Page 2755 - Politics
China legalises Xinjiang 're-education camps': Report
Authorities in China's far-western Xinjiang region appear to have officially legalised so-called re-education camps for people accused of religious extremism, after denying such that such centres exist, a media report said on Thursday.
Meat shops forcibly closed in Gurugram during Navaratri
Meat shops across Gurugram were forcibly shut down by members of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangarsh Samiti (SHSS) on the first day of Navaratri on Wednesday. The SHSS is a group of 22 local units of right-wing organisations.The members of the Hindu outfit claimed that the district administration had proposed to shut down the meat shops for nine days during the Navaratri period. However, due to non-cognisance, the members took to the streets to protest against the same.A member of the SHSS said, "We had met with the administration and said that the meat shops in Gurugram should be shut during Navaratri. We had demanded that these shops should be closed for nine days. But, the administration did not take any notice and hence, we are on the streets to close these shops. We are requesting the people to shut down their shops. If they do not do, we will force them to close their shops. If there is any law and order problem, then the administration is responsible for it."A shopkeeper alleged that he
Dassault "freely" chose Reliance for Rafale partnership
Dassault clarified on Wednesday that it had "freely chosen" India's Reliance Group for a partnership to set up joint-venture Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) to manufacture parts for Rafale aircraft and Falcon 2000 business jets.In a statement, Dassault further confirmed that "it has sold 36 Rafale aircraft to India within the framework of the September 2016 Inter-Government Agreement between France and India".The aviation company also mentioned that it created the joint venture to deliver the offsets committed to India. "In compliance with the Indian regulations (Defence Procurement Procedure) and as frequent with such a contract, Dassault Aviation has committed to offsets in India worth 50 percent of the value of the purchase", the release read. "In order to deliver some of these offsets, Dassault Aviation has decided to create a joint venture. Dassault Aviation has freely chosen to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group", they further added while stating that DRAL was
Rahul Gandhi to address HAL employees on October 13
Stepping up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will meet Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) employees on October 13 here.Confirming the news, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Eshwar Khandre told ANI, "Rahul Gandhi is visiting Bengaluru on October 13. He will meet the official and the workers of the HAL to motivate them."Khandre described the HAL as the 'pride' of the nation and informed that the Gandhi scion would praise their capacity and capability.Accusing Prime Minister Modi of making false promises on the Rs 58, 000 crores Rafale deal, the Congress leader informed that Gandhi would also take part in a rally being organsied in the city on the fighter aircraft deal.Gandhi has time and again alleged that the Prime Minister Modi-led government opted to make Reliance Defence the Offset partner in the controversial Rafale deal, thus ousting the government-run HAL from it.The Congress has been alleging
Swaraj to attend SCO meeting in Tajikistan today
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be participating in the two-day 17th Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan starting from Thursday.This will be the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of SCO in June last year. Swaraj had also attended the last year's meeting at Sochi.Swaraj's programme in Dushanbe will include participation in the SCO CHG meeting, both in the restricted as well as extended formats. The meeting is a forum that enables India to engage with SCO member countries and Observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia. It is the first major meeting since Kyrgyzstan took over as chair of the organisation.The leaders will be discussing prospects for the further development of SCO and will exchange in-depth views on current international and regional issues.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had led the official delegation to the SCO summit in Qingdao, China in June. India has
PTI deletes tweet calling Nawaz Sharif 'beggar' over IMF bailout
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Lahore unit recently deleted a tweet from October 2015, wherein they termed then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a beggar over borrowing funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).In the tweet dated October 7, 2015, the official handle of PTI Lahore said, "Our PM begs money from IMF like beggars."The move comes after the new Pakistan government on October 8 decided to approach the IMF for a bailout programme to address the financial crisis faced by the cash-strapped country. The decision has been met with a lot of censure, with Twitter users highlighting the party's "double standards" by extensively sharing the three-year-old post until it was taken down."Sweet @PTIofficial deleted their tweet. For the record it was about how the #Pakistan prime minister (Nawaz Sharif, at the time) was a beggar of the IMF. Now their own government is headed for a bailout. Enough said," a Twitter user said."@PTIofficial deleted their tweet, it was about how the ...
US warns against any attempt to undermine democratic process in Maldives
The United States has warned against any attempt to undermine the democratic process in the Maldives, saying it will take appropriate steps against any such move. The warning was delivered on Wednesday by a top American diplomat, currently on a visit to the Maldives, during a meeting with leaders and officials of the country. "The United States and our partners view with great concern any attempt to undermine the democratic process. It is critical that the will of the Maldivian people be respected and upheld," a State Department spokesperson told PTI after the outgoing Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the election results in which he was defeated. "We noted before the election that the United States would consider appropriate measures against any individuals who undermined democracy, the rule of law, and a free and fair electoral process in Maldives," the spokesperson said. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and .
Exclusive - Brazil's Bolsonaro would not sell Petrobras in short term: party chief
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The far-right front-runner in Brazil's presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro, has no plans to privatise oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA in the short term if elected, the president of his party told Reuters on Wednesday.
Exclusive - Brazil's Bolsonaro would not sell Petrobras in short-term: party chief
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The far-right front-runner in Brazil's presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro, has no plans to privatise state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA in the short-term if elected, the president of his Social Liberal Party told Reuters on Wednesday.
