Page 566 - Politics
Britain warns US-Iran conflict could break out 'by accident'
Britain warned Monday that conflict might break out "by accident" amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with European Union powers backing the nuclear deal with the Islamic republic. The warning came as Saudi Arabia said that two of its oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks Sunday that caused "significant damage" to the vessels, one of them as it was heading to pick up Saudi oil to take to the U.S. Washington has warned ships that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf region and said it was deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran. "We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side but ends with some kind of conflict," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels. "What we
BJP seeks apology from Mayawati for making personal attacks on PM Modi
The BJP on Monday sought an apology from BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati for allegedly making personal comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.BJP also assured the BSP supremo that women in the ruling party are "absolutely safe, secure and have good professional relationships in the party."Expressing shock over Mayawati's remarks, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: "Absolutely disappointing and shocking for her (Mayawati) to speak so ill about the Prime Minister and his personal life and women in the BJP.""Behen Mayawati, please, be assured that we are all absolutely safe, secure and have good professional relationships in our party," she told reporters here."She has demeaned the stature of her own leadership. Only because of this comment, this shows that she has left no respect of any position or institution of this country. She should really apologise for having commented so badly both on the private life of the Prime Minister and in general about .
Opposition MLAs in touch with Goa BJP: Tendulkar
Two Opposition MLAs are in touch with the BJP and are likely to vote in favour of the BJP-led coalition government in Goa, once the Assembly session is called, said state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar on Monday.
Qatar distributes Gaza funds after flareup
Qatar began distributing millions of dollars in aid in the Gaza Strip on Monday in a fresh bid to restore calm after a flareup with Israel, a Qatari official said. Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas, along with an allied militant group, fired hundreds of rockets at Israel on May 4 and 5, saying they were frustrated by the slow implementation of a previous ceasefire deal. A new agreement was brokered which reportedly includes tens of millions of Qatari aid to Gaza as part of a package to ease Israel's crippling blockade of the strip. The Gulf state, a rare Hamas ally in the region, has been providing millions in aid to the strip monthly since November. Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi entered Gaza early Monday, the Qatari source told AFP on condition of anonymity. "This morning, the distribution of a cash aid of 100 dollars per poor family began," he said, adding it was destined for 108,000 families. Hundreds of Palestinians waited at post offices in Gaza City to receive the $100 cash ...
Cong raises concern over handling of EVMs after voting in North East Delhi seat
The Congress has expressed concern over the way electronic voting machines (EVMs) were transported to strongroom in Nand Nagari in the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency after voting on Sunday evening. The party alleged that vehicles carrying EVMs were off-loaded on the road around 200 metres away from the strongroom. "I was shocked the way the EVMs were carried to the strongroom. There was no system and thousands of EVMs were off-loaded in the middle of the road which raised question over their safety," said Latika Dikshit, the election agent and daughter of Congress's East Delhi candidate Sheila Dikshit. Delhi Congress's media committee member Parvez said the party had complained to the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi, but no action has taken so far. "We will lodge a formal complaint on Tuesday," he said. Dikshit is up against Delhi BJP president and sitting MP Manoj Tiwari and AAP's Dilip Pandey in a triangular contest in the North East parliamentary ...
KCR meets Stalin, DMK calls it courtesy call (2nd Lead)
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday had an hour-long meeting with DMK President M.K. Stalin here but it appeared that his proposal for a non-BJP, non-Congress coalition didn't have takers.
Final phase of Telanganacivic polls Tuesday
The third and final phase of polling for Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) and Mandal ParishadTerritorial Constituencies (MPTC) elections would be held Tuesday, the state Election Commission (SEC) said Monday. The polls would be held from 7 AM to 5 PM, except in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas, where it would conclude an hour early at 4 PM, the SEC said. The election is being held for 161 ZPTCs, for which 741 candidates are in the fray. Officials said polling would be held for 1,738 MPTCs, with 5,726 candidates. The Commission last month released the election schedule for 5,817 MPTCs and 539 ZPTCs. The first phase and second phase were held on May 6 and May 10 respectively. Around 1.56 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections to two upper tiers of local bodies. The elections are being held through ballot and counting would be held on May 27, officials had earlier said. After the ZPTC and MPTC polls, Mandal Praja ...
BJP slams Mayawati for personal attack on Modi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit out at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati for her personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's remarks were made out of frustration as her defeat in Lok Sabha polls was imminent.
Kashmir leaders rattled by Balakot air strikes, says Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Jitendra Singh Monday said that Kashmir-centric leaders are rattled by the Balakot air strikes and are unable to digest the countrywide popular support received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first-of-its-kind anti-terrorist action launched against Pakistan in the past 70 years. His assertion came in response to recent tweets by National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on the prime minister's remarks that cloud cover "helped" IAF planes evade Pakistani radars during the Balakot strikes. Singh said that much harm has been done to the country by these Twitter-savvy activists who consider themselves to be "know-alls". In an interview to a private news channel aired on Saturday, Modi said he relied on his "raw wisdom" to dispel doubts of defence experts who wanted the air strikes to be deferred due to inclement weather. "The weather was not good on the day of air strike. There was a thought that crept in .
Mayawati's attack on Modi reveals her anxiety that grand alliance is going nowhere: BJP
Slamming BSP supremo Mayawati for her personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP Monday said her comments have revealed that she is facing an "imminent political failure" in the Lok Sabha elections and that she had "no respect" either for women or any institution. BJP leader and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Mayawati instead of answering political questions raised by Modi on the rape of a Dalit woman in Rajasthan resorted to personal attacks, showing her anxiety that her party's grand alliance with the SP in Uttar Pradesh is "going nowhere". Mayawati should apologise, the Union minister demanded at a BJP press conference in which another party leader Bizay Sonkar Shastri accused the BSP chief of corruption, claiming that companies linked to her family members have become a conduit to launder her "black money". Sitharaman described the BSP supremo's statement as "absolutely disappointing and shocking", and asked if she believed she was the "only Dalit in the ...
