Page 556 - Politics
20,000 settler homes started in decade of Netanyahu rule: NGO
Israel has begun building nearly 20,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank during the past decade of Benjamin Netanyahu's premiership, settlement watchdog Peace Now said Tuesday. The group's annual settlement report highlighted how the issue complicates the chances of resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It said that construction of 19,346 settler homes had started between 2009 -- the year that Netanyahu became prime minister for a second time -- and the end of 2018. "The Israeli government is digging the country a pit to fall in," said a Peace Now statement accompanying the report. "Even if the government does not believe that peace can be achieved in the near future, there is no logic to expanding the settlements and making the solution impossible." The report was published as Netanyahu was on track to begin a fifth term after April's general election and the White House prepared to unveil a peace proposal it has been working on for months. Details have been kept under ...
Mamata responsible for poll violence in West Bengal: Rajnath
The BJP Tuesday attacked the West Bengal government over incidents of political violence in the state, with Home Minister Rajnath Singh holding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee "responsible" and alleging that anarchy existed there. The party also targeted Banerjee over the arrest of its youth activist Priyanka Sharma for sharing a meme of the chief minister, and Union minister Arun Jaitley likened her to a dictator who does not like people laughing at her. "Humour, wit, sarcasm survive in a free society. They have no place in autocracies. Dictators laugh at people. They don't like people laughing at them. Bengal, today is a case in point," Jaitley said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed immediate release of Sharma on bail and asked her to tender a "written apology" at the time of her release from jail for sharing the meme. At a press conference, Singh in reply to a question, said freedom of speech does not mean "abusing" somebody, but added to another question that all sorts of ...
India to host part of International Army Games for first time
In a first, India will host a part of an international military sports event in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer over nine days in August, in a bid to promote bonhomie among the participating countries, Army officials said Tuesday. International Army Games, organised by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, have been taking place since 2015 and sees participation of close to 32 countries. In 2019, it is proposed that the International Army Games will have 32 disciplines to be hosted by 10 countries -- Russia, India, China, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, they said. India will host the fifth Army International Scout Masters Competition as part of the games, an official said. The India leg of the event is being held at the culturally rich golden city of Jaisalmer, nestled in the Thar desert. "A total of eight countries -- Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Belarus, China and India -- will participate in this leg. The competition
Amarinder behind denial of LS ticket to me: Navjot Kaur Sidhu
Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu stoked a controversy Tuesday, alleging that it was Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and party general secretary in-charge for Punjab Asha Kumari who ensured that she was denied the Lok Sabha ticket from Amritsar. Captain Sahib and Asha Kumari think Madam Sidhu does not deserve an MP ticket. I was denied the ticket from Amritsar on the ground that I could not win in the aftermath of the Dussehra train tragedy in Amritsar last year, she told reporters in Amritsar on Monday. Kaur, wife of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, said the chief minister thought that he was alone capable of leading the party to victory in all 13 seats of Punjab. Look, Amarinder Singh is our junior captain. Rahul Gandhi is our senior captain. Our junior captain has said he would win all 13 seats by himself," she said, indicating that she might not campaign for the party in the state. Captain Sahib will do the campaigning. Asha Kumari is also a star campaigner. Sidhu sahib will go .
DMK treasurer Duraimurugan meets AP CM Chandrababu Naidu
: DMK treasurer and senior party leader Duraimurugan called on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu here Tuesday in what was termed as a 'private visit' by the Telugu Desam Party. The meeting came a day after TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao called on DMK chief M K Stalin in Chennai and discussed with him, his proposal for a Federal Front. Duraimurugan's 'unscheduled' visit assumed political significance as DMK has refused to support the TRS' proposed Federal Front. The DMK leader, who had come with his family, refused to speak to waiting mediapersons after the meeting. Naidu has over the past few months been engaged in a one-upmanship with Rao over their roles in national politics. The TDP chief has been claiming he was the one who brought non-BJP parties onto a single platform at the national level. On the other hand, Rao has seeking the support of regional parties to forge a Federal Front that doesn't have either the BJP or the ...
