Page 653 - Politics
Japan, Vietnam to further strengthen defence cooperation
Japan's Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc met here on Saturday and discussed ways to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.Japanese officials told The Japan Times that the two nations would promote exchange programmes for their defence industries while Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels will make port calls in Vietnam."Drawing on the results of this visit, Japan would like to strengthen ties with Vietnam and contribute to regional stability and peace," Iwaya was quoted as saying while addressing the press after the meeting that took place on the last day of his three-day visit to Vietnam.Last week, Iwaya and his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich held talks and agreed to seek a peaceful resolution for territorial issues in the South China Sea.China lays its claims on disputed waters of the Sea which is known for large stocks of fishes and possibly holds large oil and natural gas reserves.Japan is promoting ...
Brexit deal prospects in doubt in 'bad faith' spat
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday urged Labour to do a deal on Brexit this week, but the main opposition party accused her of acting in bad faith. May insisted the clobbering both main parties took in last week's English local elections increased the necessity of finding an EU divorce deal that a majority of MPs could get behind. However, Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell, who is leading for the left-wing party in the Brexit compromise talks with May's centre-right Conservative government, said he had no trust left in the prime minister. The Conservatives and Labour both lost ground in Thursday's English local authority polls as voters vented their frustration at the Brexit impasse dominating British politics. Opinion polls suggest they are on course for an even worse pasting in the European Parliament elections, which take place in Britain on May 23. May negotiated a withdrawal agreement with Brussels last year but British MPs repeatedly voted it down, with large ...
Biden offers a nickname for a nicknaming president: 'clown'
President Donald Trump has been quick to cook up derisive nicknames for his Democratic critics and rivals: "Crooked" Hillary Clinton, "Goofy" Elizabeth Warren and "Crazy" Bernie Sanders, among others. Now one of them has returned the favor. Former vice president Joe Biden, hitting the campaign trail Friday for the first time since joining a crowded Democratic field of presidential aspirants, has dubbed Trump a "clown." Biden -- or "Sleepy Joe" as Trump calls him -- offered the new nickname in response to a question raised at a small fundraising event in Columbia, South Carolina, according to a pool report and a readout from the Biden campaign. A supporter in the room asked Biden how he would respond to Trump's often insulting language, saying, "I want you to fight back; once he throws a nickname at you, you gotta throw a nickname back." Biden drew laughter when he replied: "There's so many nicknames I'm inclined to give this guy. You can just start with clown." Biden, a veteran of ...
Modi will go down in 2019 with Rafale taint: Sidhu
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, saying he had come to power in 2014 with a promise to clean the Ganga but will go down in 2019 with the 'Rafale' taint. Canvassing votes for the party's New Delhi candidate Ajay Maken, Sidhu also held a roadshow here. He claimed that the Modi government did not have a single achievement to its name and was deflecting from real issues. "In 2014, Modi said neither will he indulge in corruption, nor will he allow others to do so (na khaunga, na khane dunga) but he has done just the opposite," the Punjab minister said. He said Modi had made over 300 promises in 2014, including of cleaning Ganga river, generating two crore jobs per year and depositing Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, but none of this happened, Sidhu said. "He came to power in 2014 seeking votes to clean the Ganga, but he will go in 2019 with the Rafale taint," Sidhu said, referring to the allegations levelled by his party against Modi on ..
Agnivesh raps Modi, BJP for fielding Pragya Thakur
Swami Agnivesh has said voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, its candidate for the Bhopal parliamentary seat, will mean an insult to then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare' martyrdom.
Deadly escalation as Israel retaliates over Gaza rockets
Israel carried out waves of retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Palestinian rockets hit Israeli cities, in a deadly escalation that has shown no signs of slowing and raised fears of war. Gazan authorities reported 16 Palestinians killed, including at least six militants, by Israeli strikes in the fighting that began Saturday with massive rocket fire from the strip. Israel however disputed their account of the deaths of a pregnant woman and a baby, blaming errant fire from Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the enclave. Three people were killed in Gaza rocket and missile strikes on southern Israel on Sunday. Two were confirmed as Israeli, the army said. The flare-up came as Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockaded enclave, sought further concessions from Israel under a fragile months-old ceasefire. The Palestinian dead included a commander for Hamas's armed wing who Israel said it targeted due to his role in transferring money from Iran to militant ..
Can fight LS poll, if needed from UP, says Mayawati
Hinting at her Prime Ministerial ambitions, BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday said that she can enter the parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar constituency, "if and when needed".