Pompeo crashes Brussels meet of EU allies for Iran talks
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called off a trip to Russia and instead made an unscheduled visit to Brussels on Monday to hold talks with European Union officials on Iran amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, officials said.
'Divider in-chief' title to Modi is right: Kamal Nath (IANS Interview)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday said that the title 'Divider in-chief given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Times magazine was right and feels that the publisher was in fact kind to him.
11 small Thai parties support army-backed candidate for PM
Eleven small political parties in Thailand have announced they will support the military-backed candidate to form the next government, seven weeks after the country's first general election after five years of army rule. Their announcement Monday came after no single party won an absolute majority in the March 24 polls. The military-backed Palang Pracharath party won 115 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, while its rival, the Pheu Thai party associated with self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won 136. Palang Pracharath is seen as a proxy for the military, which seized power in a 2014 coup. Coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has been prime minister in the military government, and is Palang Pracharath's candidate to remain in office as head of an elected government.
Mayawati makes personal remarks against PM, BJP says she is unfit for public life
Unleashing a flurry of personal attacks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BSP supremo Mayawati alleged that he "abandoned his innocent wife for political gains", drawing angry reaction from the BJP which called her "unfit for public life". Mayawati also alleged that women in the BJP are scared of their husbands meeting the PM fearing they might "abandon their wives like him" and that Modi deserves the abusive language used against him by the opposition. With the Prime Minister daring her to withdraw support to Congress government in Rajasthan over the Alwar gangrape case, the BSP supremo, in a statement, accused him of playing "dirty politics" over the incident. "It is extremely shameful. How can he respect others' sisters and wives when he has abandoned his own innocent wife for political gains?" she said. "I have come to know that in BJP, married women leaders get scared when they see their husbands in Modi's close proximity. They fear that like Modi they might also abandon ...
Haasan's tongue should be cut off, says AIADMK minister
Makkal Needhi Maiyam founder Kamal Haasan's tongue should be cut off for saying that free India's "first extremist was a Hindu", Tamil Nadu Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji said Monday. Bhalaji, a senior AIADMK leader, also sought a ban on MNM for "sowing violence" and demanded that the Election Commission of India act against Haasan. "His tongue should be cut of..he has said (free India's first extremist) was a Hindu. Extremism has no religion, neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian," the State Minister for Milk and Dairy Development told reporters here and accused Haasan of "acting" to garner minority votes. "He is acting and making such remarks to garner minority votes...," he said. Bhalaji, known for his outspoken remarks on various issues, charged the actor-politician with "spewing venom," and accused the latter of making such comments to "satisfy someone." "Why are you spewing venom. Every word (Haasan utters) is venom. Haasan's party which is sowing violence should .
J-K: JeM terrorist held; arms and ammunition recovered from him
A Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday from Dooru area in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.The arrested terrorist was identified as Hilal Naikoo.The police also recovered arms and ammunition from his possession.An investigation is the matter is underway to probe his complicity in terror crimes, police said.
BJP accuses Congress leader DK Shivakumar of distributing cash to voters
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has written a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Monday accusing cabinet minister in the Karnataka government DK Shivakumar of distributing cash to voters, leaders and administrative staff."This is to bring to your kind notice that D K Shivakumar, who has camped at Kundgola has been distributing cash to voters and the leaders. He is presently staying in Hotel Cotton County opposite to Airport Hubli and at Hotel Dennison and thereby he has been distributing cash to the community leaders and other local influential persons to distribute the same to the voters," the letter reads.The letter further expresses that this action by Shivakumar, who is a Congress stalwart, will have an impact on the result of the elections as even the officials are under his influence."He has been influencing the officials including police to work for Congress party. Since DKS is sitting minister, the officials are also supporting the distribution of cash. Hence we ..
Only BJP can build Ram temple, says Muralidhar Rao
No party other than the BJP can build the Ram temple in Ayodhya, senior party leader P Muralidhar Rao asserted while describing it as the party's "commitment" in "new India".
Ex-Armenia president goes on trial, rejects 'coup' charges
Armenia's jailed former president went on trial Monday over what prosecutors describe as a coup that led to bloody protests but he insists is a politically motivated case. Robert Kocharyan led the ex-Soviet nation for a decade up to 2008 when his hand-picked ally Serzh Sarkisian was elected. He stands accused of tipping those presidential polls in Sarkisian's favour and faces charges of "overthrowing the constitutional order". Dozens of Kocharyan's supporters rallied Monday outside the Yerevan city court, holding placards that read "Kocharyan is a political prisoner" and "Political vendetta." Hearings started at 1000 GMT in a tiny courtroom packed with journalists. Dressed in a grey business suit, Kocharyan looked unperturbed and smiled at supporters in the audience who shouted "Freedom". The 64-year-old told AFP the case was brought against him because of new leadership that pushed out his successor in a popular uprising last year. "What is happening to me is nothing less than ...
Panaji candidate framed in rape case: Congress
The Goa Congress' women's wing here on Monday alleged that Atanasio 'Babush Monserrate, the party candidate for the Panaji Assembly by-election, has been framed in a 2016 case of minor's rape, and accused the BJP-led coalition government in the state of vindictive politics.