Page 500 - Politics
US holds Iran scientist 'hostage' for seven months: Brother
The US has detained an Iranian scientist for nearly seven months for allegedly attempting to ship growth hormones, Iranian media said Sunday, quoting his brother as saying he is being held "hostage". Masoud Soleimani, 49, a professor and senior stem cell researcher at Tehran's Tarbiat Moddares University, left for the US on October 22, 2018, state news agency IRNA said. He was to undertake a six month study in the US, but was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Chicago airport, according to semi-official news agency ISNA. His visa was cancelled and he was transferred to Dayton prison in Atlanta, IRNA said. According to Iran's English language state-run channel Press TV, Soleimani was invited by the Mayo Clinic, a university hospital in Minnesota, to conduct a research programme. "For months we weren't given any clear answers until we managed to find out where he was by hiring a lawyer and following up," IRNA quoted Soleimani's brother, Rasoul, as saying. During ...
Bridegroom casts his vote in Manali, leads 'baratis' too to follow suit
Faced with the onerous responsibility of choosing his member of parliament and the life-partner on the same day, a Manali resident Sunday refused to shy away from either and fulfilled both with aplomb. Before proceeding to his bride's village for his marriage, Anil, 28, of Kothi village near Manali, led his entire 'barat' to the polling booth number eight in the city and cast his vote, besides making his wedding companions too do the same. "Anil cast his vote before proceeding for his marriage," said a district election official, adding the groom reached the polling with many of his 'baratis'. Decked in his wedding attire, complete with ornamental headgear, Anil reached the polling booth to a pleasant surprise of election officials, security personnel and fellow voters in the queue and cast his votes. Officials said as the groom, while awaiting his turn, faced some murmurs over possible delay in reaching the wedding venue in the neighbouring Palchan village at auspicious hour for the .
Yechury meets Rahul, Naidu; discusses post-poll scenario
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu here on Sunday.The meeting is seen as an effort towards forming an alternative government at the Centre if the BJP does not get enough numbers to retain power.Naidu on Saturday held discussions with parties opposed to the BJP. He met leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati in Lucknow.Naidu also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, CPI leader Sudhakar Reddy, and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav. He had flown to Lucknow for meeting the grand alliance leaders.Last night, he had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. None of the leaders, including Naidu, spoke to the media after the meetings.However, in a television interview, the TDP chief expressed confidence that the BJP would fall short of a majority and would be unable to form the government.
Over 46 pc polling till 4 pm in PM's constituency Varanasi
In the last phase of polling in the general elections, all eyes are on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi, where more than 46.53 per cent voting was recorded till 4 pm. Polling has been peaceful and no major incident of violence has been reported, said poll officials in Varanasi, from where Modi is seeking a reelection. According to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout app, 46.53 per cent polling was reported till 4 pm in the constituency. Maximum polling was recorded in the Sevapuri assembly segment (49.30), followed by 48.33 per cent in Rohaniya, 44.39 in Varanasi North, 47.11 in Varanasi South and 44.40 in Varanasi Cantt, as per the app. BJP veteran and former MP from here Murali Manohar Joshi was among the prominent faces who cast their votes. There are 18.54 lakh voters in the constituency where 1,819 polling booths have been set up, and 273 of them are categorised as 'critical'. There are 145 model booths and one pink booth, which will be staffed only by ...
Iran dismisses possibility of war amid US tensions
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war breaking out in the region amid rising tensions with the US, saying that Tehran doesn't want a conflict and no country had the "idea or illusion that it can confront Iran".
Who am I? Modi getting blessing from people of Varanasi: Joshi on PM's poll prospects
As people of this holy city voted on Sunday in the last phase of the Lok Sabha 2019 elections, former MP and veteran BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi said he is nobody to bless Narendra Modi, the party's candidate from this seat, as the prime minister has got blessings of the people here. Joshi, who won on BJP's ticket from Varanasi in 2009, was shifted to Kanpur in 2014 to make way for Modi to fight his Lok Sabha elections from this constituency in politically-significant Uttar Pradesh, but did not get a chance to fight the 2019 elections from any seat. After casting his vote here, Joshi was asked by reporters whether his blessing are with Modi, who is again in the electoral fray from Varanasi, to which he said, said, "Who am I?... People are blessing him." Joshi also visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Sankat Mochan temples here. He was BJP's president and a union minister in the NDA government from 1999 to 2004. He won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Kanpur and was also head ..
Sidhu damaging Congress with ill-timed comments: Punjab CM
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday criticized his Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for damaging the Congress with his ill-timed comments against him and the party leadership in the state.
