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Mumbai: IMD issues ‘high sea waves’ alert for today; check safety advisory

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagarin has instructed civic personnel to collaborate with the police, with beach security guards instructed to prevent people from entering the waters until Sunday night

‘No to the Russian law!’ Georgia protesters demand a ‘European future’

Tbilisi, Georgia – Crowds of protesters have been braving tear gas and water canons after more than two weeks of protest against the Georgian government’s draft law targeting civil society. The new law would require non-profit entities (NGOs and media outlets) receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organisations pursuing the interest of a foreign influence”, with tough penalties for noncompliance of up to $9,000. Mass demonstrations last year forced the government to withdraw a similar bill. This second attempt has given renewed energy to thousands of young people, from school pupils to university students, swelling a tide of discontent. They believe their government has fallen under the influence of the Kremlin and is sabotaging their dreams of being part of Europe. Each night, the rallies have begun with the Georgian national anthem, as well as the EU’s, Ode to Joy. “This is where I live, where my son will live – I don’t want Georgia in the enemy’s hands. I want it free for everyone,” fumes 25-year-old Giga. “No to the Russian law!” says Nutsa, 17. She’s holding up a placard which reads: “Northern neighbour, we don’t have anything in common with you”. That northern neighbour is Russia, where Vladimir Putin’s 2012 law on foreign agents has eliminated dissent. In 2022, he expanded it to require anyone receiving support from outside Russia to register and declare themselves as foreign agents. But the Georgian government has insisted its own law is similar to legislation in Western countries. The EU disagrees that the law resembles Western transparency regulations, such as EU and French planned directives and the US’s Foreign Agents Registration Act. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, warned on May 1 that Georgia was “at a crossroads”. Washington is alarmed. It has provided almost six billion dollars in aid to Georgia since the 1990s. US Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan said in a statement on May 2 that the US government had invited Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, to high-level talks “with the most senior leaders”. According to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later that day, that invitation was declined. Instead, Kobakhidze accused the US of supporting “revolutionary attempts” by non-governmental organisations working in the country, such as EU-funded organisations Transparency International Georgia and ISFED, which often call attention to government corruption and abuses of power. The government may fear that these organisations could influence the outcome of a general election in October in which the governing Georgian Dream (GD) party hopes to secure a majority. Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, said he believes the government’s rhetoric reflects the opinion of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the governing party. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he adds, has changed Ivanishvili’s calculus. “Ivanishvili and GD leaders believe that Russia is winning in Ukraine and he just thinks [of] how to be friendly with [Russia], to find his place in this geopolitical new order,” says Kakachia. In tandem with its foreign funding law, GD has promised to curb LGBT rights and has passed amendments to the tax code that will make it easier to bank money from overseas in Georgia. “That’s an attempt to try to lure Putin and the Kremlin basically to give them a new model of Georgia, which will be a kind of offshore zone for Russian oligarchs,” says Kakachia. Protesters who oppose a new ‘foreign influence’ law clash with police in Tbilisi, Georgia [Stephan Goss/Al Jazeera] Hired thugs and ‘Robocops’ The nightly protests over the past two weeks have seen some of the largest turnouts in the 11 years of GD’s government. On Thursday, protesters blocked a key intersection known as Heroes Square. But a group of unknown men in civilian clothing appeared and began to beat people. Known as Titushky, hired thugs were deployed by the Ukrainian security services during Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests in 2013 and 2014 in which people called for closer relations with the EU and protested against corruption. Professor Ghia Nodia of the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development said the moment feels similar to Ukrainian President Yanukovych’s decision a decade ago to use violence to put down protests. “The feeling is that this time, Ivanishvili went too far and people have to fight. There are relatively small-scale violent crackdowns almost every day, but so far, the tide of protest didn’t go down.” The protests have been mostly peaceful, though some protesters have tried to enter parliament where legislators have been debating inside. Defiant men and women wave EU and Georgian flags in front of units of black body-armoured riot police dubbed “Robocops” who are armed with truncheons, mace and shields. Other masked police officers without identification badges have been filmed punching, kicking and dragging protesters by the hair into custody. Hardware stores have been emptied of face masks. Pepper spray and tear gas quickly incapacitate those without protection, their eyes and noses streaming from the chemicals, many of them retching or struggling to breathe. The country is heavily polarised. Mikheil Saakashvili, whose reforms did much to modernise Georgia after 2003’s “Rose Revolution’” is serving a six-year prison sentence. He was found guilty of “abuse of power” and organising an assault on an opposition lawmaker. His party, the United National Movement (UNM), is the most powerful party in opposition, but it is deeply unpopular because of its own track record from its time in office from 2004- 2012. Protests have rocked Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city, for the past two weeks [Stephan Goss/Al Jazeera] ‘Backsliding on democracy’? Many of today’s protesters do not identify with either the UNM or any other political party in opposition. MEPs have repeatedly voted on resolutions in Strasbourg and Brussels condemning GD’s “backsliding” on democracy in recent years and its treatment of the former president. But one group of protesters told Al Jazeera that the European Parliament was wrong to call for sanctions against Ivanishvili while simultaneously demanding Saakashvili’s release. In power, GD has taken

