Page 2764 - Politics
Parties begin process of selecting candidates
: Political parties in Karnataka Tuesday began the process of selecting candidates for the e November 3 assembly and parliamentary by-polls, with BJP finalising some names and ruling JD(S) and coalition partner Congress in hectic parleys on contestants and seat sharing. By-polls for three Lok Sabha constituencies- Shimoga, Bellary and Mandya, and two assembly constituencies- Ramanagara and Jamkhandi, will be held on November 3. The counting of votes will be on November 6. With the Election Commission facing questions over the need to hold bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats when general elections are due early next year,the EC said its decision was in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, 1951. While BJP has finalised the names of candidates for a few seats, discussions are on within Congress andJD(S) on candidate selection and seat sharing between the two parties. JD(S) sources said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met his father and party supremo H D Deve ...
Top Army commanders begin week-long conclave
Top Army commanders Tuesday began a week-long conclave with a focus on enhancing the combat edge of the force to deal with future security threats. On the first day of the commanders' conference, which was also attended by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, deliberations were held on evolving security dynamics in the region, mitigating future security threats from potential adversaries and enhancing combat edge of the force, sources said. As part of the conclave, commanders and directorates at the Army Headquarters will in a collegiate deliberate on important studies that have been ordered to meet future operational challenges, they said. There are four studies examining the operational and optimisational issues of the Army and the headquarters as also human resources management aspects. These studies aim to improve the teeth to tail ratio, with the purpose of strengthening the structures within the Army, to make it combat ready for the future, a statement had earlier ..
Nikki Haley resigns as US ambassador to UN; rules out 2020 presidential bid
In a surprise move, Indian-American Nikki Haley Tuesday resigned as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, becoming the latest casualty in the dysfunctional Trump administration just weeks before the crucial mid-term elections. President Donald Trump, who accepted her resignation, said Haley has done an incredible job as the top American diplomat at the United Nations. Haley said she plans to stay in this position till year end. In a rare, the president made the formal announcement about Haley's resignation in the Oval Office and applauded her work. "I wanted to do this (Oval Office send-off) because Nikki Haley, ambassador to the United Nations, has been very special to me. She's done an incredible job. She's a fantastic person, very importantly. But she also is somebody that gets it," Trump said in the Oval Office in a hastily arranged session with reporters. "She told me probably six months ago," Trump told reporters, '"I want to take a little time off.'" Haley, considered as a ..
Nikki Haley won't run for President in 2020
Following the announcement of her resignation, United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that she will not be running for President in 2020."I will not be running for the office in 2020. I will be campaigning for Trump," Haley said.A former governor of South Carolina, Haley was seen as the possible candidate for the 2020 presidential elections.Earlier today, US President Donald Trump accepted Haley's resignation and revealed that she will be putting down her papers at the end of this year.Calling Haley "special", Trump addressed the media from the Oval office and said that she had asked for "some time off at the end of the two-year term". "We hate to lose you. She will be leaving at the end of this year," Trump said.The US president also said that he will name Haley's successor within the next few weeks.Meanwhile, appearing beside Trump in the Oval Office, Haley recalled her experience in the Trump administration and said it was 'the time of my life'. "My goal is
Japan, India discuss bilateral issues
Japan and India discussed bilateral relations during Japan's National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi's visit to India from October 8 to 9.During his visit, Yachi held a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval where they discussed various issues including Japan-India bilateral relations and regional issues.Japan's National Security Advisor also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on the second day of the visit.In August, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera visited India and called on Prime Minister Modi.During Onodera's visit, Prime Minister called for strengthening various defence dialogue mechanisms between India and Japan and enhancing linkages between the armed forces of the two countries.
Canadian Leader of Opposition meets Modi
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Andrew Scheer, who is on a visit to India, on Tuesday held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders stressed on further developing bilateral ties.
Rahul Gandhi should quit day-dreaming: Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Tuesday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should stop "day-dreaming" and wake up to the ground reality.
