Page 2806 - Politics
S Korea renews call for Japan to remove 'rising sun' flag
South Korea on Thursday reiterated a demand that Japan should remove its "rising sun" naval flag from a warship participating in an international fleet review at Jeju island next week. Many South Koreans associate the symbol with Japanese military aggression during World War II and have expressed anger over the potential display of the alleged "war-crime flag" during the October 10-14 event. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday said Japan should be more considerate about how South Koreans remember its brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before the end of the war. South Korea's navy has asked all 14 countries participating in the fleet review to display only their national flags and the South Korean flag on their vessels, a request apparently aimed at preventing the invited Japanese destroyer from flying the "kyokujitsuki." The Foreign Ministry also conveyed Seoul's position to Tokyo through diplomatic channels. But Japan has balked at the demand, with ...
Sanitation workers intensify strike; protest outside Kejriwal residence
Sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation intensified their strike on Thursday with scores of them marching to the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.Protesting since September 12, the workers have been demanding clearance of dues, timely payments of salaries and regularisation of workers who have been inducted on a temporary basis.The striking sanitation staff have not been collecting garbage for 22 days, turning several parts of East Delhi into open dump yards.Sanjit Chandel, President of the Delhi Pradesh Safai Mazdoor Union, while speaking to ANI, expressed disappointment with the Delhi government."We are protesting from so many days, but the Chief Minister is not paying heed to our problems. We are kept deprived of the basic facilities. We meet the chief minister but he did not help us," Chandel asserted.The matter has reached the Supreme Court. The Delhi government on Wednesday told the apex court that it would release Rs 500 crore within two days to .
Swamy backs Mayawati's decision to go solo in assembly polls
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday eulogised Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati for her decision not to have an alliance with the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.Speaking to ANI, Swamy said Mayawati is absolutely right in not tying up with the Congress for the ensuing assembly polls. "Mayawati is right in going solo for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly elections. She has a strong base in the region and can keep it intact," he said.Swami also criticised Congress for not doing enough for the development of the country when it was in power. Venting anger over the rival political outfit, he said, "At present, Congress party has no anchors. All their main leaders have been booked for their corrupt practices in the cases that I have filed. The image of the Congress party is now of a party of jokers."Mayawati, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, on Wednesday announced that his ..
Facial recognition for entry at select airports soon
The government plans to roll-out a facial recognition-based hassle-free entry system at select airports from February 2019.
British minister slams 'pariah state' Russia
Britain's defence minister on Thursday condemned Russia as a "pariah state" after London accused Kremlin spies of mounting a campaign of cyber attacks on civilian bodies around the world. Cyber experts from the UK have identified operatives from Russia's GRU military intelligence as being behind a string of high-profile incidents, including an attempted hack on the World Anti-Doping Agency in Switzerland last year. As he arrived for talks in Brussels with his NATO counterparts, Gavin Williamson said Moscow's "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community. "This is not the actions of a great power, this is the actions of a pariah state and we'll continue working with allies to isolate, make them understand they cannot continue to conduct themselves in such a way," Williamson told reporters. Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has "high confidence" that the GRU was "almost certainly" responsible for a number of attacks, including ...
Digvijay Singh shames UP govt using photo from Andhra
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh's Twitter followers had a field day after he wrongly shared images of seemingly defunct 108 and 102 Ambulances from Andhra Pradesh to shame the Uttar Pradesh government.Singh on Tuesday took to Twitter and shared a photo of several ambulances parked in what appears to be a junkyard and wrote a caption alongside stating that these were started by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Singh further wrote that since the ambulances are out of use people of Uttar Pradesh are forced to carry their unwell relatives on make-shift stretchers. Using a couple of hashtags, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also attempted to shame Yogi Adityanath's government.However, Singh seemed to have overlooked the fact that the ambulances bore stickers of Andhra Pradesh government and were inscribed with text in Telugu.The Congress leader had sparked another controversy with his tweet in September last year when he posted a derogatory meme against ...
