Page 987 - Politics

SP-BSP alliance fields Anna Maharaj from Unnao

The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance has announced Arun Shankar Shukla, alias Anna Maharaj, as its candidate from the Unnao Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Caste factors likely to influence outcome of LS poll battle in Machilipatnam

The caste equation has influenced every election in Machilipatnam and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be no different, say experts. This time, it is a Gowda (a backward caste) versus Kapu batte in this coastal constituency of Andhra Pradesh as sitting Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Konakalla Narayana Rao's (Gowda) main challenger will be the YSR Congress's Vallabhaneni Balashowry (Kapu). In the weeks leading up to the polls, the war of words has intensified between the two camps. It started with TDP leaders calling Balashowry a "migratory bird" as he had earlier contested the Lok Sabha polls from Tenali and Guntur and is a non-local candidate. In return, Balashowry has charged incumbent MP Narayana Rao (he won the seat in 2009 and 2014) with failing to bring a single project in the region. On a number of occasions, Balashowry has mocked the TDP government in the state for not being able to commission the Machilipatnam Deep Sea Port project, which it had promised to complete by ...

China meddling claims hit Australian govt before vote

Australia's hardline immigration minister was swept up in the deepening saga over Chinese meddling in domestic politics Tuesday, delivering another blow to a government facing defeat in next month's election. An investigation by national broadcaster ABC revealed that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton met privately in 2016 with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo to discuss obtaining Australian citizenship. Huang has been at the centre of a series of scandals including accusations he bought influence in Canberra with millions in donations to major political parties. He has long denied any wrongdoing. The ABC alleged Huang paid a lobbyist thousands of dollars for private access to Dutton, throwing Australia's governing coalition into the foreign interference saga even as it trails in polls ahead of an expected May 18 election. Huang was eventually denied citizenship on the advice of Australian spy agencies and barred last month from the country on suspicions he is part of a Communist ...

16 people barred from entering US over Khashoggi murder

The US State Department has barred 16 people from entering the country over their roles in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October.

BJP manifesto is nothing but 'new jumlas': Sibal

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its 'Sankalp Patra' for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday slammed the BJP manifesto as nothing but a collection of "new jumlas".He tweeted that the ruling party has not kept promises it made during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections..

Terror funding case: Mirwaiz again appears before NIA

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq Tuesday appeared before the National Investigation Agency for the second consecutive day for questioning in connection with a case related to funding of terror groups and separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said here. The Mirwaiz came to the NIA headquarters under police protection and will be questioned on the matter of funding of his own party -- Awami Action Committee -- and Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of several separatist organisations, the officials said. The Mirwaiz is the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference which has in the past engaged with the NDA and UPA-led governments for talks to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue. The NIA has also summoned Naseem Geelani, son of pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, on Tuesday but it was not immediately clear whether he was appearing before the agency or not. The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the financing of terrorist ...

KCR's daughter, Renuka Chowdary among key contestants in Telangana (Curtain Raiser)

The Nizamabad seat from where Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao's daughter K. Kavitha is seeking re-election is set to create history with the largest number of candidates, including 178 farmers, who entered the fray to highlight their problems.

North Korea denounces South Korea's development plans as 'unrealistic'

Terming the development of inter-Korean relations as 'unrealistic', North Korea on Tuesday said that engaging in cross-border ties with South Korea is not possible as the latter has given in to US pressure, the local media reported.Last month the unification ministry of South Korea had come up with its plan to move bilateral relations with North Korea forward. The plan included North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visits to Seoul and holding of inter-Korean summits, Yonhap news agency had reported.Calling the plan "unrealistic" and "valueless", Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda outlet, noted that inter-Korean relations are making slow progress not because South Korea does not have a plan but because it is "scared" of US pressure."Indeed, the unification ministry handling inter-Korean relations made no achievements to speak of, let alone play a leading role in implementing North-South declarations while reading the faces of the U.S. and the South's conservatives," the North Korean .

Nielsen exit comes amid larger shake-up at Homeland Security

President Donald Trump and White House allies pressing for a harder line on immigration sped up their campaign to clean house at the Department of Homeland Security with a mission far wider than just the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The dismantling of the government's immigration leadership is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies, according to three people familiar with the matter. Beyond changing names and faces, Trump is considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year, the same people said. The shake-up is a result of Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the border and his diminishing options for action. Court challenges, immigration laws and his own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms. The White House has lashed out by demanding new ...