Country being misled with fake economic data: Yashwant Sinha
Former union finance minister Yashwant Sinha Tuesday said the country has been "misled" through "fake and bogus economic data" and attacked the Central government over weakening of Rupee against the US dollar. He also contested the Central government's claim on the growth of the economy under the BJP rule. The former BJP leader said investors have withdrawn lakhs of crores of rupees (from markets), which is a matter of concern. "When rupee fell in 2013, current prime minister (Narendra Modi) said aloud that the rupee has gone into ICU. Today, they are not saying a word when the rupee is going to touch 75 (against the US dollar)," Sinha said. He was addressing a gathering of the Gujarat chapter of Rashtra Manch, a political action group. BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari and former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta also spoke on the occasion. "They (the government) are giving fake (economic) data and the country is being misled on ...
South Africa's finance minister Nene quits over Gupta scandal
South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene resigned Tuesday after public outcry over his undisclosed meetings with the members of the Gupta family, who have been accused of corruption. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he had accepted Nene's resignation "in the interests of good governance" has replaced him with former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank Tito Mboweni. Nene, who was seen as one of Ramaphosa closest allies, had admitted before a judicial inquiry last week that he had failed to declare that he had visited the Gupta family at their residence and business premises several times. Nene had apologised after giving testimony to the inquiry, which is probing allegations of corruption under former President Jacob Zuma's government involving the three Gupta brothers. The Gupta brothers, now all out of the country, stand accused of unduly influencing Zuma in his Cabinet appointments in order to secure lucrative state contracts irregularly. The family arrived in South ...
Nikki Haley, first Indian-American on US cabinet, resigns
Nikki Haley, the first Indian-American to serve on the United States cabinet and the highest profile woman and non-white in the current administration, has resigned her position as the Permanent Representative to the UN, she and President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.
Delhi Cong to launch Lok Sampark Abhiyan on Oct 13
The Delhi Congress will launch its "Lok Sampark Abhiyan" to reach out to voters here in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and highlight "failures" of the AAP and BJP governments. A five member committee has been formed by the Delhi Congress president for the purpose to draft the content for the campaign, according to a party statement. The campaign will start from October 13. "Under the Lok Sampark Abhiyan, Congress workers will go door-to-door informing people about the failures of the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government in Delhi," it said. The committee that will draft handbill contents for the campaign will include Aman Panwar, Sunil Kumar, Jagjivan Sharma, Ajay Vinayak and Vikas Jha.
Nikki Haley quits as US Ambassador to UN
Nikki Haley, the first American of Indian descent to hold a cabinet-level position in the US, resigned as Ambassador to the UN on Tuesday and said that despite speculations she was not planning to run for President in 2020.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for France tomorrow
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will leave for France on Wednesday night on a three-day visit, which comes in the backdrop of a huge controversy over the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation. 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 also deliberate on major regional and global issues of mutual interests. Sitharaman, who will hold with Parly the first edition of defence dialogue, will leave for Paris late Wednesday night and conclude her visit on Saturday, they said. The sources said besides exploring ways to boost bilateral defence cooperation, Sitharaman will also take stock of progress in the supply of 36 Rafale jets by Dassault to the Indian Air Force under a Rs 58,000-crore deal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French ...
S Africa finance minister resigns over graft testimony
South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene resigned Tuesday over undisclosed meetings with the business family at the heart of a corruption scandal, dealing a blow to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Nene was seen as one of Ramaphosa closest allies and a leading figure in the government's efforts to tackle graft that allegedly flourished under former president Jacob Zuma, who was ousted in February. But Nene revealed to a judicial inquiry last week that he had met with the Gupta business family at their home and offices six times -- contradicting earlier statements that he had only met them in passing at social occasions. "I have decided to accept his resignation," Ramaphosa told a televised press briefing in Cape Town. He added that Nene feared his testimony to the inquiry "detracted from the important task of serving the people of South Africa particularly as we work to reestablish public trust in government." Ramaphosa stressed that Nene "has not been implicated in any act of ...
