Page 935 - Politics
Violence mars polls in Andhra Pradesh
Polling in Andhra Pradesh was marred with violence, as multiple clashes broke out between workers of Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress across the state.Despite incidents of violence being reported from various locations, the voter turnout in the state was last recorded above 74 percent.Late at night, TDP MLA candidate and son of state chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh sat on a protest in Tedepalli area of Guntur district alleging poor poll preparedness.Demanding an apology from the election commission, he also alleged that opposition party was conspiring in the state to stop voters from exercising their franchise.The situation later turned volatile after a large number of YSR Congress Party cadre also gathered at the spot and the two sides resorted to sloganeering against each other.District SP Vijayawada Rao also reached the spot and urged both parties to show restraint. Police also resorted to Lathi Charge to control the crowd.In another incident at Unguturu in West ...
EU urges Sudan army to carry out 'swift' handover to civilian rule
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini has urged Sudan's army to quickly handover power to a civilian government, noting the determination of the Sudanese people for change. "Only a credible and inclusive political process can meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people and lead to the political and economic reforms the country needs," Mogherini said in a statement on Thursday. "That can only be achieved through a swift handover to a civilian transitional government," she added, hours after veteran president Omar al-Bashir was ousted from office. Mogherini, who speaks for the EU's 28 member states, also reiterated a plea by the African Union that "a military council does not provide the answers and breaches the principles" of the Ethiopia-based union's charter.
Trump's Space Force collides with skeptical Congress
The Space Force that President Donald Trump wants to launch has run headlong into skeptical lawmakers who questioned the need for a stand-alone military wing. Trump has insisted that a separate branch of military is needed to focus on protecting satellites, tackling vulnerabilities in space, and asserting US dominance in orbit. Under a Pentagon proposal, the Space Force would be established as its own branch of the military but would fall under the Air Force, similar to how the Navy oversees the Marine Corps. "Both China and Russia have weaponised space with the intent to hold American capabilities at risk," Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose endorsement he sought for the new force. Not since the Air Force was stood up in 1947 has the Pentagon created a new military branch. A Space Force would join the Army, Navy and Marines as well as the Air Force. "The bottom line is the next major conflict may be won or lost in space," ...
Trump says third meeting with Kim Jong-un possible
US President Donald Trump said that it was possible for him to hold a third meeting with North Korea's top leader, Kim Jong-un.
Want to keep sanctions on N Korea: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said that he wanted to retain the sanctions imposed on North Korea while he worked towards getting the denuclearisation talks back in track with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.During a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, The Hill quoted Trump as saying, "We want sanctions to remain in place", adding that the penalties are at a "fair" level.Trump's comments is in direct contradiction to what he said earlier when the 72-year-old leader said that he had removed "additional large-scale" sanctions on North Korea, apparently referring to the new penalties on two Chinese shipping firms allegedly supplying to the elusive state.However, Trump's latest comments on the previous sanctions remaining place mean the US is aiming to pressurize North Korea to rid itself from developing nuclear weapons.While Trump asserted that he has the option to "significantly" slap more sanctions, the US President said that he did not want to do so ...
NIA files application seeking voice sample of Asiya Andrabi's close aide Naheeda
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed an application in Delhi's Patiala House Court for voice sample of Naheeda, a close aide of Asiya Andrabi.The agency has also said that they needed a sample to match it with some recordings they have.Naheeda's lawyer, Advocate Satish Tamra has opposed, saying it's not permissible in law. Arguments in the case will be heard on May 6.Andrabi, Sofi Fehmeeda, and Naheeda Nasreen were arrested in July on the charges of waging war against India. Sedition charges were also filed against them for hate speech.All the three accused in the case are currently lodged in Tihar JailAccording to the NIA, the three were "actively running" Dukhtaran-e-Millat which is allegedly engaged in anti-India activities and have been "inciting the general populace of Kashmir" for an armed rebellion against the government of India with "aid and assistance" of terrorist organisations based in Pakistan.Dukhtaran-e-Milat, a banned outfit under the First Schedule to the ...
