Page 628 - Politics
Italy 'seeking political solution to Libyan conflict'
Rome, May 7 (IANS/AKI) Italy is spearheading a diplomatic push for a truce leading to a negotiated political settlement in war-torn Libya and has held talks on the crisis over the past month with key players Russia and Egypt, Premier Giuseppe Conte told Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj at a meeting here on Tuesday, sources said.
Battle between 'soft' and 'hard' Hindutva in Bhopal
The Bhopal Lok Sabha seat is under unprecedented national attention for the past few days as the debate between "soft Hinduism" versus "communal Hindutva" plays out in the electoral contest.
Palestinians turn to EU to counter Kushner plan
The Palestinians are asking the European Union to pick up the mantle in defense of the two-state solution if the upcoming US peace plan ditches Palestinian statehood, their UN envoy said Tuesday. President Donald Trump's administration is expected to unveil the long-awaited plan possibly as early as next month, but the Palestinians have already rejected it as heavily biased in favour of Israel. Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters that he urged European officials during recent meetings in Brussels to seize the initiative and not allow the United States to be the preeminent player in the Middle East peace process. The Palestinians urged the EU to call for an international conference that would reaffirm the global consensus of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reject the US approach. "We are engaging them," Mansour told reporters about his meetings with EU officials. "They have to act." "We would be extremely happy to show that there is more ...
UK concedes it must hold EU election amid Brexit delay
The British government on Tuesday acknowledged for the first time that the country will definitely take part in the European Parliament elections this month because there's no chance that a Brexit deal can be approved in time to avoid them. Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government had been desperate to avoid UK participation in polls for UK seats in the 751-seat European Union legislature. The vote in Britain on May 23 is being held almost three years after UK voters chose to leave the EU. But lawmakers have repeatedly rejected May's divorce deal with the bloc, and Britain's departure date has been postponed from March 29 until Oct. 31 while politicians scramble for a solution. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, the No. 2 in May's government, said "regrettably" it was no longer possible to get Brexit finished before the elections, which are being held across the EU from May 23-26. "We very much hoped that we would be able to get our exit sorted and have the treaty ...
Cong 'report card' on Kejriwal government alleges failure on governance front
The Congress Tuesday brought out a "report card" of the AAP government in the national capital, with the party's Delhi unit president Sheila Dikshit blaming the dispensation of "failure" on all fronts and taking credit for works done earlier by her party. The "report card" alleged that the Delhi government had failed on various fronts, including education, health, public transport, electricity supply and welfare schemes for poor, among others. "The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has been a total failure in delivering on its promises. It has taken credit for the works done by the Congress government during its 15-year rule in Delhi," Dikshit said. Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister of Delhi for three terms from 1998 to 2013. No reaction of the AAP was immediately available in this connection. Dikshit's former cabinet colleague and working president of the Delhi Congress Haroon Yusuf charged that in the last four years, the AAP government had built only nine schools despite the .
BJP leaders Dilip Ghosh, Sarma's convoy attacked in Bengal
The convoy of two prominent BJP leaders - Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and party's West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh - was attacked by alleged Trinamool Congress-backed goons in East Midnapore district on Tuesday but both were unhurt.
BJP submits multiple memorandums to EC
, The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday submitted four different memorandums to the Election Commission seeking strict steps against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Rahul seeks time till weekend to respond to EC show-cause
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has sought time till this weekend from the Election Commission to respond to a show-cause notice issued over his remark that the Narendra Modi government had enacted a new law which allowed tribals to be shot at. The commission is yet to take a call on the request, sources said. Last Friday, Gandhi had sought time till May 7 to respond to the notice, following which the EC had granted an extension. Citing his speech in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on April 23, the commission had on May 1 issued a show-cause notice to Gandhi, highlighting a provision of the model code of conduct which bars "unverified" allegations against political opponents.
Slain gangster's sister quits Akali Dal, joins Cong
In a setback to the Akali Dal, Rajdeep Kaur, the sister of slain gangster Jaswinder Singh Rocky, and his mother Harmander Kaur Tuesday quit the party and joined the Congress. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh welcomed Rajdeep into the Congress fold, a little over a year after she had joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. Rajdeep had contested the 2017 assembly polls as an independent from Fazilka constituency which comes under the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat from where SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal is contesting. She had polled over 38,000 votes. With more and more leaders and workers from other parties deciding to put their weight behind the Congress, the party was clearly dominating the Lok Sabha poll scene, Amarinder Singh said. I am happy to have Rajdeep join the Punjab Congress' efforts to clean the state of the destructive and divisive Akali forces, he added. If such was the extent of disillusionment in SAD chief Sukhbir Badal's own constituency, one could gauge which way the wind ...
Modi is workaholic, Rahul loves holidays: Amit Shah
Narendra Modi has been working 18 hours a day for around two decades without taking a leave, while Congress president Rahul Gandhi dashes off to undisclosed foreign destinations at the slightest discomfort, BJP president Amit Shah claimed here on Tuesday. Alleging that Gandhi is in love with the terrorists, he asserted that under Prime Minister Modi, their every 'goli' (bullet) will be retaliated with a 'gola' (mortar shell). "I have known Modi for a long time. For the past 20 years he has not taken a leave. He works 18 hours a day for the people," Shah told an election rally at Masaurhi that falls under Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 till 2014, the year he became the prime minister. "We also have Rahul Baba. Whenever the mercury rises a bit, he runs away to some country of his choice, often leaving even his mother wondering where his son is," Shah claimed. He flayed Gandhi for promising abolition of the sedition law and ...
