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1.8 Tonne Drugs Worth $230 Million Found Inside Van In Philippines

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1.8 Tonne Drugs Worth $230 Million Found Inside Van In Philippines

More than 600 people have been killed in drug-related killings since June, 2022 (Representational)

Manila:

The Philippines has seized 1.8 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine, President Ferdinand Marcos said Tuesday, describing the bust as a record and the “right approach” to the drug war. Police found the illegal drugs, estimated to be worth more than $230 million, on Monday during a search of a van in Batangas province, south of Manila. The driver was arrested.

Marcos inspected the drug haul on Tuesday and said it was the “biggest shipment of shabu ever caught” in the Philippines. Shabu is the local name for cheap and highly addictive crystal meth. It was not clear if it was a record value or quantity of drugs.

“But not one person died, no one died, no gunfight, no one got injured,” Marcos told reporters.

“We did the operation carefully. That’s the right approach, for me, that should be the approach in the drug war.”

Police were tracing the source of the drugs, but Marcos said they were not made locally.

Thousands of people were killed in anti-drug operations under former president Rodrigo Duterte, sparking an international investigation into alleged human rights abuses.

The drug war has continued under Marcos even though he has pushed for more emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation.

More than 600 people have been killed in drug-related killings since he took power in June 2022, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps a count of such killings.

Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde said Monday’s drug bust proved that going after narcotics “can be done without violence, if authorities really do their job and follow due process”.

Conde challenged the Marcos administration to declare an end to the violent drug war and rescind Duterte’s orders for the bloody crackdown.

“It’s time for Mr Marcos to walk the talk on drug policy reform,” Conde said.

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad

Vamshi Tilak is the BJP candidate for Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll

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The BJP Central Election Committee announced the name of Tilak on Tuesday. 

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 01:48 PM


Vamshi Tilak is the BJP candidate for Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll


Hyderabad: The BJP has named TN Vamshi Tilak as its candidate for the Secunderabad cantonment assembly bypoll.

The BJP Central Election Committee announced the name of Tilak on Tuesday.  The byelection to Cantonment was necessitated by the demise of sitting MLA G Lasya Nanditha of the BRS in a road  accident on Feb 23. The Congress and the BRS have already announced their candidates.

World

5 killed, injured in coastal Ecuador armed attack

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Xinhua reported citing the FGE, that the victims were shot near the town of San Gil, where two vehicles were found containing firearms and ammunition.

Criminal violence has rebounded since the expiration of a 90-day state of emergency with a curfew, designed to help authorities tackle crime.

Five people, including an underage child, were murdered in an armed attack in the Cristo del Consuelo neighborhood of the southwest city of Guayaquil on April 11, one of the most violent attacks in the country.

Early on April 7, the government declared the country was in an “internal armed conflict” and ordered the military to participate in operations against organized armed groups classified as “terrorists.”

AMK/PR

Middle East

Iran attack on Israel controlled powerful response

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“It has been about 190 days since the Zionist usurper regime bombed Gaza and killed the oppressed Palestinian people. This regime did not adhere to the UN Security Council resolution to stop the Gaza war and did not implement it,” Abolfazl Amouei said in an interview with Mehr News Agency.

Referring to Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israeli military bases in occupied Palestine in response to the Tel Aviv regime’s airstrike on the country’s consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1, the senior Iranian lawmaker said that the anti-Israeli attack was carried out based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and Iran’s action was a legitimate defensive action.

“In this operation, we responded to the aggression of the Zionist regime with the aim of restoring deterrence, and it was a powerful and at the same time controlled response and it had its effect,” he underlined.

“From the beginning, we announced that we are not seeking war in the region, but we are seeking to reduce tension and solve problems in the region, and we consider the main problem to be the crimes of the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza. With the end of these crimes and the Palestinian people getting their rights, the tension in the region will definitely decrease. It is the aggressive nature of the Zionist regime that constantly increases tensions in the region.”

He went on to say that if the Islamic Republic of Iran had refused to respond to the Zionist regime’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, then the Zionists would have miscalculated that Iran was unable to respond, he added.

In response to the Israeli terrorist attack on Iran’s consulate building in Syria on April 1, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked targets in occupied Palestine with dozens of drones and missiles early on Sunday.

The Israeli regime attacked Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1. The Israeli aggression led to the destruction of the entire building and the martyrdom and injury of the entire people inside it.

Seven of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military advisors were martyred following the Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.

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Amethi People Want Me To Represent Them: Robert Vadra On Contesting Polls

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Amethi People Want Me To Represent Them: Robert Vadra On Contesting Polls

Robert Vadra has said the people of Amethi want him to represent them.

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh:

Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has said the people of Amethi want him to represent them and the decision to become a candidate in the Lok Sabha polls will be taken at the right time.

Robert Vadra visited holy city Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and had a ‘darshan‘ of Lord Banke Bihari. He saw Thakurji’s ‘Shringar Aarti’ and said be it Ayodhya or Mathura, he looks at every place in the same way.

The Congress is yet to declare its candidates either from Amethi or Raebareli, the two pocket boroughs of the Nehru-Gandhi family. There are speculations about Priyanka Gandhi’s brother Rahul Gandhi contesting again from Amethi.