Trump backs Barr's remark on 'spying' in his 2016 campaign
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) backed Attorney General William Barr's comments on possible "spying" into his campaign in 2016, saying it was "absolutely true" that there was "unprecedented" snooping."I think what he said was absolutely true. There was absolutely spying into my campaign. In my opinion, it was illegal spying, unprecedented spying and something that should never be allowed to happen in our country again," The Hill quoted Trump as saying during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Oval Office.Reiterating his call for an investigation into the origins of the investigation of his 2016 campaign, Trump termed the alleged surveillance as "treason" and said that it would be a "disservice" to the country if Barr's claims were not looked into."You're just lucky I happened to be the president because a lot of other presidents would have reacted much differently than I reacted. You're very lucky I was the president during this scam," he ...
Charge sheet filed against former jawan for leaking information to Pakistan's ISI
Rajasthan police's Intelligence Division filed a 278-page chargesheet against Army jawan Somvir and two others in a Jaipur court, three months after the jawan was arrested for leaking confidential information to an ISI operative through video calling.In January this year, the jawan Somvir who was posted in a tank regiment in Jaisalmer was arrested by the Rajasthan Police after he was allegedly found to be virtually honey trapped by Pakistan-based ISI operatives on social media and passing critical military information to them."The jawan has been arrested in Jaisalmer by the Rajasthan Police and the Army is providing all possible assistance to the civilian authorities in this investigation," Defence PRO Colonel Sambit Ghosh had told following the arrest of jawan.The jawan, Somvir, belongs to Haryana and was previously posted in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army.
Ecuador denounces WikiLeaks-linked plot against Moreno
Ecuador has said that it had identified a WikiLeaks collaborator close to Julian Assange as being involved in a plot with two Russian hackers to destabilise President Lenin Moreno's government. The extraordinary claim by Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo at a press conference in Quito came shortly after Moreno terminated Assange's near seven-year asylum at Ecuador's London embassy, allowing British police to arrest him. "For several years now, one of the key members of this WikiLeaks organisation and a person close to Mr Julian Assange has lived in Ecuador, and we have sufficient evidence that he has been collaborating with the destabilisation attempts against the government," Romo said on Thursday. Ecuador recently filed a formal complaint to the UN special rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, accusing WikiLeaks of spreading private information linked to Moreno. Photos, videos and private conversations appeared on portals such as Twitter and Facebook. Moreno was ...
Voting continues till midnight in Andhra
Making history of sorts, polling in some booths in Andhra Pradesh continued till midnight as the total voter turnout reached nearly 80 per cent, capping hours of tension and clashes that left two dead and scores of others injured.
IMF's Lagarde welcomes Brexit deadline extension
The extension of the Brexit deadline to Oct 31 eliminates the risk of Britain's exit from the EU without an agreement, a situation that could have been "a terrible outcome," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.
US urges Sudan army to bring civilians into government
The United States on Thursday urged Sudan's army to bring civilians into government after ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir, saying an announced two-year timeline was too long. "The United States continues to call on transitional authorities to exercise restraint and to allow space for civilian anticipation within the government," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters, adding: "They should be allowed to do so sooner than two years from now.
Leader of Sudan coup on US sanction list for Darfur genocide
Sudan's defence minister, who led the overthrow Thursday of autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir, has had his assets blocked by the US Treasury since 2007 for supporting and managing militias accused of carrying out genocide in the country's Darfur conflict. In a televised statement, Gen Awad ibn Ouf declared that the military had removed and arrested al-Bashir and that it will rule the country for the next two years as part of a transitional council along with the powerful security and intelligence agencies. His appearance made him the face of military rule, and the general is likely to become the country's formal leader, though the makeup of the council has not yet been announced. That has stunned and angered protesters who have been holding rallies for months demanding al-Bashir's ouster and the establishment of civilian-led democracy. Ibn Ouf, in his mid-60s, is a longtime insider in the leadership of al-Bashir's 30-year rule. He rose up in the ranks to become chief of Sudan's military
Pawar slams PM over black money issue
NCPchief Sharad Pawar Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modihas failed to fulfil his 2014 pre-poll promise of recovering black money within 100 days of coming to power He also criticised the BJP-led NDA government over its failure to clean the river Ganga. "The Prime Minister had promised that if he failed to recover black money in 100 days, he is ready for punishment ofhanging in public. "But theblack money has not come out...so what happened to his promise?...though we are not interested in hanging anyone in public," he said. Pawar was speaking at a rally organisedin support of NCP candidate from the Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency Dhananjay Mahadik. The Maratha strongman also recalled a statement given by Union minister Uma Bharti in December 2017 over cleaning of the Ganga. Bharti had said she would launch 'mahaupvaas se mahaprayan' (fast unto death) if implementation of plans related to Ganga cleaning did not start by October 2018. Pawar said the sacred river ...
