Page 346 - Politics
Karnataka Congress MLAs to meet to 'save' coalition government
Nearly a week after facing rout in the Lok Sabha elections, the Karnataka Congress legislators (MLAs) are meeting here on Wednesday to ensure the continuation of their year-old coalition government with the Janata Dal (Secular) as its ally, a party official said on Tuesday.
Canadian lawmakers blast Facebook's execs for snub
Canadian lawmakers have voted to serve a summons on Facebook executives Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg that would compel them to appear before them the next time either visits Canada. The decision comes after Zuckerberg and Sandberg failed to appear before the international grand committee on big data, privacy and democracy, which is being hosted by Canada's parliament this week, despite being called on to testify. The panel of international politicians is examining the role of tech giants in safeguarding privacy and democratic rights. New Democrat lawmaker Charlie Angus said Tuesday the Facebook executives were showing disrespect to legislators around the world. Conservative lawmaker Bob Zimmer called it "abhorrent." Zimmer said if they refuse to appear they will be held in contempt. It was unclear what consequences that might have.
In Brussels, May urges successor to seek Brexit deal
Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday urged whoever succeeds her to get Britain out of the EU quickly but with a deal, as she met the bloc's leaders just days after announcing her resignation. May looked relaxed and smiled for the cameras as she arrived at a Brussels summit, the first one in many months that did not require her to wrangle with European colleagues over Brexit. They met to begin discussing filling the bloc's top job, a task complicated by European Parliament elections that shook up traditional alliances. May said that despite her announcement last Friday that she will quit, and Britain's impending exit from the bloc, she will play a "constructive role". And she had a message for her Conservative party colleagues vying to replace her back home, many of whom have raised the prospect of a potentially damaging "no deal" Brexit. "They will have to find a way of addressing very strongly held views on both sides of this issue and to do that and to get a majority in parliament
Climate activists on trial for taking down Macron portraits
Across France, activists have been taking down official portraits of President Emmanuel Macron to protest what they consider his "inaction" against climate change. Now they face up to 10 years in prison. The first of several trials targeting the activists opened Tuesday in the eastern town of Bourg-en-Bresse. Some 300 activists showed up to support the six defendants, chanting "We're all portrait removers!" The six are accused of "group theft by deceit" and face potential prison terms and substantial fines for taking down Macron's official presidential portrait from town halls around the country. They should escape jail time, however. Prosecutor Eric Sandjivy has requested fines of 2,000 euros against five of them for charges of theft and refusal to provide DNA samples. The other one, charged with theft, faces a 1,000 euro fine. The verdict from Tuesday's trial will be announced June 12. Greenpeace France President Jean Francois Julliard defended the activists, saying that the civil .
Afghanistan opens probe into sexual favour allegations
Afghanistan's attorney general opened an investigation Tuesday into allegations that some members of President Ashraf Ghani's administration are trading government positions for sexual favours. The accusations made last week by General Habibullah Ahmadzai, a former security advisor to Ghani, have sparked an outcry in Kabul. Many have taken to social media to demand a probe. In a statement, the attorney general's office vowed to investigate allegations "in a serious, fair, neutral and independent way". Investigators have already asked Ahmadzai to deliver by Thursday any evidence he may have to support his claims, which he first made in a televised interview last week. Without providing any evidence, he levelled several corruption claims and said "circles" inside the Afghan presidential palace were asking women for sexual favours -- offering coveted government seats in return. "People were working systematically to promote adultery in the palace," he claimed. The allegations from ...
Norway-mediated Venezuela talks under way in Oslo
Talks between representatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and self-proclaimed interim leader Juan Guaido are under way in Oslo under Norwegian auspices, sources close to the process said Tuesday. Norwegian diplomats had said Saturday that the two sides would meet this week in Norway, without specifying a date or venue. Maduro promised Monday to show "good faith" ahead of the talks, which kicked off Monday, lasting well into the night, the sources said, adding that they could end on Wednesday. No information filtered out regarding the content or form of the talks, the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides. The Norwegian foreign ministry declined to comment when contacted by AFP. The talks follow a months-long power struggle between Guaido, the leader of the National Assembly legislature, and the socialist president. "We are going to be showing our very best good faith... to be able to find, based on the platform the parties agreed on, peaceful, democratic ...