Goa Cong's sedition charge shows its 'double standards': GFP
The Goa Forward Party Tuesday accused the Congress of "double standards" after a office- bearer of the latter filed a complaint with the Election Commission accusing GFP president Vijai Sardesai of sedition. GFP vice president Mohandas Lolienkar said North District Youth Congress chief Vivek D'Silva had accused Sardesai of sedition though the law is being opposed nationally by the opposition party and its repeal is one of its manifesto promises. D'Silva had filed a formal complaint with the EC over Sardesai's comment that he would "weaponise" youth if the state's "Goanness" is diluted. D'Silva's complaint contended that Sardesai's comment was "against the state" and "an indirect attempt to threaten voters" in Panaji Assembly constituency scheduled for a bypoll on May 19. "The Congress is adopting double standards on the issue. The party's complaint has quoted the same section (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code which it is opposing nationally," Lolienkar said. He asked .
Yeddyurappa rubbishes Congress claims about switching over of BJP MLAs
Ruling out any possibility of BJP MLA's switching over to Congress after the May 23 Lok Sabha poll results, as claimed by AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, the saffron party's state chief B S Yeddyurappa Tuesday dared him to spell out the number of seats the Congress party would win in Karnataka. The former Chief Minister also stated that the rift between the ruling coalition partners in Karnataka would intensify after the Lok Sabha poll results are declared. "What does Venugopal know about Karnataka? Which corner of Karnataka has he visited? I want to ask Venugopal how many seats you will win..tell me if you have the guts. Your's is a coalition government... tell us- you will win these many number of seats," Yeddyurappa said. Claiming that BJP would win a minimum of 22 out of 28 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, he said, "I challenge him, let Venugopal say how many seats Congress will win, leave JD(S). Their (Congress) true colors will come out." In response to a question by ...
Sudan talks resume after shootings cloud breakthrough
Protest leaders resumed talks with Sudan's military rulers on Tuesday seeking to build on a political breakthrough overshadowed by deadly shootings at a long-running protest sit-in outside army headquarters. The protest movement is demanding a civilian-led transition after 30 years of ironfisted rule by president Omar al-Bashir but the generals who toppled him have been pushing for a continuing leadership role. An army major and five protesters were killed by unidentified gunmen at the Khartoum sit-in late on Monday just hours after the two sides announced they had reached agreement on the structure and powers of the bodies that will oversee the transition. The Alliance for Freedom and Change -- the protest movement umbrella group that has been negotiating with the military council -- said the shootings were an attempt to "disturb the breakthrough" and blamed militias still loyal to Bashir's regime. The military council said that it had "noticed some armed infiltrators among the ...
India bans LTTE for another five years
The Indian government has extended for another five years its ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, it was announced on Tuesday.
Alwar gang-rape: Javadekar demands Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's resignation
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Tuesday demanded resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for the "delay" in initiation of action in the Alwar gang-rape case, which, he alleged, was done for political gains during the Lok Sabha elections. On April 26, a woman was travelling with her husband on a motorcycle when the accused stopped them and took them to an isolated place off the road. They allegedly beat the husband and raped her in front of him, threatening them of dire consequences. Her husband claimed that he had approached Rajasthan police on April 30 after the incident, but an FIR was filed on May 7. He had alleged that the police did not take action saying that they were busy with elections. At a press conference here, Javadekar said, "Congress president Rahul Gandhi is said to start touring the state in the coming days. He should ask Gehlot to resign as chief minister. Gehlot is also the state's home minister and it is not possible that he was not informed about ...
Modi tears into Cong, says nation saying Ab bas ! Bahut hua
Lambasting the Congress over Sam Pitrodas hua to hua remark on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said the nation is fed up and is saying "ab bahut hua" (enough is enough). Modi charged that Pitroda's comment was a reflection of the partys arrogance with which it has been shrugging off its misdeeds committed when it was in power. The three words hua to hua (whatever happened, happened) uttered by the guru (Pitroda) of the Naamdaar (Rahul Gandhi) in front of TV cameras sum up their (Cong) attitude. This is the way they have brazened it out whenever their regimes have been discredited by corruption scandals, Modi told an election rally in Sasaram. The nation is fed up and crying out ab bahut hua (now, enough is enough)," he said. The people are fed up with their dynasty politics, their corruption and arrogance. "The message on May 23 when counting of votes is scheduled, will be loud and clear, Modi said evoking chants of phir ek baar Modi ...