Rahul Gandhi had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to Union minister Smriti Irani, who has again been fielded by the BJP from the constituency.

Speaking to reporters, Robert Vadra indicated that he will also join politics and said there is an atmosphere of change in the country. His entire family is working diligently on this, he added.

He said whether he remains actively involved in politics or not, he will continue to work hard for the country and its people.

“We will continue to make efforts to form a secular government in the country,” Mr Vadra said.

On the question of becoming a candidate from Amethi, Mr Vadra said discussions are going on in every corner of the country. This is a call of the people. He understands their hard work, he said.

“They want me to represent them, go to their area and listen to their problems so that they can progress. I am also interested in joining politics but the decision will be taken at the right time. There is no hurry right now,” he said.

Pradeep Mathur, former leader of the UP Congress Legislature Party accompanied Vadra.

After ‘darshan’ in the temple, Vadra enjoyed the ‘kachori’ given in Thakurji’s ‘prasad’ and himself distributed the ‘prasad’ to the devotees.

He said whenever a person faces any problem, he remembers his God. He does not remember any leader or party, he added.

“When a person in trouble remembers God, his courage increases. Therefore, there should be no politics of discrimination in the name of religion,” Mr Vadra said.

Accusing the BJP of being a party doing “politics of discrimination”, he said calling the Congress anti-Sanatan is the BJP’s own way of publicity. His (Robert Vadra) entire family is secular and away from discrimination, he added.

Assuring the victory of the INDIA bloc, he said, “In the coming time, we will form a secular government in the country. Will keep the country secular.

“The new alliance that has been formed will be kept strong. Because our thinking is to strengthen the country,” he said.

Referring to the BJP, he said a secular government should be established in the country and the (INDIA) bloc is working strongly in this direction.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi working to make the Congress and the alliance victorious, he said both of them are also working very hard. They are ready to help the people and want to find solutions to their problems.

“It is a prayer to Banke Bihari that there should be happiness and peace in the country. I also wish for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi that they definitely succeed,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

Lana Del Rey Makes Coachella Entrance On Motorbike, And The Internet Can't Handle It

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Lana Del Rey Makes Coachella Entrance On Motorbike, And The Internet Can't Handle It

The viral video shows Lana Del Rey making a grand entrance on a motorbike.

American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey’s return to Coachella after a ten-year hiatus sent the internet into a frenzy. Videos capturing her arrival on a motorbike at the Indio, California festival have gone viral.

Clad in a flowing powder blue dress and shiny boots, Del Rey rode in with style, her hair blowing in the wind. People Magazine shared the video on Instagram, sparking widespread praise from fans.

One fan called her a “dreamy moto cool girl queen,” while another noted the excitement of Coachella amidst a difficult global situation.Fans who streamed the performance online described it as “epic.”

Lana Del Rey’s setlist included songs from throughout her career, including “Without You” (Born to Die bonus track), selections from her latest album “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” and tracks from “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” “Ultraviolence,” and “Norman F##king Rockwell!”

Lana Del Rey, the captivating American singer-songwriter with a melancholic pop sound, is known for her unique style. Born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, her music is famous for its cinematic quality, often exploring themes of tragic romance, glamour, and nostalgia. References to pop culture and 1950s-1970s Americana are sprinkled throughout her work, further emphasized by her vintage Hollywood aesthetic in both music and music videos. With Grammy nominations, an MTV Video Music Award, and accolades from MTV Europe, the Brits, and Billboard, Lana Del Rey’s influence on the music industry is undeniable.

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World

Iran’s annual exports to Belarus rise 34%: Report

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Based on the data released by Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), carpets, polystyrene, polyester, powder paint, mineral oils, medicine, fruits, polyethylene, pistachios, raisins, and tomato paste have been the main items exported to Belarus in the mentioned year.

The Islamic Republic also imported $59 million worth of products from Belarus in the past year, which indicates an increase of 35 percent compared to the year before.

Back in October 2023, the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (TCCIMA) hosted an Iran-Belarus business forum in which the two sides stressed the need to take necessary measures to reach an annual trade of $1.0 billion.

During the forum, which was attended by a delegation from the Minsk Department of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representatives of several Iranian companies, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation between the two chambers to achieve the above-mentioned trade target.

Iran and Belarus also signed a comprehensive cooperation roadmap and seven memorandums of understanding in mid-March 2023, as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited Tehran.

The cooperation roadmap and MOUs include various commercial, transportation, agricultural, and cultural fields.

The roadmap was signed by the presidents of the two countries, while the MOUs were inked by senior officials from the two sides.

AMK/TT

Middle East

Iran playing long game in its dealings with Israel

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Former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter stressed that Iran is playing the long game in its dealings with Israel, carefully calibrating its actions to restore deterrence against the country rather than concerning itself with world opinion, Sputnik reports.

The former US Marine Corps intelligence officer offered the analysis on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday, challenging the perception that Israel is in a stronger position after intercepting most of Iran’s retaliatory strikes over the weekend.