FBI chief: No evidence of illegal spying on Trump campaign
FBI Director Chris Wray said Tuesday that he does not consider court-approved FBI surveillance to be "spying" and said he has no evidence the FBI illegally monitored President Donald Trump's campaign during the 2016 election. His comments at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing broke from Attorney General William Barr, who said last month that he believed the Trump campaign had been spied on during an investigation into potential collusion with Russia. Trump seized on that comment as part of his allegation that the investigation was tainted by law enforcement bias. Asked by Sen Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, if he would say the FBI is "spying" when it investigates suspected terrorists and mobsters, Wray replied, "Well, that's not the term I would use." He added: "I believe that the FBI is engaged in investigative activity, and part of investigative activity includes surveillance activity of different shapes and sizes. And to me, the key question is making sure ...
Russia's Lavrov to hold talks with Zarif on May 8
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow on Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday. The two diplomats, longtime allies on a number of issues including the Syrian conflict, will discuss "key issues of the international and regional agenda" as well as bilateral cooperation, the ministry said in a statement. "Cooperation with Iran is an important condition of ensuring our country's national interests" and stability in the South Caucasus and the Middle East, it said. Moscow has backed Iran since helping orchestrate the multi-country nuclear deal in 2015 under which Tehran agreed to halt its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. While Washington has pulled out from the nuclear deal, Russia argues that Tehran "remains a responsible participant", the ministry said. The United States on Monday warned it would deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the vicinity of Iran in response to "indications of a
My govt will complete tenure, says Goa CM
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Tuesday claimed his government will complete its tenure and said development of the state, especially welfare of the youth, will be the priority. Sawant was addressing BJP workers after inaugurating the election office of its Panaji bypoll candidate Siddharth Kunkolienkar. "Our government will complete its (remaining) tenure of three years. Our alliance partners like Vijai Sardesai (Goa Forward Party) and Independent MLAs are with us," Sawant said.
Will 'weaponise' youth if needed to protect Goanness: Sardesai
Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai Tuesday said "sometimes aggression is required to get things done" and warned his Goa Forward Party will "weaponise" the youth if clauses like domicile in government jobs are diluted. Sardesai was talking to reporters after inaugurating his party's new office in Panaji. The deputy chief minister was responding to a question on dilution of domicile clause by Goa University. Sardesai said, "We are willing to go anywhere to protect the interests of Goans. And if our government has made a mistake, then we will weaponise them (youth) to ensure that Goanness is protected." Sardesai said any attempt to dilute "Goanness" and sideline Goans in jobs or any other field in the state will be resisted. "Our youth front is aggressive enough, armed with our ideology, to question such moves which are disadvantageous to Goans," he said, adding that the youth will be a weapon to resist any move that robs Goans of rightful positions. "Aggression ...
Guterres lauds India's continued support to UN's counter-terrorism work
UN chief Antonio Guterres Tuesday appreciated India for its continued support to the world body's counter-terrorism work, as a flagship programme was launched to support member states to help prosecute suspected terrorists. The United Office of Counter-Terrorism launched the 'UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme' which is funded by India, Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Senior UN official Jelle Postma told PTI that India helped the UN agencies get the programme started with its contribution of USD 250,000, giving them a push in the right direction and now other donors are also stepping in. India's support was highly appreciated by the UN, he said. Postma said the United Office of Counter-Terrorism and other agencies involved in the effort are hoping to engage further with India to examine how this cooperation can be prolonged. It helps India as well to be more safe too, he said. Guterres referred to the recent terror attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka to ...
16 crorepatis in fray in phase six Bengal elections
Out of 83 candidates across parties contesting from the eight West Bengal seats in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, 16 have assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, while 28 have declared criminal cases against themselves, said a study released on Tuesday.
Congress workers burn effigy of Modi for his remarks against
Congress workers Tuesday took out a procession here and burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protest his "bhrashtachari no. 1" barb against former premier Rajiv Gandhi. At a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Modi had targeted the former prime minister while attacking Rahul Gandhi. "Your father was termed Mr Clean by his courtiers, but his life ended as bhrashtachari no 1," Modi had said. The procession by the Congress workers started from the party office here and moved through different parts of the city. The Congress workers chanted slogans against Modi and burnt his effigy near the Congress Bhavan. Tripura Congress Vice-President Tapas Dey and senior party leader Subal Bhowmik termed Modi's remark against Rajiv Gandhi as "ungraceful" and demanded an apology from the prime minister. "Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the enemies of the country. We condemn Modis remark as disgraceful, Bhowmik told reporters.
Bofors petitioner and fmr BJP leader campaigns against Modi in Varanasi
Former BJP leader Ajay Agarwal, who contested against Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in 2014 polls on BJP ticket Tuesday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against Rajiv Gandhi. Agarwal, a senior lawyer, said that no charge was ever proven in any court of the country against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors case and he was given a "clean chit". He claimed that he was representing the Bofors case as a petitioner in person in the Supreme Court against Hinduja brothers for the last 14 years and knows the minutest details of the case. Agarwal, who held a press conference along with Congress candidate Ajay Rai in Varanasi said he was camping in the temple town to campaign against Modi. He condemned Modi's challenge to the Congress to contest the remaining two rounds of the ongoing general elections in the name of Rajiv Gandhi and went on to accuse the prime minister of provoking Pakistan to start a war to reap electoral benefits. Agarwal also ...
No more Wednesday traffic curbs on J&K highway after May 13
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday decided to lift restrictions on civilian traffic on the Udhampur-Srinagar National Highway on Wednesdays from May 13 onwards.
Talk about AgustaWestland before Rafale: Sitharaman to Congress
Attacking the Congress for raising questions on the Rafale deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the opposition party must first give answers on the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and Backops before talking about the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the fighter jet deal.