Page 2777 - Politics
Pompeo briefs S.Korea on tour to North
The US State Department has said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed South Korea on his just concluded travel to North Korea.
India's connection with overseas diaspora has strengthened: President Kovind in Tajikistan
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that the Indian Government's mechanism to connect with overseas Indian community has been majorly changed in recent years, adding that India's emotional, cultural, economic and institutional relations with its diaspora have become stronger.Addressing the "Friends of India in Tajikistan" event, hosted by Somnath Ghosh, India's Ambassador to Tajikistan, here, President Kovind assured members of the Indian community that India will continue to give its cooperation to Tajikistan in capacity building and development.The President further instructed missions to promptly respond to diaspora members in need of assistance.He also appreciated the work of Tajikistan's Indologists and recalled that the Padma Shri, India's highest civilian award, had been conferred to famous Indologist, Professor Habibullo Rajabov, this year for his contribution in education and literature.The President landed at the Dushanbe International Airport in Tajikistan on Sunday ...
Cameroon presidential polls rocked by deadly violence, security fears
Cameroon voted on Sunday in a presidential election marked by deadly violence in the country's English-speaking regions and the cancellation of voting in at least one affected area over security fears. Cameroon has been rocked by a separatist insurgency from within its anglophone minority, who number around five million, since last October with many thousands displaced which will affect turnout in English communities. They accuse likely election winner President Paul Biya, 85, of oppression and are concentrated in the northwest and southwest of the majority-francophone country. Polls closed at 1700 GMT and the final results must legally be announced within 15 days. After voting got under way Sunday, security forces shot dead three suspected separatists who had allegedly fired at passersby from a motorcycle in Bamenda, the main city in the northwest region, a local official said. In Buea, capital of the southwest, three separatists of the so-called Ambazonia Republic separatist ...
Syria's Assad says Idlib deal 'temporary measure': state media
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said that a Russia-Turkey deal for the last major rebel bastion of Idlib was a "temporary measure", state news agency SANA reported. "The agreement is a temporary measure through which the state has realised many achievements on the ground," SANA Sunday reported the president as saying at a meeting of the central committee of his Baath party.
27 Cuban migrants jump from boat and run to Florida shore
The U.S. Coast Guard says more than two dozen Cuban migrants jumped from a boat and swam to shore in South Florida. The Miami Herald reports that once the 27 migrants made it to land on Sunday, they ran and hid. Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, aided by Miami police officers, were searching for them on a barrier island of Miami, and reports say some were found. Some roads in Miami's Virginia Key were shut down during the search.
Top American diplomat to travel to Maldives, Sri Lanka
In a significant development, the United States State Department announced that it is sending one of its top diplomats to Maldives and Sri Lanka. During her three-day trip from October 9 to 11, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, will reiterate the strong US commitment to its partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and their shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region, an official statement said Sunday. In Mal, Wells will meet with Maldivian government officials, the President-Elect, and civil society leaders. "She will offer congratulations on the country's successful national elections and convey US interest in expanding bilateral cooperation," the State Department said in a statement. In Colombo, Wells will meet with Sri Lankan officials and will emphasise the importance of the US-Sri Lanka relationship to shared Indo-Pacific goals, with the growing bilateral defense relationship as an area of ...
Far-right Bolsonaro wins 1st round Brazil election, but run-off uncertain
Polarizing far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro looked to be the big winner of a first-round presidential election in Brazil, according to mostly complete results -- but a final victory in a run-off to be held in three weeks is far from assured. The 63-year-old former paratrooper, who has vowed a harsh crackdown on rampant crime, came within spitting distance of winning the presidency outright on Sunday. He picked up 47 per cent of votes, against 28 per cent for his nearest rival, leftwing candidate Fernando Haddad, electoral authorities said after counting ballots from 88 percent of polling stations. Had he pocketed more than 50 per cent, he would automatically have become the president-elect. But he faced fierce resistance from a big part of the 147-million strong electorate put off by his denigrating comments against women, gays and the poor, and his unabashed nostalgia for the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985. Now Bolsonaro and Haddad -- the two .
China confirms detention of Interpol chief Meng Hongwei
China has confirmed it is holding the missing head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei.
J-K: NC accuses BJP, RSS of killing its party workers, BJP Denies
Union Minister and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Udhampur, Jitendra Singh on Sunday refuted allegations levied by the National Conference (NC), that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are responsible for the killing of NC workers in the valley.Sharpening his attack against the NC, Singh accused the latter party of pitting proxy candidates in the upcoming civic polls and gram panchayat elections."One side, they are saying no NC worker is in the election and on the other hand they are making these claims, I think they should revisit their words", he said while briefing media on the issue.The Udhampur MP also accused the NC of risking the lives of their party workers.Singh said, "The first responsibility and blame is on their party itself. They initially claimed to officially boycott these elections and now from the back door, they have fielded proxy candidates. If they would have fielded official candidates and provided a list of candidates to ..
Productive talks held between Pompeo, Kim
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday held "productive discussions" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to Pyongyang, with the latter inviting inspectors to the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been dismantled."Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo held productive discussions with Chairman Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang Sunday. Chairman Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled," a statement from the US State Department read.The statement added that the Pompeo and Kim also reviewed four elements of the US-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement signed by President Donald Trump and Kim and "agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore Summit Joint Statement."The slated second summit between Trump and Kim was also among the talking points during their meeting, wherein they ...
Pompeo, Kim hold productive dialogue on Singapore statement: US
The US State Department on Sunday said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean top leader Kim Jong-un have held a productive dialogue in Pyongyang.