Spain and Argentina trade jibes in row before visit by President Milei

The spat began when Spain’s transport minister said Argentina’s Javier Milei took drugs during last year’s election. Spain and Argentina have their diplomatic daggers drawn and have traded jibes over drug use and economic decline. The spat began on Friday when Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente, during a panel discussion in Salamanca, suggested that Argentina’s President Javier Milei had ingested “substances” during last year’s election campaign. “I saw Milei on television” during the campaign, Puente told a Socialist Party conference. “I don’t know if it was before or after the consumption … of substances.” He also listed Milei among some “very bad people” who have reached high office. Milei’s office responded on Saturday in a statement condemning the remarks and also attacking Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The statement accused Sanchez of “endangering Spanish women by allowing illegal immigration” and undermining Spain’s integrity by making deals with separatists, while his left-wing policies brought “death and poverty”. pic.twitter.com/eg2lXgc0cL — Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) May 3, 2024 Spain reacted with fury. “The Spanish government categorically rejects the unfounded words … which do not reflect the relations between the two countries and their fraternal people,” the Spanish foreign ministry said. “The government and the Spanish people will continue to maintain and strengthen their fraternal links and their relations of friendship and collaboration with the Argentine people, a desire shared by all of Spanish society,” the statement added. The spat comes two weeks before a visit to Spain by Argentina’s “anarcho-capitalist” president. Milei will attend an event of the far-right Vox party and will be avoiding meeting Spain’s socialist head of government, Sanchez. The two have never had good relations. Sanchez supported Milei’s rival Sergio Massa in the election that brought Milei to power in December and has also not contacted Milei since the victory. Milei has meanwhile publicly supported Spain’s far-right anti-immigration Vox party. Vox leader Santiago Abascal also went to Buenos Aires for Milei’s investiture. Adblock test (Why?)

How effective is Turkey’s ban on trade with Israel?

Turkey says the ban will stay in place until Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. For years, Israel and Turkey have been crucial trade partners. It was a commercial relationship worth nearly seven billion dollar a year. But Israel’s war on Gaza changed all that. The Turkish government has been demanding a halt to the violence that’s killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in seven months And the Turkish president condemned Israel’s decision to block its aid meant for Gaza last month. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now announced a total trade ban until Israel agrees to a ceasefire. But has he acted under domestic pressure, after a setback in local elections was blamed partly on the country continuing to do business with Israel? And how will this affect the economies of both sides? Presenter: Neave Barker Guests: Vehbi Baysan – Political analyst and assistant professor at İbn Haldun University Gideon Levy – Author and columnist at Haaretz Vladimir Vano – Chief economist at international think tank, GLOBSEC Adblock test (Why?)

Anti-Israel groups accuse Chicago, DNC of trying to ‘protect’ Biden from protests at 2024 Dem convention