Merkel party's battle with YouTubers escalates
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favoured successor plunged into a new storm Tuesday, with her apparent call for limits to free speech around elections stoking further anger rather than putting down a raging youth-led YouTube revolt. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's call for "rules" for online media around election-time came after her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its centre-left coalition partner SPD suffered their worst scores in Sunday's European parliamentary vote. The CDU, in particular, had been put on the back foot in the days leading up to the polls as 70 YouTube stars urged voters to punish the party for its failure to take adequate action to halt global warming. Addressing the debacle on Monday, Kramp-Karrenbauer called for checks on the online influencers, saying that if 70 newspaper editors had made a concerted call to boycott parties ahead of an election, that would be classed "clearly as propaganda". "The question is... what are rules from the analog realm and which .
Modi, Shah hold marathon meeting ahead of swearing-in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a marathon meeting on Tuesday to discuss crucial aspects of the new government andAthe likely allocation of ministerial berths.
HD Kumaraswamy meets Dinesh Gundo Rao, Siddaramaiah amid Congress-JD(S) rift
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday met with Congress state chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and former chief minister Siddaramaiah to discuss and strategise the ruling Congress-JD(S) government's political development after the landslide victory of BJP in the concluded Lok Sabha polls.The meeting holds importance amid the speculation of falling of the coalition government of Congress and JD(S) in the state.Earlier on May 23, an informal meeting of the Cabinet in the presence of Kumaraswamy was held in Bengaluru. After the meeting, Congress had said there is no threat to the JD(S)-Congress coalition in the state."Today, honourable Chief Minister had called an informal Cabinet meeting to take stock of the situation after the Parliamentary election results, both countrywide as well as our state elections," G Parameshwara, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, had said while speaking to media persons.He had added that the coalition will continue in the state under the leadership of ...
Mamata reshuffles cabinet after Trinamool's dismal LS show
Following her party's shocking performance in the Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reshuffled her cabinet with two ministers left without portfolios.
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain to be ENC's Chief of Staff
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain will assume command of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) on May 30.He will assume charge as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) ENC from Vice Admiral Karambir Singh who will be proceeding to New Delhi to assume charge as the Navy Chief on promotion to the rank of Admiral on May 31.A Ceremonial Parade will be held on the occasion at the Naval Base where Vice Admiral Jain would inspect the Ceremonial Guard and review the platoons of Naval personnel drawn from various ships, submarines and establishments of the ENC and attended by all Flag Officers and Commanding Officers of ships and naval establishments.
Bimstec leaders confirm participation in Modi's swearing in
Leaders from Bimstec countries as well as Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth have confirmed their participation at the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 30.
Kamala Harris targets state abortion bans
Kamala Harris says she would require states seeking to restrict abortion laws to first obtain federal approval. The Democratic presidential candidate and California senator says that if she won the White House, she would back legislation requiring states with a history of restricting abortion rights to receive clearance from the Justice Department to change abortion laws. The move follows laws that recently passed in Georgia, Alabama and other states to drastically restrict abortions. The pre-clearance requirement would face steep hurdles. The Supreme Court struck down a similar provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, effectively freeing states to change election laws without seeking federal approval. The Harris campaign argues that decision doesn't ban pre-clearance measures, leaving it up to Congress to decide how to impose such requirements.
