Page 601 - Politics
Door remains open for N Korea's return to nuclear talks: Biegun
The door for North Korea's return to negotiations remains open, said the US special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, during a courtesy call on South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha here on Friday.His comments come despite North Korea carrying out two rounds of projectiles launches, within the span of a week. This has cast a shadow on negotiations aimed at breaking the impasse in denuclearisation, according to Yonhap News Agency."While assessing (the current point) as a very crucial juncture to continue communication and cooperation between the South and the United States, Representative Biegun said that the door for North Korea's return to negotiations remains open," South Korea's Foreign Ministry quoted Biegun as saying.Seoul is undertaking efforts to provide food aid to the reclusive nation in a bid to give fresh impetus to denuclearisation talks, which came to a standstill following the breakdown of the second US-North Korea summit in Vietnam.The South Korean .
A 'do-or-die' battle for Khattar, Hooda in Haryana (Curtain Raiser)
BJP-ruled Haryana will go to the polls on all its 10 seats on May 12, the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election, in a do-or-die battle for Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his predecessor and 'marginalised' Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Mamata and Naidu hold closed door meeting on Mahagathbandhan
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has held a closed door discussion with his West Bengal counterpart Mamanta Banerjee in Kharagpur on future plans of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). The meeting between Banerjee and Naidu took place for over 15 minutes late Thursday evening, according to a well-placed source in the TrInamool Congress. The two leaders met and spoke about the future plans of the Mahagatbandhan. Naidu and Didi (Banerjee) also discussed about the TDP leaders meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi Wednesday, a senior TMC member told PTI. On whether Banerjee will be attending the proposed meeting of the opposition partioes likely to be held on May 21, the TMC leader said that the date of the meeting was yet not decided. Its not decided that the meeting will be held on May 21... it seems that it might be deferred by a couple of days and take place after May 23. Didi May be taking part in it, he said. Naidu and Banerjee ...
PM talks about Pak & other 'absurd' issues but never about problems of people: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Friday alleged that while farmers were suffering, Rs 5,50,000 crore of big industrialists were waived by the BJP government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friends recorded profits of Rs 10,000 crore in last five years. Addressing an election meeting here, she also hit out at Modi, claiming that he talks about Pakistan and other "absurd" issues, but never about the problems of the people. The Congress general secretary termed the present BJP government 'ahankari' (egotistical), alleging that it spreads anger, hatred and negativity. She alleged that when farmers of a number of states, including MP, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, went to Delhi for protests, the prime minister did not came out of his bungalow for five minutes to hear their grievances. "Now they are highlighting 'Kisan samman yojna' and promising Rs 6,000 per year. When Congress asked the government to waive loans of farmers, it was said that there is no money in the economy. "If ...
TIME magazine portrays PM Modi on its international edition
The TIME magazine has featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the cover of its international edition with a controversial headline and a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer" as the country enters the final phase of the mammoth general election. The American magazine's May 20, 2019 international editions - the Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and South Pacific - feature the Modi cover story with the main headline "India's Divider in Chief" while the US edition has a cover story on Democrat Elizabeth Warren who is running for the White House in 2020. The article "India's Divider in Chief" is written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer. It also said the opposition Congress party has little to offer other than the dynastic principle. The article "Modi the Reformer" is authored by Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, a global political risk research and consulting firm. The cover .
Puducherry power fray: SC notice to lawmaker on plea against Madras High Court order
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to Puducherry lawmaker K Lakshminarayanan on an appeal filed by the Union Territory's Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi against Madras High Court's order which curtailed her authority to act independently of the elected government.A division bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna heard the plea by Kiran Bedi, who moved the top court challenging High Court's order.In April, acting on the petition filed by Congress' Lakshminarayanan, the High Court ruled that the LG doesn't have rights to interfere in the daily affairs of the elected government and pressed that incessant interference from her would amount to "running a parallel government".In his petition, the lawmaker had sought quashing of two clarifications issued by the Union Home Ministry regarding powers of the LG.Bedi, in her defence, contended that the governance in the Union Territory came to a standstill following the order limiting her powers.On May 3, the former
Priyanka, Maneka come face-to-face in Sultanpur
It was a moment that neither of them had looked forward to and, expectedly, one of them looked away when the moment came.
2016 Jat agitation may swing votes in Rohtak
As the election campaign in Rohtak reaches in its final stage the people of this parliamentary constituency, which has been represented for long by both former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender, feel that votes in this election will be divided on the lines of the 2016 Jat agitation.
KCR will not be able to form federal front: Bandaru
Former Union minister and BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya on Friday asserted that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will not be able to form a federal front government as some of the regional political parties are either with Congress or with the BJP."KCR wants to make a non-Congress and non-BJP federal front. It will be not possible as some of the regional parties are either with Congress or with us (BJP). KCR is a kind of a person whom no one can predict. He is always anti-Congress in Telangana. He is like a cat on the wall."The statement from the BJP leader came just days after Telangana Chief Minister held meeting his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the formation of a federal front government post the Lok Sabha elections.Five of the seven phases of the general elections have concluded in the country. The remaining two phases are scheduled to be held on May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Voters to pick successor of Lithuania's popular 'Iron Lady'
Nine candidates are vying in an election Sunday to become Lithuania's next president, including a well-known economist, a former finance minister and the incumbent prime minister. Term limits require the Baltic country's current head of state, President Dalia Grybauskaite, to step down after two five-year terms. The election to choose the popular Grybauskaite's successor could go to a second-round vote. The campaign has focused on domestic issues such as the economy, corruption and social welfare, even though foreign policy and defense are two of the presidency's main purviews. The leading candidates include Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, 48; former banking economist Gitanas Nauseda, 54; and former Finance Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 44. In recent public opinion polls, Simonyte has been in front with support from more than 26% of likely voters, but Nauseda and Skvernelis aren't far behind. Along with picking their president, voters on Sunday face a referendum on a constitutional ...