Mirwaiz Umar ready to support India-Pakistan talks
Senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Sunday that the separatists were ready to support talks between India and Pakistan provided India accepted Kashmir as a dispute.
BJP fears 'massacre' after polls in West Bengal
The BJP has expressed apprehensions that there could be a "massacre" in West Bengal after polling for the last phase ends on Sunday evening and demanded deployment of Central Forces till the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes to an end.
Sidhu harming Congress with irresponsible actions: Amarinder
The simmering tension between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu was out in the open again on Sunday with the former accusing the cricketer-turned-politician of damaging the Congress with his "irresponsible actions" just before polls. Though Singh stressed that he had no personal differences with the Punjab tourism and cultural affairs minister, yet he said Sidhu was perhaps "ambitious" and "wanted to be the chief minister". "If he (Sidhu) was a real Congressmen, he should have chosen a better time to air his grievances, instead of just ahead of voting in Punjab," the chief minister said here. "He is harming the party with such irresponsible actions. It is not his election but that of the entire Congress's," he added. Singh's statement criticising one of his own ministers came on a day when all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab went to the polls. The chief minister was apparently referring to Sidhu's "rebellious" remarks in Bathinda on ...
56.5 pc polling till 3 PM in Chincholi, Kundgol
An estimated 56.5 per cent of the over 3.8 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 3 PM in the bypolls to Chincholi and Kundgol assembly constituencies. The polls were by and large peaceful except for some snags reported in VVPATs, which were changed. There were reports of EVMs developing problems in Chikkanarthi and Yalaguppi in Kundgol. However, the joint chief electoral officer A V Surya Sen refuted them and said 10 VVPATs in Chincholi and 2 VVPATs in Kundgol were changed. "No snags or stoppage of elections anywhere. All (complaints) were attended to," he said. The bypolls are crucial for both the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance and the opposition BJP with the latter maintaining that a victory for it would boost its numbers in the assembly and have political implications. The Chincholi bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Umesh Jadhav, who quit Congress and joined BJP to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls from Gulbarga, while Kundgol seat fell vacant ..
Villagers boycott poll in Himachal as govt failed to find solution to frequent floods
The voters of a village on the Sino-India border in Himachal Pradesh have boycotted the Lok Sabha poll as the government "failed" to find a permanent solution to frequent floods they face. Located at an altitude of 10,000 feet and around 350 km from state capital Shimla, voters at Geu village in Lahaul and Spiti district said they had been demanding their resettlement but their demands remained unheard. "We have to take the decision as none of the governments have found a permanent solution to frequent floods due to a nearby nullah," a villager said. According to the district election office, there are 167 voters registered at the village and none of them have voted so far. The district officials and election staff is in the village to persuade them to withdraw the boycott and exercise their franchise. Only five votes have been cast at the Geu polling station, that too were cast by the poll staff, a district spokesperson said. The five members of the poll staff do not belong to the ...
LS Polls: 63.58 per cent polling recorded in West Bengal till 3 pm today
West Bengal where Lok Sabha polls are being conducted across 9 constituencies, recorded 63.58 per cent polling till 3 pm on Sunday.The seats which go to polls in West Bengal today include Kolkata North, Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar (SC) and Mathurapur (SC).Large scale violence is being reported from different parliamentary constituencies of the state with Trinamool and BJP blaming each other for the violence. While vehicles of few leaders were vandalised in poll-related violence, BJP has also accused TMC of beating its office-bearers.BJP MP candidate from Jadavpur, Anupam Hazra said that the Mandal president of his party was beaten by 'goons' of TMC. BJP candidate for Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, Nilanjan Roy's car was also vandalised in Dongaria area of the constituency on Saturday.Voters in Basirhat and Jadavpurhave alleged that TMC workers are disrupting the election process by not allowing them to vote today.West Bengal .
For Iranians, economic crisis looms larger than US tensions
Across Iran's capital, the talk always seems to come back to how things may get worse. Battered by U.S. sanctions and its depreciating rial currency, Iran's 80 million people struggle to buy meat, medicine and other staples of daily life. Now they wonder aloud about America's intentions as it rushes an aircraft carrier and other forces to the region over a still-unexplained threat it perceives from Iran. The Associated Press spoke to a variety of people on Tehran's streets recently, ranging from young and old, women wearing the all-encompassing black chador to those loosely covering their hair. Most say they believe a war will not come to the region, though they remain willing to defend their country. They think Iran should try to talk to the U.S. to help its anemic economy, even as they see President Donald Trump as an erratic and untrustworthy adversary. "Trump is not predictable at all and one doesn't know how to react to him and what is the right thing to do against him," said ...