Sierra Leone scraps project for Chinese-built airport
Sierra Leone has scrapped a USD 400 million (347-million-euro) scheme for a Chinese-built airport, saying the scheme was too costly. In a statement released Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation said that "after serious consideration and due diligence," the government had determined the Mamamah International Airport initiative was "uneconomical". All contracts under the project are being terminated, it said. Sierra Leone's previous president, Ernest Bai Koroma, signed a loan agreement with China for the airport shortly before elections in March that his party lost. His successor, Julius Maada Bio, vowed to stop the scheme. He also lashed Chinese infrastructure projects generally as "a sham" that brought the impoverished west African state scant economic benefit. The scheme entailed building a new airport around 50 kilometres (30 miles) outside the capital of Freetown. It would be completed in 2022 and managed and maintained by the Chinese. But critics questioned the ...
US has demanded answers from Saudi Arabia on missing journalist: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has taken up the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi with Saudi authorities "at the highest level" and demanded answers from them over the mysterious disappearance of the Washington Post contributor. 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 insisted the 59-year-old journalist had left the building and that murder claims are "baseless". "This is a bad situation. We cannot let this happen. To reporters and to anybody, we cannot let this happen. We are going to to the bottom (of it), Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said he has taken up this matter with the Saudi Arabia at the highest level. Let me say this, the highest level, he said in response to a question adding that this is a very serious situation. Turkish investigators are examining CCTV footage showing the moment the ...
al-Qaeda more likely to focus on small-scale, readily achievable attacks: FBI
Counter-terrorism pressure has degraded al-Qaeda and the terror group is now more likely to focus on supporting small-scale, readily achievable attacks against the US and its allies' interests in AfPak region, the FBI told lawmakers on Wednesday. Al-Qaeda maintains its desire for largescale spectacular attacks. However, continued counter-terrorism pressure has degraded the group, and in the near term it is more likely to focus on supporting small-scale, readily achievable attacks against the US and allied interests in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region, FBI Director Christopher Wray said. "Simultaneously, over the last year, propaganda from al-Qaeda leaders seeks to inspire individuals to conduct their own attacks in the US and the West, he told members of a Senate committee during a Congressional hearing on threats to the homeland. Russell Travers, Acting Director, National Counterterrorism Center told lawmakers that enduring threat from the al-Qaeda network, the group continues to ...
We will take care of countries that will continue to buy oil from Iran after Nov 4: Trump
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US "will take care" of the countries which will continue to import oil from Iran after November 4 deadline when US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases take effect. "We will take care of them," Trump told reporters when asked about the decision of some countries like India and China to continue to purchase oil from Iran. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November. He had said that India has its own energy requirements which it has to fulfill. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) together have placed order for 1.25 million tonne (MT) of crude oil from Iran. Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Some sanctions took effect from August 6 while those affecting the oil and banking sectors will start from November 4. Iran is ...
Rahul appoints media coordinators for poll-bound states
Gearing up for the upcoming election cycle, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday appointed media coordinators to steer the party's communication strategy, sources said. Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi has been handed the charge of media coordinator for Madhya Pradesh, Congress sources said. Congress media panelist Jaiveer Shergill will take care of Chhattisgarh and party spokesperson Pawan Khera would be the media coordinator in Rajasthan, they said. The media coordinates will spearhead the party's publicity strategy in their respective states in the run up to assembly elections.
Kejriwal should remove Gahlot: BJP
Hours after Income Tax sleuths carried out searches at 16 residential and business premises of Delhi Cabinet Minister Kailash Gahlot and his family members in the national capital and Gurugram, the BJP on Wednesday demanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to remove him from his post.
Tushar Mehta appointed as Solicitor General
The government on Wednesday appointed Tushar Mehta as the Solicitor General - the second top most government lawyer after Attorney General.
Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for France on 3-day visit
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman left for France Wednesday night on a three-day visit which comes amid a massive controversy over the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace company Dassault Aviation under a Rs 58,000 crore deal. Officials sources said Sitharaman will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and the two sides will also deliberate on major regional and global issues of mutual interests. They said Sitharaman will also take stock of progress in the supply of the Rafale jets by Dassault to the Indian Air Force. There was indication that she may even visit the facility where the jets are being manufactured. Sitharaman's visit comes nearly three weeks after former French President Francois Hollande was quoted by French publication 'Mediapart' as saying that Indian government proposed the name of Reliance to partner with Dassault Aviation for the Rafale deal. The ...
Opposition alliance's only agenda is 'Modi hatao': PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the opposition alliance's only agenda is to dethrone him and that it is not formed for the welfare of people, but for individual benefit."Don't worry about the alliance. These people have come together on compulsion. These are people who are out on bail and are looking for ways to safeguard themselves. They don't care for people, their only agenda is 'Modi hatao'," the Prime Minister said, while interacting with booth workers from Raipur, Mysore, Damoh, Karauli-Dholpur and Agra through video conference,The Prime Minister further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not associated with any family, and it is the hardworking workers of the party which made it a 'party with difference'.He added, "You have heard the statement of one of the opposition leaders in the past. He said that there is no need for a strong government at the centre but need for a 'majboor' (helpless) government at the Centre."Speaking on the issue of ...
Rahul targets Modi on Rafale, questions Sitharaman's visit to France
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targeted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal and alleged that the visit of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to France was in connection with process to justify his decision to purchase the fighter jets.
Kharge bats for CAG's primacy in auditing GST, defence deals, demonetisation
In the backdrop of controversies surrounding significant government decisions, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said constitutional authorities like the CAG should not fail in holding the government accountable for decisions such as demonetisation, GST and defence purchases.