Page 2761 - Politics
Give satisfactory explanation or quit: Cong to Akbar
The Congress said Wednesday Union minister M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation on the allegations of sexual harassment against him or resign immediately. The party also demanded an inquiry into his conduct. As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist. Congress spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy, in a press conference, said, "I think Mr M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation or resign forthwith. How can he be in the ministry with serious allegations being levelled against him by responsible journalists who worked with him. Let there be an inquiry into it. We demand an inquiry into M J Akbar's conduct." Reddy also questioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's silence on the issue, saying she is evading responsibility and is not prepared to comment on her ...
Modi govt trying to intimidate Delhi minister Gahlot: AAP
The AAP Wednesday accused the Modi government of trying to "intimidate" Delhi government minister Kailash Gahlot for strongly leading the party's legal battle against disqualification of its 20 MLAs and for successfully implementing a scheme for doorstep delivery of essential public services. Several properties linked to Gahlot in Delhi and neighbouring cities were being searched by Income Tax department since this morning. The Najafgarh MLA holds charge of several departments in the Kejriwal government. His portfolios include Law, and Administrative Reforms department that are handling the matter of disqualification of 20 AAP legislators for holding posts of parliamentary secretary, and the doorstep delivery of services scheme, respectively. "It's clear why Kailash Gahlot is facing Income Tax raids. Modi and Shah want illegal and unconstitutional disqualification of 20 MLAs whose legal battle was being led by Gahlot. "He also oversaw successful implementation of doorstep delivery ...
3 students with links to Kashmir terror groups arrested in Punjab
In a joint operation, the Punjab Police and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police Wednesday arrested three students and busted a module of Kashmiri terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) in Jalandhar. The students were nabbed from the hostel of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology, located in Shahpur on the outskirts of Jalandhar, Director General of Police Suresh Arora said in a statement issued here. The joint team, which conducted a raid at the hostel early this morning, also seized two weapons, including an Assault Rifle, and explosives from the hostel room of B.Tech (Civil) student of second semester, Zahid Gulzar, resident of Rajpora, PS Awantipora, Srinagar (J-K). Zahid was arrested along with Mohd. Idriss Shah alias Nadeem, resident of Pulwama Jammu and Kashmir, and Yusuf Rafiq Bhatt, resident of Noorpura, Pulwama J-K. The DGP said the arrests followed the development and corroboration of various leads/inputs about the presence and ...
Jammu division votes, Kashmir Valley mostly shuns municipal polls (Third Lead)
People in Jammu division voted with enthusiasm on Wednesday in municipal elections but there was poor voter turnout in the troubled Kashmir Valley -- in a repeat of a trend also seen in the first round of the four-phase battle.
Tharoor's new book on 'paradoxical' Modi out this month
Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor announced his new book "The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi And His India" on Wednesday. Divided in five sections comprising 50 chapters, the book will arrive at the stands on October 26.
J-K governor meets Rajnath as urban local bodies polls underway
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik Wednesday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the situation in the state, where the elections to the urban local bodies are underway, officials said. During the half-an-hour meeting, the governor apprised Singh about the law and order in the state, particularly in militancy-wracked Kashmir Valley. The governor also briefed the home minister on the ongoing urban local bodies polls in Jammu and Kashmir, an official privy to the meeting said. The state is currently under the governor's rule and Malik is the administrative head of the state. The second phase of the four-phased urban local bodies polls was underway Wednesday. Threats from militant groups kept a majority of people away from polling booths in Kashmir Valley where the turnout was a paltry 8.3 per cent in the first phase of the polling Monday. Jammu and Ladakh divisions saw over 65 per cent of the electorate casting vote in the first phase of urban local body polls on ..
China destabilizing region, seeking conflicts: Taiwan
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday accused China of destabilizing the region and said Beijing was a source of concern for the entire world.
