Page 471 - Politics
Iraq to send teams to Iran, US to ease regional tensions
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Tuesday said Iraq would send delegations to the US and Iran to ease the tension in the Middle East.
Crimea seeks to woo Indian film-makers
To attract Indian film-makers, the Film Commission of the Republic of Crimea has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the India-based Russia Information Centre (RIC). The RIC will promote the Crimean region, part of the Russian Federation since 2014, as a shooting destination for Indian film industries, it said. "Our delegation will visit India in 2020 to discuss all the details of cooperation," said Konstantin Maloletnev, Managing Director, Film Commission of the Republic of Crimea, in a recent statement. The cultural department of Sevastopol in Crimea and a delegation of Indian travel agents also signed an MoU to promote tourism in Russia, the RIC said. The MoU too is aimed at exploring outdoor film shooting and tourism potential of the region. Mumbai-based Russia Information Centre had organised the meeting between the government of Sevastopol and the Indian delegation last month. Governor of Sevastopol Dmitri Ovsyannikov was present when the MoU was ...
India, Kyrgyzstan hold bilateral meeting on SCO sidelines
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held an official meeting with her Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Minister's meet here on Tuesday."First engagement in Bishkek. EAM @SushmaSwaraj had a productive discussion with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Aidarbekov on all aspects of bilateral relations, including in political & defence, trade & investment, health, capacity building and people-to-people ties," Raveesh Kumar, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted.The two-day Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, from May 21 to May 22, will see all sides exchange views on issues of international and regional importance, along with reviewing the preparation for the SCO Summit in Bishkek from June 13-14, according to the MEA.The EAM's visit comes just after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the SCO Defence Ministers' conclave in the Kyrgyz capital last month. The conclave .
Modi likens his LS campaign to pilgrimage at meeting with ministers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday likened his campaign for this Lok Sabha election to a pilgrimage, saying it stood out from other polls as it was being fought by the people and not the party alone. He made these remarks at a meeting of ministers of his government at the BJP headquarters where he thanked them for their work, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters. "I have seen many elections but this one was beyond politics. Public was fighting them. I have campaigned in assembly elections and undertaken political tours for the party in different elections. When I toured during these polls, it seemed that I was on a pilgrimage," the prime minister was quoted as saying. He met Union ministers from the BJP as well as allies at the meeting- called 'Aabhar milan' (expressing gratitude)- hosted by party president Amit Shah. Shah also later hosted a dinner for party leaders and allies. The BJP described the meeting as an occasion to thank ministers for "their service to ...
Not bothered to read show cause notice issued to me, says Karnataka Cong MLA Baig
Hours after Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) sent a show cause notice to Congress MLA Roshan Baig for speaking against Congress-JDS alliance leaders, Baig said he does not bother to read the notice as it was issued at "the orders of the people whose incompetencies were highlighted by me.""I've received the show cause notice sent to me by the KPCC. I'm not even going to bother to read it because it's clearly sent at the orders of the same people whose incompetencies were highlighted by me," Baig wrote on his Twitter handle.Earlier in the day, KPCC general secretary Venkatrao Y Ghorpade sent a show cause notice to Baig over his remarks against AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah.He has been asked to reply within one week.Baig, who is at loggerheads with the party leaders for not getting the ticket to contest the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, slammed Gundurao and Siddaramaiah, saying ...
Orissa 'swing': Exit polls embolden BJP, predict challenge to BJD
With the national exit polls showing Biju Janata Dal (BJD) losing ground to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls, it is likely that the number in the assembly would also come down posing a challenge for Naveen Patnaik, who is eyeing for the fifth consecutive term in office.
'Quit if you can't work with CM', another Punjab minister tells Sidhu
Strongly criticising his Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu for his comments against Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa hit out at the cricketer-turned-politician, asking him to quit if he cannot work with the Chief Minister.