Nikki Haley resigns as US ambassador to UN; says not to run against Trump
In a sudden move, Indian-American US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley resigned Tuesday, becoming the latest casualty in the dysfunctional Trump administration just weeks ahead of the crucial mid-term elections. President Donald Trump, who met Haley in the Oval Office Tuesday, said that she had done a "fantastic job" and would leave at the end of the year. "She told me probably six months ago," Trump told reporters, '"I want to take a little time off.'" Trump said there are a number of people who would like to do this job and that this is a more glamorous position that it was a couple of years ago, appreciating her work. Haley, considered as a moderate Republican alternative to Trump, in her remarks insisted that she is not going to run for president in 2020 and will campaign for Trump. Haley, 46, was the senior most Indian-American official in the Trump administration. Her resignation just ahead of the crucial mid-term elections in November came as a shock and surprise to .
Ailing Parrikar to celebrate Diwali in Goa: BJP MLA
Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is currently undergoing treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer in a Delhi hospital, will be celebrating Diwali in Goa, BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar said on Tuesday.
Exodus of migrant workers: Cong asks PM, Gujarat CM to follow 'Raj Dharma'
The Congress Tuesday termed the situation in Gujarat as "grave and very sensitive" after the exodus of Hindi-speaking migrants following attacks on them, and asked Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow "raj dharma" and bring the situation back to normal. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to apologise to the people of his state for showing insensitivity towards them by giving a "clean chit" and character certificate to the Rupani-led state government. Since the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28 and the arrest of a labourer hailing from Bihar for the crime, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people. Shyam Singh Thakur, president of the Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Parishad, an outfit of north Indians in Gujarat, said more than 60,000 Hindi-speaking migrant labourers have fled the state so far.
No grant-in-aid provided by Centre to Delhi civic bodies: AAP
The AAP government Tuesday claimed that no grant-in-aid for local bodies in Delhi were provided by the BJP-led Centre and that it was "misleading" the people on the issue. Tweeting a party pamphlet detailing funds provided to municipal corporations by his government, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought a reply from the BJP on the issue. Delhi BJP retaliated saying that the AAP government has "failed" to provide funds to the municipal corporations as per the 3rd Delhi Finance Commission (DFC) recommendations. "Centre is misleading on the issue of funds provided to the Delhi government. Delhi is being mistreated by the Centre and the grant-in-aid for the local bodies are not being provided which would total Rs 4,087 crore as per the 2011 Census," the AAP government said in a statement. It also claimed that the Centre has "rejected" its "repeated requests" for implementation of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission's recommendations. The ruling AAP and the BJP have been sparring over .
Japan urges Myanmar to conduct credible Rohingya probe
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told Myanmar's leader that a credible investigation into alleged human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims is key to resolving tensions in the country's Rakhine state. Abe told a joint news conference after holding talks on Tuesday with Aung San Suu Kyi that Japan will support efforts by her country to accommodate Rohingya who return home from refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Myanmar's military is accused of widespread rights violations, including rape, murder, torture and burning villages, which sent about 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh since August last year. Buddhist-dominated Myanmar has denied abuses by its military. Suu Kyi's government has rejected independent international investigations into the alleged abuses and has commissioned its own probe.
South African finance minister resigns after graft testimony
South Africa's finance minister has resigned after acknowledging missteps during the scandal-tainted tenure of former president Jacob Zuma. The resignation of Nhlanhla Nene was announced Tuesday by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has pledged to clean up corruption and revive South Africa's struggling economy. The new finance minister is Tito Mboweni, former head of the South African Reserve Bank. Nene told a corruption inquiry that he had visited the home of a business family linked to alleged graft under Zuma and he later apologized. He said the visits occurred when he was deputy finance minister and also finance minister before Zuma fired him from that post in 2015. Ramaphosa, a former deputy president, had brought Nene back into the Cabinet after replacing Zuma in February.