Interpol says Chinese chief Meng has resigned
The international police organisation Interpol announced Sunday that it has received the resignation of its Chinese chief Meng Hongwei, who has been missing since September 25 and is suspected by Beijing of "violating the law". Meng has resigned "with immediate effect" and Senior Vice President Kim Jong Yang of South Korea has become acting president, Interpol said in a statement.
Will continue to be Maha CM in next term as well: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Sunday reiterated that he would continue to helm the state after the 2019 assembly elections as well. Last year also, the CM had denied the rumours of his promotion as Union minister in the wake of Manohar Parrikar resigning as defence minister and taking over as the chief minister of Goa. Fadnavis has entered the last year of his remaining term as the chief minister. Addressing a rally in Latur district of Maharashtra, Fadnavis assured people of continuous flow of funds for development. "Next term (as CM) is going to be mine only. Hence, the people of Latur should not worry much about getting funds for some developmental works," Fadnavis said Sunday. The CM attended the inauguration ceremony of a health camp organised by the state government in the Marathwada city. While speaking about a government-run medical college and hospital, Fadnavis said, "The funds worth Rs 100 crore will be given in three stages for the completion of
NCP may scout for new faces in three LS seats in Maha
Workers of Sharad Pawar-led NCP have opposed continuation of the candidature of three of four sitting MPs in Maharashtra for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls over various reasons. The only sitting MP whose candidature was not opposed at the two-day party meeting of workers and legislators, which concluded Sunday, was Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule who represents Baramati seat in Pune district, sources said. Besides Baramati, the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) had won Kolhapur, Satara and Madha seats in the 2014 polls. These constituencies are repersented by Dhananjay Mahadik, Udayanraje Bhosale and Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, respectively. The NCP has also decided to contest one more seat from Mumbai region, which will be other than Mumbai North East constituency which had been represented by Sanjay Dina Patil, according to sources. Udayanraje Bhosale's candidature was opposed in the previous term as well, but as none of party workers could come up with better candidate, the ...
Turkey probes claims that Saudis killed journalist
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was awaiting the results of an investigation into the disappearance of a Saudi journalist who a government source said was killed at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul. Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, 59, vanished after an appointment with Saudi officials on Tuesday. A Turkish government source told AFP that police believed Khashoggi was killed at the Istanbul consulate, which Riyadh strongly denied. Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain documents needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Erdogan said he would wait for the outcome of the current investigation before taking a decision. "I am following the (issue) and we will inform the world whatever the outcome" of the official probe, the president told reporters in Ankara. "God willing, we will not be faced with a situation we do not want." He said police were examining CCTV footage of entrances and exits at the consulate and Istanbul airport. Police said earlier ..
China says Interpol officer under investigation
The disciplinary organ of China's ruling Communist Party says the head of Interpol, a senior Chinese official, is under investigation on suspicion of unspecified legal violations. The party's watchdog for graft and political disloyalty said on its website late Sunday that Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister of public security, is "suspected of violating the law and is currently under the monitoring and investigation" of China's new anti-corruption body, the National Supervision Commission. Interpol, which is based in Lyon, said Saturday it made a formal request to China for information about Meng.
820 polling stations in 321 municipal wards
A total of 820 polling stations have been set up in 321 municipal wards for municipal polls starting on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir with 1,204 candidates in the fray but with voter participation uncertain in the Kashmir Valley.
Fire at Rahul Gandhi roadshow in MP as gas balloons explode
Panic erupted briefly at the roadshow of Rahul Gandhi in Jabalpur on Saturday when helium-filled balloons burst into flames some distance away from the vehicle of the Congress president, police said. Nobody was injured in the incident, they said. When Gandhi was leading the campaign event in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, a bunch of helium balloons held by a political worker touched oil lamps that another was holding for performing 'aarti' of the Congress chief. A video of the incident shows that Gandhi was standing in the open vehicle accompanied by security personnel while people lined up on both sides of the road, when a huge flame went up suddenly which startled the Congress chief. The clip shows that some Congress workers were holding a plate with an oil lamp to welcome Gandhi, when a bunch of balloons that was supposed to be released in air came into contact with the lamp and burst into flames. Confirming the incident, Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Amit Singh Sunday ruled out ...
Shut operations and leave within 60 days: Pakistan to 18 global NGOs
Pakistan has ordered as many as 18 international non-governmental organisations to cease their operations and leave the country within two months, a media report said Sunday. The Express News TV reported that the interior ministry has given 60 days to those International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGO)s for closing down their operations. Among the 18 INGOs, nine have association with the US, three with the UK and two with the Netherlands. Others have connections with Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland. ActionAid and Plan International are among the charities asked to shut down. In addition, the ministry also imposed restrictions on 72 NGOs for inadequate documentation. The government has allowed 141 NGOs to continue their functions, including 66 foreign entities, sources said. The scrutiny of INGOs and NGOs started during the tenure of the previous government when authorities devised a new system and asked all of them to register under it. The role of foreign donors and ...
US, North Korea to hold 2nd Summit at 'earliest date'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to hold the second US-North Korea summit "at the earliest possible date."According to Yonhap News Agency, this was disclosed in a closed meeting between Pompeo and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House on Sunday.Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump said that he was looking forward to seeing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again."@SecPompeo had a good meeting with Chairman Kim today in Pyongyang. Progress made on Singapore Summit Agreements! I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future," President Trump tweeted.The first summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was held earlier this year on June 12 in Singapore. The summit witnessed the signing of the joint declaration according to which the North Korean leader committed for "complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula", while the US President pledged "security