Middle East

Jordan cooperation with Israel 'strategic mistake'

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In an interview with Mehr News Agency on Tuesday, the Deputy Chairman of the Iranian Parliament National Security Commission spoke about the destructive role of the Jordanian during Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel who opened their airspace for the Zionists to confront Iranian drones and missiles.

“It is expected that the Muslim countries of the region would support the oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza,” Heidari said, adding that although the Jordanian people fully support Palestine, the Jordanian government is acting differently.

“Jordan could at least remain silent or even support Iran’s legitimate defense against the Zionist regime, but surprisingly and regrettably, it cooperated with the Zionist regime,” he went on to say, considering the Jordanian move as influenced by the US and Israel.

He further stressed that although Jordan’s action against Iran was not effective, the action itself was very important. “Jordan made a strategic mistake by cooperating with the Zionist regime.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shahriari referred to the condemnation of Jordan’s move by different nations, including the Jordanian people.

“Jordan did this to please the Zionist regime and the US; In fact, it can be said that the Jordanian government cooperated with the Zionist regime mostly to protect itself and not for the sake of its people,” he continued.

Referring to Iran’s efforts against the Israeli regime, the senior Iranian lawmaker called on all the Muslim countries to fulfill their duty to support Palestine.

“It is expected that the Islamic countries would stand with the Palestinian people because the Zionist regime has committed many crimes and murders in Gaza in recent months, and if Israel is arrogant and allows itself to continue its operations against Gaza, it is because not all the Islamic countries have stood against it.”

Islamic countries must stand against the Israeli regime in practice, he concluded.

MP/6079697

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"Scranton Joe" Visits Hometown As Rival Trump Stuck In New York Court

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'Scranton Joe' Visits Hometown As Rival Donald Trump Stuck In New York Court

Scranton:

US President Joe Biden will draw a stark contrast with Donald Trump on Tuesday when he visits his birthplace in Scranton, Pennsylvania — while his election rival is stuck in a New York courtroom.

The 81-year-old has long traded on his blue-collar image as “Scranton Joe” to reach out to middle- and working-class voters, but his rally in a key battleground state in November’s election is even more symbolic.

Biden will be relishing the split screen as he tours America’s industrial heartland while his Republican real estate tycoon rival is kept off the campaign trail, making unwanted history as the first ex-president ever to face a criminal trial.

The Democrat has refused to comment on Trump’s legal woes — shaking his head at the White House on Monday when asked if he was following the trial — but the messaging of the trip will speak for itself. 

Biden often references the former coal-mining boomtown where he was born in 1942 to hardscrabble circumstances, which he frequently recalls in folksy stories about his family designed to appeal to voters struggling with the cost of living.

But this time he will also be giving a speech about how billionaires need to pay more in taxes. 

“The address will drive home a simple question: Do you think the tax code should work for rich people or for the middle class?” Biden’s campaign said in a statement.

“The president has made it clear what he thinks the answer is, and so has Donald Trump.”

Biden himself released his tax returns on Monday — dubbed “Tax Day” in the United States, the deadline for most Americans to file their tax returns — and drew a contrast with Trump who broke presidential precedent by refusing to do so while in office.

‘I prefer Biden’

In Scranton, news of Biden’s homecoming had not yet done the rounds though.

One of the first sights off the interstate from New York — along the President Joe Biden expressway named after Scranton’s most famous son — is a huge trailer truck with a sign for Trump.

It’s towns like Scranton that Biden will need if he is going to hold Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state that he took from Trump in 2020.

“I just prefer Biden,” said Debra Hodges, 66, who does volunteer work and moved to the town from New York City about 20 years ago.

“His age is not a problem for me. I mean, we’re all gonna get older.”

Biden’s age is one of the key concerns for voters in opinion polls, despite the fact that he’s only four years older than Trump.

Recent polls have had Biden drawing largely level with Trump in spite of low personal approval ratings, though he has been shown lagging in swing states.