Uddhav to visit Ayodhya after Dussehra: Raut
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh after Dussehra, senior party leader Sanjay Raut Thursday said and criticised senior ally BJP over the Ram temple issue. Thackeray will announce the date of his visit during the party's annual Dussehra rally to be held in Mumbai on October 19, the Rajya Sabha MP told PTI. "The Sena has always championed the cause of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The BJP, despite being in power for four years, has not yet fulfilled its commitment of building a grand Ram temple there," he said. Thackeray met Ram Janmabhoomi trust chief Janmejay Sharanji Maharaj at the party's headquarters Sena Bhawan here Wednesday evening, party sources said. Sharanji Maharaj invited Thackeray to visit Ayodhya and told him that the trust needed the Sena's assistance in the construction of Ram temple, they said. Senior Sena leader Arvind Sawant pointed out that before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling NDA had given three assurances to people -- to abrogate .
Initial Senate vote on Kavanaugh nomination set for Friday
The Senate braced for a crucial initial vote Friday on Brett Kavanaugh's tottering Supreme Court nomination after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set his polarized chamber on a schedule to decide an election-season battle that has consumed the nation. A showdown roll call over confirmation seemed likely over the weekend. McConnell, R-Ky., cemented the process late Wednesday and announced that the FBI would soon deliver to an anxious Senate the potentially fateful report on claims that Kavanaugh sexually abused women. With Republicans clinging to a razor-thin 51-49 majority and five senators including three Republicans still vacillating, the conservative jurist's prospects of Senate confirmation remained murky and dependent, in part, on the file's contents, which are supposed to be kept secret. "There will be plenty of time for members to review and be briefed on the supplemental material" before Friday's vote, McConnell said to the nearly empty chamber. In a rare moment of ...
US Navy planning global force showdown with China
Days after a United States Navy ship almost collided with a Chinese warship in the hotly-contested South China Sea, the US Navy's Pacific Fleet is proposing to unveil a global show of force as a stern warning to Beijing.The US's move comes in a bid to show Washington's intentions to deter and counter any military stand-off, American defence officials said.According to the draft proposal, the US Pacific Fleet is mulling to conduct a series of operations for a single week in November. The main aim of the global force showdown is to carry out a highly focused set of exercises involving US warships, combat aircraft and troops to demonstrate that the US can counter any potential adversaries, CNN reported.The plan proposes sailing ships and flying jets near China's territorial waters in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait to show the "right to free navigation" in international waters. This means that the US warships and aircraft would operate close to the Chinese forces.The defence ...
'Fortnight of the ancestors' stalls Goa power game for now
What has the "fortnight of the ancestors", or pitru paksha, a lunar phase in the Hindu calendar, got to do with governance in Goa?
India facing 'economic crisis' due to huge oil imports - transport minister
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is facing an "economic crisis" due to its huge oil imports, two local TV channels cited Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari as saying on Thursday, ahead of a meeting of key ministers to discuss the falling rupee and the nation's widening trade deficit.
US sanctions 'source of mistrust': N Korea
The sanctions imposed by the United States are a source of growing mistrust with North Korea, and could threaten to stall the progress made in the denuclearisation talks between the two countries, the North's official newspaper said on Thursday.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, made the accusations ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Pyongyang, which is scheduled for October 7."There is nothing the US could get from sanctions and it is no other than them who will be put at disadvantage. As we did in the past, we will never beg the U.S. to lift those sanctions," the newspaper was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying.Asserting that denuclearisation is a fruit that 'grows on trust building' between Washington and Pyongyang, The Rodong Sinmun, in a commentary, said that "sanctions are a major source of cause for the growing mistrust with the US."The newspaper stated that North Korea fulfilled its pledges made during the recent ...
