Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 4: Voting in 96 seats today, check full list of constituencies here
Over 1700 candidates will be contesting the Phase 4 polls on May 13.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Phase 4: Voting in 96 seats in 10 states/UT today; Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra in fray
Voting will simultaneously be held in all 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
Nothing suspicious found after Delhi Airport, several hospitals received bomb threats: Police
The sender threatened the presence of an explosive device inside the premises.
Hillary Clinton slammed by fellow Democrat for ‘dismissive’ remarks about anti-Israel protesters
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of being “quite dismissive of students’ concerns,” when she ripped anti-Israel student protesters as being ignorant about Middle Eastern affairs. “They don’t know very much at all about the history of the Middle East, or, frankly, about history in many areas of the world, including our own country,” Clinton said earlier this week. Specifically, Clinton pointed to an offer her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made to then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when he was in office. “They don’t know that…an offer was made to Palestinians for a state on 96% of the existing territory occupied by the Palestinians,” Clinton said, “with 4% of Israel to be given to reach 100% of the amount of territory that was hoped for.” HILLARY CLINTON SLAMS YOUNG ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS AS IGNORANT ON MIDDLE EAST: ‘THEY DON’T KNOW VERY MUCH’ The former Secretary of State said that her claims about students were based on multiple conversations with young people over the past few months. Anti-Israel student protests have broken out at schools across the country following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response. Van Hollen appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday morning, where he was asked about Clinton’s remarks from earlier in the week. “Well, I thought, Margaret, that Secretary Clinton’s comments, in that regard, were quite dismissive of students’ concerns about the awful humanitarian crisis and high civilian death toll in Gaza,” he said. HILLARY CLINTON EXASPERATED AT VOTERS CONFLICTED BETWEEN BIDEN AND TRUMP: ‘WHY IS THAT A HARD CHOICE?’ Van Hollen said Americans have the right to peacefully protest and that there is a need to ensure students feel safe on campus. He also said there is a need to “stamp out antisemitism and hate” wherever it is seen. “But I believe that the great majority of the students are protesting, are following very closely what’s happening in Gaza. They see what’s a very high civilian death toll,” Van Hollen said. “We can certainly revisit history and past negotiations, but I believe that the overwhelming majority of students, not all, and…there are some very bad elements that are involved, as well as on the counter protest side, but I believe that the students do understand what’s happening in Gaza with respect to the civilian casualties.” UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY GRADS DISRUPT COMMENCEMENT WITH ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS “I strongly support the right of Americans to peacefully protest, but also the need to make sure that students feel safe on campus,” Van Hollen told Fox News Digital. “There is no place anywhere in America for antisemitism, hate speech, or violence of any kind.” The Clinton Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. Hillary Clinton has faced angry students directly, including when she was shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters during a speech at Columbia University in February. “Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, you are a war criminal!” a man shouted as the former Secretary of State walked onto a lecture hall stage at Columbia University in New York City. Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
Israel-Hamas war would ‘probably already been over’ if Trump were president, Sen. Tom Cotton says
The Republican senator from Arkansas says the Israel-Hamas war “would have probably already been over” if Donald Trump were president. Tom Cotton appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday when he made the remarks. “President Trump said just last night that he would absolutely provide Israel with the weapons they need to finish the job,” Cotton said. “This would have never happened on President Trump. Trump’s watch. It didn’t happen on his watch. And if he were president, this war would have probably already been over with much less civilian suffering in Gaza because he would have backed Israel to the hilt from the beginning.” Last week, the GOP senator renewed the call to impeach President Biden following reports of aid to Israel being delayed during its war with the terrorist organization Hamas. ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO IMPEACH BIDEN OVER DELAYED ISRAEL AID, GOP SENATOR SAYS A recently passed $95 billion supplemental foreign aid package included roughly $26 billion for both Israel and humanitarian aid for areas including Gaza. The aid was encouraged by the Biden administration, which had proposed it nearly six months prior. Cotton suggested that Biden should be impeached for delaying an aid shipment to Israel, which he claimed had to do with the president’s re-election bid as he balances a divided Democratic Party on the Israel war. SEN. TOM COTTON DEMANDS BIDEN CRACK DOWN ON ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Last month, Cotton called on the Biden administration to deport any foreign student engaging in disruptive demonstrations on college campuses. Fox News’ Julia Johnson, Kristine Parks, Liz Friden and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Graham: Biden threat to pull military aid for Israel ‘rewarding the tactics of Hamas to put civilians at risk’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said should the Biden administration