Page 666 - Politics
Dozens of rockets fired from Gaza, Israeli response kills one
Gaza militants on Saturday fired dozens of rockets at Israel, which responded with strikes that killed a Palestinian, officials said, as another escalation between them threatened a fragile ceasefire. The latest flare-up came with Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockaded Gaza Strip, seeking further concessions from Israel under the ceasefire. Israel said around 150 rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave by late Saturday afternoon and its air defences intercepted dozens of them. One woman was seriously injured in a rocket strike on the Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, some 20 kilometres from the Gaza border, police said. Police said a man was also hospitalised in the city of Ashkelon and spoke of other injuries without providing details. A house near Ashkelon was damaged, while other rockets hit open areas. The Israeli army said it had targeted two rocket launchers in Gaza with an air strike in an immediate response and its tanks and planes later hit some 30 military ..
Erdogan calls for Istanbul vote to be re-run
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called for the opposition's local election victory in Istanbul to be declared invalid and the vote re-run, increasing the pressure on the country's electoral authorities. "Clearly, there were irregularities and corruption," Erdogan said in a speech at a business leaders' meeting. "If the Supreme Electoral Council could dissipate all this, that would ease the conscience of our fellow citizens," he added. The electoral body, the YSK, is due to meet on Monday to examine a request by Erdogan's AKP party to cancel the result of the March 31 local elections which the party lost in Istanbul, where the main opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu won the mayoral race by a tight margin. Several partial recounts have so far supported the initial results in both Ankara and Istanbul, with the main opposition CHP party calling Erdogan a "bad loser" willing to do anything to hold on to power in the country's economic capital. Observers attribute the ...
Campaigning ends for phase 5 of Lok Sabha polls
Campaigning ended Saturday evening for elections to 51 Lok Sabha seats in six northern and eastern states besides the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh in the fifth phase on May 6 with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Smriti Irani, Jayant Sinha and Arjun Ram Meghwal and top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and among those in the fray. Polling will be held on Monday in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 12 in Rajasthan, seven seats each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Jharkhand and two seats in Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaigning, holding several rallies. BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of Union ministers among others also canvassed for their party candidates in the past few days, undertaking whirlwind tours of constituencies. In West Bengal, the BJP candidate from Bongaon (SC) seat, Shantanu Thakur, was injured in a road accident. A police van lost control and hit ...
Congress flays Goa CM for playing petty politics
The Congress here on Saturday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to play "petty politics" with the office of Speaker and claimed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was working to appoint a pro-tem Speaker of his choice to settle scores with his BJP arch rival Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, currently facing a disqualification petition.
Sisodia takes on PM Modi, Shah after Kejriwal is slapped during roadshow
Blaming BJP for the assault on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Saturday asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party chief Amit Shah wanted to get Kejriwal killed."The cowards who could not break his morale and defeat him in the elections, now want to get rid of him by employing such methods. This Kejriwal will bring your doom, cowards," tweeted Sisodia.The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also termed the incident as another "negligence in the security" of CM Kejriwal."Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal got attacked during the roadshow. We condemned this cowardly act. This opposition sponsored attack cannot stop the Aam Aadmi in Delhi," said the party in a statement.Meanwhile, Delhi unit BJP president Manoj Tiwari condemned the attack on Kejriwal.Kejriwal was on Saturday slapped by an unidentified man in Moti Nagar area in west Delhi.The man attacked Kejriwal during his road-show when the CM was travelling in an open jeep and waving to his supporters.The man ...
Has Kejriwal scripted the attack, asks Tiwari
Soon after Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal was slapped during a road show in the national capital, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari condemned the attack but also raised doubts that it might have been scripted.
Campaigning ends for final phase of polls in J&K
As the campaign process ended on Saturday for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Ladakh and Anantnag constituencies, poll officials said all arrangements are in place for free, fair and transparent voting on May 6.