South India voted on Rahul's name, shouldn't resign: TN Cong working president Jayakumar
New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) working president Jayakumar on Tuesday asserted that the mandate received by Congress and its allies in South India is a testimony of people's faith in party president Rahul Gandhi and hence, he must not resign respecting their faith.He also informed that they will pass a resolution urging the Congress president to continue on the post.Speaking to ANI, Jayakumar said, "Though Rahul ji's name was not announced for the post of Prime Minister, our largest ally DMK leader Stalin clearly said that we are going to seek votes in the name of Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister. People have handsomely voted for us and we all won with a large margin in the state. It is a clear indication that people accepted Rahul Gandhi even as Prime Minister of the country."He, however, refused to comment on the party's abysmal performance in other parts of the country, while indicating that the party's performance in the state that they won
No question of leaving the Congress, says Pilot
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday insisted that there was no question of him leaving the Congress at a time when there was speculation about his role in the party in case Congress President Rahul Gandhi quits.
BIMSTEC nations confirm attendance for Modi's swearing-in
Leaders from all BIMSTEC member-states have confirmed attendance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on May 30, according to Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, along with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, will also be attending the ceremony.Member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand besides India.The President of Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hamid, the President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Myanmar U Win Myint, the Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering, the Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli, and Thailand's Special Envoy Grisada Boonrach will be heading to New Delhi for the do.The decision to invite the leaders from the grouping is in line with the government's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, according to the Ministry
Subodhanand takes charge as chairman of MP govt's temple body
Flanked by Congress veteran Digvijay Singh and his minister-son Jaivardhan, spiritual leader Swami Subodhanand Tuesday took charge as chairman of the Math Mandir Salahkar Samiti, an advisory body set up by the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. In its manifesto for the 2018 November assembly polls, the Congress, then in opposition, had promised to constitute Math Mandir Salahkar Samiti to look after temples and maths (monasteries) if voted to power in the state. Subodhanand, secretary of the Shankaracharya of Dwarka -Sharda peeth, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, was appointed chairman of the samiti in March. The samiti has been tasked with the responsibility of resolving issues related to management and upkeep of temples and maths. Swaroopanand Saraswati is the spiritual guru of Digvijay Singh and is considered close to the Congress. Subodhanand took charge of the samiti at a function organised in the Mantralaya (secretariat) here. Besides
Cong councillor moves resolution in SMDC House on fire safety at malls, hotels
A Congress councillor Tuesday moved a private member resolution in the BJP-led SDMC House seeking "fixing of responsibilities" in case of a fire at malls and hotels in south Delhi. The resolution was moved by Andrews Ganj councillor Abhishek Dutt, who said, the resolution also entails checking compliance of civic norms in such establishments. The resolution was "referred to the municipal commissioner" by the House of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, a spokesperson of the SDMC said. The move comes days after a devastating fire at a coaching complex in in Surat in which 20 students were killed. "We wait for incidents like the Surat tragedy to wake up. But, we should be prop-active as a civic body and compliance of civic norms at plush malls, pubs, restaurants and hotels, guest houses should be assessed as many of these establishments operate rooftop kitchens," Dutt said after the House session. The SDMC is the licence issuing authority and therefore, "responsibilities should be ...
Whispers of discontent in MP Congress
Jyotiraditya Scindia's defeat in Lok Sabha elections continues to hurt his supporters in Madhya Pradesh. While all party members stood by Kamal Nath as chief minister, some members talked about sabotage in Gwalior-Chambal region.
BIMSTEC countries confirm participation in Modi's swearing-in ceremony
Leaders of all BIMSTEC countries have confirmed their participation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday for a second term. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov also confirmed their participation at the event, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, and Prime Minister of Nepal K P Sharma Oli have confirmed their participation at Modi's swearing-in ceremony. He said President of Myanmar U Win Myint and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering also confirmed their attendance at the event. From Thailand, Kumar said, its Special Envoy Grisada Boonrach will represent the country at the ceremony. "We look forward to receiving the dignitaries in New Delhi for the ceremony," said the MEA spokesperson. India invited leaders of the BIMSTEC countries as well as Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov, the ...