US, Russia butt heads over Venezuela
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed Sunday for Russia to get out of Venezuela, while his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, called on Washington to "abandon its irresponsible plans" in the crisis-wracked country. The push and shove set the stage for a Pompeo meeting with Lavrov in Finland this week, and belied the conciliatory tone taken by US President Donald Trump on Friday after what he said was "a very good conversation" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The top level contacts follow the failure of a US-backed uprising this week aimed at ousting Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, which Pompeo has blamed on Russia. The secretary has said Maduro had been ready to flee to Havana but the Russians, who had flown military advisers to Caracas to shore up his socialist government, talked him out of it. "The Russians must get out," Pompeo said in an interview Sunday with ABC's "This Week." "I'm going to meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov in recent days. It's very clear, we ...
Country won't pardon Modi for remark against Rajiv Gandhi: Raj
MNS chief Raj Thackeray Sunday condemned Prime minister Narendra Modi's statement against late Rajiv Gandhi, saying the country will not pardon him for the remarks. During an election rally, Modi said Rajiv Gandhi was termed as "Mr. Clean by his courtiers, but died as corrupt no 1." In a tweet, Thackeray said, "Hatred, endless lying and absolutely no qualms in transgressing the decorum of public life are the three characteristics that mark the term of Narendra Modi." "This stands intensified with his latest statements against the late Rajiv Gandhi and the nation will definitely not pardon it," he said. The MNS chief had addressed a number of rallies across Maharashtra in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in the state, in which he lambasted Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and the party-led Union government over its policies.
Complainant has right to know about dissent in EC decisions: Former CECs
A dissent given by an election commissioner has to be noted in files and the complainant has a right to know whether the order passed by the Election Commission was unanimous, two former chief election commissioners said Sunday. Amid the controversy surrounding dissent by one of the election commissioners in giving clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in at least three cases and one to BJP chief Amit Shah, the two said every dissent needs to be out on record. "Whether a violation of the mode of conduct is found or not, the decision is usually communicated to the complainant by a secretary. But the communication should be clear that the decision was taken unanimously or by a majority," said one of the former CECs. He said the dissent note need not be sent along the communication, but the complainant has a right to know who dissented. "Like in the case of Supreme Court, the dissent should be uploaded on EC website," the other CEC said. He said dissent is part of internal ...
KCR to meet Kerala CM to discuss 'federal front'
With 18 days to go for Lok Sabha election results, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao is all set to resume his efforts for formation of a non-BJP, non-Congress government at the Centre with a meeting with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.
Rajiv Gandhi was 'India's biggest mob lyncher', says SAD's Manjinder Singh Sirsa
In remarks that could spark a row, Shiromani Akali Dal national spokesman Manjinder Singh Sirsa Sunday said former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was "India's biggest mob lyncher". Endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "bhrashtachari no. 1" against the late premier, Sirsa said Gandhi was the only prime minister in the world who "organised mob lynching against a particular community". "Prime minister Modi is right in saying that Rajiv Gandhi was corrupt number one, but he was also India's biggest mob lyncher," he alleged in a statement. Sirsa alleged that Gandhi not only encouraged genocide against Sikhs but also "protected and rewarded" those who were involved in it. He asked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to clarify why he has not accepted that his party was guilty and why has he failed to express sympathy with the families of victims of the 1984 riots. Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Modi had targeted the former prime minister while attacking Congress ...
China poses 'enormous challenge' to US: Pompeo
China poses an "enormous challenge" to the US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday as he dismissed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's comments on Beijing being a no threat to America. At an event in Iowa City on Wednesday, Biden, who is also a former US vice president, was dismissive of the growing threat that China poses to the United States. "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. They're not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They're not competition for us," he said. Biden's comments came days after a Pentagon report said that Chinese forces remain a growing threat, looking to "contest US military superiority". "He (Biden) seems a little disconnected from the reality that is China today. Maybe when he ran for president the first time this was the situation. But it's certainly not today. China poses an enormous challenge to the United States of America," Pompeo said in an interview on Fox news. Pompeo, however, said he agrees with Biden that "ultimately, .
LS poll trends show Cong, allies staring at defeat: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said for the first time since Emergency, people of the country are fighting elections to re-elect a government, adding trends of the first four phases of Lok Sabha polls show the Congress and its allies are staring at defeat. Speaking at a poll rally here, he alleged while the Congress displayed India's poverty to the world, his government has highlighted the nation's power. He told the gathering that he had come not to campaign for himself, but to thank the people for supporting him since 2014. "The entire world is seeing for the first time how the people of the country have taken charge of the campaign for this 'sevak'. Wherever I go and ask about elections, workers say the people are fighting the election for me," Modi said, adding people trusted him while the opposition abused him. "Probably, after 1977... after Emergency, this is the first election that the people of the country are fighting to re-elect a government. The youths are ...
