Page 2781 - Politics
Punjab's day of rallies: Congress, Akalis trade barbs
On a day of two big rallies and a protest, the three main players in Punjab politics - the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - traded political barbs against one another on Sunday.
AAP predicts hung Assembly in Telangana
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has predicted a hung Assembly in the coming Telangana polls with no single party getting a majority, while promising a "Delhi model" government as its poll plank in the southern state. AAP in-charge of the southern states and Delhi MLA Somnath Bharti claimed that an "unspoken anti-incumbency" prevailed against the K Chandrasekhar Rao government in poll-bound Telangana. "This time, Telangana is going to give you surprising results. It will not be along the expected lines...we believe this. "Given the scenario in Telangana, where the BJP has fielded candidates separately and against KCR, and there is an alliance between the TDP, TJS and the Congress, the state is possibly going to throw up a hung Assembly," Bharti told PTI. "That is what we foresee. It is going to be a mysterious and interesting election," he said. Bharti claimed that there was huge anti-incumbency against KCR. "People may not be speaking, but the ballot box will speak. We are waiting for the ..
Kashmir is ours, no power can snatch it from us: Rajnath
Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India and it will remain so and and "no power in the world can snatch it from us", Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
Iran parliament passes counter-terror finance bill
Iran's parliament on Sunday approved a bill to counter terrorist financing that was strongly opposed by conservatives but seen as vital to salvaging the nuclear deal with European and Asian partners. The bill, one of four put forward by the government to meet demands set by the international Financial Action Task Force, was passed by 143 votes to 120, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Arun Jaitley to spend his MP area development funds on Rae Bareli: UP BJP spokesperson
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will spend his MP area development funds on Rae Bareli, a move being seen as an attempt by the BJP to breach the Gandhi family bastion in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 'Representative' of Arun Jaitley and UP BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai told PTI, "Almost a month back, Jaitley had chosen Rae Bareli district as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. The backwardness of the district despite being represented by a prominent political family and the various demands which have been emanating from the district, prompted Jaitley ji to choose this." Under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), each MP has the choice to suggest to the district collector for works to the tune of Rs 5 crore per annum to be taken up in his/her constituency. A Rajya Sabha MP can recommend works in one or more districts in the state from where he/she has been elected. Bajpai said, "The Union finance minister may tour Rae Bareli in the first or second week of ..
Pompeo arrives in N Korea
United States Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Sunday arrived in Pyongyang and is slated to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.The US Secretary of State is expected to lay the groundwork for a possible second meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump.Pompeo arrived at Pyongyang after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Tokyo, Yonhap News Agency reported.This is Pompeo's fourth visit to the communist nation and comes at a time when the US and North Korea are finding a breakthrough to resume their stalled denuclearisation talks.After completing his engagements in North Korea, Pompeo will head to Seoul later in the day and is scheduled to brief South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on his visit to North Korea.On Monday, Pompeo will depart for Beijing to hold talks with high-ranking Chinese officials.While Pyongyang, on the one hand, has ...
BJP remembers Lord Ram only before polls, says Samajwadi MP
Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party (SP) Member of Parliament (MP) Surendra Singh Nagar on Sunday claimed that the party remembers Lord Ram only when elections are approaching."Due to elections, parties will now use Lord Ram. The BJP government has completed four-and-a-half years (of its term), they had promised to construct Ram Mandir once they came into power in the state and the Centre. But just a few months before elections they are reminded of the temple," Singh told ANI.He further accused the BJP government of using the Ram Temple as a means of garnering votes ahead of the elections.On September 26, the Supreme Court declined to refer the Ayodhya land dispute case to a larger constitutional bench and said it will begin hearing the Ayodhya matter from October 29 to decide the suit on merit.The apex court also held that all religions and religious places need to be equally respected.The Babri Masjid, built ..
PM Modi didn't even shed crocodile tears for Muslims: Majeed Memon
Responding to Union Minister Smriti Irani's remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi's participation in the Narmada Puja in Madhya Pradesh, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Majeed Memon said Irani is "sailing in the same boat" as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who did not shed even "crocodile tears" for Muslims before his Indore visit to observe Ashura, the annual commemoration of Imam Hussain's martyrdom.On Friday, Irani, in an interview with ANI, took a jibe at Gandhi for performing aarti and participating in the Narmada Puja in Morena during his visit to poll-bound Madhya Pradesh."For Gandhi to say that he is afraid of Hindu terror, for Gandhi and his party to give an affidavit in a court of law saying that Ram did not ever exist, today for him to do 'aartis' and 'Ram Naam japna' in itself is a victory of BJP. From half-baked truths and lies, Rahul Gandhi today has to go for his political salvation into temples. This exercise by him is an ...
Sharad Pawar won't contest 2019 polls: NCP
Putting to rest speculations that Pawar will contest from Pune Lok Sabha seat Ajit Pawar while addressing the media here said, "Sharad Pawar remains our supreme leader. He is 78 years old now and he feels that he shouldn't contest in Lok Sabha polls. Some party workers in Pune had requested him to contest in the polls but he told them clearly that he won't contest any election and his name should not be proposed from any seat. He has also asked party workers about the name of any other candidate that they may have in mind."The former Union Minister is currently holding a two-day meeting with party leaders at the party's state unit office to discuss candidates for the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for next year.Sharad Pawar has been in active politics now for six decades. He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for four times, was the Defence Minister in then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao government and Agricultural minister in Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh government.Sharad Pawar ..
