Page 686 - Politics
Priority in Libya is fighting 'terrorism': UAE
The UAE said on Thursday that fighting "terrorism" was the priority in Libya, where it has backed a controversial military strongman against the UN-recognised government in Tripoli. The United Arab Emirates, and its allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia, regard Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army militia as a bulwark against Islamist groups which are among the supporters of the Government of National Accord. Haftar launched an assault on forces loyal to the government in and around the capital on April 4, triggering fighting that has killed 376 people, according to the World Health Organisation. "Priority in Libya to counter extremism/terrorism and support stability in long drawn out crisis," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter. "Abu Dhabi agreement offered opportunity to support UN-led process. "Meanwhile, extremist militias continue to control capital and derail search for political solution," Gargash said. The Abu Dhabi agreement he ...
Hamas launches rockets toward Israel
Hamas on Thursday launched two rockets toward Israel in retaliation to the Isreali rocket fire, reported Al Jazeera.This comes hours after Israel announced that its warplanes have targeted several Hamas positions in the northern part of the Gaza Strip."In response to the explosive and arson balloons launched from #Gaza to #Israel earlier today, our Air Force recently struck a number of Hamas terror targets in Gaza. We hold Hamas responsible," tweeted Israel Defence Forces.The exchange of fire has lead to breaking to a ceasefire that was brokered by Egypt between Israel and Hamas which came into effect on April 1.Tensions have been brewing at Israel-Gaza border since last year after Palestinians launched their protests against Israeli forces and establishment.
GST, demonetisation caused some trouble, but did not shake people's faith in PM: Harsh Vardhan
Admitting that demonetisation and the implementation of GST by the government had caused "some disturbances", Union minister and BJP candidate from traders' hub Chandni Chowk Harsh Vardhan has asserted that the moves have not shaken the people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. In an interview to PTI, Vardhan said these "bold steps" of the government were appreciated by people and the criticism was "politically motivated". "When demonetisation was done, certainly it was a very hard, historic reform and a bold decision on the part of the government and of course, our PM Narendra Modiji. You saw the whole country stood in queues outside banks but not even a single person was unhappy because people had faith in the vision of the PM and his intentions. "Although, for a small period of time, people had some small disturbances in handling cash and going to the banks for changing it. Now everyone has realised that the PM had very pious intentions. Nobody has criticised it," ...
In a first, voters oust criminal MP in UK
Voters in eastern England will elect a new member of parliament next month after ejecting the incumbent in the first move of its kind, it was announced Thursday. Fiona Onasanya lost her seat after voters in the city of Peterborough signed a recall petition triggered by her conviction for lying over a speeding offence. The 35-year-old was expelled from the main opposition Labour party after she was jailed for three months in January for perverting the course of justice. She had hoped to continue as an independent MP, but 28 per cent of eligible voters signed the petition, well over the 10 percent threshold required to oust her. MPs who receive sentences of less than a year in prison are not automatically excluded from parliament. Following the announcement of the results on Wednesday night, Labour moved a motion in the House of Commons on Thursday for a new election for June 6. It is fielding a new candidate, but is likely to face intense competition in a marginal seat complicated by ..
SC directs EC to decide on Modi, Shah complaints
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission to decide the remaining nine complaints by the Congress against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for allegedly violating the model code of conduct.
PM Modi reviews preparedness for cyclone 'Fani'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the preparedness for cyclone 'Fani' and instructed Central government officials to maintain close coordination with officials of the affected states to ensure preventive measures, a government statement said.
US, South Korea discuss denuclearisation of North Korea
The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States on Thursday discussed progress on the denuclearisation of North Korea and lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula.Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, in their telephonic conversation, discussed their assessment of the situation on the peninsula since the failed second summit between the US and North Korea in Hanoi in February, reported Yonhap News Agency.This comes weeks after South Korean President Moon Jae-in reached the US to discuss the Hanoi summit. The talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled ever since.Trump has asked his South Korean counterpart to help facilitate future dialogues with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Notably, Moon, who is brokering talks between Trump and Kim, has so far held three talks with the North Korean leader.The South Korean President had an emergency telephonic ...
