Page 2810 - Politics
ICJ orders US to lift Iran sanctions
The United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday directed the United States to lift the sanctions imposed on humanitarian goods and civil aviation against Iran."On humanitarian grounds, the US must remove by means of its choosing any impediment to the free exportation to Iran of goods involving humanitarian concerns," Al Jazeera reported.Iran's foreign ministry welcomed the interim order while stating, "The decision proved once again that the Islamic Republic is right and the US sanctions against people and citizens of our country are illegal and cruel."While the ICJ's rulings are binding, they do not have the authority to enforce them.Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had lashed out at the sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump-led US administration at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held this year. Rouhani further said that the sanctions amounted to "economic terrorism" and "economic war".Meanwhile, Michael Pompeo, the US ...
Problems can be solved if Mayawati trusts Rahul, Sonia: Cong
The Congress on Wednesday asserted that if Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati trusts Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, then all problems can be sorted out between the two political parties.Soon after Mayawati's accusations of Congress attempting to wipe out the BSP, the Congress made efforts to mend the differences. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Congress party's national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "At times, out of emotions, sweet and bitter things are said. But at last, if Mayawati Ji holds absolute trust in Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi then other creases can be ironed out. If there are creases, we will iron it out with love and respect."Speaking to ANI earlier, Mayawati said: "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 in Lok Sabha elections, .
Rout hints at formation of new party in Biju Patnaik's name
Expelled BJD leader and Paradip MLA Damodar Rout Wednesday hinted at coming together of many loyalists of former chief minister Biju Patnaik to form a new party in the name of the legendary leader. Rout, who was expelled from the ruling BJD on September 12 over anti-party activities, hoped the formation of the new political party would be finalised by the October end. "Many Biju Patnaik loyalists are coming together to float a new regional party ahead of the 2019 elections. We hope a new political outfit having name of Biju Patnaik is likely to be finalised by end of October," he said talking to reporters. Rout further said that the proposed party will basically be formed to accomodate all the Biju Patnaik loyalists who have worked and associated with the legendary leader. "There is hardly any leader in the ruling BJD now even as the regional party has been named after Biju Patnaik," Rout said adding that he has been contacting Biju Patnaik loyalists for the proposed ...
BJP sweeps Tripura Panchayat bypolls
The ruling BJP on Wednesday swept the bypolls for the vacant seats in different Panchayati Raj Institutions, bagging 113 Gram Panchayat seats, officials said.
Kerala CM rejects graft charges over nod for new breweries
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday dismissed as 'baseless' allegations of corruption levelled by opposition UDF in the sanctioning of new breweries and distilleries in the state, accusing it of trying to create smoke screen over the issue. The government had only given in principle sanction to the three breweries and a distillery and the final licence would be granted after following necessary inspection by concerned departments, he told a press conference here. Referring to the claim of Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala of Congress that the government did not invite tenders for new breweries, Vijayan said there was no such precedent and added that all decisions had been taken in a "transparent" manner by following guidelines. Excise Minister T P Ramakrishnan had last week maintained the same stand, dismissing the charges as baseless and saying the decisions were taken in a "transparent" manner by following necessary ...
CR charges oppn with wanting to again 'hand over' state to
: Dubbing the proposed Congress-TDP pre-poll alliance as anti-Telangana, caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Wednesday said the opposition wants to 'hand over' the state to 'Andhra People' once again. Lashing out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, he alleged that his Andhra Pradesh counterpart was caught red handed in the 'cash for vote' scam in 2015. Naidu landed in a controversy in the wake of some news channels airing an audio recording of a purported conversation he had with a nominated legislator seeking his vote in the Legislative Council elections in 2015. The case is pending in court. Speaking at a public meeting at Nizamabad, Rao also alleged that Naidu had promised Rs 500 crore and three choppers for the Congress as his contribution for the ensuing election. "These people (Congress) are touching his (Naidu) feet and trying to bring him back to Telangana. Is this what we want? He is a demon... He snatched seven mandals from us. He ...