BJP leader Nirmal Singh's family continues construction near Army depot despite HC order: Officials
Construction of a building by senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh's family near an Army depot in the city's outskirts is near completion, despite the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directing them last year to maintain status quo at the disputed site, officials said. The high court on May 7 last year had asked them to maintain status quo until final disposition of an Army plea which has claimed that the building was in violation of laid down norms. A palatial building is nearing completion in Ban village despite the order, the officials said. Raising security and safety concerns in view of the building's proximity to an ammunition depot, the Centre had filed two petitions before the high court, but are still awaiting a proper hearing a year later. Efforts to seek a reaction from Nirmal Singh and his close aide did not yield result as repeated calls and messages remained unanswered. Singh had earlier claimed it was a political conspiracy against him. The piece of 2,000 square metre land was ...
One detained for sharing on social media his photograph of casting vote
One person has been detained here for allegedly posting his photograph on social media in which he can be seen casting his vote in the favour of a particular candidate in the Lok Sabha election.According to the district public relations office, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab had come across some media reports where some people had posted photos of a person casting his vote.Following which the district administration swung into action and checked voter list as well as the social media account of the person to trace his whereabouts. Subsequently, he was detained by the police.Police is investigating whether the photograph posted on social media was clicked by the accused or by some other person.Further investigation is underway.Voting is underway in 13 parliamentary constituencies of Punjab today in the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.A total of 918 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are in the fray in this last phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Polling .
46% polling in UP till 3 pm; SP-BJP clash
Over 46 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said. In Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term, the voter turnout was 43.71 per cent. "Till 3.00 pm, the turnout (across 13 seats) was 46.17 per cent," a state election office spokesperson said. Violence erupted in Chandauli Lok Sabha constituency, where state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey is seeking re-election, when supporters of the saffron party and the Samajwadi Party clashed. "The incident was reported from Parahupur Sikatiya village in Chandauli. A police team rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control," Additional Chief Electoral Officer B D R Tiwari said. A report from Chandauli said the fingers of Dalits had been inked before they could actually cast their vote in Tara Jivanpur village under Alinagar police station. "We have taken cognizance of the entire incident and an FIR has been registered. ...
Theresa May pledges 'new and improved deal' to save her Brexit plan
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday promised a "new and improved deal" that she hopes will see her controversial Brexit agreement through Parliament when it comes up for a fourth vote in the first week of June. Writing in 'The Sunday Times', May said it was "truly" decision time for MPs when the Withdrawal Agreement Bill returns to the House of Commons and claimed that she would not simply be asking them to think again but will be asking them to consider an improved package of measures that honours the June 2016 referendum result in favour of Brexit. "When the Withdrawal Agreement Bill comes before MPs, it will represent a new, bold offer to MPs across the House of Commons, with an improved package of measures that I believe can win new support," she writes. "I will not be simply asking MPs to think again. Instead I will ask them to look at a new and improved deal with fresh pairs of eyes - and to give it their support," she said. May, who is weighed down by mounting pressure
NPF to pull out of BJP-led govt in Manipur post polls
Naga People's Front (NPF) has said it will formally announce its decision to pull out of the BJP-led government in Manipur after the election process is over."The decision will be announced only after the election process is over. In principle, we had decided as far back as by February first week that we will withdraw support from the BJP-led government in Manipur. We are a registered political party under the Election Commission of India, therefore, we would like to see that the election process is over first before making the announcement," NPF spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said on Saturday.The withdrawal of the support by NPF will not impact the coalition since the party has only four MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. BJP which leads the coalition has 29 members in the House.The other parties in the ruling alliance led by N Biren Singh are NPP (4), LJP (1), Independent (1) and AITC (1).
Odisha, WB showing will take BJP to 300 LS seats: Vijaywargiya
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya Sunday claimed his party, on the basis of its "big electoral success" in West Bengal and Odisha, would win around 300 Lok Sabha seats, paving way for Narendra Modi to become prime minister again. He also debunked Chief Minister Kamal Nath's claim that the Congress would win 22 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. "I feel the BJP would win around 300 Lok Sabha seats. We are going to touch this figure as we are going to get big electoral success in West Bengal and Odisha," Vijaywargiya, the party's West Bengal in charge, told reporters here. "The government machinery, police and goons in West Bengal were on the same page and people are fed up of this as well as chief minister Mamata Banerjee's dictatorial attitude and the goondaism of Trinamool Congress workers," he alleged. He further claimed that after the results on May 23, Banerjee and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who are currently trying to bring about an anti-BJP