High security in J&K ahead of municipal polls
Security was beefed up on Sunday across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the four-phase municipal elections slated to begin from Monday, police said.
Saudi Arabia denies journalist killed at consulate in Turkey
Saudi Arabia on Sunday denied reports that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing earlier this week, was killed at the country's consulate in Istanbul, as reported by several international media.
Senate OK's Trump nominee for Supreme Court; now eyes on mid-term poll (News Analysis)
US President Donald Trump scored a political victory when the Senate voted by a razor thin margin to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh, his nominee who battled last-minute accusations of sexual assault while a teenager in high school 36 years ago, as the Supreme Court Justice.
Campaigning ends for first phase of ULB polls in JK
Campaigning for the first phase of the urban local body (ULB) polls in Jammu and Kashmir ended Sunday, 24 hours before the start of voting in 422 wards spread over a dozen districts. The polling, which will start at 7 am on Monday, will seal the fate of 1,283 candidates -- the highest in any phase -- who are trying their luck from 247 wards in Jammu, 149 in Kashmir and 26 in Ladakh. While the candidates have left no stone unturned to woo the voters in the Jammu and Ladakh regions, the campaigning has been a low-key affair in the Valley, where threats, violence and boycott by the state's two main parties -- the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) -- have cast a shadow over the polls. The first phase of polling will be followed by the second phase covering 384 wards on October 10, third phase covering 207 wards on October 13 and the last phase covering 132 wards on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. The last election to the ...
US, Japan to jointly work on denuclearising Korean Peninsula
The United States and Japan on Saturday agreed to jointly work on the successful dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programme.This came after US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who is on a two-day visit to Japan, met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss North Korea's denuclearisation and the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang during the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, CNN reported.Pompeo told the Japanese Prime Minister that he would raise the two issues during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Sunday. He further said he wished for "a fully coordinated, unified view of how to proceed if we are going to be successful in denuclearising North Korea."Abe, meanwhile, said that he "highly valued" the fact that Pompeo came to Japan ahead of his scheduled and most anticipated visit to North Korea. "I would like to have thorough coordination with you on our respective policies towards North Korea," he ...
Like-minded parties should work together to dethrone govt: Kharge
After an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) could not be stitched, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday emphasised on the need for "like-minded parties" to come together to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the impending elections."Each state has its own political dynamics and strategies. We have always believed that all like-minded parties should work together to defeat this government," he told ANI.SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that he cannot wait any longer for the Congress party and will now talk to BSP for a tie-up.Earlier this week, BSP supremo Mayawati had announced her decision to go solo in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly elections.She further claimed that the Congress party was trying to wipe out the BSP by allocating very few seats in major states where they were negotiating for an alliance.Single-phase Assembly polls will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 28 ...
Sabarimala chief priest's representatives won't participate in Vijayan meeting
The representatives of Sabarimala temple's 'tantri' (chief priest) will not attend a conciliation meeting called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the September 28 Supreme Court verdict that threw open the temple to all women, it was announced on Sunday.
China backs Financial Times Hong Kong editor's visa denial
China is defending its decision to refuse to renew the work visa of a Financial Times editor in Hong Kong. The case has drawn concern over the shrinking space for free speech in the Chinese territory. A statement from the foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong late Saturday said the central government "firmly supports" the local government's rejection of Victor Mallet's visa renewal application. Mallet is vice president of Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club, which drew criticism from the authorities for hosting a talk by the leader of a now-banned pro-Hong Kong independence party. Hong Kong was promised semi-autonomy for 50 years as part of its 1997 handover from British rule. Rights groups have called the visa rejection the latest sign of Beijing's expanding restrictions on the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Kavanaugh sworn in as Supreme Court Justice amid protests
The US Senate has confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th Supreme Court Justice by one of the narrowest margins in history amid mass protests, ending a vitriolic battle that began as a debate over judicial ideology and concluded with a national reckoning over sexual misconduct.
Nigeria president to run for second term with party endorsement
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will run for a second term in polls scheduled for February 2019 after his party announced his candidacy, as the opposition votes to select his election challenger. As the sole contender for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Buhari's confirmation Saturday by some 7,000 delegates gathered in the capital Abuja was a mere formality. Next year's presidential race appears to have tightened in recent months with the APC hit by a wave of defections over the leadership style of the 75-year-old former military ruler. The party led by Buhari, who is seen as an anti-corruption crusader in graft-tainted Nigeria, swept to power in 2015 with the first opposition victory at the ballot box in the country's history. All eyes are now on the dozen candidates vying to be nominated to challenge him from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former ruling party. Officials said at least 4,000 delegates from the 36 states and the capital Abuja ..
Washington Post: Turkish officials say Saudi writer killed
Turkish investigators believe a prominent Saudi journalist who contributed to The Washington Post was killed in "a preplanned murder" at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, the Post reported Saturday night, citing two anonymous officials. Saudi authorities had no immediate comment, though they've insisted the writer left their diplomatic post. One Turkish official also told The Associated Press that detectives' "initial assessment" was that Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, without elaborating. Khashoggi, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for the last year, vanished Tuesday while on a visit to the consulate. His disappearance has threatened to upend already-fraught relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and it raises new questions about the kingdom and the actions of its assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Khashoggi wrote critically about in his columns. "If the reports of Jamal's murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act," the .