CCTV in schools: SC issues notice to Delhi govt
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Delhi government on a PIL challenging its decision for the installation of CCTV cameras in government schools.The petitioner in its plea to the judicature has stated that installation of 1.5 lakh cameras in all the classrooms and live streaming of footage will have psychological pressure on children. Besides, he also cited privacy issues.A bench comprised of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna sought Delhi government's response within a span of six weeks.Moreover, the bench also refused to pass interim order on stay of the government's decision.
MP: Man barges into Block Office with hatchet to threaten govt official
A man on Thursday barged into Block Office of Damoh with a hatchet to threaten a government official for not releasing funds allotted to his father under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).The man's brother identified as Pramod Basor also accused the Block Coordinator Rohit Yadav of taking a bribe and not giving funds to the beneficiaries on time.PMAY, implemented in 2015, aims to fulfil the housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers through slum rehabilitation with the participation of private developers using the land as a resource and by providing affordable housing in partnership with public and private sectors.Besides, the scheme also provides subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction.
Highway curbs on civilian traffic in J&K only on Sundays
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday said civilian vehicles will be restricted on the Jammu-Srinagar highway only on Sundays.
Harsimrat Kaur dribbles on assembly turf in LS battle
Far away from the acrimonious exchanges between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister and key Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal Badal (SAD) has kept the focus of her campaign strictly local.
"Would RSS ever allow Modi to be PM if he was backward by birth?": Mayawati
BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday questioned if RSS would have allowed Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister if he belonged to the backward community and lashed out at him for "laughable and immature" allegations of casteism against the SP-BSP alliance.The former Uttar Prades chief minister, not for the first time, negated Modi's statement about his caste and said the country knows that Modi "is not OBC by birth"."When Modi is left with nothing against the SP-BSP alliance, he alleges us of being casteist, it is laughable and immature. How can those who suffered from casteism be casteist? He is not an OBC by birth, the whole country knows. He has not dealt with the caste discriminations. He should not say such things about our alliance," Mayawati said.The BSP leader accused Modi of "using casteism as a tool to fulfill is political aspirations"."Would RSS ever allow Narendra Modi to become PM if he belonged to backward class by birth? The country knows what RSS did to Kalyan Singh," ..
Akhilesh cancels his rallies in Azamgarh
A controversy has erupted over the cancellation of four rallies of the Samajwadi Party in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Will Rahul Gandhi oust 'Guru' Sam Pitroda for his 1984 remark: Arun Jaitley
Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday asked whether Congress president Rahul Gandhi will oust party's Overseas chief Sam Pitroda for his comment on the 1984 Sikh genocide that "It (riots) happened in 1984, so what?""Will the Congress President oust his 'Guru', who rubbishes the genocide of India's most patriotic community in 1984?" Jaitley tweeted."Sam Pitroda's 'Hua to Hua' reaction to the 1984 Sikh killings is reflective of the lack of remorse on the part of Congress Party with respect to the 1984 genocide," he wrote in another tweet."It is a matter of disgrace that the Congress Party has no remorse over the Sikh killings of 1984," he added.Pitroda, when asked about BJP's claim that instructions to 'kill' in 1984 had come from late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, said, "It (riots) happened in 1984, so what?"On the other hand, Pitroda accused the BJP of "twisting his words and distorting facts" to "hide their failures." He also said he had acknowledged the pain of Sikhs during the 1984 .
Priyanka meets clash victims in Amethi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid a surprise visit to Trishundi village in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh following reports of alleged atrocities on party activists by the police after a clash with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers.
Experts see Russia fingerprints on North Korea's new missile
The three new missiles North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has tested over the past week are eerily familiar to military experts: They look just like a controversial and widely copied missile the Russian military has deployed to Syria and has been actively trying to sell abroad for years. Ending a pause in ballistic missile launches that began in late 2017, and alarming North Korea's neighbors, Kim personally supervised the launch of the first missile from the country's east coast on Saturday and two more from the west on Thursday. All splashed down in the Pacific. The missiles were short-range and the launches do not mean Kim has decided to end his self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles that could reach the United States mainland. They do indicate, however, that Kim is methodically expanding the battle readiness of his missile forces and that could have a major impact on the safety of American allies and U.S. forces in the region. The missiles bear a strong resemblance to
India, Vietnam for peaceful Indo-Pacific region on basis of respect for national sovereignty: Naidu
India and Vietnam on Friday reiterated the importance of building a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region on the basis of respect for national sovereignty and international law as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart on a range of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Naidu, who is in the Southeast Asian country for a four-day official visit, said the two countries have a strong bilateral relationship based on mutual trust, understanding, convergence of views on regional and international issues. "I am very happy to be visiting Vietnam, a civilisational friend and trusted partner, a strategic pillar of India's Act East Policy and our key interlocutor in ASEAN," Naidu said. Vice President Naidu and his Vietnamese counterpart Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh reiterated the importance of building a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region on the basis of respect for national sovereignty and international law, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a .