Hodges said she wasn’t planning to attend Biden’s rally on Tuesday.

“I’ll probably do some groundwork, some volunteer work for him,” she said. “Get young people to register to vote.”

She mentioned a series of key issues for voters such as herself including abortion, which Democrats regard as a vote-winner as they bash Trump for bragging about his role in denying the procedure to millions of women.

But Joshua Davis, 33, who makes items like keyrings and pendants using recycled plastic, and like Biden was born in Scranton, was not impressed by Trump or Biden.

He’s not alone — polls show a majority of voters are unenthused by the choice between the two candidates.

“They’re both puppets,” he said. “So whoever we elect is just the corporate interest.”

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

India

HC urges Centre to consider objections before finalizing dog breed ban

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The high court passed the order after the counsel for the central government admitted that except for government bodies, no private entity or stakeholder was heard before the earlier notification was issued.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 04:56 PM


HC urges Centre to consider objections before finalizing dog breed ban


New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to consider objections raised by stakeholders on a fresh draft notification before imposing a ban on sale and breeding of several breeds of ferocious dogs.

The high court passed the order after the counsel for the central government admitted that except for government bodies, no private entity or stakeholder was heard before the earlier notification was issued.

“Since it is not possible to give an oral hearing to each and every dog owner, this court directs the Union of India to issue a public notice on its official website and one national daily inviting objections to the proposed draft notification/ amendment to the rules,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said.

The high court said the objections filed in response to the government’s advertisement/ notice published on its website and newspaper shall be considered before finalising the notification.

The court passed the order while disposing of a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s March 12 notification on the ground that the ban was imposed on 23 dog breeds without consulting or inviting objections and suggestions from stakeholders.

The petitioners submitted that the circular was perverse and illegal as it was passed in violation of an earlier undertaking given to the court that due opportunity will be given to all stakeholders to present their views.

On April 10, the Karnataka High Court quashed the Centre’s March 12 circular banning the sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs.

It said the central government could not have imposed a blanket ban on these breeds through a circular in the absence of any such power available under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 or the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.

During the hearing before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, central government’s standing counsel Rajesh Gogna submitted that stakeholders would mean every dog owner and giving a hearing to each one of them is not possible. He urged the court for protection against the Karnataka High Court order.The bench did not concur with his view and said it would not mean every dog owner as everyone cannot be heard. It said people can file their objections to the government over its decision in writing.

On March 12, the Centre had directed states to ban the sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs, including Pitbull Terriers, American Bulldog, Rottweilers and Mastiffs, amid rising instances of pet dog attacks. The directive issued to states and Union Territories bars people from keeping these 23 breeds of dogs as pets.

In a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, the Union government’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying also said these breeds of dogs already kept as pets should be sterilised to prevent further breeding.

World

Regional confrontation is in no one's interests

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The EU’s only strength is its diplomatic power of conviction. It’s obvious that some member countries have more influence over Israel than others, notably Germany, which has excellent relations with the Israelis. The Americans could, if they wished, use other resources, notably through their arms deliveries to Israel. In the past, they have already taken binding decisions. But today, I don’t think they want to use the levers at their disposal, Josep Borrell has been the European Union’s (EU) high representative for foreign affairs told Lemonde.

Borrell made the remarks in reaction to a question about the role of the EU in contributing to appeasement in the Middle East following Iran-Israel development.

The EU’s political aim is to avoid escalation. It’s like a game of chess, with each side advancing its pawns. Israel attacked an Iranian diplomatic representation in Syria, Iran retaliated. Now it’s Israel’s turn to react.

But we are warning Israel that it is in everyone’s interest that there should be no regional confrontation. This is also what we said to the Iranians the day after the attack on the Damascus consulate: it’s in nobody’s interest, and especially not in the interest of the Gazans, that there should be a regional conflict because that would mean that the war would not end.

