726 - Politics
BJP can't tolerate people who ask questions: Cong leader Khera
Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera Monday alleged that BJP leaders run away from responsibilities and cannot "tolerate" people who ask questions. He also alleged that BJP poll manifestoes were "mere jumla (rhetoric) patras" as that for the last Gujarat assembly elections was released just a day ahead of polling. It was a one-page document, Khera said. The saffron party is yet to release its manifesto for Rajasthan where assembly elections are due on December 7. "They (BJP leaders) forget manifestoes and past promises, and when someone ask questions they declare them traitors. "They cannot tolerate people who ask questions. It is in their habit of running away from the accountability and issues, Khera said at a press conference here. He alleged that BJP leaders either do not believe in the democratic system or are "deliberately" ignoring questions. BJP leaders have a set pattern to avoid questions. They will talk about Pakistan, Hindus and Muslims, or Ayodhya, but they will not
Congress-JD(S) agree on seat sharing in K'taka bye-polls
Congress and Janata Dal(Secular) reached a consensus on seat sharing arrangements for the upcoming bye-elections in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, announced Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday.Addressing media, Kumaraswamy said: "Ultimately, all Congress senior leaders and our party president came to one conclusion regarding the seat sharing. In the bye-election, party leaders have decided that two seats, Shimoga and Mandiya, will be contested by the JD(S) while the Congress will file nomination from Bellary seat. After several rounds of discussion, we reached the decision and we will win all the three seats.""Leaders of both the parties will share platforms in public meetings. From today, we will fight the (assembly) elections unitedly," Kumaraswamy added.The polls in these three parliamentary constituencies were necessitated after the three legislators resigned following their induction in the Karnataka assembly in May this year.Bye-polls for the three Lok Sabha ...
Congress behind anti-migrant violence in Gujarat: Rupani
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday stated that the recent cases of violence against non-Gujarat natives in the state were instigated by the Congress, adding that party president Rahul Gandhi should take action in the matter.Addressing the media, Rupani said, "Congress' efforts to incite violence in the state have failed. But I think Congress president Rahul Gandhi should not just tweet about it and forget it, he should take action. The Congress' stand should be clear and should take proper action against those inciting violence in Gujarat."He also assured that his government has taken all necessary measures for the safety of migrants in the state, adding that legal action will be taken against Alpesh Thakor, the Congress lawmaker, for allegedly inciting the violence."Gujarat government has taken adequate steps to ensure the safety and security of non-Gujaratis in the state. Their safety is our responsibility. We will take legal action against the MLA who gave an inciting ...
Hanga-Noori voters in Doda dist plan to boycott panchayat polls over poor roads
Ahead of the nine-phased panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir from November 17, residents of Hanga-Noori panchayat in Doda district have launched 'no road, no vote' campaign, as part of which they plan to not exercise their franchise, if their road complaints are not addressed. Hanga-Noori panchayat, located in the western hills of Bhadarwah town, is crippled by poor road connectivity, locals alleged, adding that their prime demand is the restoration, black-topping and macadamization of the critical Domail-Hanga Road. Irked by the "attitude" of the authorities, the villagers of Hanga panchayat met representatives of adjoining villages and discussed the road connectivity issue at Gathi Morh Hanga. After the meeting, it was unanimously decided that locals will not cast their votes in the upcoming panchayat elections, the residents said. Since then the 'no road, no vote' has taken off. The residents have demonstrated in public areas with placards, pasted related posters and have ...
Iranian crude exports fall further as Trump's sanctions loom
LONDON (Reuters) - Turkey and Italy are the last buyers of Iranian crude outside China, India and the Middle East, according to tanker data and an industry source, the latest sign that shipments are taking a major hit from looming U.S. sanctions.
"Good" Hindus won't want Ram temple by demolishing somebody's
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has kicked up a row with remarks that no "good" Hindu would favour a Ram temple in Ayodhya by demolishing somebody else's place of worship, drawing stinging criticism from the BJP which dubbed his party and its chief Rahul Gandhi "anti- Hindu". Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, made the comments at an event in Chennai on Sunday. "As a Hindu, obviously, I am conscious that a vast majority of my fellow Hindus believe that that was the specific birthplace of Ram. "For this reason, most good Hindus would want to see a Ram temple at the site where Ram was supposed to be born. But I also believe that no good Hindu would have wanted that a temple be built by demolishing somebody else's place of worship," he said. The BJP hit back at Tharoor over his remarks, with the party's national spokesman Sambit Patra saying they "exposed" the real face of Rahul Gandhi. "Rahul Gandhi's real face stands exposed," Patra told a tv news channel, ...
