Page 952 - Politics

Trick or treat? EU, UK agree to delay Brexit until Halloween

Leaders of the 27 remaining EU member states met for more than six hours before agreeing after midnight to postpone Brexit until October 31.

Australian PM announces date for general elections

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that the country will hold the coming general elections on May 18, in a vote that could deliver a seventh leader in just over a decade.

Voting underway for 2 Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya

Voting for the two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya was underway on Thursday amid tight security, an official said.

Congress fights for existence in West Bengal

Buffeted by the steady erosion in its vote bank, and exodus of its leaders and workers to the state's ruling TMC and a resurgent BJP, the Congress is fighting a grim battle to stay relevant in West Bengal politics in the Lok Sabha elections. The party, which ruled Bengal for more than two decades since Independence, is standing at a crossroads where its influence has diminished over time and is now limited to only to some pockets. Battered and bruised by factionalism, a seemingly unending quest for a credible and effective leadership, and organisational frailty, the Congress in West Bengal was relegated to a distant fourth position with little over nine per cent vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. "Yes, it is indeed a battle to prove our existence in Bengal. It is true that we have lost much of our strength in the last few years but we are still a force to reckon with and can't be just written off," Congress's state coordination committee chief and MP Pradip ...

2019 general elections: PM Modi appeals voters to exercise franchise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed to those casting their votes in the first phase of the 2019 general elections to turn out in large numbers."2019 Lok Sabha elections commence today. I call upon all those whose constituencies are voting in the first phase today to turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise. I specially urge young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers," the Prime Minister tweeted.RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, who cast his vote in Nagpur at polling booth number 216, also appealed to voters to exercise their franchise."Voting is our duty, everyone should vote," he told media here.Polling for 91 Lok Sabha constituencies, spread across 18 states and two Union Territories, began on Thursday morning amidst heightened security.Among the constituencies going for polls in the first phase are - eight in Uttar Pradesh, five in Uttarakhand, four in Bihar, seven in Maharashtra, five in Assam, four in Odisha, two each in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal .

Union Minister Gen V.K. Singh casts his vote

Union Minster and the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Ghaziabad cast his vote soon after polling began on Thursday in the first phase of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

N Korea urges 'telling blow' to forces imposing sanctions: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has struck a defiant note over his failed summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi and insisted Pyongyang would overcome the effect of sanctions, state media reported Thursday. The remarks were Kim's first official comment on the North's position since talks on denuclearisation with Washington broke down in Vietnam in February, in part over Pyongyang's demands for immediate sanctions relief. Trump is set to host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House later on Thursday, seeking to rekindle dialogue with the North. Kim told top officials of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday to push ahead with "self-reliance" to undermine the sanctions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. He said developing the socialist economy would "deal a telling blow to the hostile forces who go with bloodshot eyes miscalculating that sanctions can bring the DPRK to its knees," the report said, using the acronym for the North's official name. Kim made

UN extends experts monitoring North Korea sanctions

The Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend the mandate of the UN panel of experts monitoring sanctions on North Korea, with Russia urging its members "to correct" the negative impact of the tough measures on the lives of ordinary citizens. Adoption of the resolution was delayed for weeks over Russia's demands that the committee address the humanitarian impact of sanctions. Russia's deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov expressed concern after the vote to extend the experts' mandate until April 24, 2020 that sanctions are hurting ordinary North Koreans, especially "the most vulnerable members of society women and children." "We trust the committee in the immediate future will take up consideration, and will reach agreement on practical measures to correct this abnormal situation," he said. But Britain's deputy political coordinator David Clay said North Korea and some countries "seek to blame sanctions for the humanitarian situation" when it's due to the country's ...

Andhra CM, family members cast votes in Amaravati

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu along with his family members cast his vote in the state capital region Amaravati on Thursday in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

LS polls: Bhagwat, Joshi among first to cast vote in Nagpur

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was among the early ones to cast his vote on Thursday for the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra's Nagpur constituency, where Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the BJP's candidate. Bhagwat along with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi arrived at a polling booth at Bhauji Daftari School in Mahal area around 6.50 am. Talking to media-persons after exercising his franchise, Bhagwat appealed people to come out to vote in large numbers. "Voting is necessary and a sacred responsibility of all. Vote for national security, development and identity," he said. On the None of the Above (NOTA) option available to voters on the electronic voting machines (EVMs), he said one has to say what he/she wants. "Being quiet does not work, you have to say yes or no," he said. Joshi also appealed people to support voting. People should express their choice, he said, and urged them to vote for the candidate whom they think is suitable. "I hope ..