follow through on its threat to stall U.S. military aid for Israel, the White House would be “rewarding the tactics of Hamas to put civilians at risk.” During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Graham said “it’s impossible to mitigate civilian deaths in Gaza as long as Hamas uses their own population as human shields.” “I’ve never seen in the history of warfare such blatant efforts by an enemy, Hamas, to put civilians at risk. And the last thing you want to do is reward this behavior. They put weapons in mosques. They fire artillery rounds from apartment buildings. They put command centers under hospitals to maximize civilian casualties as Israel tries to destroy the terrorist group,” Graham told host Kristen Welker. “Americans should be all in and helping Israel against an existential threat. The one thing Israel and America has in common,” Graham continued “Hamas would attack us if they could. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism that shouts ‘Death to America, ’and Hezbollah is in the same camp. I’ve never heard anybody in Israel chant ‘Death to America.’ The people Israel is fighting are bent on destroying all of the Jews. This is Holocaust Remembrance Month, for God’s sake. We should unequivocally support Israel. Yes. Work with them to limit civilian casualties. They want to do that. I know they do. They have a whole battalion dedicated to that. But this idea of worth holding weapons to Israel is rewarding the tactics of Hamas to put civilians at risk.” BERNIE SANDERS SAYS ISRAEL SHOULDN’T RECEIVE ‘ANOTHER NICKEL’ IN US MILITARY AID AFTER STATE DEPT. REPORT In a message to the Biden administration, Graham said “sit down with Israel, keep the weapons flowing and work out a plan, if you can.” “I talked with Israel this morning. They are discussing with the Biden administration a way forward. I am somewhat hopeful we can jump over this impasse, but do not let Bernie Sanders run this war. Bernie Sanders and the Squad are insane when it comes to how to defend Israel, he just said on national television – cut off every nickel of military aid to the Jewish state who’s being threatened with oblivion. Shut these people down. This decision was political. He’s trying to appease the radical left, Biden is.” MOTHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE SAYS US SHOULDN’T BE CONSIDERED ‘NEUTRAL NEGOTIATOR’: ‘AMERICA WAS ALSO A VICTIM’ Earlier on the same program, Sanders had argued “Israel should not be receiving another nickel in U.S. military aid,” pointing to a recent State Department report suggesting Israel could be violating internation law in the way it’s conducting its war against Hamas since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel. Graham also attempted to make a comparison to the United States’ actions to end World War II in dropping the atomic bomb on Japan to justify the Israel Defense Forces’ actions against Hamas. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Here’s what I would say about fighting an enemy who wants to kill you and your family. Why do we drop two bombs, nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? To end a war that we couldn’t afford to lose. You don’t understand. Apparently, what Israel is facing. They’re facing three groups. Iran, who has received $80 billion in aid. When Trump left office, they were exporting 300 barrels of oil a day. Now they’re 1.3 million a day. They’ve been enriched by Biden. They’re taking that money to kill all the Jews,” Graham said. “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war. They can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimize casualties.”
Treacherous migration route through Panama to shut down under newly elected president
The incoming president of Panama has vowed to make big changes to help alleviate the U.S. border crisis. President-elect Jose Raul Mulino vowed to shut down a crucial migration gap through Panama that has been used by more than 500,000 migrants over the last year, signaling a shift in the country’s policy as the U.S. continues to battle a crisis at its southern border, according to a report from Voice of America. “Panama and our Darien [Gap] are not a transit route. It is our border,” Mulino said, according to the report. CNN’S ZAKARIA SAYS BIDEN SHOULD ‘LEARN SOMETHING FROM TRUMP’ AND ADOPT HIS BORDER POLICIES, REFORM ASYLUM LAWS Panama had previously helped bus migrants through the critical gap and allowed them to continue their journey north, a policy that has allowed thousands to reach the U.S. border with Mexico. The shift comes as the U.S. has put continued pressure on Mexico to help alleviate the crisis, calling on the country to help enforce movement restrictions through its territory to prevent migrants from eventually reaching the U.S. border. The Darien Gap, although a dangerous route north toward the U.S., has become a popular route among migrants in recent years, with cartels and other organized crime organizations stepping in to make it an affordable option for those seeking to reach the United States. BIDEN’S BORDER POLICY ISN’T INCOMPETENCE, IT’S BY DESIGN: EX-ICE CHIEF Mulino, who won with 34% of the vote last week, said the new policy would make Panama a less attractive option for migrants and criminal organizations. “Because when we start to deport people here in an immediate deportation plan, the interest for sneaking through Panama will decrease,” Mulino said of the plan, according to Voice of America. “I assure you they are going to say that going through Panama is not attractive because they are deporting you.” Nevertheless, some experts expressed skepticism that such a plan would meaningfully reduce migration. Analyst Adam Isacson of the nongovernmental organization Washington Office on Latin America said Panama does not have the capacity to “massively deport” thousands of migrants. “A daily plane, which would be extremely expensive, would only repatriate around 10% of the flow (about 1,000 to 1,200 per day). The United States only manages to do about 130 flights monthly in the entire world,” Isacson said.