Goa BJP ally warns against Assembly dissolution as CM ails
Goa Forward Party President and Agriculture Minister Vijai Desai on Monay warned against dissolution of the Assembly even as the state Chief Minister is fighting a serious illness.
By-election results "indicative of the times to come": Nawaz Sharif
The improved poll performance by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the by-elections is "indicative of the times to come," party supremo and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday. Speaking to the media outside an accountability court here where he is facing corruption charges, a beaming Sharif said that in the by-polls held on Sunday, "We received more votes than we expected.
Iran embassy in Ankara evacuated after 'bomb warning'
Iran's envoy to Turkey was evacuated from the embassy in Ankara on Monday after warnings of a possible bomb threat, local media reported. But Tehran flatly denied the report as a complete fabrication. "Such a claim is a sheer lie, and the personnel at our embassy are present at their workplace in full health and security," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. Earlier on Monday, DHA news agency said Iran's mission in the Turkish capital had been given an intelligence warning about a possible suicide bomb attack, prompting the evacuation of Ambassador Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian Fard. The road by the embassy was shut off and police could be seen searching cars in the area, an AFP photographer said. In 2015 and 2016, Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks which were blamed on both Kurdish militants and the Islamic State jihadist group. The last attack blamed on IS was in January 2017 when a gunman killed 39 people at an elite Istanbul nightclub during New Year ...
Taiwan invites Pope to visit after Vatican-China pact
Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit the island in an attempt to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Vatican following the latter's landmark agreement with China over the appointment of bishops.
US Senator releases DNA test backing Native American ancestry: report
A US Senator seen as a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 has released a DNA test providing "strong evidence" that she has Native American ancestry after her claims had been mocked by Donald Trump, a report said Monday. Elizabeth Warren, a leading voice from the left of her party, has been derisively called "Pocahontas" by the president and accused of lying about her heritage in order to gain advantages in her career including a plum teaching job at Harvard. But an analysis of her DNA performed by Stanford University professor Carlos D Bustamante concluded that while "the vast majority" of Warren's ancestry is European, "the results strongly support the existence of an unadmixed Native American ancestor," the Boston Globe reported. Bustamente calculated that Warren's Native American ancestor appeared in her family tree "in the range of 6-10 generations ago." The result appears to tie in with what Warren has said about her family lore of a ...
People need home delivery of aid, not of liquor: Uddhav
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday slammed the BJP-led Maharashtra government over the proposal to allow home delivery of liquor, saying it was against the state's culture. People in parched areas of the state need help delivered at home, he said. Excise Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had announced earlier that the government was going to allow online sale and home delivery of liquor, but later he said it was only a proposal and no decision had been taken yet. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified later that there was no plan to allow home delivery of liquor. However, Thackeray, whose party is part of the state government, told the media here, "People are reeling under a scarcity-like situation (due to deficient rainfall). They want help, and not liquor, delivered at home. "Online liquor sale does not suit the state's culture. But every day, something is being done (by the government) that embarrasses the state," the Sena chief said. "The Marathwada region
Prime Minister Modi ensured triple talaq has no place in country: Amit Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that triple talaq has no place in the country despite facing opposition from the Congress which "never cared" for the honour of Muslim women. Shah was addressing an event, where a sizeable number of Muslim women were in attendance, ahead of the November 28 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. "The Congress never cared for the honour of Muslim mothers and sisters. It has no courage to deal with issues like triple talaq. Despite stiff opposition from the Congress, (Prime Minister) Modi has ensured that it (triple talaq) has no place in the country," Shah said. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance was promulgated on September 19 under which instant triple talaq has been declared illegal and punishable with a jail term of three years for the husband. Shah said the BJP has encouraged women not just by words but by giving them important responsibilities, including as defence and external ..
