Page 388 - Politics
Chemical attacks allegations made to impede anti-terrorist action: Syria
Syria on Friday denied the US claims that it has used chemical weapons against civilians, saying such allegations are made to impede the progress of ongoing anti-terrorist operations."There is nothing but another last-ditch attempt by western countries that obey their master -- the United States -- to ease pressure on their terrorist slaves in Idlib. And it is an obviously pathetic attempt to delay the advance of the [Syrian] military in these regions", Sputnik quotes Syria Foreign Ministry as saying.This development comes days after the US warned the Syrian government over carrying out chemical attacks as a counter-offensive, particularly in its northwestern region, the remaining holdout of the Islamic State.In a statement, the US State Department said, "We continue to see signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria on the morning of May 19, 2019."The alleged attack took place on May 19 on the border
Bhakta Das resigns as Odisha Congress Campaign Committee chairman
Former union minister Bhakta Charan Das on Friday resigned from the post of chairman of Odisha Congress Campaign Committee.Speaking to ANI, he took the responsibility of Congress' debacle in the Lok Sabha elections upon himself and said: "The result was not what we expected. Congress' election manifesto did not reach the public. Our party was not able to use modern technology and methods for publicity. The party needs to be rebuilt again."Das also claimed that EVMs were tempered in Kalahandi constituency, from where he had contested.Das was defeated by Basant Kumar Panda of BJP by a margin of 110508 votes.Meanwhile, presidents of the party units in states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha have offered to resign from their post accepting responsibility for the poor showing of the party in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.In the last elections, the Congress had won 44 seats, the lowest-score in its history, and improved its tally marginally by 8 to reach 52 seats in the ...
Taiwan changing name of de-facto embassy in US
Taiwan says it is changing the name of its de-facto embassy in the US amid the strongest relations between the sides in decades. The foreign ministry tweeted that the Coordination Council for North American Affairs was being renamed the Taiwan Council for US Affairs. While the US severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 in favor of Beijing, the sides retain close unofficial relations that have grown ever-closer in recent years, including stepped-up military-to-military contacts. The unofficial U.S. embassy in Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan, recently moved into a substantially larger, purpose-built complex in a suburb of the capital. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, objects to all diplomatic and military contacts between Taiwan and the US and has been stepping-up pressure on the island.
N-E India sends 3 women to Lok Sabha, one more than 2014
North-east India, comprising eight states, is sending three women to the Lok Sabha -- one more than the 2014 general election. Of the three women, elected for the 17th Lok Sabha, two are new faces and belong to the BJP: Queen Oja (from Guwahati parliamentary seat) and Pratima Bhowmik (Tripura West).
Saffron grip spreads across Karnataka on Modi wave
Riding on the popularity wave of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spread its saffron colour across Karnataka, winning a record 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections, held in two phases on April 18 and April 23 for 14 constituencies each.
Survivor Naveen Patnaik weathers many storms in two-decade rule
Naveen Patnaik may be the most inaccessible Chief Minister in the history of Odisha but he continues to be the darling of the masses as he is all set to rule the state for a fifth consecutive term having won a thumping majority.
Congress may introspect poll debacle in CWC meeting today
After facing a humiliating defeat for the second time in the consecutive Lok Sabha elections, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet today to discuss the reason for party's debacle, sources said.Though there was no official word on the agenda for the meeting, sources said the committee will talk about future strategies.The CWC is also expected to take stock of the party's loss in Uttar Pradesh.Congress, despite extensive campaigning by its president Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, was decimated to a single seat in Uttar Pradesh - Sonia Gandhi's Raebareli Lok Sabha seat. Rahul Gandhi, who represented the Amethi seat since 2004, lost to BJP's Smriti Irani.The source also indicated that the committee is likely to discuss the party's complete loss in the states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where it had won the Assembly elections just five months ago.All members of the committee have been instructed to talk and put their proposal openly in front of the ...