Hry minister demands FIR against Navjot Singh Sidhu for "publicising drug"
Haryana minister Anil Vij Wednesday demanded lodging of a criminal case against Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for allegedly "publicising drug use". Vij made the demand from Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh saying he should either order lodging of an FIR against his Cabinet colleague or quit as he had led the Congress to win the Punjab assembly polls last year by making drug malady an election issue. "Amarinder Singh now should get an FIR registered against him (Sidhu) for publicising drug use or tender resignation," Vij said. The Haryana minister hurled the allegation against Sidhu for allegedly backing suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi's demand to legalise cultivation of poppy and opium. "Going by what Sidhu has said, it appears he is publicising the use of opium and promoting it," Haryana's Health and Sports Minister told reporters in Ambala Wednesday. Gandhi, a doctor, has been batting for legalising cultivation of soft drugs like opium and poppy husk in ...
Several leaders of a prominent party in touch with Sena: Raut
Several MLAs of a "major political party" in Maharashtra are in contact with the Shiv Sena, Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said Wednesday. "The Sena under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray is impenetrable and strong," Raut, a senior Shiv Sena leader, said. "But those who are spreading rumours (about unrest in the Sena) should see that their own MLAs and MPs are deserting them. There is uneasiness in their party," he said. He did not name the BJP, with which his party has had an uneasy alliance. But his comments came a day after BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, a staunch proponent of separate Vidarbha state, announced that he was quitting the party. "There are several MLAs, important leaders from Maharashtra, of a major political party who are in contact with the Sena and are looking for the right time and opportunity (to cross over). They include some well-known names," Raut told a news channel. Responding to Raut's claim, BJP leader and state finance minister Sudhir ...
Noida: Rogue builders among 21 booked under Gangsters Act, properties attached
Tightening the noose on rogue builders, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration on Wednesday booked seven persons, including directors, of a building firm under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act, officials said. In total 21 persons were booked, including rogue builders, murder accused and robbers, under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Elements (Prevention) Act and orders were issued to attach their properties on Wednesday, district administration said. Directors of Earth Iconic Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Rajneesh Mittal, Awadhesh Goyal and Atul Gupta, along with associates Vikas Gupta, Amit Gupta, Magandeep Kaur, Bushra Alam andNishant Arora have been booked, officials said. "In the name of developing a building in Noida's Sector 16 area, they had collected crores of rupees from innocent people doing (through) fraud and forgery. Their action has led to a scenario wherein people are living under fear of fraud when planning to buy a property," the administration said in an official letter, ...
Canada revokes Suu Kyi's honorary citizenship
Canada has formally stripped Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship over her inaction on military violence against the countrys Rohingya Muslims.
Pakistan military warns against "irresponsible" statements by politicians
Pakistan's powerful military has warned politicians against making "irresponsible" statements against it, saying such remarks were "detrimental" to the country's stability. The terse statement by the military came after former Punjab minister and a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Rana Mashhood claimed that the party has struck a "deal" with the "establishment" under which it will form the Punjab provincial government within a few months in the politically crucial state. Reacting to Mashhood's statement, the military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor described it as "baseless and regrettable". The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations, took to Twitter on Tuesday night, saying "Attribution of an obvious vested statement by Rana Mashhood is baseless and regrettable. Such irresponsible expressions are detrimental to stability in the country." The establishment is usually a terminology used for the military institution. The powerful military has ruled ...
BSP decision not a setback: Kamal Nath
Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday said that the BSP's decision to go it alone in the Assembly elections in the state is not a setback and that the party was confident of doing well because of the "groundswell of support is phenomenal".
Putin brands poisoned spy Skripal a 'traitor' and 'scumbag'
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday branded former double agent Sergei Skripal "a traitor" and a "scumbag", saying Moscow knew he had cooperated with foreign intelligence after his release in a spy swap. "He is just a scumbag," a visibly angry Putin told an energy forum in Moscow, referring to the ex-spy who Britain says was poisoned with a Soviet-designed nerve agent by members of Russia's military intelligence in March. "He is just a spy, a traitor to the homeland," Putin said in his toughest remarks about Skripal to date. "He was caught, he was punished, he spent five years in prison, we let him go, he left and continued cooperating with, providing consultations to (foreign) security services," Putin said. Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence colonel, was found guilty of passing state secrets to Britain and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006. He was pardoned and released as part of a spy swap with the West in 2010. However, Putin once again laughed off ...