BJP delegation meets Governor to lodge complaint about post-
A BJP delegation Tuesday met Governor K N Tripathi to lodge complaint about post-poll violence in West Bengal and demanded deployment of army in parts of the state to control the situation. The BJP delegation led by state party president Dilip Ghosh met Tripathi at Raj Bhawan and demanded immediate action to stop violence after completion of voting. BJP was locked in an intense electoral fight with the ruling TMC in West Bengal. Some exit polls have predicted the saffron party getting seats in double digit and the TMC's figure coming down out of a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. TMC had won 34 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in 2014 while BJP's tally was only two then. "The way TMC has let loose its goons, it seems they want to create an atmosphere of anarchy in Bengal. If such a situation continues, then centre should immediately intervene to control the situation. If needed let army be called in to control the situation in Bhatpara. The police is acting as cadres .
Abdullah highlights Srinagar's infrastructure issues, blames Centre, previous J&K govt
National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the urban life of Srinagar city was blight with various problems, adding that neither the Centre nor the Jammu and Kashmir government invested in the augmentation of urban infrastructure of the state capital in the last five years. "The people of Srinagar stand dejected at the paucity of amenities and the appalling condition of roads. The people of Srinagar city were forsaken by the former PDP-BJP government and the present governor's administration proved no different. The work on the various vital projects of the city initiated by our government was unfortunately stalled by the former PDP-BJP regime," Abdullah said, addressing a party function where 11 corporators of the SMC joined the NC. Abdullah said the NC, despite being subjected to political shenanigans and conspiracies of various agencies, never left any stone unturned to work for the benefit of the people of the state. "Once in power, we will carry forward the ...
Notice to Karnataka Congress MLA for criticising party leaders
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Tuesday served notice to its legislator R. Roshan Baig for allegedly criticising the party's state unit leaders ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll results on Thursday, an official said.
R'than Cong voices doubts about EVMs
The Rajasthan Congress on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged tampering of the EVMs, saying the onus of ensuring the devices' security lies with the Election Commission. Mahesh Joshi, the Congress' chief whip in the state Assembly, said there is a doubt that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) could be tampered with. "Several political parties have demanded that the elections should ballot-paper based. It is the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure trust and clarify all doubts," Joshi told reporters. "The EC should give one EVM to political parties and technical expert to check whether they can be tampered." Several complaints have come up, he said, claiming that the EC was adamant on its stand. State Power Minister B D Kalla pointed out that even developed countries like the USA had adopted paper ballot-based election, considering chances of tampering with the EVMs. "The EVMs and VVPAT results should be matched for better authenticity," Kalla said. The minister ...
Pompeo says 'quite possible' Iran behind Gulf incidents
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday it was "quite possible" Iran was responsible for sabotage of Gulf oil interests, although he stopped short of making a definitive conclusion. "Given all the regional conflicts that we have seen over the past decade and the shape of these attacks, it seems like it's quite possible that Iran was behind these," Pompeo, who later Tuesday will brief US lawmakers on rising tensions with Tehran, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
J&K guv chairs high-level security meeting ahead of Amarnath yatra
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Monday chaired a high-level meeting here to review security arrangements ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to commence on July 1. The meeting, held at Raj Bhawan here, was attended by Governor's Advisor K Vijay Kumar, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam, senior Army, police, central armed police and intelligence officials, an official spokesman said. The governor stressed on the need for all concerned agencies to be alert and effectively coordinate during the yatra. During the meeting, detailed presentations were made by the security agencies on the emerging security environment in the state in view of the objectives of adversary agencies, the spokesman said. Extensive discussions were held for preparedness to meet unforeseen situations, deployment of road opening parties, corridor security and area domination. Malik, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB), directed the DGP and the divisional ...
17 regional parties defaulted in submission of donations report to EC: ADR
Seventeen regional parties have defaulted in submitting their donations report to the Election Commission during 2017-18, said a report by Association for Democratic Reforms, which advocates for electoral reforms to combat corruption and empower citizens. Out of 48 regional parties analysed, only 15 had submitted their donations report to the EC in the stipulated time period. Sixteen other regional parties delayed their submission by a maximum of 31 days to one day. There are 17 regional political parties who have defaulted in submission of their donations report to EC, the ADR report said. These include Asom Gana Parishad, Mizo National Front, Indian National Lok Dal, it added. The total amount of donations declared by regional parties, including both above and below Rs 20,000, was Rs 54.81 crore, from 2,824 donations. The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal leads with Rs 13.04 crore from six donations followed by Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), which has declared receiving Rs ...