Amid allegations of EMV malfunction, J&K records over 57% voter turnout
Jammu and Kashmir Thursday recorded an overall turnout of over 57 per cent in the Jammu and Baramulla constituencies in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, even as there were protests over defective EVMs in some areas. The two constituencies house an electorate of over 33 lakh, recording a voter turnout of 57.31 per cent, officials said. Addressing media persons at a press conference here, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar said Jammu Parliamentary Constituency, spread across four districts of Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch with 20 assembly segments, recorded voter turnout of 72.16 per cent. The voter turnout was highest in Samba district at 75.07 per cent followed by 74.50 per cent in Jammu district, while twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri recorded 70.40 per cent and 65.70 per cent respectively, the state CEO said. Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency, comprising three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora with 15 assembly ..
Nearly 81% turnout in Bengal, stray violence mars polls
The endangered Toto tribals, tea garden workers and erstwhile enclave dwellers turned up in large numbers as voting continued beyond the 6 p.m. deadline in two northern West Bengal Lok Sabha seats on Thursday amid reports of sporadic violence, EVM glitches and allegations of electoral malpractices.
EC examining PM's Balakot air strike remarks made in Latur
Local poll authorities in Maharashtra are learnt to have told the EC here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the Balakot air strike, are prima facie violative of its orders, asking parties against using the armed forces in their campaigns. Addressing a rally in Ausa in Maharashtra's Latur on April 9, Modi said, "Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike." "I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi said. "We have received the report. It is under examination," Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said here. Asked about the observations made by the district election officer, he said that cannot be disclosed. The EC had sought the report in the context ..
Pope kisses feet of South Sudan's leaders to encourage peace
Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan's rival leaders Thursday, in an unprecedented act of humbleness to encourage them to strengthen the African country's faltering peace process. At the close a two-day retreat in the Vatican for the African leaders, the pope asked South Sudan's president and opposition leader to proceed with the peace agreement despite growing difficulties. Then he got down on his knees and kissed the leaders' feet one by one. The pope usually holds a ritual washing of the feet with prisoners on Holy Thursday, but has never performed such a show of deference to political leaders. "I express my heartfelt hope that hostilities will finally cease, that the armistice will be respected, that political and ethnic divisions will be surmounted, and that there will be a lasting peace for the common good of all those citizens who dream of beginning to build the nation," the pope said of South Sudan in his closing statement. The spiritual retreat brought ...
Jammu turnout 72%, Baramulla 35; student killed in firing
Polling for two Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday reflected the state's regional divide, with the Jammu parliamentary constituency witnessing an over 72 per cent turnout, while Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley only saw 35 per cent voting.
BJP, TMC cross swords over use of security forces in first phase
The BJP candidate of Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat Nishit Pramanik Thursday held a protest in front of the District Magistrate's office, demanding a re-poll in all booths where central forces were not deployed, accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of rigging elections in several seats. The BJP and the TMC Thursday engaged in a war of words with the two parties accusing each other of using state police and central forces to "manipulate" the voting process in Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat, which went to polls Thursday in the first phase. "We have complained to the EC and the district magistrate that rigging was going on in over several polling stations in different parts of Cooch Behar. But no action was taken. The Trinamool Congress goons rigged the polls in at least 350 polling booths," Pramanik claimed. "We want repoll in all the polling stations which were guarded by the state police and not by the central force personnel. I will continue the demonstration unless our demands are heard," .