Cong to launch election campaign for TL polls from tomorrow
: Congress would launch its campaign Thursday for the coming assembly elections in Telangana from Alampur town in Jogulamba Gadwal district. "We are launching our campaign from Alampur from tomorrow. AICC general secretary incharge of Telangana R C Khuntia and me will be present there tomorrow," the partys campaign committee chairman Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu told PTI. The ruling TRS has already launched the campaign. Meanwhile, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao would not be able to retain Gajwel seat in the assembly elections. In a statement here, he said the Congress was all set to 'uproot' TRS from the State "KCR has committed so many sins against the people that his party deserves to be punished with a humiliating defeat in the next elections. Of more than 4,500 farmers who committed suicide in Telangana, almost 480 were from Gajwel constituency. None of them have been paid
J&K civic polls: BJP get majority in Shopian as 13 candidates get elected unopposed
BJP will control the municipal corporation in militancy-infested Shopian district of south Kashmir after 13 of its candidates won the civic body polls unopposed with most people preferring to maintain a distance from the electoral exercise following threats by terror groups. The Shopian district, which has been the battle ground of numerous encounters between militants and the security forces, has a 17-member municipal corporation. The BJP fielded candidates for 13 wards while no nomination was filed for the remaining seats. "We had only one nomination each for 13 wards while no nominations were received for four other wards of the Municipal Committee, Shopian," an election official said Wednesday. The state BJP claimed it was a "historic win". Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina said "our motto is development of all and we will do justice to all kinds of people. We are extremely happy". However, political observers do not read much into the BJP's 'victory' and feel that these .
UN court orders US to ease Iran sanctions
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ordered the US to lift sanctions linked to humanitarian trade, food, medicine and civil aviation imposed against Iran -- a move welcomed by Tehran.
AIADMK MLA raises privilege issue against Kiran Bedi
AIADMK MLA A.Anbalagan Wednesday approached the Puducherry Assembly Speaker alleging breach of his privilege as a legislator by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, a day after she asked him to cut short his speech at a government function. In a petition submitted to Speaker V Vaithilingam, the MLA, leader of the four-member AIADMK legislature party, said Bedi 'prevented' him from speaking by asking officials to switch off the mike and 'ordered' him to leave the venue. Claiming that the Lt Governor had breached his privilege, he said appropriate action should be taken by the Speaker on the basis of his representation. The MLA had picked up an argument with Bedi after she asked him to cut short his speech at a function here Tuesday where Puducherry was declared open defecation free as he 'exceeded' the time allotted. Bedi had accused Anbalagan of being rude and claimed she had witnessed similar 'misbehaviour' by him in the past, while the MLA, who left the venue in a huff, claimed he .
Mayawati has faith in Rahul, Sonia; creases can be ironed out: Cong
Apparently stunned by Mayawati's announcement Wednesday that her party won't forge any alliance with it in the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly polls, the Congress hoped that the BSP chief reposing her faith in Rahul and Sonia Gandhi will provide it a window of opportunity and "creases will be ironed out" with harmony. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party's goal of defeating the BJP is clear and if any party walks along with it in achieving it is welcome, otherwise there can be a "healthy contest" in this fight against the BJP and there is nothing wrong in it as happened in the past. "Mayawati has expressed her sentiments and we respect that. She has reposed full faith in Rahul ji and Sonia ji and we respect that too. If there is harmony among Sonia Gandhi, who is our guide, and Rahul Gandhi, who is our leader, and Mayawati ji, then no fourth person can create a rift among them. "If there are any creases left, they will be ironed out mutually among them ...
CMs of mountainous states to meet in Shimla for 2 days
Chief ministers of at least eight mountainous states will meet for two days in Shimla from Friday to discuss various common issues being faced by them, officials said. Those who are expected to attend the meeting include chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya while an official will represent Jammu and Kashmir, which is under the President's rule. Union minister Kiren Rijiju will attend the meeting as the representative of the central government, an official said. Issues related to development of border areas, construction of roads, bridges, hospitals, schools besides others are expected to be discussed in the meeting, another official said.
Telengana Cong leader Revanth Reddy appears before IT dept
: Telangana Congress Working President A Revanth Reddy Wednesday appeared before the Income Tax department here and was questioned in connection with the searches conducted recently at his residence and offices. Reddy, who was quizzed by the I-T officials for several hours, lateraccused caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of misusing government agencies and said people of the state are observing this. Reddy said he had replied to the queries raised by the I-T officials and was asked to again appear before them on October 23, if required. "I would like to tell KCR (as Rao is popularly known), you joined with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and used Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate as a tool to foist illegal cases...but you will not win the elections,"he told reporters. Income Tax sleuths had carried out searches last week at the residences and offices of Revanth Reddy and his close relatives and seized some "key documents". They conducted searches at over