Page 843 - Politics
Govt employees in Goa warned against engaging in poll campaign
Election authorities in Goa have warned of strict disciplinary action against government employees found campaigning for any particular party or candidate in the state. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal has directed government servants to refrain from getting involved in any poll campaign-related activities. The directions were issued after the CEO's office came across instances of government employees getting engaged in disseminating contents related to political partiesand also posting election propaganda material on social media. Kunal told PTI such acts amount toelection propagandaand could attract 'strict disciplinary action'. "It has also come to the notice that some employees are directly involved in campaigning," he said. "During the election they should not indulge in any form of political activity. It is completely against the model code of conduct and disciplinary action would be taken if such activities come to our notice," he warned. Voting for the two Lok .
BSP supporter mistakenly votes for BJP, chops off finger
Pawan Kumar, who claims to be a staunch Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supporter, chopped off his finger after he "mistakingly voted" for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Kumar said he accidentally pressed the button of BJP's lotus instead of BSP's elephant on the EVM."I accidentally pressed the button having Lotus symbol instead of an elephant. I chopped my finger for the mistake," he said.Kumar, who hails from Abdullapur Hulasan village in Shikarpur area of the constituency, voted for BJP sitting MP Bhola Singh instead of Yogesh Verma, the candidate fielded by the alliance of the Samajwadi Party, BSP, and Rashtriya Janata Dal.Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded at 5 pm with a turnout of 67.55 per cent.Remaining 64 seats in the state will go to polls in the next five phases of elections. Counting of votes will take place on May 23..
India's absence at BRI should not hurt ties: Wang Yi
China on Friday said India's likely absence at the second Belt and Road forum next week should not mar their ties and their differences should not turn into a dispute.
Arch-rival Mulayam-Mayawati's joint rally in Mainpuri
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati will share a stage at a joint rally of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri on Friday, putting aside historical grievances of their shared past.
Priyanka Gandhi to hold party workers meeting in Amethi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will hold a party workers meeting in Gauriganj, the district headquarters of Amethi, on Friday ahead of her roadshow in Kanpur later in the day.
Doha talks on Afghan peace postponed as Taliban object to Afghan delegation
A United States-led peace conference that was slated to be held in the Qatari capital from Saturday (April 20) has been postponed after the Taliban on Thursday objected to a new delegation of Afghan government officials selected to attend the talks.The announcement came as a major blow to the American efforts which intended to bring the Taliban and the Afghan government on the same negotiating table in order to end the 18 years of war in Afghanistan, New York Times reported.Even though Washington and the Taliban have almost reached a peace deal that has so far excluded the Afghan government, no progress has been achieved on the formula for how power would be shared between the entities following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.A delegation of nearly 200 people was expected to arrive for the two-day negotiations, also dubbed as "intra-Afghan" dialogue, on Friday.Organisers of the event informed New York Times that the meeting was already delayed a couple of times and was ..
Trump to meet Japanese PM next week
President Donald Trump will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington on April 26 to hold bilateral talks and discuss North Korea's denuclearization process, the White House said on Thursday."President Trump and Prime Minister Abe will discuss recent developments regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, including efforts to achieve final, fully verified denuclearization," the House said in a statement quoted by Sputnik."The two leaders will also explore ways to advance their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including steps that will strengthen our bilateral trade and investment relationship," the statement added.Quoting sources, The Japan Times reported that Abe is expected to celebrate U.S. first lady Melania Trump's birthday on that day and play golf with President Trump outside the capital on April 27.Both the leaders are expected to fully re-enforce the sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea, compelling it to ward off ...
BJP moves EC, demands FIR against GN Azad, Vikramaditya Singh
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding FIR against Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vikramaditya Singh and an ex-MLA of Banihal town for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the state.The BJP, in a complaint filed on Thursday, accused Waqar Rasool Wani, who was campaigning for Congress' candidate from Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency Vikramaditya Singh, of violating MCC by campaigning on polling day and requesting voters of a "particular religion" to vote for their party.In the audio clip, a copy of which has been sent to the ECI, Wani could be heard saying that Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is currently campaigning in Kerala, called him up and directed him to "appeal to the voters of the erstwhile Doda region belonging to particular community to cast their votes on communal lines," BJP claimed.The party has requested the ECI and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir ...
No Pakistani soldiers, civilians were injured during Balakot air strike: Swaraj
No Pakistani soldiers or civilians were injured during the air strike carried out on terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot in February, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday.Addressing a gathering of BJP Mahila Morcha members here, she said: "We told the international community that the Indian military was instructed not to attack any civilians and soldiers and they supported us."She further said that the air strike was carried out in "self-defence" two weeks after the Pulwama terror attack, in which as many as 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives."Armed forces were directed to target only the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps and return," Swaraj mentioned.The External Affairs Minister came down heavily on Congress for not taking any "strong action" against Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks."Even after the attack in which as many as 40 persons belonging to 14 countries died, previous Congress-led government did not isolate the neighbouring country," she ...
Rahul Gandhi, Kumaraswamy are 'jokers', says BJP's Basavaraj Bommai
BJP MLA Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said voters will decide who is a "hero" and who are the "jokers", in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the "hero" and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy as "jokers."When asked why Bommai ridicules the Congress chief and Kumaraswamy, the BJP lawmaker told ANI, "They (Rahul and Kumaraswamy) have made fun of themselves with the way they talk, their thinking and body language. People will decide who is a hero and who are jokers."Bommai further alleged that the Lingayat issue was used by the Congress party just like 'divide and rule policy' of the British."Lingayat issue was used as an election gimmick by the Congress party, which is similar to the divide and rule policy of the British. It was a failed attempt. Now, the party has internal conflict among its members. On one side, DK Shivakumar offered apologies on behalf of the previous government on the issue of separate religion status to Lingayats, ..