Dalai Lama, Tibetan government-in-exile congratulate PM Modi
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for their victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections and said India is "emerging as a leader in the community of the nations.""I offer my congratulations to you and the National Democratic Alliance on your success in the Lok Sabha election. It fills me with admiration and pride to see India, the world's largest democracy emerging as a leader in the community of nations," Dalai Lama wrote in a letter to PM Modi on Friday.Wishes and greetings poured in from across the world after Modi-led NDA swept the elections and won 352 out of 542 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.Apart from this, the Tibetan government and parliament-in-exile have also expressed their greetings."We are very happy about the election results and at the same time I would like to congratulate Mr Modi and his team for this great victory, " Tsewang G Arya, secretary Department of ...
Modi is 'great man' and 'leader': Donald Trump
A day after ruling BJP secured a resounding victory in the parliamentary elections, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "great man" and "leader".Trump also telephoned Modi to once again congratulate him for their strong showing in elections."Just spoke to Prime Minister @NarendraModi where I congratulated him on his big political victory. He is a great man and leader for the people of India - they are lucky to have him!" tweeted Trump.Modi-led BJP has swept the 17th Lok Sabha elections, garnering 303 seats. The saffron party, along with its allies, have secured 352 seats out of 542.Yesterday also, Trump along with his deputy, advisor and several other American leaders tweeted to extend their wishes to PM Modi on his re-election."Congratulations to Prime Minister @NarendraModi and his BJP party on their BIG election victory! Great things are in store for the US-India partnership with the return of PM Modi at the helm. I look forward to ...
US will send 1,500 more troops to Middle East: Trump
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country will send about 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East amid escalating tension with Iran.
Sudan protest leaders call for strike from Tuesday
Sudan's protest leaders have called for a two-day general strike starting Tuesday amid deadlock in talks with the military on installing civilian rule. "There is no longer any alternative to using the weapon of a general strike," the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group said in a statement Friday. It said the strike, affecting "public and private institutions and companies", would be accompanied by civil disobedience and was "an act of peaceful resistance with which we have been forced to proceed". The group, which led a nationwide protest movement against long-time leader Omar al-Bashir that led to his ouster on April 11, is at odds with the ruling military council over the form of a new governing body. Talks between the two sides have been suspended since Monday after a disagreement over who should lead the new authority -- a civilian or an officer. The generals who seized power after Bashir was toppled have resisted calls from the demonstrators and the international ...
Mamata calls meeting to find out reason for LS setbacks
With her party seemingly rattled after the Lok Sabha setback, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has convened an emergent meeting on Saturday afternoon at her Kalighat residence in South Kolkata to review the results and come up with a road map for a turnaround ahead of the Assembly polls.
Trump row with Democrats takes harsh turn with impeachment at stake
US President Donald Trump doubled down Friday on his claim of an "attempted coup" against him as his battle with Democratic foes entered a vicious new phase of personal insults and strong-arm tactics. Hovering over it all: the looming question of whether or not the Republican leader will be impeached -- "the big I-word," as Trump put it recently. The president said he has given his attorney general wide latitude to declassify intelligence information as he probes the origins of the government's investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign ties to Russia. "They will be able to see ... how the hoax or witch hunt started and why it started. It was an attempted coup or an attempted takedown of the president of the United States," he told reporters as he departed on a trip to Japan. "There's word and rumor that the FBI and others were involved, CIA were involved with the UK, having to do with the Russian hoax," he said, adding that he might talk to the outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa ..
Suspended TMC MLA Subhrangshu Roy to join BJP
Suspended TMC MLA Subhrangshu Roy on Friday said he would join the BJP within a few days, a "new innings" in which he will be able to "breath freely". The Trinamool Congress earlier in the day suspended Roy for six years for anti-party comments. Subhrangshu, the TMC legislator from Bijpur, is the son of BJP leader Mukul Roy. "Now, I will breath freely. Many in the TMC feel suffocated," he said, claiming that several others from the party will "follow his footsteps". "My father has advised me to be careful, as I may be implicated in a false criminal case, or may be attacked... I will join the BJP within two to three days," Subhrangshu said. At an earlier press conference, he said he was keen to start a new innings. Subhrangshu also said he did not get due respect in the TMC. "Now, I only want peace in Bengal," the two-time MLA from Bijpur assembly constituency, which is part of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, said. He hailed his father's organisational skills and said he .
