Page 2822 - Politics
Anna Hazare postpones hunger strike
Social activist Anna Hazare who was scheduled to go on hunger-strike from today postponed the agitation after talks with Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan.He was to sit on hunger strike demanding appointment of Lokpal and welfare measures for farmers.Earlier in July, Hazare had announced that he will launch a protest against the Union Government from October 2 in Maharashtra's Ralegan Siddhi village over the delay in the implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act.He had said that the law would have helped curb at least 60-70 per cent of the corruption in the country. He said that his hunger strike in New Delhi in 2011 had caused the then Congress-led Union Government to come under considerable pressure, leading to the passing of the Lokpal Act in 2013.The social activist had said that the execution of the law, which would result in the constitution of a Lokpal, an anti-corruption authority, was stalled ever since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Police fire tear gas, water cannon to break up farmers' protest near Delhi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Police on Tuesday fired tear gas and water cannons to halt and scatter a march by thousands of protesting farmers heading for the capital, New Delhi, to demand better prices for their produce.
Joint exercises between Coast Guards of India, Vietnam
The Indian and Vietnamese Coast Guards will take part in joint exercises off Chennai to promote interoperability between the two maritime forces, said the Indian Defence Ministry.
Now farmers can't even express their ordeal: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the Modi government after thousands of farmers were prevented from entering Delhi, saying farmers were not even being allowed to voice their grievances.
BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh announces resignation; to meet Rahul
BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, a staunch proponent of separate Vidarbha state, has announced his resignation as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well as from the primary membership of the party. Speculation is that Deshmukh is joining the Congress, as he is meeting party president Rahul Gandhi in Wardha this evening. Gandhi is in Wardha to attend the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Deshmukh, who represents Katol constituency in Nagpur district, will meet Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde Wednesday to submit his resignation. He has accused the BJP government of ignoring the plight of farmers and youths in the country and indulging in "divisive and vote bank politics". Deshmukh, the son of former president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Ranjeet Deshmukh, has been demanding that Vidarbha be carved out from Maharashtra. "The situation of farmers and the youth has worsened in the last four years but the government is indulged only in the
Iran: Conditions not ripe for US talks
Iran will not sit for talks with the US over the existing issues as the conditions are not ripe, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday.
J-K municipal polls to witness tough contest
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is expected to witness multi-cornered fights across 1145 awards in the municipal elections slated this month despite hindrances from separatists and two dominant state parties, the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), giving a boycott call.The elections are staggered in four phases -- October 8, 10, 13 and 16. Security in the state has beefed up for the elections.According to information pouring in, 85 to 90 per cent wards will witness a tough battle between the contestants of various parties and independent candidates due to heavy participation of candidates.The Congress party has pitted its candidates in majority wards. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too is contesting on a large number of seats making inroads in the Valley. This municipal poll is likely to be a litmus test for the BJP as well as the Congress in the state as Independent candidates are likely to give a tough competition to both the national political ...
PM Modi govt is anti-farmers: Yechury
Lashing out at the government for stopping the farmers' rally from entering the national capital, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre of being anti-farmers.Speaking to ANI, Yechury said, "It reconfirms the fact that Modi government is anti-farmers. Instead of providing relief to the farmers, they are exasperating the crisis, further forcing farmers to be under debt burden and distress suicides. We have not seen such an agrarian distress in India since Independence."Reiterating Yechury's sentiments, Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala likened Prime Minister Modi-led government with the pre-independence British government in India."On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Modi government has shown that they are no different from the pre-independence British government in India. The British government then used to exploit the farmers and today, Modi government is firing tear gas ...
Cong hits out at Modi govt over police action against farmers
The Congress Tuesday lashed out at the Modi government over the police action against farmers marching towards Delhi, saying "the Baadshah in the Delhi Sultanate is drunk with power". Condemning the police action, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said if the Centre can write off huge debt of a few industrialists why it could not waive the loans of farmers. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that "arrogance has gone to his head". "Instead of hearing them out, farmers are brutalised and beaten up. The Baadshah in the Delhi Sultanate is drunk with power," the Congress leader alleged. He was talking to reporters at the venue of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here in Maharashtra. Thousands of farmers Tuesday marched towards Delhi over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices, blocking traffic movement on arterial roads leading to the national capital. The farmers, riding tractors and trolleys, broke barricades of the Uttar ...
Fadnavis, Pawar pay tributes to Gandhi on birth anniversary
Leaders cutting across party lines in Maharashtra paid glowing tributes Tuesday to Mahatma Gandhi on his 149th birth anniversary. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts and vision and walking on the path shown by him is a real tribute to him. He urged people to take a pledge to act on Gandhi's principles. "From clean mind to clean nation...taking inspiration from Bapu's thoughts and vision and walking on the path shown by him is a real tribute to him," he said in a tweet. "Gandhiji taught us self discipline, swachhata, rural devpt&one government is working hard all for this is under leadership of Hon @narendramodi ji. This is real tribute to Gandhi ji!" he said in another tweet. Fadnavis said the Father of the Nation had given the people a model for a 'New India' and that Maharashtra was contributing "a lot" by leading the cleanliness campaign. He also took part in a foot march along with other party leaders
CPI-M condemns suppression of newspaper
The CPI-M on Tuesday denounced the Tripura government's decision to cancel the registration of newspaper "Daily Desharkatha".