Khattar blames Jawaharlal Nehru for Kashmir issue
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said the Kashmir issue was born out of the "mistakes" committed by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.Addressing a public rally in Bhiwani, Khattar said, "Kashmir could have been an integral part of India but it was because of the mistakes committed by Jawaharlal Nehru that Article 370 came into force in the state."He also told voters here that Congress does not want to scrap Article 370 while reaffirming that his party will continue to make efforts in this direction in order to repeal it.Article 370 grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, while Article 35A, incorporated into the Constitution in 1954, provides special rights and privileges to the citizens of the state.Khattar's statements come shortly after BJP released its manifesto, reiterating its demand for abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, provisions which are specific to Jammu and Kashmir.It also said that the party will
Indian Navy warships to take part in Chinese fleet review
Two Indian Navy warships, namely the destroyer INS Kolkata and tanker INS Shakti, would be taking part in Chinese international fleet review to be held at Qingdao on April 23.Chinese President Xi Jinping is slated to review the warships.The celebrations are being held by the Chinese as part of the 70th Anniversary of the People's Liberation Army's Navy there and major navies are likely to take part in it."Indian Navy Ships Kolkata and Shakti are scheduled to arrive Qingdao, China on 21 Apr 19 to participate in the International Fleet Review as part of 70th Anniversary celebrations of PLA (Navy)," Indian Navy said.International Fleet Review (IFR) is a parade of naval ships, aircraft, and submarines, and is organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their organisational capabilities.IFR also serves as an ideal platform for the world's navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship designing and shipbuilding capabilities in the international ...
High voter turnout in TN may throw up surprise
Conflicting views are expressed by experts on the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu given the final polling percentage of around 73 per cent.
Russia probe gives Democrats ammunition for justice obstruction charge (News Analysis)
"This is the end of my Presidency," US President Donald Trump is reported to have exclaimed when he heard about setting up of the investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 elections, but when its report was released, he gleefully tweeted, "Game Over" for his opponents.
China gears up for next summit with India despite India's planned boycott of BRF: Chinese FM
China said Friday it was bracing to hold a Wuhan-style next summit with India this year despite India's reported decision to boycott Beijing's prestigious 2nd Belt and Road Forum to be held here next week to protest its sovereignty concerns over the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Addressing a media conference here ahead of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) being held from April 25-27 to showcase China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made an impassioned appeal to India to shed its opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it no way "undermined" basic position on the Kashmir dispute. Wang said so far 37 heads of state and governments had confirmed their participation in the BRF. Representatives from over 150 countries and 90 international organisations' close to 5000 participants have confirmed their participation. Leaders of Pakistan and Nepal are among the countries from the neighbourhood who would ...
'Mahagathbandhan' seeks Modi's ouster for his stand on
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has said the grand alliance of opposition parties wants to oust Narendra Modi from power as the Prime Minister has never compromised on corruption. Canvassing for Union minister of State for Tribal Affairs and sitting MP Sudarshan Bhagat in Lohardaga (ST) Lok Sabha seat in Gumla on Thursday, Das said since the prime minister knows about poverty, his battle against corruption is uncompromising. Referring to the Congress, the JMM and the RJD, the 'Mahagathbandhan' partners, the chief minister asked, "How can Rahul Gandhi (Congress president) and Hemant Soren (JMM working president) know about poverty as they are born with silver spoons in their mouth?" They talk about tribals, but back out when steps are taken in the interest of the indigenous people, Das claimed. "These (allies) are the same people who looted sand, gave it to a Mumbai-based contractor, indulged in coal scam and fodder scam," the BJP leader alleged. Calling upon the ...
Trump's initial reaction to Mueller's appointment was "this is the end of my Presidency": report
Donald Trump's first reaction to Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel was "this is the end of my Presidency" and the US President was so furious that he reacted with an expletive, according to the counsel's report. In a major relief to President Trump, the nearly two-year probe by Mueller found "no evidence" of a "collusion" between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 US elections, Attorney General William Barr announced Thursday. Barr said the redacted report released Thursday made it clear that the Russian government sought to interfere in American elections, "but thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign". Trump first learned that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel from then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a meeting to interview candidates for FBI .
2020 Democratic candidates slam AG over Mueller report
Democratic presidential candidates have slammed Attorney General William Barr for the way he handled the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, saying that his framing of the probe findings amounted to a partisan attempt to protect President Donald Trump.
Russia report tells how angry Trump wanted Mueller fired
Fearing that his presidency was doomed, an angry Donald Trump pushed for Robert Mueller to be fired before he could deepen his probe into Russian election meddling, the special counsel's long-awaited report said Thursday. The more than 400-page document, made public in redacted form by the Justice Department, detailed how Trump instructed his then White House counsel, Don McGahn, to tell the acting attorney general that Mueller "must be removed" -- something McGahn refused to do. The report -- which landed as the United States dives into the ferment of a bitter presidential campaign -- does support Trump's repeated assertions that he never colluded with Russian intelligence efforts to tilt the 2016 election in his favour. "As I have been saying all along, NO COLLUSION - NO OBSTRUCTION!" the president tweeted triumphantly, later declaring that any Russian interference had no impact on the outcome of the vote. However, the report -- based on nearly two years of interviews by Mueller's ..
N.Korea didn't test ballistic missile: US official
US Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan has confirmed that North Korea conducted a weapons test, but said that it was "not a ballistic missile".