Page 95 - Politics

The art of the con

The road to survival in the ancient world was often paved with bluff and deceit. The cons pulled were largely harmless and the subtext was: to survive, man had to trick the gods

Want to make a difference in politics? There's now a programme for youth

Youth can now learn about policy making to become better citizens and hold MPs to account, thanks to YLAC

Karnataka crisis: SC agrees to hear plea of 5 more rebel MLAs on Tuesday

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the rebel MLAs

Demands for grants of Rs 94 lakh crore voted without debate in LS

Amid protests, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to take up the financial business at 12 noon.

Congress MPs urge Rahul to remain party chief, he rejects appeal

Congress put a poor show in the Lok Sabha polls by winning just 52 seats, while the ruling BJP stormed back to power with 303 seats

Jaishankar, Pompeo hold talks; Russia, terrorism, H-1B visas in focus

Pompeo's visit comes ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, later this week

Minorities safer under Modi, says K J Alphons

Minorities have never been more safe in the country than under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader K J Alphons said in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday amid opposition references to lynching cases. Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, he said Modi is "more democratic" than anyone before him. Five years back it was said that Christians will be beaten up and churches will be burnt once the BJP comes to power, he said. "Have you seen any Christian being beaten up or any church being burnt (since the BJP came to power)," he asked. "Never has it been safer for minorities than under Modi," he said as some in the opposition jeered, making references to lynching of Muslims in some parts of the country. Alphons, who was a minister in the first term of the BJP government but was not made a minister in Modi-2.0 government, targeted the Congress saying if it wants to live in a make- believe world, history will write it off. "You shall have a new India," he said .

Pompeo meets EAM Jaishankar, NSA Doval

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval here on Wednesday.Upon Pompeo's arrival, Ajit Doval received him personally outside South Block, while Jaishankar will be hosting a lunch for him."Welcoming a special guest! Continuing the emphasis on high-level Indo-US exchanges, EAM @DrSJaishankar warmly welcomed @SecPompeo as the first US dignitary to visit India after elections. @SecPompeo is the first Foreign Minister to be hosted by EAM, tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, alongside a photo of the two leaders shaking hands.Earlier in the day, the diplomatic sources here said that Jaishankar and Pompeo's meeting was being seen as an opportunity for both the leaders to get to know each other better.The two will set the stage for the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Osaka, sources added.Earlier in the .

Iran 'never seeks war' with US, says Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran "never seeks war" with the US, state media reported Wednesday amid a spike in tensions between the two countries. "Iran has no interest to increase tension in the region and it never seeks war with any country, including (the) US," the president said, quoted by state news agency IRNA. Rouhani was speaking by phone to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, as Tehran and Washington engaged in an escalating war of words following Iran shooting down a US drone last week. "We have always been committed to regional peace and stability and will make efforts in this respect," the Iranian president told Macron. US President Donald Trump said he pulled back from retaliatory strikes on Iran at the last minute, rejecting Tehran's claim that the aircraft was in its airspace. But pressure mounted this week with Trump announcing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader and top officials. The new measures are the latest against Tehran since Trump pulled out of a landmark

Amit Shah to begin 2-day visit to J-K from today

Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Srinagar on Wednesday afternoon to review the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra in particular.This will be the Home Minister's first visit to the state since assuming office.During his two-day visit, Shah will meet Governor Satya Pal Malik to discuss the prevailing security scenario in the state.As per the schedule, the Home Minister will on Wednesday review the security arrangement for the Amarnath Yatra and then take stock of the developmental activities. He will also hold meetings with BJP workers and office bearers and some delegations in the evening.On both the days, Shah will meet the families of BJP workers killed by terrorists.On June 27, Shah will again review the overall security situation in the region and later hold meetings with delegations. He will fly out of Srinagar in the afternoon.The month-and-a-half long annual Amarnath Yatra this year is scheduled to begin on .

Denmark's Social Democrat leader forms new leftist govt

Denmark's Social Democrat leader has announced she will form a minority government after reaching an agreement with three left and centre-left parties after weeks of negotiations. "Now we have reached the goal... we have shown that when Danes vote as they have done, a new majority can turn their hopes into actions," said Mette Frederiksen, who at 41 years old will become Denmark's youngest ever prime minister. In a country where minority governments are the norm, the negotiations centred around conflicting demands on climate, economic and immigration policy. Frederiksen said she will present the 18-page agreement on Wednesday, with the new government expected to be unveiled on Thursday. The three-week negotiations were the longest in Denmark since 1988. "It is a political document, one of the first in the world, that really defines green ambitions," she said, highlighting one of key concerns among voters and left-wing parties. "We will develop a climate plan, a binding law on climate

Time running short, showdown looms over border aid package

It took last-minute changes and a full-court press by top Democratic leaders, but the House passed with relative ease a USD 4.5 billion emergency border aid package to care for thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied children detained after crossing the US-Mexico border. The bill passed along party lines Tuesday night after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quelled a mini-revolt by progressives and Hispanic lawmakers who sought significant changes to the legislation. New provisions added to the bill were more modest than what those lawmakers had sought, but the urgent need for the funding to prevent the humanitarian emergency on the border from turning into a debacle appeared to outweigh any lingering concerns. The 230-195 vote sets up a showdown with the Republican-led Senate, which may try instead to force Democrats to send President Donald Trump a different, and broadly bipartisan, companion measure in coming days as the chambers race to wrap up the must-do legislation by the ...

