Politics

BJP to felicitate Som, Rana at Narendra Modi's Agra rally

Agra, Nov 19 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh BJP will felicitate its MLAs Sangeet Singh Som and Suresh Rana, who were arrested for allegedly inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, during party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally in Agra on November 21.

Nov 19, 2013

Australian Foreign Minister confident of conclusive talks with India over civil nuclear cooperation

New Delhi, Nov 19 (ANI): Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop said that she is confident of positive outcomes of the upcoming third round of negotiations over the civil nuclear cooperation with India. Addressing a joint news conference with her Indian counterpart, Salman Khurshid, Bishop said that there is no delay in negotiations. She added that Australia supports India's membership of the nuclear suppliers group, keeping in view the latter's record of non-proliferation. Meanwhile, focusing on the economic relations of both countries, Khurshid said that he hoped for more Indian companies to invest in Australia.

Nov 19, 2013

BSF on alert with threat of infiltration at Bangladesh border

Siliguri, Nov 19 (ANI): Troops of India's paramilitary, Border Security Force (BSF) were put on high alert at the Bangladesh border with intelligence agencies predicting an increase in infiltration due to the growing political instability in the delta nation. Inspector General of BSF's North Bengal Frontier, S. K. Sood told a journalist in Siliguri that troops have been told to cover all gap areas along the border to counter any infiltration bid. The clash of ideologies could plunge Bangladesh into a cycle of violence as the two main political parties - ruling Awami League led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh National Party (BNP) headed by Begum Khaleda Zia, locked in decades of mutual distrust, exploit the tension between secularists and Islamists ahead of elections. In the recent months, Bangladesh has been hit by a wave of violent protests over war crimes convictions, presenting the government with a security and credibility challenge ahead of polls early next year.

Nov 19, 2013

BJP's demand to honour AB Vajpayee with Bharat Ratna draws mixed response

New Delhi/ Kolkata, Nov 19 (ANI): The demand of BJP to honour former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna drew mixed response from political ledaers. After the government honoured cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C.N.R Rao with the highest civilian award, the BJP criticised Congress party for not bestowing the same honour to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor appreciated Vajpayee's contribution to the country, however, said that the spirit with which Tendulkar was given the honour was different. Meanwhile, Union HRD minister MM Pallam Raju said that if the government decides, he will surely be honoured with the award. However, Communist Party of India, General Secretary, Tariq Anwar had a different view and stated that Vajpayee was not eligible for the honour.

Nov 19, 2013

Chhattisgarh polls: Voting for second phase underway

Chhattisgarh, Nov 19 (ANI): The second phase of the assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, covering 72 constituencies, across 19 districts, began on Tuesday. Despite a Maoist boycott call, the first phase of polls, in the 18 seats spanning Bastar and Rajnandgaon, on November 11 witnessed a 68% voter turnout. As many as 3,000 cameras are installed at the polling booths to ensure free and fair polls. Around 80,000 Election Commission officials and over 100,000 security personnel have been roped in to conduct the polls

Nov 19, 2013