Trump team fires back at Biden campaign’s Mother’s Day video: ‘Sad, miserable, cowardly existence’
The Biden campaign is using Mother’s Day to cirticize former President Donald Trump in a new campaign video, urging Americans to “Stop Trump.” “Happy Mother’s Day. At the Biden campaign, we are asking Americans to do the moms in their lives a favor. Stop Trump,” the Biden campaign wrote in a press release. In the video, the Biden campaign claims that “On Mother’s Day, a reminder: Donald Trump stands only for himself – and not mothers across America and their families.” “The stakes of this election are high for all Americans, but especially moms across our country who will suffer under a second Trump term,” the video states. JD VANCE SLAMS NY V. TRUMP TRIAL AS DEM EFFORT TO DISTRACT THAT THE ‘WORLD IS ON FIRE’ UNDER BIDEN “Under Trump, the government will be allowed to monitor their pregnancies, and rip their families apart. Meanwhile President Biden is fighting to bring back his historic expanded Child Tax Credit to give families a little extra breathing room, and ensure paid leave for all Americans,” the message from the Biden campaign continued. The Biden campaign made five points, explaining why voters need to vote for him in the upcoming election over Trump. His reasoning included blaming Trump for families being denied access to fertility treatments, allowing states to monitor women’s pregnancies, claiming that Trump believes that women who have an abortion should face “some form of punishment,” and that Trump “proudly separated mothers from their children.” Biden’s other points claimed that Trump would devastate maternal health and hurt women across the country by working tirelessly to sabotage and repeal the Affordable Care Act. His final point claimed that Trump’s economic plan would be an “inflation bomb” which would raise costs for mothers’ and families. “Families depend on moms – and moms deserve a President they can depend on to protect their rights, work to lower their costs, and fight for them. Donald Trump wasn’t and isn’t that President, but Joe Biden is,” Biden’s campaign wrote. WHITE HOUSE SHOULD BE ‘CONCERNED’ AS TRUMP RALLIES AS MANY AS 100K IN DEEP-BLUE NEW JERSEY: ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ In response to the new campaign video, Trump’s team fired back at the president, calling his video a disgusting move to make, especially on Mother’s Day. “What a sad, miserable, cowardly existence Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign must have to make such a disgusting ad on such a joyous day. Their lives are obviously filled with anger, hate, and resentment because they clearly suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump’s team told Fox News Digital. “President Trump continues to live rent-free in their pea-sized brains, even on Mother’s Day.”
US offers Israel intel on Hamas leaders for pledge to hold back on Rafah
The Biden administration has been in tense talks with Israel in a bid to avoid a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the last city in Gaza to be spared the Israeli military’s offensive campaign. The U.S. has offered Israel sensitive intelligence and supplies if the country agrees to scale back a planned invasion of Rafah, according to a report from the Washington Post. The intelligence the U.S. is offering would allow Israel to better pinpoint Hamas leaders hidden in tunnels around the city, making it possible for the Israeli military to engage in a more precise campaign that could avoid the devastation seen in other areas of Gaza throughout the conflict. BIDEN UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER THREAT TO ISRAEL’S OFFENSIVE AID: ‘PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES’ The U.S. is also offering to provide thousands of shelters that would allow Israel to build tent cities, the report notes, and help create the delivery systems for food, medicine and water that would be needed to give the thousands of refugees that would flee the city more livable conditions. The report comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to invade Rafah with “extreme force,” a situation the U.S. would like to see avoided as President Biden balances support for the longtime U.S. ally with domestic pressure to draw a red line regarding Israel’s current conduct in the conflict. Rafah is the last city in Gaza that has not faced the devastation of the war, with Israel arguing an invasion is needed to finish off the last pockets of resistance from Hamas. But destroying the city’s complex system of tunnels would likely put thousands of civilians in danger, causing the U.S. to push for Israel to implement an evacuation plan of the city before launching its campaign. ANTI-ISRAEL TEEN, 16, ARRESTED FOR DEFACING WWI MEMORIAL AFTER FATHER TURNS HIMSELF IN: REPORT “We have serious concerns about how Israel has prosecuted this campaign, and that could all come to a head in Rafah,” a senior administration official told the Washington Post. The U.S. has also been working behind the scenes with Egypt to find and cut off tunnels between Gaza and the neighboring country, which Hamas has used to replenish its supplies, administration officials told the Washington Post. A Biden administration assessment of the situation found that Hamas is likely to welcome an extended and bloody conflict in Rafah, the reports notes, which the terrorist organization hopes would only further isolate the Jewish state from an international community that has grown increasingly inpatient with Israeli tactics in the war. While it remains unclear if Israel has heeded the U.S. warnings in the lead-up to a potential invasion, the report notes that private discussions between officials have resulted in assurances from Israel that its forces would not launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah before evacuating roughly 800,000 civilians from the city. On Sunday, the U.N. said that roughly 300,00 people had evacuated Rafah in the previous week. Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a U.S. official stressed that the U.S. was not holding back information on the locations of Hamas leaders, noting that the U.S. has been helping Israel target the locations of Hamas leaders.
Week in pictures: From Brazil floods to spectacular northern lights
[unable to retrieve full-text content] A look at of some of last week’s events.