Julian Assange allowed partial internet access by Ecuador: Wikileaks
Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuador Embassy here since 2012, was allowed limited internet access by the south American nation, seven months after it disabled for alleged breach of asylum terms, Wikileaks has announced. The 47-year-old Australian national, who remains in hiding in a back room of the Ecuadorean Embassy in central London six years after losing a legal battle against extradition to Sweden, was told that his "isolation regime" would be ended following talks between UN officials and the Ecuador President Lenin Moreno last week. "Ecuador rolls back @JulianAssange isolation," WikiLeaks said in a message on Twitter on Sunday, and indicated that Assange's communications via phone and internet have been partially restored. "It is positive that, through UN intervention, Ecuador has partly ended the isolation of Mr Assange although it is of grave concern that his freedom to express his opinions is still limited," said Kristinn Hrafnsson, Wikileaks' ...
India nears resolution on trade disputes with U.S. - trade ministry source
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India and the United States have resolved most of their bilateral trade disputes, a trade ministry source said on Monday, though agreements on some issues have yet to be finalised.
Amid criticism, foundation stone laid for 'Museum of Prime Ministers' at Teen Murti Estate
Amid intense criticism from Congress leaders, the foundation stone for the "Museum of Prime Ministers" was laid on Monday by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri at the Teen Murti estate here.
Syria FM says needs 'time' to see if Idlib deal fulfilled
Syria said Monday it was waiting for Russia to determine whether a deal creating a buffer in the northwest was implemented, hours after jihadists missed a deadline to leave the zone. A Russian-Turkish truce agreement reached nearly a month ago for the region of Idlib gave "radical fighters" until October 15 to leave a proposed demilitarised area between government and opposition forces. Jihadists failed to withdraw overnight, but Foreign Minister Walid Muallem did not declare the deal dead. "We must give the time... to judge whether the agreement was fulfilled or not," Muallem told reporters during a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Damascus. "We have to wait for the Russian reaction. Russia is monitoring and following the situation," he said. The top diplomat expressed hope that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would still be able to "fulfil the agreement from his part". But he hinted that the military option was not off the table, saying jihadist groups in ..
May to deliver Brexit update in parliament later Monday: spokesman
Prime Minister Theresa May will update the British parliament on the status of Brexit negotiations later on Monday, her spokesman said, a day after last-ditch talks between British and EU negotiators failed to agree a draft divorce settlement. "The prime minister is updating the House (of Commons) later," May's spokesman told reporters at a regular briefing. The spokesman said it would be "an update on negotiations". "We want to and are confident of securing a deal this autumn," he said. British and European foreign ministers insisted Monday there is still time to negotiate an orderly Brexit deal. But May's Northern Irish allies, the Democratic Unionist Party, warned it was "probably inevitable" that Britain would leave the European Union next March without any agreement.
Tickets only to winnable candidates in Raj: Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said the party will give tickets to winnable candidates in the state and if it comes to power it will focus on the issues of farmers and youths. He feels his party, which suffered severe blows in 2013 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is ready to snatch power from ruling BJP after the December 7 polls. "The party has worked hard and now it is going to win the assembly elections and form the next government in Rajasthan. The BJP won last elections but their leaders distanced themselves from public. The Congress lost but we stood by people at all times," Pilot told PTI here. He said the process for finalising tickets was going on and only winnable candidate will get the ticket. Pilot, who took the reins of the party's state unit in January 2014 and steered it through a tough phase, said, "The party has revived its fortune and is going to win the elections." "On the change of the government, the first priority of our government will be ...
Ford faces outrage in France over factory closure
US carmaker Ford came under fire from the French government on Monday over its plans to close a factory producing gear boxes in southwest France that employs 850 people. After a stormy meeting between management and French officials, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire sounded furious at the US group's desire to shut the plant near Bordeaux, rather than sell it to a French buyer. "If they think they can just shut up shop and that the state and local authorities won't react, then they're making a mistake," Le Maire told reporters. "We're going to fight and we won't be taken advantage of. Ford's position cannot be defended and what can't be defended needs to be combatted," he added. Ford announced in February that it would stop investing in its Blanquefort plant, which has produced gear boxes since 1972, and the issue has been raised by the French and US governments. The site has become another battleground between French trade unions and American multinationals that are often portrayed in .