Damascus harassing ex-foes in former rebel zones: HRW
Damascus has carried out a wave of arbitrary arrests against former activists in rebel areas that surrendered under deals brokered by its ally Moscow, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The so-called "reconciliation" agreements that restored government control over swathes of central and southern Syria last year were heavily criticised from the start because they were signed under the pressure of military blockade and intense air and artillery bombardment. The government offered amnesty to all who agreed to end their anti-government activities. But thousands of residents, particularly former fighters and their families, chose to be evacuated to remaining rebel-held territory rather than accept renewed rule by President Bashar al-Assad's government. Human Rights Watch said its research showed that former government critics and rebels who signed up for "reconciliation" had paid heavily for their decision. It said it had documented 11 cases of arbitrary detention and disappearance in ...
Iraqi PM says he wants to end tensions between Iran and US
State-run Iraqi media is quoting Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi as saying that Baghdad will send delegations to the US and Iran to help end tensions between the two countries. Abdul-Mahdi, whose country has close ties to both Iran and the US, said Tuesday that Iranian and U.S. officials have informed Iraq that they have "no desire in fighting a war." Abdul-Mahdi said Iraq is "playing a role to calm the situation but it is not a mediation." He said he will visit Kuwait on Wednesday to discuss regional issues. Last week, the US ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran and rising tensions across the region. The White House has sent warships and bombers to the region to counter the alleged Iranian threats.
Opposition party demands cent per cent VVPAT count in case of mismatch
Leaders of 22 major opposition parties on Tuesday met the Election Commission and demanded that the VVPAT of an entire assembly segment should be counted even if one of the five samples does not match the EVM.They also demanded that the EVM-VVPAT tally should be done at the beginning of the process of counting.The delegation led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu which also included the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal handed over a memorandum to the Commission."If any discrepancy is found in the tally, then VVPAT for the whole assembly segment should be counted. We do not know what is the problem of the Election Commission? Former Chief Election Commissioner has also endorsed our demand. Former President (Pranab Mukherjee) also made it very clear that EC should keep transparency and create confidence among Indian voters," Naidu told reporters after the meeting.Naidu said that if any discrepancy is found ...
Allegations on EVM manipulation false, Oppn should learn to accept defeat gracefully: Ravi Shankar Prasad
BJP on Tuesday dubbed as "baseless" and "frivolous", the highly "strategized" blame game by the Opposition alleging manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines and asked them to graciously accepting defeat if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again voted into power.Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took a jibe at the Opposition, saying that the EVMs were supposedly fine when its leaders Mamata Banerjee, Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal had won elections and came to power but are now seeking to blame the machines when it looks like a return of the Modi government."They are creating unnecessary storm about the EVMs which is nothing but their disappointment. They are seeking a reason to justify their defeat, When they won elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, they didn't raise a single question on the EVM, but now they know that they are going to lose the elections and that is why are blaming it," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told ...
Extending RTE Act to be decided by new government: Centre
The Central government on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that extension of the Right to Education (RTE) Act beyond the elementary level is a "major policy issue" which could only be decided once a new government is formed after the general elections.
McGahn to defy subpoena for testimony, face contempt vote
House Democrats are facing yet another attempt by President Donald Trump to stonewall their investigations , this time with former White House counsel Donald McGahn defying a subpoena for his testimony on orders from the White House. A lawyer for McGahn said he would follow the president's directive and skip Tuesday's House Judiciary hearing, leaving the Democrats without yet another witness and a growing debate within the party about how to respond. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, backed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, is taking a step-by-step approach to the confrontations with Trump. Nadler said the committee would vote to hold McGahn in contempt, and take the issue to court. "You face serious consequences if you do not appear," Nadler warned McGahn in a letter on the eve of the hearing. Democrats are encouraged by an early success on that route as a federal judge ruled against Trump on Monday in a financial records dispute with Congress. But that hasn't been ...