France announces asset freeze on Iranian intelligence service
France announced Tuesday that it had frozen assets belonging to two Iranian men and Iran's ministry of security and intelligence. The decree announcing the asset freezes, published in the government gazette, identified one of the men as Assadollah Asadi, the same name as an Iranian diplomat who has been arrested over an alleged plot to bomb an Iranian opposition group in France in June.
Turkey detains over 200 for 'illicit money transfers' to US
Turkish police detained Tuesday over 200 people in a major nationwide crackdown on illicit money transfers to individuals of Iranian-origin living in the United States. An Istanbul court issued arrest warrants for a total of 417 suspects and have so far rounded up 216 in a nationwide operation carried out in 40 cities, the official Anadolu news agency reported. The suspects are facing charges including criminal conspiracy and violating measures to prevent terrorism financing, Anadolu said. There were no further details on who the suspects are. An investigation found that from the beginning of 2017 some 2.4 billion lira ($400 million) had been transferred from Turkey to a total of 28,088 accounts abroad from several banks, it added. Those conducting the money transfers earned "commissions", Anadolu said, citing the investigation, while the large majority of the recipients of the funds were people of Iranian origin living in the United States. There were no further details on who these .
Farmers cannot even come to Delhi to air grievances: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday accused the BJP of "brutally beating up" farmers at the Delhi border on International Day of Non-Violence and said that they cannot even air their grievances in the national capital. Gandhi's remarks came after farmers marching towards Delhi as part of the Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) protest call over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices, were stopped at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border Tuesday with police using water cannons to disperse them. "On International Day of Non-Violence, the BJP's two-year Gandhi Jayanti celebrations began with the brutal beating of farmers peacefully coming to Delhi. Now, the farmers cannot even air the grievances coming to the capital!" he tweeted in Hindi. The city police had on Monday imposed prohibitory orders in east and northeast Delhi, anticipating law and order problems as thousands of BKU members were marching from Haridwar to reach the national capital.
Israelis pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on 149th birth anniversary
Israelis on Tuesday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 149th birth anniversary at the Mahatma Gandhi roundabout in Israel's southern town Kiryat Gat. Kiryat Gat is a small township in the south of Israel with about 2000 Indians from the Bene Israel community living here. The first and only roundabout in the country named after Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated here in January 2016 to mark 60 years of the establishment of the township. Paying warm tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, the Mayor of Kiryat Gat, Aviram Dahari, said, "It is an honour to be remembering Gandhi whose message still remains relevant." "Gandhi Jayanti celebrations here is a reflection of the warm friendly relationship between the people of India and Israel. We have been gathering here to pay respects to the great soul every October and January since the roundabout was inaugurated. It is also a matter of pride for the Indian community in the town and the whole of Israel," Roger Judah, an Indian community leader in the ...
People clean roads in Mizoram on Gandhi's birth anniversary
Mizoram on Tuesday observed the 149th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with people voluntarily sweeping the roads in their areas. The state observes cleanliness week every year beginning October 2, 1977, much before Swachh Bharat was launched by the Centre in 2014. Government employees, students, teachers and local people clean roads, streets and drains during the period. Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla also paid tributes to the father of the nation by laying wreaths in front of Gandhi's statue at Zodin Square. Ministers, legislators, chief secretary Arvind Ray and senior officials also paid floral tribute to Gandhi.
Gunmen kill Philippine town mayor, 2 others, injure his wife
Philippine police say gunmen have killed a town mayor and two other people and wounded the mayor's wife in the latest brazen attack on local officials. Police say Mayor Alexander Buquing, his driver and a police officer were killed Monday night in Bangar town in La Union province. A senator called for an investigation on the killings of several mayors. Buquing's wife, who serves as his vice mayor, was not hit but was injured in the attack that occurred while the group was heading home in an SUV. National police spokesman Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana said Tuesday the Buquing had not been linked by authorities to illegal drugs and added that investigators were trying to determine the motive and identify the attackers, who opened fire from a van.
Farmers should be allowed to enter Delhi: Kejriwal
Farmers marching from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in support of their demands should be allowed to enter Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.
Cong to hold protests against bus fare hike in Himachal Pradesh on October 7
The Congress in Himachal Pradesh will hold protests across the state on October 7 against the hike in bus fares effected by the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government. In a press note issued here on Tuesday, the chairman of HP Congress Media Department, Naresh Chauhan, demanded withdrawal of the fare hike announced on September 24. Protests will be held at block and district levels, he said. The state-level demonstration will be held in Shimla and Congress leaders will thereafter go to the Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to the Governor demanding withdrawal of the bus fare hike. Flaying the state government's decision to increase the fare by 24.44 per cent in plain areas and 20.69 per cent in hilly region, he said the state should have opted for reducing value added tax (VAT) on petroleum products instead of hiking the bus fare. Chauhan also criticised the Thakur government for hiking the minimum bus fare from Rs three to Rs six.
Tibetans hold cleanliness drive to mark Gandhi Jayanti
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Tuesday organised a cleanliness drive in and around McLeodganj, the abode of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, to commemorate the 149th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and in observance of the Indian government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.