PM's remark on TMC MLAs sign of desperation: O'Brien (INTERVIEW)
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that 40 of its MLAs were in touch with him to desert the ship post the elections results, was a "sign of desperation" born out of his realisation that the BJP was not "making any headway" in the eastern state.
Rahul goes abroad as temperature in India rises: Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah Thursday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi goes abroad "to a place about which not even his mother knows" when temperature in India goes up. Addressing a poll rally here in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the second phase of polling in the state, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't taken even a single day's leave since he assumed office in 2014. "Modi ji is working tirelessly for the nation," he said. "On the other hand, the Congress president goes on leave regularly and even his mother is unaware of his whereabouts," Shah said. Modi ji has not taken a single day's leave for the last 20 years and is working tirelessly for the nation. And we have Rahul Baba, who goes on vacation every now and then and his mother keeps on asking: where is my son, Shah said. Shah said the Modi government has shown that no terror attack will go unpunished and India will give a befitting reply to any attack. "Goli ka jawab gole se diya jayega ...
BJP delegation to meet Delhi CEO over Kejriwal's 'take cash from BJP, Congress, vote for AAP' remark
BJP leader Vijender Gupta on Thursday said that a delegation from the party will meet Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's comment allegedly asking the voters to take cash from opposition parties, but vote for AAP, despite being served a notice in the matter.Gupta said that a delegation is scheduled to meet at around 2 pm and would address the media thereafter."Today at 2 PM, BJP delegation will meet the Chief Electoral officer Delhi at Kashmiri Gate to file a complaint against @ArvindKejriwal for repeated abetment in bribing of voters of Delhi despite issue of notice to him by CEO Delhi. Will address media thereafter," he tweeted.In response, Kejriwal slammed the BJP asking what problem the party has."We are saying that take the money from other parties and vote for us. So what is the problem you have? Does your party also give money? If not, then why are you feeling so troubled?" Kejriwal tweeted.While taking out a roadshow during the AAP's ...
Press freedom under serious threat from govts worldwide: IPI
Governments across the world are increasingly clamping down on press freedom by enacting new laws, according to a global network of journalists. Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) said in its latest report that as many as 55 journalists were killed since May last year. In Bangladesh, journalists face up to life imprisonment for violating the country's new Digital Security Act, it said in a statement on Tuesday. With 139 journalists in prison including IPI Executive Board member Kadri Gursel, Turkey remains the world's top jailer of journalists, the IPI said. In Pakistan, where critical media is subject to vicious smear campaigns, the government has stopped state advertising in the influential daily Dawn and targeted individual journalists such as Cyril Almeida, who faces treason charges for his coverage of militancy, it said. In the US, the Department of Justice is contemplating changes in the guidelines to make it easier for prosecutors to obtain journalists' records, ..
People are 'maalik' in democracy, Cong will do what they say:
People are the 'maalik' (masters) in democracy, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday, asking them to tell his party's government what to do and it will be done. Addressing an election rally here, Gandhi said, if voted to power, the Congress will ensure that Rs 72,000 is deposited every year into the bank accounts of families that earn less than Rs 12,000 every month, covering five crore households. "Don't forget that your are the 'malik' in democracy. Narendra Modi, or for that matter any other leader, is not your master. You just tell us what to do and we will do it," he told the rally. Gandhi said the alliance (mahagathbandhan), of which the Congress is a constituent, listens to the voice of people. "I have not come to speak out our 'mann ke baat' but listen to yours," he said, obviously targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' during which he spoke his mind on topical issues. Gandhi said if voted to power, the ...
Would rather die than benefit the BJP: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she would 'rather die than benefit BJP'.In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Priyanka said, "I have said very clearly that Congress is fighting this election on its own strength. Our candidates are fighting strongly in most constituencies. I have said that I would rather die than benefit the BJP. I have made it extremely clear in all my research and in all the work that we have done to choose candidates that are strongly fighting or cutting BJP votes."Tearing into BJP and terming the ongoing elections as a fight of ideologies, she accused the party of destroying the democracy.She said: "The priority is the country. The priority is to defeat an ideology which is out to destroy this country, to destroy institutions and to destroy everything that makes India democracy"."It is a battle for the country and the battle for everything that we all believe in. It is a battle for the soul of this country and it is a battle of ideologies. ..