Netanyahu on path to victory in Israeli election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on track for victory in Israel's election on Thursday after nearly complete results put him in position to form a right-wing coalition and further extend his long tenure in office. The results from Tuesday's vote came despite corruption allegations against the 69-year-old premier and kept him on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year. His close ally President Donald Trump, who has swung US policy sharply in Israel's favour and openly backed Netanyahu, said the incumbent's victory for a fifth mandate gives the White House's long-awaited peace plan a "better chance". Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party looked set to finish with a similar number of seats in parliament to his main rival, ex-military chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance. But the results showed that Likud together with other right-wing parties allied to the prime minister would hold around 65 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Final ...

Will never give in to sanctions: Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed never to give in to sanctions, adding that Pyongyang needs to deliver a "serious blow" to those imposing it, state-media reported on Thursday.

US wants UN to recognise Guaido as Venezuela's leader

US Vice President Mike Pence has called on the UN to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela's President and to revoke the credentials of the incumbent Nicolas Maduro government's ambassador to the international organisation.

Lok Sabha polls: Voting begins in Jammu and Kashmir

Voting for the Jammu and Kashmir's Jammu and the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies began on Thursday morning, poll officials said.

India, Pak can only move forward through talks: FM Qureshi

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday (local time) underlined that the only way for India and Pakistan to move forward is through talks.Qureshi said that Islamabad requires a "willing and constructive partner to tackle the myriad daunting challenges" that the region is facing."A peaceful neighbourhood is an essential condition to build prosperous societies," The Dawn quoted Qureshi as saying while addressing a National Conference on Strategic Stability in South Asia here.Amid the already strained tensions between India and Pakistan, Qureshi said that both the nations should work towards addressing the "underlying challenges" to strategic stability in the region.Citing the example of Kashmir issue, which has remained unresolved for over 70 years, Qureshi stressed that any conflict resolution plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful strategic stability arrangement in the region."It (Kashmir issue) lies at the heart of every crisis between Pakistan and India,

2019 general elections: First phase of polling begins

Polling for 91 Lok Sabha constituencies, spread across 18 states and two Union Territories, began on Thursday morning amidst heightened security.Among the constituencies going for polls in the first phase are - eight in Uttar Pradesh, five in Uttarakhand, four in Bihar, seven in Maharashtra, five in Assam, four in Odisha, two each in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and West Bengal, and one each in Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.Over 14 crore voters will decide the fate of 1279 candidates who are in the fray. More than 1 lakh polling booths have been set up across the country, the EC said in a statement issued on Wednesday. It also mentioned that 7764 third gender voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase.Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases - April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will be done on May 23.On Wednesday, .

Maduro says deal reached with Red Cross to send Venezuela aid

President Nicolas Maduro has announced an agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela. The oil-rich country is enduring acute shortages of food, medicine and other basics, and Maduro is locked in a power struggle with the increasingly popular leader of the opposition, national assembly speaker Juan Guaido. In an about-face, Maduro said on national TV and radio that his government and the Red Cross had agreed "to work together with UN agencies to bring into Venezuela all the humanitarian aid that can be brought." Maduro denies that Venezuela is suffering from a humanitarian crisis and blames US sanctions for its economic woes. In January Guaido tried to lead a drive to bring in donated food and medicine from Colombia and Brazil but the effort failed as the army, which is loyal to Maduro, blocked shipments at the border. Maduro argued that letting in such assistance, much of it provided by the US, would be the first step towards a

UK accepts EU's offer to extend Brexit deadline to Oct 31

The leaders of the 27 remaining EU member-states and UK Prime Minister Theresa May agreed here early Thursday to extend Brexit deadline until October 31.

'Spying' took place in Trump's campaign, says Barr

US Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday (local time) said that he was looking into FBI's efforts to probe US President Donald Trump's campaign members before the 2016 presidential election, adding that he believes "spying" took place."I think spying did occur. But the question is whether it was adequately predicated and I'm not suggesting it wasn't adequately predicated, but I need to explore that," The Hill quoted Barr as saying during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing."I am going to be reviewing both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign during 2016. A lot of this has already been investigated and a substantial portion that's being investigated is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the department," he added.Later, Barr tried to clarify his stance, saying that he was concerned that "improper surveillance" may have taken place in 2016 and he was "looking into it"."I am not saying that improper ..

Congress infected by 'green virus', says Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress, alleging that the party has got infected by a 'green virus'.Addressing an election rally, Adityanath spoke about Congress president Rahul Gandhi filing his nomination from Wayanad parliamentary constituency and claimed that only green flags were visible at the time."You might have seen Rahul Gandhi's nomination rally at one of the seats in Kerala, there was only greenery visible there. Congress flag was nowhere to be seen. Congress is suffering from this green virus, it has got infected by it", he said.The Chief Minister also accused the Congress of indulging in appeasement politics."Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once said that Muslims have the right over the country's resources, to this I want to ask the Congress that where should the rest of the country go for resources," said Adityanath.Uttar Pradesh will see polling in all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections beginning April 11. The ...