Cong condemn's Mani Shankar Aiyar's comments on Modi, slams PM for lowering discourse
The Congress on Tuesday condemned the remarks of its leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but also accused the PM of lowering the political discourse by using "downright insulting" and "abusive language" against his political opponents. Aiyar was back in the news on Tuesday with an article justifying his "neech" jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years ago, prompting the BJP to call him "abuser-in-chief" and his party arrogant. Aiyar also called Modi the most "foul-mouthed" prime minister the country has seen. Reacting to Aiyar's remarks at a press conference, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that hatred, violence and abuse is the modus operandi of the BJP and not of the Congress. "We have seen how in the last five years, including in the current election, rage and revenge has blinded Narendra Modi in using completely unacceptable, downright insulting, abusive language for his political opponents," Surjewala said. The "truth" is ..
SP-BSP-RLD alliance predicts 'bad days' for BJP after results
The SP-BSP-RLD alliance on Tuesday predicted "bad days" for the Bharatiya Janata Party after the Lok Sabha election results on May 23, claiming that even the foundation of the saffron party would not be visible because of the "alliance storm". Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati said: "From May 23, the bad days of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will start." Preparations will also start for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's return to Gorakhpur mutt, Mayawati said at the rally that was also attended by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. "Ever since the BJP has got an inkling of the results, its leaders have lost their sleep. The pale and long-drawn faces of their leaders clearly indicate that the BJP and the Modi government are going out of power," Mayawati said. "The theatrics and rhetorics of the BJP will not serve any purpose." Yadav, meanwhile, said the alliance would get massive ...
Poverty, honesty pushed me to work for poor: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the people of the country were his family and that a life of poverty and honesty empowered him to do something for the poor.
30 crorepatis in fray in last phase Bengal polls
Of 111 candidates across parties contesting from the nine West Bengal seats in the seventh and the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, 30 have assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, while 23 have declared criminal cases against themselves, said a study on Tuesday.
Rahul Gandhi mocks Modi's 'cloud cover' remark
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 'cloud cover' theory on the Balakot air strike, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked Modi if all planes go out of the radar screen when it rains in India.
Montana Gov. Bullock joins 2020 Democratic presidential race
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, distinguishing himself among nearly two dozen candidates as the field's only statewide elected official to win a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2016. The 53-year-old governor is running as a centrist Democrat who has advanced party values while navigating a Republican legislature and a GOP-leaning electorate. Bullock made his candidacy official in a video that capped months of speculation fueled by his political activity in Iowa, which hosts the nation's first presidential caucus next February. He plans to address supporters later Tuesday in the state capital, Helena, where he grew up not far from the governor's mansion. "What we need to do is get the country back on track, make sure everybody has a fair shot at success," he told The Associated Press in an interview before launching his campaign via online video. "I've been able to get meaningful things done that ...
BJP leader blames Siddaramaiah for "crisis" in Cong-JDS
Holding senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah responsible for the current political crisis in Karnataka, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar Tuesday claimed that the Congress-JD(S)coalition government would fall anytime after May 23. The BJP leader even accused Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, of having fixed a "time bomb" in the government. "I have been saying from the beginning that this government may fall any time. Those signs are now very much visible. The person who has fixed the time bomb for this government is Siddaramaiah. He has kept it ready for May 23," Shettar said. BJP leaders have been saying that once the Lok Sabha election results are out on May 23, the countdown for the current government would begin. "Siddaramaiah is responsible for the current crisis. It is a conspiracy to pull down Kumaraswamy government and become chief minister again," Shettar told reporters at Hubballi. He even accused Siddaramaiah of supportingactress Sumalatha, widow of ..
Akhilesh, Mayawati don't know much about Dalits and backward castes in UP: Rajbhar
Nimbly crisscrossing political lines, SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar is the BJP's disgruntled ally in Uttar Pradesh who proclaimed his support for the SP-BSP and now seems disenchanted with the 'mahagathbandhan' too. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati don't even know the number of backwards and Dalits in the state, Rajbhar told PTI. The Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), the BJP's ally in Uttar Pradesh, is contesting against the saffron party. The party, which has influence in eastern Uttar Pradesh, is contesting 35 seats and has extended support to the grand alliance in Maharajganj, Bansgaon and Sant Kabir Nagar and to the Congress in Mirzapur. Rajbhar, who is still a cabinet minister in the BJP-led government in the state, said he will take a final call on his party's alliance with the BJP after the polls. In a disparaging reference to Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, Rajbhar said, "They don't even know how many Dalits and backwards castes ..
After wife says he won't campaign, Sidhu shares stage with Priyanka
Hours after his wife claimed that he won't campaign for the Congress in Punjab, Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu shared the stage with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday threatening a "knockout punch" to the Badals.