Lt Gen Asim Munir appointed head of Pakistan's ISI
Lt Gen Asim Munir was appointed on Wednesday as the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI, the Army's media wing announced. Munir, who previously served as the head of the Military Intelligence (MI), was recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General by the Army Promotion Board headed by Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. He replaces Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar. Mukhtar assumed the office of the Inter-Services Intelligence director general in December, 2016. Munir has also served as the commander of the Force Command Northern Areas. He was conferred Hilal-i-Imtiaz in March 2018. The Army also announced several key top level transfers after army chief promoted five major generals to the next rank last month.
South Korea considers lifting some sanctions on North Korea
Seoul is considering lifting some of its unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang to create more momentum for diplomacy aimed at improving relations and defusing the nuclear crisis, South Korea's foreign minister said Wednesday. During a parliamentary audit of her ministry, Kang Kyung-wha said the government is reviewing whether to lift sanctions South Korea imposed on the North in 2010 following a deadly attack on a warship that killed 45 South Korean sailors. Seoul then effectively shut down all cross-border economic cooperation except for a joint factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, which was shuttered in February 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. Such a move by South Korea would have little immediate effect since US-led international sanctions remain in place. But it's clear Seoul's liberal government is preparing to restart joint economic projects if the larger nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea ...
Trump says his daughter Ivanka would be "dynamite" as US envoy at UN
President Donald Trump said he is certain that his daughter Ivanka would be "dynamite" as the US ambassador to the UN, but conceded that he would be accused of "nepotism" if he selected her to replace Indian-American Nikki Haley. Haley, 46, announced Tuesday that she would resign from her post as the US ambassador to the UN by the end of the year. As President Trump heaped praise on Haley's performance during her tenure as the the envoy to the world body, he said many people would like to replace her. Trump said that he expects to name a replacement for Haley in the next "two to three weeks," and said that he would be talking about candidates with the former South Carolina governor and others. The US president described his second child as "dynamite". Trump said his daughter Ivanka would make an "incredible" ambassador to the UN. "The people that know -- it's nothing to do with nepotism. But I want tell you: The people that know, know that Ivanka would be dynamite. But, you know, I'd .
Except for Bandipora, voter turnout remains in single digit in Valley
While brisk polling continued on Wednesday in the municipal polls in Jammu division, the voting percentage remained in single digit in the Kashmir Valley except for Bandipora district, during the first four hours.
Parrikar to meet alliance partners at AIIMS on Oct 12
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will meet the alliance partners of his government on October 12 at the AIIMS in Delhi where he is currently undergoing treatment, an official said Wednesday. Parrikar, 62, is admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi since September 15 for a pancreatic ailment. "The alliance partners have been called for a meeting by the CM in Delhi on October 12 at AIIMS where he is admitted," a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here told PTI. During the meeting, Parrikar would discuss "matters related to the state's governance," he said. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) leader Sudin Dhavalikar, Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader Vijai Sardesai and Independent MLAs Govind Gawade, Rohan Khaunte and Prasad Gaonkar, who are supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in Goa, have been invited for the meeting, the official said. "I have been invited for the meeting with the chief minister in Delhi on October 12. .
J-K civic polls: Kathua clocking highest voter turnout
Despite terror threats and boycott call by Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference- the two major political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, voters have come out in large numbers to cast their votes in the second phase of the urban local bodies elections in the state.Kathua witnessed the highest voter turnout of 39.4 per cent in 80 wards till 10 am in the second phase of polling. Doda is second in the list with 36.5 per cent of voter turnout in 37 wards, followed by Reasi district with 35.7 per cent of polling across 26 wards.Ramban, Kishtwar, and Udhampur districts have recorded 35.1 per cent, 34.1 per cent and 30.2 per cent voter turnout, respectively. Bandipora only witnessed 14.2 per cent turnout in 13 wards while Kupwara also got only 3 per cent turnout in 13 wards.However, the voting percentage was abysmally low in Baramulla, Srinagar, Kupwara and Anantnag with 1.1 per cent, 0.8 per cent, 3 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.Long serpentine queues were seen outside .