'Love and a huge hug': Rahul replies to Modi's attack at Rajiv Gandhi as oppn blasts PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "bhrashtachari no. 1" barb against Rajiv Gandhi snowballed into a political storm Sunday, even as Congress chief Rahul Gandhi replied to him with "love and a huge hug" and said he should wait for his 'karma' to catch up. Gandhi said that though Modi was projecting his beliefs about himself onto Rajiv Gandhi, he would not be able to protect himself, and that the battle for him is over. Modi's remarks drew widespread condemnation from Congress and other opposition leaders who felt the prime minister lowered the dignity of his office by making such comments about a former PM, who is no longer alive. The BJP, however, said every word Modi had said about Rajiv Gandhi was true and that the Congress chief was rattled due to his party's imminent defeat in Lok Sabha polls. Union minister Prakash Javadekar cited the former prime minister's remarks about the 1984 riots to accuse him of "supporting" the massacre of Sikhs. The senior BJP leader also claimed he was ...
Uttarakhand CM announces financial assistance of Rs 5 crore for cyclone-hit Odisha
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday announced Rs 5 crore on behalf of the state government, as relief for cyclone-hit Odisha.Earlier today, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced financial assistance of Rs 11 crore from the Chief Minister Relief Fund for cyclone-hit Odisha.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynath and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also announced financial assistance of Rs 10 crores each for the state today.On May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Central government released Rs 1000 crores in advance to Odisha and other states to deal with the devastation caused by cyclone Fani.Cyclone Fani with a wind speed touching nearly 200 kmph made landfall at Puri coast on May 3 wreaking havoc in Odisha.
Cyclone Fani: AP govt announces financial aid of Rs 15 cr to
The Andhra Pradesh government Sunday announced a financial assistance of Rs 15 crore to cyclone-battered Odisha. "Odisha suffered heavy damages due to cyclone Fani. Helping the victims is a humanitarian need. All states should come forward and lend a helping hand to Odisha," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in a statement. He assured that AP would assist its neighbouring state by all means. The Chief Minister said the Real-Time Governance Centre of AP predicted precisely where the cyclone would make landfall. "We have constantly provided all information related to Fani to Odisha. Loss of human lives could be largely prevented because of the accurate forecasting," Naidu said. Meanwhile, the Odisha government requested Andhra Pradesh to supply 500 Syntex water tanks of 5000 litres capacity each and also iron electric poles. While promising to send water tanks, AP Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam told his Odisha counterpart that only cement poles were available in ...
Not in PM race, Modi to continue at top post: Gadkari
Making it clear that he is not in the race for the prime minister's post, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the ruling BJP will win more seats than it had won in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Narendra Modi will continue to be at the helm. "I have said it earlier also that I am not a prime ministerial candidate," he told reporters here in response to a query. The Union minister for road transport and highways, water resources and river development said, "The BJP will win more seats than the 2014 general election and Narendra Modi will again be the prime minister." Asserting that development was the only agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the ongoing national election, he said "we are fighting the polls to make the country a super economic power" and listed the works carried out by the Modi government. Gadkari claimed that what the Congress could not do in 50 years, the BJP had done in five years. Describing Hindutva as a way of life, he said the term does not mean ..
Punjab CM accuses Centre of denying gunny bags to state at Akalis' behest
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Sunday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "acting at the behest" of the Akalis to "deliberately" create shortage of gunny bags with an aim of obstructing the procurement process of wheat and defame the Congress government in the state. While Punjab, with its glut production of wheat, was being made to sweat it out for gunny bags, neighbouring Haryana was being supplied extra bags by the Centre to ensure smooth and streamlined procurement operations there ahead of May 12 polling, the CM was quoted as saying in a statement here. Singh claimed four lakh bags (16,000 bales) had been diverted from Punjab to BJP-ruled Haryana. "For the first time since taking over, the Congress government in Punjab was having problems in procurement due to the Centre's politically motivated actions in depriving the state of its much-needed supply of bags," Singh claimed, accusing the BJP-led central government of acting at the behest of its ally, the ...
Key constituencies in Phase 5 of Lok Sabha polls
A total of 51 seats will go to the polls on Monday in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections spread across seven states.