India will get US waiver to buy Russian missile defence: Ex-envoy
India will go ahead with the deal to purchase the S-400 Triumf missile defence system as well as frigates and helicopters from Russia despite the US sanctions imposed on Moscow, according to a former Indian diplomat, who is now a foreign policy analyst.
S-400 deal with Russia focus area for sanctions: warns US ahead of Putin's visit to India
The US has urged its allies to forgo transactions with Russia, warning that the S-400 missile defence system that India intends to buy would be a "focus area" for it to implement punitive sanctions against a nation undertaking "significant" business deals with the Russians. The US administration is required under a domestic law, Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act or CAATSA to impose sanctions on any country that has significant transactions with Iran, North Korea or Russia. The Act primarily deals with sanctions on Russian interests such as its oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US Presidential elections. "We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that would trigger sanctions under CAATSA," a State Department Spokesperson said on Wednesday when asked about India's plan to purchase multi-billion S-400
South Koreans visiting Pyongyang for summit anniversary
A South Korean government delegation has flown to North Korea to jointly celebrate the anniversary of a 2007 inter-Korean summit and potentially engage in further peace talks. Seoul's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said before his departure Thursday the visit will be an opportunity to solidify "reconciliation, cooperation and peace" between the rivals. The delegation also includes the son of late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who participated in the 2007 summit with North Korea's then-leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of current ruler Kim Jong Un. The visit comes as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to make his fourth visit to Pyongyang on Sunday with the aim of setting up a second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit Beijing amid tension
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to visit Beijing next week amid tensions over trade and China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. China's foreign ministry announced Pompeo will visit on Monday for consultations on bilateral and international issues. The ministry gave no details, but based on previous visits by American secretaries of state, he would be likely to meet with China's foreign minister, senior foreign policy advisers and President Xi Jinping. The visit comes as the U.S. administration is accusing China of trying to undermine President Donald Trump, who accused China during a meeting of the UN Security Council of interfering in American elections to help his Democratic rivals. "They do not want me, or us, to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade," Trump said, later referencing as evidence an advertising insert in The Des Moines Register paid for by Chinese government-affiliated entities. Since Trump took office last year, his
Digvijaya rejects Mayawati's allegations of him sabotaging Congress-BSP alliance
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has rebuffed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's accusation that he had sabotaged the Congress-BSP alliance.In a tweet citing a September 20 news report, Singh said, "The BSP supremo also declared candidates for 22 seats in Madhya Pradesh and said that her party will contest all 230 seats in the State. Now how am I responsible for sabotaging Congress BSP Alliance?"The Congress leader had earlier clarified that he was always in favour of an alliance between the BSP and the Congress.Yesterday, Mayawati had announced her decision to go solo in the upcoming Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls this year.Speaking to ANI, Mayawati had said leaders like Digvijaya Singh were responsible for spoiling the BSP-Congress alliance."While Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi want a Congress-BSP alliance in the poll-bound states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh and
UK accuses Russia's military intelligence of cyber attacks
The UK government has accused Russia's military intelligence service of being behind four high-profile cyber attacks, a media report said on Thursday.
Putin calls ex-Russian spy Skripal 'traitor'
Russian President Vladimir Putin called former spy Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned along with his daughter in the UK, a "traitor" and suggested that the incident was being "artificially blown up" by the media.
Senate set for Friday Kavanaugh procedural vote, final vote next day
The US Senate's Republican leadership moved forward with the confirmation process of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, setting up a Friday procedural vote and a final floor vote the following day. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved to end debate on President Donald Trump's pick, who became the most controversial high court nominee in decades after multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual assault or misconduct against him. McConnell announced that the FBI was due to present to the Senate late Wednesday with its highly anticipated supplemental investigation report, which had been demanded by Democrats and a handful of Republicans who wanted a more complete evaluation of the nominee. "There'll be plenty of time for members to review and be briefed on the supplemental material before a Friday cloture vote," McConnell said on the Senate floor. If Kavanaugh clears Friday's procedural hurdle, that would set up a final confirmation vote as early as ...