Deserted by MLAs, AAP looks a sinking ship in Punjab
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had emerged a dark horse in Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, winning four seats and stunning rivals with its performance in the nine other seats. But it's a different story this time.
Cong releases videos of 'govt officials' claiming they can exchanging old notes after DeMo
The Congress on Saturday released three video clips purportedly showing "government officials" who claimed they could get old notes exchanged months after demonetisation, and alleged that it was done at the behest of the BJP. At a press conference, Congress leader Kapil Sibal showed the three videos apparently from 2017 shot by an investigative journalist. There was no authentication of the clips by the party or any other agency. No immediate reaction was available from the BJP. The first video was shot in a car in Delhi on March 27, 2017. According to Sibal, a serving sub-inspector alleged in the clip that Piyush Goyal, who was BJP's treasurer, regularly instructed security personnel posted at BJP Headquarters to let in specific vehicles without any checks. He also introduced the journalist to a couple of retired IAS officers who agreed to get the currency exchanged, Sibal alleged. The Congress leader claimed the second video was shot in Delhi on March 27, 2017 and the same official .
Venezuela's Maduro tells armed forces to be 'ready' in case of US attack
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on the armed forces to be "ready" in the event of a US military offensive against the South American country, in a speech to troops on Saturday. Maduro called on the military "to be ready to defend the homeland with weapons in your hands if one day the US empire dares to touch this territory, this sacred earth." His speech at a military base came as opposition leader Juan Guaido rallied his supporters in a new day of protests to press the armed forces to support his bid to dislodge Maduro.
Mufti asks Centre to announce Ramadan ceasefire
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday asked the Centre to declare ceasefire in the state during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
Cross-border operations had happened in past too: D S Hooda
Retired Lieutenant General D S Hooda said on Saturday that cross-border operations had happened in the past too but disapproved of politicising the matter. Responding to a question on the Congress party's claim that six surgical strikes had been carried out during its rule too, Hooda told reporters here, "Certainly cross-border operations have been carried out by the Indian Army in the past too. I am not aware of exact dates and areas." The Congress Thursday came out with a list of six anti-terror surgical strikes carried out during the UPA rule, asserting that it never tried to take political advantage from military operations as was being done by the BJP. The Congress released the list at a press conference after BJP leader Arun Jaitley took a jibe at the opposition party, saying its surgical strikes were "invisible and unknown". The former chief of the Indian Army's Northern Command said it was not good to politicise the Army. "It is not a good thing to bring the Army in poll ...
North Korea fires several short-range projectiles into sea
North Korea fired several unidentified short-range projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Saturday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, a likely sign of Pyongyang's growing frustration at stalled diplomatic talks with Washington meant to provide coveted sanctions relief in return for nuclear disarmament. South Korea's military has bolstered its surveillance in case there are additional weapons launches, and South Korean and U.S. authorities are analysing the details. If it's confirmed that the North fired banned ballistic missiles, it would be the first such launch since the North's November 2017 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. That year saw a string of increasingly powerful weapons tests from the North and a belligerent response from President Donald Trump that had many in the region fearing war. The South initially reported Saturday that a single missile was fired, but later issued a statement that said "several projectiles" had been launched and ..
Cong-BJP workers clash during roadshow in Jaipur
A scuffle broke out between Congress workers and BJP supporters after the latter raised pro-Modi slogans during a Congress' roadshow here on Saturday, police said. The roadshow was being conducted by the Congress in support of party candidate Jyoti Khandelwal. During the roadshow, a group of people raised slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reacting to that, Congress supporters allegedly manhandled two-three people and raised slogans like 'chowkidar chor hai' (watchman is a thief). Police said both the groups were separated within a short span of time and situation was brought under control.
Israeli warplanes strike Gaza after rocket fire
Israeli Army warplanes, drones and artillery continued striking militants' facilities in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to the firing of barrages of rockets from the coastal enclave into Israel, the media reported.