AP: Demolition of 'Praja Vedika' building underway

The demolition of 'Praja Vedika' building, which was constructed by the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government in the state, is underway for the second day.The process to demolish the public grievance hall had begun on Tuesday evening.'Praja Vedika' was constructed adjacent to the residence of former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.On Monday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered the demolition of 'Praja Vedika', claiming that the hall was constructed illegally and violated many acts.At first, the hall was planned to be demolished on Wednesday morning. However, the state government advanced its decision and began demolition a day earlier than proposed.On June 5, Naidu had written a letter to Reddy urging him to allocate 'Praja Vedika' so that he can use it as his office in the position of Leader of Opposition.

Brazil's Bolsonaro revokes order easing gun controls

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday revoked an order that had loosened the country's gun controls, after it faced legal and political challenges. The move comes a day before the Supreme Court was due to debate the constitutionality of the decree allowing millions of Brazilians to carry loaded weapons in public, which the Senate rejected last week. Bolsonaro announced the decree in May, enabling a wide range of professions, including truckers, politicians, hunters and even some journalists, to carry weapons without having to prove why they needed them. But it faced a strong opposition, even from governors in states with high rates of violence who argued the order failed to improve security. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has defended the decree as honoring the result of a 2005 referendum in which nearly 64 percent of Brazilians rejected a law that included, among other things, a total ban on the sale of firearms. But experts have warned the loosening of restrictions would .

KC Venugopal to meet 21 Cong candidates who lost LS polls today

Karnataka Congress in charge KC Venugopal is scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday with 21 Congress candidates who lost in the Lok Sabha elections.The meeting will take place in Bengaluru.Both the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), which contested the recent Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka as allies, failed to make a mark.The BJP had won 25 of the 28 seats along with an Independent backed by it leaving just one seat each to Congress and JDS.On Sunday, Congress leader KH Muniyappa had blamed JDS for the coalition's rout in the Lok Sabha elections, asserting that stitching an alliance with HD Deve Gowda's party cost dearly.Muniyappa had also said that Congress will contest alone in the local body elections next year.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets PM Modi

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who is on a three-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Wednesday."Working together to further deepen our strategic partnership @SecPompeo called on PM @narendramodi to exchange views on various aspects of Indo-US relationship," tweeted spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar, alongside two photos of the leaders."PM will meet President @realDonaldTrump on the sidelines of the upcoming #G20OsakaSummit," his tweet further read.Pompeo had earlier indicated that he will put forward the US' demand for reducing trade barriers imposed by India during his meetings Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.The meeting comes days after India imposed retaliatory tariffs on 25 American goods, less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump announced an end to preferential trade treatment for India over the trade barriers.Last year, India had announced tariffs in retaliation to higher US import duties on ...

Grama Vastavya 2.0: K'taka CM holds meeting with officials ahead of Raichur visit

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday held a meeting with officials before his 'village stay programme' in Raichur.The Karnataka Chief Minister commenced his 'Grama Vastavya 2.0' or 'village stay programme' from Northern Karnataka on June 21.The agenda is an extension of the "Grama Vastavya" programme, first started in Kumaraswamy's regime as the state's chief minister from 2006-2007 with BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa as his Deputy Chief Minister.After his party, Janata Dal (Secular), faced a severe drubbing in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the programme focuses on strengthening the party's relations with the locals and noting the plight of the common man.Kumaraswamy said the village stay scheme will pave the party's way to an enhanced political standing.The Chief Minister also met his party leaders, along with Siddaramaiah to lay out an action plan for the smooth functioning of the presently ruling Congress-JDS government in the state.The landslide victory of ...

Pompeo to hold talks with NSA Ajit Doval

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who is in India on a three-day visit, is slated to meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval here on Wednesday to hold talks on a host of issues, including terrorism and defence.The meeting comes days after the US expressed disagreement on India's decision to buy the long-range S-400 missile defence system from Russia, saying it will have serious implications on defence ties.It also comes two days ahead of the meeting scheduled between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Osaka, Japan on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.As part of his state visit, Pompeo is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Modi later today. Jaishankar will also host a lunch for his US counterpart.Recently, India imposed retaliatory tariffs on 25 American goods, less than two weeks after Trump announced an end to preferential trade treatment for India over the trade barriers.Last year, India had ...

UP bypolls: Four-cornered contest on the anvil

With the electoral alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party ending in a divorce, the upcoming bypolls to 12 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh are likely to witness a four-cornered contest. The Lok Sabha election and the 2017 UP Assembly election were rather triangular, where the Samajwadi Party had a tie-up with the Congress (in 2017 UP Assembly polls) or the BSP (2019 Lok Sabha election). It was in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that the BJP, Congress, SP, BSP and the RLD contested individually in the state. Bypolls will be held in 11 Assembly seats of UP, as sitting MLAs were elected as MPs, and in Hamirpur due to disqualification of BJP MLA Ashok Kumar Singh Chandel following conviction in a murder case. Of the four ministers who contested the Lok Sabha elections, except Mukut Bihari Verma, who lost from Ambedkar Nagar, three others won the poll. They include Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Allahabad, Satyadev Pachauri from Kanpur and SP Singh Baghel from ...

US prosecutor Mueller to testify publicly on Russia probe

Former US special counsel Robert Mueller is to testify in public about his report into Russian electoral interference, paving the way for a historic television moment in which Democrats will attempt to make the case for President Donald Trump's impeachment before the American people. The scrupulously tight-lipped Mueller will appear at back-to-back hearings on July 17 of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, which announced Tuesday that the prosecutor had agreed to abide by subpoenas for his testimony. "Russia attacked our democracy to help Trump win. Trump welcomed and used that help," House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said on Twitter. "As Mueller said, that should concern every American. And now, every American will get to hear directly from Mueller." Trump's apparent response to the announcement came swiftly in a two-word tweet in which he complained, without referring to Mueller, of "Presidential Harassment!" The Mueller report released in April outlined