The Hamas attack was unprecedented, and so was the Israeli response. The seeds of hatred are being sown for three generations. More than ever, the only possible solution is separation [between

MNA/

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Railways Doesn't Keep Separate Profit Records For Vande Bharat Trains: RTI

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Railways Doesn't Maintain Separate Profitability Records For Vande Bharat Trains: RTI

102 Vande Bharat trains run on 100 routes covering 284 districts in 24 states and Union territories.

New Delhi:

The Railway Ministry doesn’t maintain any separate revenue generation records of Vande Bharat trains, revealed the ministry’s response to an application under RTI Act.

Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur sought to know how much revenue the Railway Ministry has generated from Vande Bharat trains in the past two years and if it made any profit or loss on their operation “Train-wise portability is not maintained,” the Railway Ministry said in its response.

Vande Bharat is the country’s first semi-high speed trains which was flagged off on February 15, 2019 between New Delhi and Varanasi and today 102 Vande Bharat trains run on 100 routes covering 284 districts in 24 states and Union territories.

On Monday, the Railways officials said that over 2 crore people have travelled by Vande Bharat trains since its first launch.

The officials also informed that the distance the Vande Bharat trains covered in the financial year 2023-24 is equivalent to taking 310 rounds of the planet Earth.

Mr Gaur expressed surprise and said that Railways maintains the number of people travelled and distance covered by Vande Bharat trains but it doesn’t maintain the most crucial information regarding the revenue generation.

“The Railways officials can calculate distance travelled by Vande Bharat trains in a year vis a vis their equivalence to total rounds around the Earth but it doesn’t have total revenue collected from these trains,” Mr Gaur said.

He added, “It is very important for the Railways to maintain a separate record of revenue generation status from Vande Bharat trains because these are India’s first semi-high speed new generation trains and its profitability will establish its real popularity.”

So far as occupancy is concerned, the Railways, in response to another application under RTI filed in October last year, said that overall utilisation of Vande Barat trains is over 92 per cent, which the Railways officials say is an encouraging figure.

“Vande Bharat trains are doing extremely well on some routes while on some other routes their occupancy is average but if you see the overall utilisation, it is quite significant,” an official said.
 

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

Hyderabad

KTR asks Congress leaders to identify Revanth Reddy’s political leanings

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Addressing a party meeting in Adilabad Parliament segment here, Rama Rao said every vote to the Congress would ultimately benefit the BJP.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 05:10 PM


KTR asks Congress leaders to identify Revanth Reddy’s political leanings


Adilabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday dared Congress leaders to say which party Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy belonged to. Reiterating that Revanth Reddy would be the first to join the BJP after the Parliament elections, he asked the people to think whether the Chief Minister was a confidante of Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi.

Addressing a party meeting in Adilabad Parliament segment here, Rama Rao said every vote to the Congress would ultimately benefit the BJP. He regretted that reservations given to SCs and STs would be abrogated if the BJP came to power again.

“Is Modi a God for privatising public sector undertakings? Where has the proposed Bayyaram steel plant gone? Why is Cement Corporation of India’s sick unit in Adilabad not revived so far?” he asked.

Reiterating that the BRS would never topple the Congress-led State government, he asked Revanth Reddy to continue in the post for five years and to keep his poll promises. Ridiculing Revanth Reddy for calling Modi ‘Bade Bhai’, even while Rahul Gandhi was calling Modi ‘chor’, exposing the dual standards of the Congress, Rama Rao found fault with the government for claiming to have fulfilled jobs even without giving notifications.

The 32,000 jobs for which appointment letters were handed over by Revanth Reddy to candidates were originally recruited by the BRS government, he said, also rebuking the Congress for collecting a fee of Rs.200 from aspirants of TET.

Stating that the BRS had realised ideals of tribal legend Kumram Bheem by introducing various developmental programmes and welfare schemes covering tribals, Rama Rao said the Congress, which was responsible for the infamous Indervelli firing incident, did not even tender an apology to the tribals.