Paris airport a yellow vest site in 25th week of protests
Anti-government protesters marched in France on Saturday for a 25th straight week, and several dozen demonstrated at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport to denounce privatization plans. The crowds at the yellow vest protests in Paris appeared thin as they got underway in contrast to the thousands who joined the annual May Day march Wednesday, organized by labour unions, that was marked by violence. Security was visibly lighter than for the May Day march. There were no reports of violence. Demonstrations were also held in cities around France, including Nice and Marseille, the Alpine town of Chambery and in Lyon, where ecologists and yellow vest protesters joined forces. The leaderless yellow vest movement sprang up in mid-November to oppose policies of President Emmanuel Macron seen as favouring the rich. Macron responded last month with measures including tax cuts and plans to close France's elite school for top civil servants, while defending his pro-business policies. Three lists of .
TMC attacks PM for calling governor instead of taking feedback
The Trinamool Congress Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi instead of talking to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to enquire about the ground situation in the wake of cyclone Fani, and alleged Modi doesn't respect the federal structure of the country. "We have no problem that PM called the governor to enquire about the ground level situation. But only Chief Minister and state government officials can give him the real picture at the ground level," said a senior TMC leader. It only reflects that the Prime Minister doesn't have any respect for the federal structure of this country. In a federal structure the PM should call the CM to enquire about the ground level situation. But just to play politics over this issue he decided not to call CM, he said. As West Bengal braced for cyclone Fani's landfall, prime minister spoke to the governor of the state, Keshari Nath Tripathi, on Saturday to know about situation
Will have to wait and see if there is political instability in
Amid unease in the ruling Congress-JDS ties, BJP's Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa Saturday said his party would win 22 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the State and one would have to wait and see if there would be political instability after the results are out on May 23. Not willing to divulge anything on the BJP's plan of action after the election results are out, the former Chief Minister claimed there was confusion between the ruling coalition partners. "I'm confident and I have been saying this since the beginning that we will win 22 seats. Hundred per cent, we will win 22 seats, after that whatever ups and downs that will happen in politics, we have to wait and see- that is all... I dont want to say anything on that," Yeddyurappa said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We will have to win the by-elections for two assembly seats (Chincholi and Kundgol on May 19) also, so I will start travelling from tomorrow." Citing recent statements of chief minister H D ...
SP going soft on Cong, Mayawati has understood the big game:PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party of going soft on the Congress, saying the two parties are playing a big game against Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. Addressing BJP rallies in Pratapgarh and Basti, Modi said the SP-BSP alliance partners will be at each other's throats when the results are out on May 23. He said while Mayawati is openly targeting the Congress and its policies, a Congress leader is sharing the stage with the SP. The apparent reference was to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's presence at an SP meeting in Rae Bareli on Thursday. "The SP is going soft on the Congress, but its alliance partner BSP chief Mayawati is attacking the Congress," Modi said in Pratapgarh. He claimed the SP had derived advantage out of the alliance, talking about respect towards her. It was said you (Mayawati) will be made the prime minister, but now 'Behenji' has understood that the SP and the Congress are playing a big game with her," he ...
Cong govt pushed Punjab back by two decades in two years: Sukhbir
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Saturday accused the Congress government of pushing Punjab back by two decades in its two-year tenure. "The Amarinder Singh government in Punjab has pushed the state back by two decades and it will take a major effort to undo the damage which he has been doing to the state," Badal alleged. "Captain Amarinder Singh wasted all his own time and that of the state by remaining lost in leisure and pleasure, paying no heed to the sufferings and needs of the common people. He has undone the fruits of hard work for the people of the state," alleged Badal, who is contesting from Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat. He claimed that people of Punjab were feeling "cheated" by the Congress-led government in the state. The Akali supremo also came down heavily on the government for causing "harassment and humiliation" to wheat growers at the grain markets. "There is an acute shortage of gunny bags resulting in glut and shortage of space because of which procurement .