Page 509 - Politics
Mamata's nephew sends defamation notice to Modi
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's nephew and the party's Diamond Harbour constituency candidate Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sent a defamation notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Left's legacy blocking Tripura's growth: Deputy CM (IANS Interview)
The erstwhile Left Front government's "terrible 25-year legacy" in Tripura is hindering the BJP-IPFT alliance government's attempts to push development projects and welfare schemes, according to Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma.
Sudan army rulers say talks with protesters to resume Sunday
Sudan's army rulers announced talks will resume with protest leaders Sunday, four days after the generals suspended negotiations on implementing civilian rule in the country. "The Transitional Military Council announces the resumption of negotiations with the Alliance for Freedom and Change on Sunday at the presidential palace," the ruling army council said in a Saturday statement. World powers have urged the generals to resume meetings on Sudan's future leadership, following the ouster last month of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir after mass protest. Representatives from the United Nations, African Union and European powers "called for an immediate resumption of talks", said Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa. They called on both sides to "reach an agreement ASAP on an interim government that is truly civilian-led and reflects the will of the Sudanese people," Nagy tweeted Friday. The generals and protest leaders had been expected to come to an agreement on ...
Banerjee asks EC to ensure peaceful and impartial voting in
Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday wrote to the Election Commission to ensure "peaceful and impartial" elections in the state without the interference of the BJP. The EC should ensure that Sunday's polling is held without the "undue interference of the central government" and any "intervention by the ruling party at the Centre", Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister said. "In the final phase of the election tomorrow, I would request your good office to kindly ensure that election is completed peacefully, impartially and without any undue interference of the Central government and any intervention by the ruling party at the centre," Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora. She also requested the poll body to "protect democratic institutions and federal structure of the country and extend due respect to the opposition parties".
Air Vice Marshal meets J&K guv
Air Vice Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha, Air Officer Commanding, Jammu and Kashmir, met Governor Satya Pal Malik here on Saturday and briefed him on the role and responsibilities of the IAF in the state. The Air Vice Marshall called on the governor at the Raj Bhavan, an official spokesman said. He said the governor appreciated the professionalism with which the IAF is performing its duties here and the valuable support it provides to the civilian population living in remote areas and during emergencies.
Guilty of Gujarat, anti-Sikh riots should be punished: Badal (IANS Interview)
The guilty of both the Gujarat riots in 2002 and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 should be punished, Akali Dal patron and five-time Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Saturday.
Iran FM discounts prospect of war with US
Iran's foreign minister Saturday discounted the prospect of a new war in the region because Tehran opposed it and no party was under the "illusion" the Islamic republic could be confronted. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been on the rise as the United States has deployed a carrier group and B-52 bombers over what it termed Iranian "threats". "We are certain... there will not be a war since neither we want a war nor does anyone have the illusion they can confront Iran in the region," Mohammad Javad Zarif told state-run news agency IRNA at the end of a visit to China. US President Donald "Trump does not want war but the people around him are pushing him towards war under the pretext of making America stronger against Iran," Zarif added. Iran-US relations hit a new low last year as US Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for Tehran scaling back its nuclear programme. The head of Iran's powerful ...
Australian Labour leader concedes, resigns after shock poll defeat
Australian election favourite Bill Shorten conceded defeat after his Labour party suffered a shock defeat in national polls Saturday, saying he would resign as party leader. "It is obvious that Labour will not be able to form the next government", Shorten told disbelieving supporters in Melbourne. "In the national interest, a short while ago I called (Liberal leader, Prime Minister) Scott Morrison to congratulate him," he said.
CPI(M) urges EC to ensure free, fair polling in Bengal on Sunday
The CPI(M) has written to the Election Commission, urging it to deploy central forces present in West Bengal to build confidence among people for the final phase of voting on Sunday. It said the central forces are not being deployed for polling and the promised route marches by them are "not taking place". Polling for nine seats in the state is to be held on Sunday. Violence has marred polling in West Bengal during the previous six phases. It spread to the streets of Kolkata on Tuesday, when suspected TMC and BJP workers clashed during a roadshow of saffron party chief Amit Shah. A bust of polymath and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was damaged. Both the parties have blamed each other for its desecration. "Though central forces are present in the state, they are not being deployed to create confidence among people regarding the conduct of a free and fair poll. The promised route marches by the CRPF is not taking place. This should immediately be rectified and the CEC must ..
Sudan Islamists to rally against protesters' silence on sharia
Sudanese Islamist movements said they will rally Saturday against a roadmap by protesters seeking civilian rule that makes no mention of Islamic sharia law in the country. "The main reason for the mobilisation is that the alliance is ignoring the application of sharia in its deal" with the army rulers for installing a civilian administration, said Al-Tayieb Mustafa, who heads a coalition of about 20 Islamic groups. "This is irresponsible and if that deal is done, it is going to open the door of hell for Sudan," Mustafa told AFP. The army rulers and the Alliance for Freedom and Change that brought down veteran leader Omar al-Bashir are engaged in talks to set up a civilian rule in Sudan, but these negotiations have sidelined the Islamists. The alliance, an umbrella for the protest movement, last month handed the army rulers its proposals for a civilian-led transitional government. But the generals expressed reservations over the alliance's roadmap, singling out its silence on the ...