World

Pakistan says Iran entitled to retaliate as Israel breaches sovereignty

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Pakistan’s defense minister says the Israeli assault on the Iranian consulate in Damascus was a breach of its sovereignty, and that Tehran’s reaction to the violation was defensive and in proportion to the attack.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday condemned the Israeli attack on Iran’s diplomatic premises in Damascus that led to the assassination of seven senior military advisors, including a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

During a talk show, he emphatically stated that Iran is entitled to retaliate since Israel flagrantly violated the international law by attacking the Iranian consulate.

Asif said the illegal entity targeted the Iranian mission in Damascus because of Tehran’s unwavering pro-Palestinian stance.

The defense minister also reaffirmed his country’s support for Gazans, saying Islamabad is firmly standing by the Palestinians.

He expressed concern that escalating tensions in West Asia could have repercussions on other nations, such as Pakistan. He further warned that countries supporting Israel could also find themselves caught in the flames of war.

“We do not want tensions to increase, however, genocide of Palestinians must be stopped,” Asif, 74, said while speaking on Geo News’ Capital Talk program.

He emphasized that the Palestinians’ sacrifices will not be in vain, expressing optimism that they will achieve independence in the near future.

Furthermore, he clarified that Pakistan is not under any form of pressure to recognize Israel.

Pakistanis flocked the streets on Sunday as they celebrated Iran’s retaliation strikes over Israel.

Scores of people gathered in front of the Karachi Press Club to welcome Iran’s attack on Israel in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April.

Speakers addressed the protesters and praised Iran for being “the only Islamic country” to carry out countermeasures against Israel over the past 50 years.

“We pay tribute to the government and leadership of Iran for their courageous action and congratulate them on their successful countermeasures against the murderous usurper Zionist” regime, they said.

Middle East

Explosion reported in Tiberias in occupied Palestine

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According to Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV network, the local media in occupied territories controlled by the Zionist regime reported that an explosion was heard in Tiberias.

Sources related to the Zionist regime announced “A fire was reported as a result of a rocket hitting the Yeftiel district in Tiberias in the north of occupied Palestine.”

Meanwhile, the sources also stated that the sirens did not go off after the fire.

MNA/6079961

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"My Home State's Population More Than Germany's": Judge In Vote Method Case

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'My Home State's Population More Than Germany's': Judge In Vote Method Case

Justice Dipankar Datta was part of two-judge bench hearing the case linked to VVPATs

New Delhi:

In a sharp response to petitioners citing examples of foreign countries to argue in favour of the ballot voting system, a Supreme Court judge said the population of his home state is more than that of Germany and that “European examples don’t work here”.

“My home state West Bengal’s population is more than that of Germany. We need to trust someone. Don’t try to bring down the system like this. Don’t cite such examples. European examples don’t work here,” Justice Dipankar Datta said.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Association for Democratic Reforms, had cited Germany’s example while arguing that VVPAT paper slips need to be counted and matched with the EVM results. When Justice Datta asked him what is the population of Germany, he replied it is about 5 crores, while India has 50-60 crore voters.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna had intervened to say India has 97 registered voters and flagged drawbacks in the ballot voting method. “We are in our 60s. We all know what happened when there were ballot papers. You may have, but we have not forgotten,” Justice Khanna said.

The VVPAT — Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail — enables a voter to see if the vote was cast properly and went to the candidate he/she supports. The VVPAT generates a paper slip that is kept in a sealed cover and can be opened if there is a dispute. Amid the Opposition’s questions and apprehensions regarding the EVM system of voting, the petitions call for cross-verification of every vote.

The petitions have been filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal. Mr Agarwal has sought the counting of all VVPAT slips. The ADR’s petition seeks the court’s direction to the Election Commission and the Centre to ensure that voters are able to verify through VVPATs that their vote has been “counted as recorded”. The petition says that the requirement of voters verifying that their votes have been “recorded as cast” is somewhat met when the VVPAT slip is displayed for about seven seconds after pressing the button on the EVM through a transparent window.