Anti-Israel groups accuse Chicago, DNC of trying to ‘protect’ Biden from protests at 2024 Dem convention A coalition of anti-Israel agitators seeking to protest outside the Democratic National Convention in August are continuing to put pressure on the City of Chicago, alleging their First Amendment rights are being violated, while some Democrats fear unrest could disrupt the annual convention. A series of lawsuits have been filed against the city in recent months by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Anti-War Coalition, and Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois — some of which have voiced support for the anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago. In a Tuesday filing at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the coalition of protesters stated they want to “engage in peaceful political speech and seek to exercise their First Amendment rights at the Convention to deliver their political messages directly to… President Biden.” That effort is being stifled by the City of Chicago, which denied the groups “respective applications for parade permits within sight or sound of the Convention,” according to the filing. YOUNG DEMOCRATS UPSET OVER GAZA COULD REACH ‘1968 PROPORTIONS’ IF THE WHITE HOUSE ISN’T CAREFUL, AUTHOR SAYS “Instead, the City, on information at the behest of the DNC, unilaterally decided to offer an alternative parade route approximately four (4) miles away buried on a tree lined street in an entirely other part of the City, clearly to protect President Biden and others from hearing the Plaintiffs’ political message,” the coalition stated in the filing. “In doing so, the City failed to consider to least restrictive route narrowly tailored to meet a compelling government interest. Indeed, the City admitted it considered no other alternative than the one it seeks to force on Plaintiffs and failed to engage Plaintiffs to consider less restrictive options.” The 2024 Democratic convention, which is slated to be held this summer in Chicago at the United Center from August 19 – 22, will be attended by Democrats from all over the country. It will also be where the party announces its official nominee for the 2024 presidential election, which is expected to be a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump. The groups also claimed the City of Chicago is “working with the DNC” in an effort “to limit the number of peaceful parades organized to deliver political speech by denying permit applications solely on the grounds that such applications are ‘duplicative.’” “This provision violated the First Amendment on its face as it is vague and overly broad and has been interpreted by the Defendants to allow … not only [denying] permit applications but even seek criminal and civil penalties against any organization and its members applying for a parade permit on more than one date or against two or more organizations with even a single member in common which seek parade permits,” the groups noted in the filing. The groups filed for a preliminary injunction and have requested a federal judge grant them better access to the event for their planned protest, which has been dubbed “March on the DNC 2024.” “Instead of meeting with us and working out a compromise that brings us within sight and sound of the DNC, the city has tried to shut us away in a corner,” Liz Rathburn, a member of the Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois Chicago, told one local outlet last month. BIDEN, HARRIS COULD FACE ‘REAL PROTESTS’ AT CHICAGO DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, SAYS FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER In a March filing, the coalition said Biden is “the one person who could stop the suffering in Gaza with a single phone call.” The Washington Post noted in a Saturday morning report that Democrats are “bracing for massive protests” at the August convention as more and more anti-Israel protests sweep the nation, primarily on college campuses. “Peaceful protest is fundamental to American democracy, and has been a fixture of political conventions for decades,” Matt Hill, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Convention, said in a statement to the outlet. “While Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans stoke political violence, we support the ongoing security coordination at all levels of government to keep our convention safe.” Hill added, “When the country looks to Chicago this August, the unity and excitement of Democrats will stand in stark contrast to the chaos and extremism stewing in the GOP.” Similar protests are planned for the Republican National Convention in July. However, the Post noted the protests planned for the Democratic National Convention are likely to be “more robust.” Members of the coalition previously vowed to protest “with or without” permits outside the convention. “We’ll be marching with or without permits. This DNC is the most important one since 1968, also in Chicago when Vietnam War protesters and the black liberation movement organized mass demonstrations that were violently repressed,” Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said at a conference last month. “The march on the DNC will be the largest mobilization for Palestine in the history of the city.” Reacting to concern among Democrats who may be worried with how the protests could impact the party’s image come August, Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk wrote in a Thursday post to X, “The Democratic National Convention this August has a good chance of outdoing 1968!” Musk’s comment on the matter referenced the party’s 1968 convention, which was marred by seven days of violent protests over the Vietnam War under then-President Lyndon Johnson. The protests took place just months after the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

Conservative beer brand plans ‘Frat Boy Summer’ event celebrating college students who defended American flag

FIRST ON FOX: The conservative, “woke-free” beer company that launched last year hoping to rival Bud Light will host an event Tuesday at a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill fraternity house to celebrate the actions of the students who defended the American flag from anti-Israel protesters on campus earlier this week. Dubbed the “Frat Boy Summer Kickoff,” the event will be held at the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity house and will be hosted by the Ultra Right Beer Company. “We’re trying to get this very organic, just a good old-fashioned, frat row, beer party,” said Seth Weathers, CEO of Ultra Right Beer Company, told Fox News Digital. “I love what the kids did, obviously, protecting the flag.” “I love the idea of just continuing to encourage them about what they did so that that will encourage, you know, other kids in college and everywhere else to know they did the right thing,” he added. UNC FRAT BROTHERS WHO DEFENDED US FLAG SPEAK OUT: ‘DEEPLY IMPORTANT TO US’ Ultra Right Beer Company will be giving away free beer to those in attendance for what Weathers believes will turn into a “really good event” that “multiple fraternities” and Old Row, a Barstool Sports subsidiary, are involved with. “We’re doing free beer,” he said. “We’re making it really simple — show up, you got free beer. We’re bringing half a tractor trailer load of beer for this thing just in anticipation of the kind of crowd it sounds like we’re going to have.” Multiple fraternity brothers at UNC Chapel Hill garnered praise earlier this week after they were photographed hoisting an American flag that had been removed once and replaced with a Palestinian flag on the university’s quad. Their decision to step in came as anti-Israel agitators attempted to take down the American flag for a second time after UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts responded with law enforcement officers to return the American flag to its place. The flag had been flying at half-staff after four Charlotte officers were killed in the line of duty Monday. Weathers said the event is a “pro-America celebration in celebration of these kids and what they did in encouraging more to do the same.” UNC FRATERNITY BROTHERS DEFEND REINSTATED AMERICAN FLAG FROM CAMPUS MOB WHO REPLACED WITH PALESTINIAN FLAG “Our brand’s all about that. We’re all about patriotism, and we’re all about people boldly showing their patriotism and their beliefs. And when you see kids doing it, we’re excited about that,” he said. Several Republican lawmakers have praised the fraternity brothers for stepping in and refusing to allow the removal of the American flag from its campus, including Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, who praised them for displaying “extreme courage” and “deep patriotism.” The fraternity brothers defended the flag for over an hour until police were able to clear the protest and safely place it back on the flagpole. All the while, the frat brothers experienced profanity and rude gestures from protesters, along with water, bottles and rocks being thrown at them. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked this week that the students’ actions were “admirable.” A GoFundMe page was created to throw the fraternity brothers a “rager” for their decision to defend the flag on campus and raised more than $500,000, as of Saturday. “These kids are going to be pulled a million directions with everyone trying to get a hold of their GoFundMe money,” Weather said. “We wanted to do something organic for them to encourage more of the patriotism we saw on campus last week.” Ultra Right Beer Company launched in April 2023 as a rival to Bud Light following its partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, which ruffled the feathers of conservatives around the country who had long supported the beer giant. Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