Israel votes with Netanyahu's future at stake

Israelis began voting Tuesday in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long right-wing tenure despite corruption allegations or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics. The vote is expected to be close and likely lead to frantic negotiations to form a coalition government once results are in, with opinion polls having shown Netanyahu best placed to do so. Polls opened at 0400 GMT and were to close at 1900 GMT in most areas, with final results not expected until early Wednesday. Ex-military chief Benny Gantz has mounted a strong challenge to the veteran prime minister by brandishing his security credentials while pledging to undo damage he says Netanyahu has inflicted on the country with divisive politics. The election will be in many ways a referendum on the 69-year-old leader who has built a reputation as guarantor of the country's security and economic growth, but whose populism and alleged corruption have left

BJP manifesto short sighted, arrogant: Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the Bharatiya Janata Party manifesto as short sighted, terming it arrogant and reflecting voice of an isolated man.

Saffron allies face tough battle in North Maharashtra

Lying in the Tapti River valley, the North Maharashtra region of the state will see fierce battles between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena and the Opposition parties for the 8 Lok Sabha seats, here.

Nine Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders found guilty

Nine pro-democracy leaders responsible for the largest civil disobedience movement in Hong Kong's history were on Tuesday found guilty over their roles in the 2014 protests which called for greater autonomy from China.

May forced to delay Brexit after MPs pass bill

British MPs have passed a historic legislation to delay Article 50, forcing the Prime Minister Theresa May's government to set out its timetable for the length of the Brexit delay in order to prevent the UK exiting the European Union (EU) without a deal.

South Korea to extend economic cooperation with North Korea

South Korea on Monday vowed to extend economic cooperation with North Korea aiming to break the impasse in the denuclearisation process of the Korean peninsula."It is time for us to reap the fruits of peace that we have sown so far," Yonhap news agency quoted Kim Yeon-chul, the newly sworn in unification minister (promoting Korean reunification), as saying."We need to seize the opportunity for co-prosperity of the South and the North. We never know when such a chance will come again if we miss it," Kim added.Kim replaced Cho Myoung-gyon who had served as unification minister handling inter-Korea affairs under the Moon Jae-in government since July 2017."I will work hard to strengthen a virtuous circle in which we strengthen peace by using business as a link and strengthen economic cooperation (with North Korea) again based on peace," Kim said.However, he did not mention any particular project with North Korea but promised to reopen the suspended cross-border projects, including an ...

ECI, citizen groups step up efforts to encourage people to cast vote

As polls to elect the 17th Lok Sabha inch closer, the Election Commission of India, as well as citizen groups, have intensified their efforts to encourage people to cast their votes.Vadodara-based Bharat Mata Shri Maharudra Hanuman Sansthan organised a rangoli making event to encourage city voters to cast their votes in the national elections in Gujarat. The rangolis with slogans like "My vote, my voice", "vote India", "vote 2019", "Elections 2019 vote India" written on it were made by an artisan group.Brajesh Kumar, the organiser of the event, informed that around 15 rangolis were displayed at around 2,000 square feet area in the temple. "We have collaborated with artists of Ekdant Rangoli Group for this event in our efforts to encourage people to cast their votes in this election," he said.In Jammu and Kashmir, a Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) train, commissioned by the election commission, which aimed at motivating people to exercise their voting ...

Visakhapatnam to witness contest between political heavyweight, three debutants

The port city of Visakhapatnam is set to witness a contest between a political heavyweight and three debutants in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election on April 11. Former Union minister Daggubati Purandeswari (BJP), former IPS officer V V Lakshmi Narayana (Jana Sena Party), Stanford graduate M Sri Bharath (Telugu Desam Party) and realtor M V V Satyanarayana (YSR Congress) are the main contenders for this parliamentary seat. The Congress has also fielded its candidate from the seat but her prospects, along with that of nine others, do not look very bright. Of the seven Assembly segments under the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency, four are in the main city, while two are in the suburbs and one is a rural segment in the neighbouring Vizianagaram district. Visakhapatnam is a cosmopolitan city, being the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command and home to major central PSUs like the Hindustan Shipyard Limited, the Vizag Steel Plant and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust. It is also ..

Satisfaction with BJP government dips marginally but most still happy: IANS-CVOTER Poll Tracker-II

The satisfaction level of voters with the performance of the Narendra Modi government has come down slightly after the surge witnessed following the air strikes on the terrorist camp in Pakistan's Balakot, but most still remain happy with the ruling dispensation, according to the latest finding of the CVOTER-IANS poll tracker.

NDA-BJP in lead, marginal seats will decide victory margin: IANS-CVOTER Poll Tracker-I

There are 167 marginal seats that will decide the extent of victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as deductions from poll arithmetic show a distinct head start to the ruling dispensation, indicating a second-term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the number analysis on the basis of data mined by CVOTER-IANS.

Most voters satisfied with performance of PM Modi: IANS-CVOTER Poll Tracker-III

Around half of the voters surveyed by CVOTER-IANS continue to be very satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.