Funds to Durga pujas: HC refuses to interfere
The Calcutta High Court Wednesday refused to interfere in the West Bengal government's decision to give Rs 10,000 each to 28,000 Durga puja committees in the state. An interim stay granted by the court on disbursal of funds stands vacated as the court disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the state government's decision to give funds to the puja committees. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta and Justice Sampa Sarkar said that the Legislature is the appropriate forum to decide on expenditure by the state government. Stating that the court does not want to interfere in the government's decision to disburse funds to Durga puja committees at this stage, the bench, however, said that the court can interfere at a later stage when the scope arises. Advocate General Kishore Dutta had submitted before the division bench that the funds are to be used for assisting police under its traffic safety campaign and not for any religious ...
Zeliang dismisses NDPP claim of cracks in NPF
Opposition Naga Peoples Front (NPF), the single largest political party in Nagaland, has dismissed NDPP claim that 14 NPF legislators are set to join the two allies of the ruling PDA coalition and said there was no division in the party. The constituents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Alliance (PDA) are the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party NDPP (17), the BJP (12), the JD(U)(I), the National People's Party (NPP) (2) and an Independent. One seat is vacant following the death of one NDPP legislator in the 60-member house. Addressing the 3rd Central Executive Council meeting of the party Tuesday, NPF leader T R Zeliang dismissed the claim of the NDPP that out of the 26 NPF legislators, seven each were willing to join the NDPP and the BJP and said that there was no division of any sort within the NPF. On the alleged move of Zeliang to dethrone the NDPP-led PDA government, the former chief minister said, "The NPF Legislature Party has authorised me while the party has authorised ..
Haley leaves US cabinet on own terms, streak of independence intact (News Analysis)
Nikki Haley is leaving President Donald Trump's cabinet at the height of her career as the US Permanent Representative to the UN having put a firm mark on the office.
Trump can meet Kim after US mid-term polls
US President Donald Trump has said his upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held after the mid-term congressional elections in November.
Kejriwal asks PM to apologise after IT Dept raids premises of Gahlot
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to people for "constantly troubling" the Delhi government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday said following the Income Tax Department raids on premises linked to his minister Kailash Gahlot. The Income Tax Department (ITD) conducted searches this morning on multiple premises linked to Gahlot, the Delhi Transport minister, in connection with an alleged tax evasion case, officials said. "Friendship with Neerav Modi and Mallya and raid on us? Modiji you conducted raids on me Satyendar and Manish what happened to those (raids). Nothing was found. So before you go with another raid at least apologise to Delhi people for troubling their elected government," Kejriwal tweeted. Officials said at least 16 locations in and around the national capital linked to Gahlot were being raided by a team of about 30 ITD sleuths. The Aam Aadmi Party termed the raid as a "media event". AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj asked the central agencies including
Hong Kong will 'fearlessly take action' against independence talk
Hong Kong will "fearlessly take action" against independence calls and protect China's interests, leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday, as concerns grow that the city's freedoms face an unprecedented challenge from Beijing. Lam's annual policy address came as her government stood accused of attacking press freedoms for barring a Financial Times journalist from working in Hong Kong after he chaired a talk by an independence activist at the city's press club. Any talk of independence incenses Beijing as President Xi Jinping increasingly emphasises the importance of territorial integrity. "I will not tolerate any acts that advocate Hong Kong's independence and threaten the country's sovereignty, security and development interests," Lam told legislators in a televised address. "We will fearlessly take action against such acts according to the law in order to safeguard the interests of the country and Hong Kong." Before the speech began, pro-democracy lawmakers were escorted from the ...
Bangladesh court set for verdict in 2014 grenade attack case
Security was tight in Bangladesh on Wednesday ahead of a special court ruling in a decade old grenade attack case in which opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia's fugitive son and her presumed political heir Tarique Rahman is the prime accused. The attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, killed 24 people and injured nearly 500 others, including party chief Sheikh Hasina. "We have taken adequate security measures throughout the capital and any attempt to create anarchy will be dealt with an iron hand," Dhaka's police commissioner Asaduzzamn Mia told reporters in front of the makeshift court complex at Nazimuddin Road. His comments came as 31 out of the 49 people accused, including two former ministers and former police and military intelligence officials, were escorted to the court from high-security Kashimpur Central Jail. A Dhaka police spokesman said some 4,000 security personnel have been deployed in the national capital to maintain law and order. Investigators said Hasina ..