Canada researchers reveal 'Iran-aligned' fake news campaign
Canadian researchers have unmasked a disinformation campaign with possible links to Iran that includes posing as mainstream media to spread falsehoods targeting primarily Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States. The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab said an "Iran-aligned" group has impersonated legitimate media outlets using copycat sites to "spread falsehoods and amplify narratives critical of Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel." The group, which the researchers dubbed "Endless Mayfly," would then use fake online identities to amplify the stories by tweeting about them or forwarding links to others. Stories published in mainstream media are often picked up by other journalists. The researchers cited as an example a 2017 Reuters story informed by a fake story purported to have been published in the Swiss newspaper The Local. The Reuters story was picked up by Global News, The Jerusalem Post and others before it was eventually retracted by the news agency. The Endless ...
Trump calls up Modi, to meet at G-20 summit
US President Donald Trump on Friday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his election victory and the two leader agreed to meet at the upcoming G-20 summit in Japan.
Trump says 1,500 more troops to deploy to Middle East
President Donald Trump announced Friday that some 1,500 additional US troops would deploy to the Middle East against a backdrop of soaring tensions with Iran. "We want to have protection in the Middle East," Trump told reporters as he prepared to set off on a trip to Japan. "We're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective," Trump added. "It'll be about 1,500 people." The deployment includes reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jets, engineers, and the extension of the presence of a Patriot missile defense battalion that accounts for 600 of the personnel. "This is a prudent response to credible threats from Iran," said Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Pentagon officials said the 1,500 additional troops were in response to recent incidents in the region that US intelligence had tied to Iran's leadership. Those have included a rocket attack on the Green Zone in Baghdad, explosive devices that damaged four tankers in Fujairah at the entrance to the ..
K'taka JDS chief likens BJP To celestial nymph, party MLAs to 'Vishwamitra'
Karnataka JDS president A H Vishwanath Friday likened the BJP to a celestial nymph and MLAs of his party to 'Vishwamitra', saying they would not fall for the charms of the saffron party to topple the JDS-Congress government. The coalition government will continue and complete its full term, he told reporters here. "I assure you - all my MLAs are Vishwamitra, who would not fall for the charms of celestial nymph. The celestial nymph is the BJP. The saffron party has failed in their attempts to destabilise the government on many occasions," he said. Vishwamitra was an ancient sage. The BJP has been trying to destabilise the government since beginning of the formation of the coalition government, but they have been failing in their endeavours, he said. Replying to a question, Vishwanath said party chief H D Deve Gowda is unperturbed over his defeat from Tumkuru as he has seen ups and downs in his political career. "The patriarch has seen many ups and downs in his political career. His ...
Trump to bypass Congress to sell arms to Saudi, UAE: senator
President Donald Trump's administration is bypassing Congress to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, citing a threat from Iran, despite lawmakers' concerns about their possible use against civilians in Yemen, a senator said Friday. Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had used his powers to block sales of tens of thousands of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, fearing they would contribute to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the US allies are mounting an offensive. But the administration informed lawmakers that it was going around a legally required review by Congress to approve the sales as part of a total of 22 arms transactions to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other nations, Menendez's office said. "I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump administration has failed once again to prioritise our long-term national security interests or stand up for .
Trump's plan to fund border wall faces first legal test
A federal judge is expected to decide Friday whether to block the White House from spending billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border with money secured under President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency. The judge is weighing two cases that challenged the maneuver to redirect mostly military-designated funding for wall construction. California and 19 other states, along with environmentalists, civil liberties groups and communities along the border, are seeking a temporary injunction to halt construction plans. At stake is billions of dollars that Trump wants for the wall, his signature campaign promise, heading into his campaign for a second term. He declared the emergency in February after losing a fight over fully paying for it that led to a 35-day government shutdown.