IAF convoy attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch

Five soldiers were injured after terrorists open fired on two security vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch

‘Stop the invasion’: Migrant flights in battleground state ignite bipartisan backlash from lawmakers

Democrat and Republican lawmakers in a crucial battleground state are “deeply troubled” after a group of illegal immigrants were flown to the Big Sky Country on a late night flight. Five migrants, reportedly from Venezuela, were flown from New York to Kalispell, Montana Wednesday night into Glacier Park International Airport, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino confirmed to Fox News Digital. The migrants were reportedly dropped off and eventually provided housing in the city, but Heino said it was just “one of many instances.” “The only way an illegal immigrant from South America ends up in Montana is if a ‘nonprofit’ connected with the Biden Administration moves them there,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said in a press release, referring to Valley Neighbors, the local nonprofit that picked up the migrants who were flown into the state. “Montana law enforcement, schools, hospitals and safety nets are being stressed to their max because of the Biden border crisis,” said Zinke, who represents the district covering Flathead. “It’s unacceptable and absolutely needs to end now.” DHS DOCS REVEAL WHERE PAROLED MIGRANTS UNDER CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN FLIGHT PROGRAM ARE LANDING Zinke took the effort a step further, penning a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas Thursday that urged him to “immediately detain and deport this group of illegal immigrants.” The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, requested information regarding their knowledge of the migrants and how they traveled from the southern border to northern Montana. A spokesperson for Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he is working with state officials to monitor the situation, telling Fox News Digital that it “undermines our national security” when migrants are allowed to enter the U.S. illegally. “Senator Tester is in touch with local officials in Flathead County and is closely monitoring this ongoing situation,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He believes that allowing anyone to enter the country without being properly vetted or going through a legal process undermines our national security, which is why he voted for bipartisan border security legislation that would give law enforcement the tools to crack down on individuals entering the country illegally and keep Montana and our country safe.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., blamed President Joe Biden for the migrant crisis, saying he and “Senate Democrats failed to secure the border and now Montanans can see that failure firsthand.” TRUMP DISCUSSES USING MILITARY TO EXPEL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN SECOND TERM: ‘THESE AREN’T CIVILIANS’ Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., said he was “deeply troubled and frustrated” by the situation, while Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., demanded Biden “be held accountable and his actions be reversed,” saying “Montana is not a sanctuary state.” Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, a Republican Senate candidate in Montana, also chimed in, blaming the Democrat he is running to unseat in the fall for the “insane” migrant crisis. “A month ago, the Senate voted to continue secret, taxpayer-funded illegal migrant flights by one vote – Jon Tester’s. Now, illegals are reportedly being flown to Montana,” Sheehy said in a statement. “This is insane. Stop the invasion, seal the border, and put America First!” The flights come days after Fox News reported on a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee about a separate parole program for migrants, under which approximately 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. between January through August 2023. The subpoena revealed that migrants have flown into more than 45 cities as part of the program for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants. Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

JD(S) leader HD Revanna taken into custody by SIT in kidnapping case

Earlier, a special court for People’s Representative in Bengaluru rejected the interim bail application of JD(S) leader HD Revanna and JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in connection with the alleged ‘obscene videos’ case

Junagadh Lok Sabha constituency: Know polling date, key candidates, past election results

Junagadh is one of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in Gujarat. The constituency has been a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for many years.