EC notice to MP Congress candidate for passing out 'Nyay' forms
The Election Commission on Saturday issued notice to Congress candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa, which goes to polls on May 19, for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by distributing and filling-up enrolment forms of the party's proposed "Nyay" scheme.
Ruling coalition in Australia likely to retain power: ABC
Australia's Liberal-National Party (LNP) Coalition led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison appears set to defy predictions by winning the federal election on Saturday, the country's national broadcaster said.
Naidu meets Akhilesh, Mayawati
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu Saturday met leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party here, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre. He reached the Uttar Pradesh capital in the evening after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav. The separate meetings with SP president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati take place a day before polling in the last phase of elections. The SP, BSP and RLD are in alliance in UP, taking on the BJP in the politically crucial state that sends 80 MPs to Parliament. The Telugu Desam Party chief is pitching for anti-BJP coalition to stake claim to form a government if the numbers permit. Naidu drove straight from Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh airport to the Samajwadi Party office. He was greeted with a bouquet by Akhilesh Yadav. The ...
Return of Iraq-Syria flights postponed: Damascus
Damascus said it had been informed Iraqi flights to Syria would not resume as planned Saturday after more than seven years, over what it said were "administrative" reasons. Iraq's national carrier, Iraqi Airways, said Thursday it would resume flights to Damascus for the first time since the Syrian civil war started in 2011. But the Syrian transport ministry on Saturday said it had been informed of the "decision to postpone the trip of two Iraqi Airways planes today... until further notice." The flights were postponed to allow for "the completion of some administrative and organisational steps between the company and the Syrian civil aviation" authority, it said in a statement on Facebook. It posted a photo of an urgent letter sent from the Iraqi embassy in Damascus the same day, informing the foreign ministry both flights had been deferred. The news comes as Iraq faces rising tensions between the United States and its neighbour Iran, and after the Pentagon deployed a carrier group ...
US warns airliners flying in Persian Gulf amid Iran tensions
US diplomats warned Saturday that commercial airliners flying over the wider Persian Gulf faced a risk of being "misidentified" amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. The warning relayed by US diplomatic posts from the Federal Aviation Administration underlined the risks the current tensions pose to a region crucial to global air travel. It came as Lloyd's of London warned of increasing risks to maritime shipping in the region. Meanwhile, oil giant ExxonMobil began evacuating staff from Basra, Iraq, where the US Consulate has been closed for months following a rocket attack America blamed on Shiite militias backed by Iran, local authorities said. The island nation of Bahrain also ordered its citizens out of Iraq and Iran over regional tensions. Concerns about a possible conflict have flared since the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran that has seen America order nonessential diplomatic staff out of ...
Pak foreign minister to discuss bilateral ties, visa issues with Kuwaiti leaders
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who arrived Kuwait on Saturday, will discuss bilateral relations, including visa issues, during a series of meetings with his Kuwaiti counterpart and other top leaders, Foreign office said here. Tension between Iran and US, talks with Taliban and regional security situation will also be discussed during Qureshi's two-day visit to the oil-rich nation. Earlier, before his departure, Qureshi told media that he was carrying a special letter of Prime Minister Imran Khan for the Emir of Kuwait. He expressed confidence that his visit will help to further strengthen relations between the two nations.
UK gets new weapons act, secures Sikh right to carry kirpans
The UK government has passed an amendment by which Sikhs in the country will be allowed to carry kirpans and use it during religious and cultural functions. 'The Offensive Weapons Bill' received the royal assent this week. The bill aims at tackling rising knife crime in the UK and it become an act of law after receiving the Royal Assent of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. The bill had been amended late last year to ensure that it would not impact the right of the British Sikh community to possess and supply kirpans, or religious swords. "We have engaged closely with the Sikh community on the issue of kirpans. As a result, we have amended the Bill to ensure that the possession and supply of large kirpans for religious reasons can continue," a UK Home Office spokesperson said. The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs had led a delegation to the UK Home Office to ensure that the kirpan remains exempt when the new bill becomes law. "I am pleased to see the government ...
YSRCP writes to EC, seeks free and fair counting of votes
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Saturday shot off a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking support to ensure free and fair counting of votes in the state.YSRCP national general secretary V Vijayasai Reddy, in the letter to EC, has alleged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has "trained some unruly elements and appointed them as their counting agents to disturb the counting process in case their candidates are trailing in the state."The development comes close on the heels of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launching a campaign against the ECI by terming the poll panel's decision to conduct re-polling at five polling stations under Chandragiri Assembly segment of Chittoor Lok Sabha constituency as "undemocratic."Reddy has further alleged that the TDP has instructed its counting agents to make all efforts to either delay or postpone the counting process."The manual or the instructions book provided by the TDP to its counting agents also states that counting observer has ...
Congress raps government, EC over Lavasa's plaint
The Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa's letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora regarding his dissent in EC decisions related to the model code of conduct (MCC) going unrecorded and asked whether it was "Election Commission or Election Omission".
PM addressed 142 rallies in all; 40% in UP, WB, Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 142 rallies during his marathon election campaign, devoting 40 per cent of these in the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha which have a combined seat strength of 143 Lok Sabha seats.