“The point is prior to this Israel had established a dominance – I’ll call it deterrence dominance,” claimed Ritter. “Meaning that, from an Israeli perspective, nobody should ever dare attack Israel, that Israel has let it be known that if you attack Israel, there will be a ten-fold response, that your life would end, it would be horrible, you can’t do it. And, for the most part, people didn’t attack Israel.”

“And so Israel had become very arrogant, had become sort of the neighborhood bully writ large,” he explained. “And this is why Israel was bombing Syria with impunity, striking targets in Lebanon with impunity, striking targets in Iraq with impunity.”

Israel frequently bombs Syrian airports and other infrastructure and has been illegally occupying the country’s Golan Heights territory since 1967. In 1982 the Israeli military bombed the Lebanese capital of Beirut so aggressively the US President Ronald Reagan referred to the event as a “holocaust,” hurting the feelings of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

Observers also suggest Zionist opposition to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein played a role in the United States’ decision to invade the country and remove him from power in 2003. “It’s very clear: Israel had the most influence in this and more so since we know how the Israelis were running into the Pentagon consulting with Rumsfeld and all those guys without even having to show any badge or anything,” former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern claimed on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program recently.

MNA/PR

Sports

RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell takes ‘mental and physical’ break after asking to be rested

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Maxwell disclosed that he informed captain Faf du Plessis and the coaching staff that it might be beneficial to give someone else a chance. But he believes he can still impact RCB if he is required to play his season.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 01:21 PM


RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell takes ‘mental and physical’ break after asking to be rested


Bengaluru: Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell has revealed that he requested Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) management to omit him from the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), seeking a “mental and physical break” following a challenging beginning to his IPL 2024 season.

Addressing the press conference after RCB’s 25-run loss to SRH, Maxwell disclosed that he informed captain Faf du Plessis and the coaching staff that it might be beneficial to give someone else a chance. But he believes he can still impact RCB if he is required to play his season.

“For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision. I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact,” said Maxwell.

The 35-year-old allrounder had a lackluster start to the season, managing only 32 runs across six innings, with three ducks. This contributed to RCB’s position at the bottom of the standings, having secured just one win.

“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own,” he added.

Maxwell entered IPL 2024 in scintillating form. He had delivered two T20I hundreds, one in Guwahati against India and another in Adelaide against West Indies. This impressive run came shortly after his outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup, where he scored a double hundred in a chase against Afghanistan.

“T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he reflected. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.

“I probably just haven’t got away – it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game,” said Maxwell.

Maxwell’s tenure with RCB has been stellar, with three outstanding seasons under his belt. He amassed 513 runs at an impressive strike rate of 144.10 in 2021, followed by 301 runs 169.1 and then 400 runs at a strike rate of 183.49 between 2021 to 2023.

Monday’s game against SRH turned out to be a high-scoring one, that saw the highest aggregate of runs 549 – in a T20 match. When asked if, in hindsight, he wished he had played one more game before this decision to rest, Maxwell replied: “I did notice during the powerplay that the pitch was not as slow and two-paced as it has been in the first few games,” Maxwell replied. “And I realised it was probably a bad game to miss; it would have been nice to be out there batting.”

“But as I said, I wanted to give myself not just the physical break but also the mental break to give myself the right to play professional cricket. I take a lot of pride in my performance, and I put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get my body right for every game. And it has been a pretty tough struggle, given my body is on the wrong side of 30. I think that physical and mental toll probably just wore me down a little bit,” he added.

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Pak Woman Seema Haider Summoned As 1st Husband Goes To Noida Court

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Pak Woman Seema Haider Summoned As 1st Husband Goes To Noida Court

Seema and Sachin Meena had met while playing mobile game PUBG

New Delhi:

Pakistani woman Seema Haider, who illegally crossed over to India last year to be with her lover, has been summoned by a family court in Noida.

Seema Haider was married to Ghulam Haider when she sneaked into India along with her four minor children last year in May.

Seema and her partner in India – Sachin Meena – had met while playing mobile game PUBG. The two claim to have got married in Kathmandu during an earlier meeting.

Ghulam Haider – who lives in Karachi – had filed a petition in the family court in Noida through an Indian lawyer, challenging the validity of Seema’s marriage with Sachin Meena.

The two also celebrated their first wedding anniversary last month. 

In his petition, Ghulam Haider has also challenged his children’s religious conversion.

Ghulam Haider’s lawyer Momin Malik claims that Seema had not taken divorce from Ghulam Haider and that her marriage with Sachin was not valid.

Ms Haider has been asked to appear before the court on May 27.

Ghulam Haider had first approached Ansar Burney, a top Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, for help in getting custody of his four children.

Ansar Burney, a top Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, said that Ghulam Haider, Seema’s Pakistani husband, had approached him for help in getting custody of his four children.

Mr Burney then hired Ali Momin in India and sent him power of attorney to start legal proceedings in Indian courts.

Seema Haider’s first husband was working in Saudi Arabia when she came to India via the UAE and Nepal.

In an interview with BBC, Seema had earlier said that she had adopted Hinduism and refused to return to Pakistan. Seema Haider claims her children have also converted to Hinduism.

Mr Burney had said that according to international laws, religious conversion of underage children is prohibited.