Politics

British PM Starmer's chief of staff resigns over reports about salary

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff quit on Sunday, citing concerns that growing news reports about her role risked becoming a distraction to the government. Sue Gray's resignation came after recent reports about tensions between her and Starmer's chief adviser Morgan McSweeney, and that she was earning more than the prime minister. The BBC has reported that Gray's annual salary was 170,000 pounds ($223,000), about 3,000 pounds more than Starmer is paid. Gray said she accepted a new role as Starmer's envoy for the regions and nations. McSweeney will replace her as chief of staff at Downing Street. Throughout my career, my first interest has always been public service, Gray said in a statement. However, in recent weeks it has become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government's vital work of change." Gray, a former senior civil servant, became a household name in Britain in 2022, when she led investigations

CM Revanth Reddy says KCR used Telangana agitation as 'protective shield'

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy took a veiled attack on BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday, alleging that the former used the statehood agitation as a "protective shield" which got him people's respect though it is not the case anymore. Speaking at an event here where he handed over appointment letters to new recruits in different government departments, Reddy, without taking Rao's name, said people respected the former CM for the sake of the statehood movement. "He feels that people respected him because of his greatness. But, it was due to Telangana agitation, the sacrifices of unemployed youth. Now that the veil is out, he is not to be seen in public. His children are on the roads and speaking as they wish," Reddy said. While government recruitment was deferred for years together, the state government has filled up 30,000 job vacancies in 90 days after assuming office, he said. Referring to the opposition BRS and the BJP attacking the government's Musi river ..

Champai Soren hospitalised following blood sugar-related complications

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren was hospitalised following blood sugar-related complications, an official said on Sunday. He was admitted to the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur around 9 pm on Saturday. He was admitted to the hospital after his blood sugar dipped and he felt dizzy, a close aide of the former CM said. Tata Main Hospital GM Dr Sudhir Rai told PTI that Soren's condition was stable and improving. Soren, 67, joined the BJP in August, alleging "disrespect" and "humiliation" in the JMM. He was appointed the chief minister on February 2, following Hemant Soren's resignation and subsequent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He left the post on July 3, clearing the way for Hemant Soren's return to the chair after being granted bail.

How did the exit polls fare last time for Haryana & J-K elections? Find out

In Haryana, while the 2014 exit polls were mostly accurate in predicting the BJP's victory, they were significantly off in 2019 when many forecast a decisive win for the BJP

AAP supremo Kejriwal to address second 'Janta ki Adalat' rally on Oct 6

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal will address his second 'Janta Ki Adalat' rally at north Delhi's Chhatrasal stadium on Sunday, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Friday, Singh expressed hope that the people of Delhi will give a massive mandate to the AAP in the upcoming assembly polls, as a "certificate of Kejriwal's honesty". He said that the AAP national convenor will address the rally at Chhatrasal Stadium in Model Town. On September 15, Kejriwal announced his decision to resign from the CM's post, saying that he needed to go to the "peoples' court", just two days after being released from Tihar jail where he spent over five months in connection with the excise policy case. The AAP supremo also said that he would return to the top post after getting a "certificate of honesty" from Delhiites in the assembly polls due in February. Singh said that the BJP's intention to "finish the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal"

UK PM Starmer suffers first leadership setback as party MP Duffield resigns

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suffered his first setback since taking charge at 10 Downing Street in July after one of his members of Parliament resigned from the Labour Party, delivering a scathing attack on his leadership. Rosie Duffield, MP for Canterbury in Kent, will now sit in the House of Commons as an Independent after her resignation letter published in The Sunday Times' attacked the Labour leader's cruel and unnecessary policies amid an ongoing expensive free gifts row. Duffield claimed there were many "last straws" that led to her decision to resign, but her main reason to step down this weekend is over the government's programme of unpopular policies. They are cruel and unnecessary and affect hundreds of thousands of our poorest, most vulnerable constituents. This is not what I was elected to do. It is not even wise politics, and it certainly is not the politics of service', writes Duffield in her resignation letter. The MP goes on to state that she has no ...

Punjab BJP rejects reports of Sunil Jakhar quitting as state unit chief

The Punjab BJP on Friday asserted that Sunil Jakhar was leading the party in the state, dismissing as "totally baseless" speculation that he had resigned from his post. Though the 70-year-old Jakhar himself was not responding to calls, his close aide Sanjeev Trikha told PTI that there was nothing like this. A media report had claimed that Jakhar has quit as the Punjab unit chief. Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin dismissed it as "totally baseless and false". He said Jakhar is leading the party's state unit. On Jakhar staying away from Thursday's meeting of the party's membership drive, Sarin said it was not important for the state unit chief to be present in every meeting. Referring to reports of his resignation as the Punjab BJP chief, Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said on X, "Mr @sunilkjakhar, All the best, where next ?" Jakhar was appointed as the Punjab BJP chief in July 2023, succeeding BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma. He had joined the BJP

Explained: Who is Jhumpa Lahiri, why did she refuse Isamu Noguchi award?