Cong, BJP have tacit understanding: Mayawati
Hitting out at both the BJP and the Congress, BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the two national parties of having a tacit understanding in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and unitedly working against the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Congressmen think it is not a problem if the candidates of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the electoral battle, but the nominees of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance should not win the polls, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged. "Like the BJP, the Congress has started saying absurd things about the SP-BSP alliance. It is clear that both (Congress, BJP) have a tacit understanding and are contesting against our alliance unitedly," Mayawati said, while appealing to the voters not to waste their votes by supporting the Congress. Addressing a poll rally in Barabanki on Wednesday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the control of Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav was in the hands of Prime Minister ...
Omar Abdullah questions Congress' approach towards J-K
Former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday questioned the Congress' approach towards the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of ongoing Lok Sabha elections."It says a lot about the Congress party and its approach to Jammu and Kashmir," Omar wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter adding that not even a single meeting was held by the Congress leadership in the state.He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah may not have come to the state but they did not ignore it either.The National Conference leader also said that by ignoring the state like this, the Congress is giving a walkover to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."The Congress was in with a fighting chance in 4 of the 6 seats and in 3 of these the BJP was the main opponent. It's inexplicable how the BJP was simply given a walkover as far as the optics of the campaign were concerned," he tweeted.There are six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir - Baramulla, Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur, Anantnag ...
Priyanka made 'confessional' statement about Cong becoming 'fringe' organisation: Jaitley
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's comment that the Congress will cut into the BJP's votes in Uttar Pradesh is a "confessional statement" about her party becoming a "fringe organisation", the BJP said Thursday. Senior party leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mocked top Congress leaders as "chunavi Hindus" (Hindus during elections) for their visits to temples during elections, saying they never did so during previous polls and have been compelled to do so now. Addressing a press conference, Jaitley seized on the Congress general secretary's remarks made on Wednesday in Amethi that her party will not adversely impact the prospects of the SP-BSP alliance in India's politically most crucial state as it has chosen its candidates in a way that they will either win or cut into the BJP's votes. "This is her confessional statement about the Congress becoming a fringe organisation... A mainstream party, the grand old party of Indian politics is now a fringe organisation in India," he said. The ...
Fielding Pragya Thakur BJP's way of consolidating Hindutva votebank: Yechury
Fielding "undertrial terror accused" Pragya Thakur as a candidate for the Lok Sabha polls is BJP's way of consolidating the Hindutva votebank, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has charged. He claimed the BJP's fear of being unable to retain 50 per cent of its seats has led it to rouse communal passions to get votes. In an article in the forthcoming issue of party mouthpiece People's Democracy, Yechury charged that the BJP and Narendra Modi were preoccupied with disrupting the unity of the country and its solidarity through their venomous campaign of communal polarization. He said the first three phases of the 17th general elections saw the electorate voting in 302 seats out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. The ruling BJP has 113 sitting MPs from these constituencies. "In the next four phases ending on May 19, the electorate will vote for the remaining 241 seats. Of these the BJP currently holds 161 sitting MPs. That is two-thirds of these seats. It is clear that if the BJP is ...
Maduro says leaders of uprising will face justice
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that the judiciary "is looking for" those responsible for the military uprising his government put down earlier this week and that those involved "sooner rather than later" would pay for their acts with prison.
Protest continues over Telangana exam goof-up
Protests by opposition parties continued in Telangana on Thursday over the massive bungling in Intermediate examinations.
Opposition parties to meet to decide on PM candidate: Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that the leaders of the opposition parties will meet after the elections to decide on the prime ministerial candidate."Opposition parties will sit together after the election and discuss who will be the Prime Minister. I'm not an aspirant. Polling is to be held in 3 more phases, after that we will discuss," he said while addressing media persons here on Wednesday.He also took a swipe at the Election Commission saying that the poll body favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said: "The Election Commission says they are following the instructions of PM Modi but PM himself is violating the code of conduct. Time and again he spoke on Armed forces and held cabinet meetings."His comments came two days after the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Election Commission after hearing the petition of Congress MP Sushmita Dev against PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating MCC on various occasions.He also alleged that the