The New York-based museum, which was found by Japanese American designer and sculptor, recently told employees not to wear clothes expressing political messages, or slogans

From demolition to campaign, bulldozers become party tool to pull crowds

Once just an innocuous piece of construction equipment and today a symbol of state power and politics, bulldozers are visible everywhere as campaigning hots up in Nuh. Not as a demolition tool but festooned, prettied up and embraced by all parties. Young people sitting on dozer blades, dancing and showering petals on crowds gathered on the narrow streets below are a common sight. Bulldozers may have earned a bad name but clearly not in this Haryana constituency, counted among the most backward in the country, where they are being used to further the festive election mood. The scene was very different just over a year ago when five people were killed in communal violence in the Muslim dominated constituency. The violence later spread to adjoining Gurugram where a cleric was killed in an attack on a mosque. Following the violence, the BJP-led Haryana government went on a demolition drive in Nuh, drawing allegations of "ethnic cleansing". Then chief minister M L Khattar stoutly denied

Mexico's most popular president retiring, here's what he will leave behind

Many Mexicans will feel a deep sense of loss when folksy, charismatic, nationalistic President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves office on September 30 and that's no surprise. Lopez Obrador himself has spent an inordinate amount of time talking about his own legacy and his place in history over his six-year term, something he brings up at almost every one of his marathonic daily 7 a.m. media briefings. But what legacy will the rumpled, grinning Lopez Obrador leave behind? It is perhaps the main question for a man who is obsessed with history, and one thing appears clear: he has changed the way politics is done in Mexico, perhaps forever. Unlike decades of reserved and distant presidents, Lopez Obrador has built a deep personal connection with many Mexicans. He has stripped the office of the thousands of presidential guards, limousines and walled compounds that once characterised it, saying you can't have a rich government with poor people. He is a politician who evokes ...

A shift down south: Sri Lanka's presidential election breaks new ground

The question is whether Mr Dissanayake will run the country the same way he positioned his campaign: As an outside insurgent

Exploring journey of India's women Chief Ministers: From Sucheta to Atishi

Mayawati became the first Dalit woman to hold the post, meanwhile, Syeda Anwara Taimur was the first Muslim woman

India less of an issue in Sri Lankan election, local factors predominate

"For Sri Lankans, this election is a way of overcoming the trauma of the economic hardship they have just been through, a way of speaking out. … India is not a factor."

Arvind Kejriwal resigns as Delhi Chief Minister, Atishi set to take over

Opposition calls her elevation a 'stop-gap'

Left Wing Extremism restricted to 43 districts, 'to be eliminated by 2026'

The government's sustained campaign against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has led to the menace being restricted to 43 districts as against 200 before 2014, sources said on Sunday. The sources, on condition of anonymity, said over 700 Maoists have been arrested, surrendered or killed in encounters between January and September this year and exuded confidence that the country will be free from Left Wing Extremism by 2026. In the first 100 days in office of the BJP-led NDA government's third tenure, the focus has been on implementation of the action plan to address the LWE, including building additional security camps in the Maoist affected areas. Among other achievements of the government in the first 100 days include a peace agreement with the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) which renounced violence after 35 years of conflict. A total of 328 armed cadres of the two outfits renounced violence and joined the mainstream of the society. The .

Chargesheet filed against Ex-MP Prajwal Revanna in second case

The Bengaluru police has filed a chargesheet in the second case registered against former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual assault, in a special court here. Revanna is currently under judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara Jail here, and a Special Investigation Team is probing four separate cases against him, officials said on Friday. According to police, the second case against Prajwal Revanna was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 1 after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused him of repeatedly raping her. In a statement, police said the SIT team conducted a comprehensive investigation of the case and during the probe, more than 120 witnesses were interrogated and statements of victims, key witnesses were recorded. "A 1691 page comprehensive chargesheet has been filed against former Hassan Lok Sabha constituency MP Prajwal Revanna. The chargesheet has been submitted to a special court here after ...

Be prepared to hear India's comments on politics, says EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said he had no problem with other countries commenting on Indian politics, but they should also be prepared to hear his comments on their politics. He made the sharp remarks during his interaction with the Indian community here. Jaishankar was asked a question about some foreign diplomats based in New Delhi having personal meetings with certain opposition leaders in their state. The External Affairs Minister did not answer it directly as he said, I have no problem if people comment about our politics, but then, I think in fairness, they should also be ready to hear my comments about their politics. And so, how to get a more mutually respectful world, more equal world? Because everybody says they know, he said and then referring to George Orwell's Animal Farm', he said, Some are more equal than others. How do you actually create that? I think that's also one of the big debates, which is today taking place in the world, the EAM added.

Clans, cousins, next gen dynasts face off in Haryana's game of thrones

Until now, the BJP has announced candidates on 87 of the 90 seats

Vinesh Phogat slams PT Usha's 'photo-op politics' after Paris Olympics

Indian wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat criticised Indian Olympic Association President for meeting her for optics and not showing 'genuine' support during a difficult time

PM Modi stresses removing hurdles in India's research and innovation

Emphasising the need to set big targets, PM Modi said that research should focus on finding new solutions to existing problems