Unravelling the Mystery of Hibox: Revolutionizing E-commerce in India
Hibox Mystery Box is the brainchild of Malek Salah, a visionary entrepreneur with a passion for innovation.
‘Conspiracy underway for slow death of Delhi CM Kejriwal’: AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj makes big statement
On Friday, the chief minister council Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said Kejriwal has not been administered insulin to control his sugar levels since his arrest, terming it “shocking” and “alarming”.
Left-wing climate group with shady backing takes prominent role against gas stoves
A secretive climate activist group with significant financial backing is quietly taking on a more prominent role advocating against natural, gas-powered appliances, like stoves. The Gas Leaks Action Campaign — which appears to have been first established in late 2021 or early 2022 — recently launched a $1 million ad campaign warning of the dangers posed by natural gas, the largest-ever effort of its kind. The group states on its website that natural gas harms the environment, pollutes the air inside homes and makes stoves “constantly at risk of explosion.” The group has also spearheaded a campaign against the American Gas Association (AGA), the nation’s leading industry group representing natural gas providers. At a Washington, D.C. event earlier this month, Gas Leaks hosted Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., along with several environmental groups like the Sierra Club to blast the AGA’s lobbying activities. “Instead of turning off the tap on fossil fuels, our country has been flooding the market with gas and, unless we do something, we are all going to drown,” said Markey, who is an original sponsor of the Green New Deal. BIDEN ADMIN PRESSURED SNOPES TO CHANGE ITS FACT-CHECK RATING ON RUMORED GAS STOVE BAN, INTERNAL EMAILS SHOW AGA President and CEO Karen Harbert said in a statement that natural gas is “fundamental to protecting America’s energy security, achieving our environmental goals, and promoting economic prosperity.” “Despite advocacy groups willfully spreading misinformation and promoting ill-informed energy policy that would drive up prices and sacrifice environmental progress, this industry will continue to implement inclusive solutions to deliver life-essential energy and reduce emissions for our customers and communities,” she added. BIDEN OFFICIALS EXPLORED CRACKING DOWN ON GAS STOVES EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN, EMAILS SHOW Meanwhile, according to a Fox News Digital review of job search sites, Gas Leaks has posted several positions, including executive director, senior communications director, digital manager and digital designer, over the last two years with salaries ranging from $65,000 to $160,000. Altogether, the positions indicate the group’s yearly salary and wage costs potentially exceed $465,000. But despite Gas Leaks’ growth and increasing influence with Democratic lawmakers and similarly climate-focused organizations, the group shares very little about itself online – its founders, funding and history are all shielded from public view. A Reuters report last month broadly stated that Gas Leaks was “formed by climate advocacy veterans.” A LinkedIn search revealed that those “advocacy veterans” include Caleb Heeringa, a former Sierra Club communications official who serves as Gas Leaks’ campaign director; and Jamie Henn, the founder of Fossil Free Media, co-founder of 350.org and a board member of Gas Leaks. According to Gas Leaks’ “about page,” which appears to have been removed from the group’s site but remains archived, Gas Leaks is supported by the clean energy advocacy organization Climate Nexus, which is itself fiscally supported by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit that regularly funnels money from donors to progressive initiatives. The arrangement means Gas Leaks isn’t required to file its own 990 tax ID form with the Internal Revenue Service and can, therefore, operate without publicly sharing information about its internal operations or finances. BIDEN ADMIN IS PREPARING TO TARGET AMERICANS’ GAS FURNACES AMID STOVE CRACKDOWN “Senator Whitehouse conveniently abandons his soapbox railing against dark money when it’s time for him to cozy up to a dark money group that is pushing his preferred radical climate agenda,” said Caitlin Sutherland, Executive Director of Americans for Public Trust, a nonprofit government watchdog group. Sutherland noted the contrast between both Whitehouse’s relationship with Gas Leaks and his high-profile push against dark money in politics. “This latest pop-up green group is pedaling misinformation in a shadowy attempt to ban gas stoves.” A Fox News Digital analysis of grants identified a single Gas Leaks donor: the California-based Heising-Simons Foundation, which states on its website that it seeks to advance “sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking research in science, enhance the education of our youngest learners and support human rights for all people.” In 2022 and 2023, the Heising-Simons Foundation wired two $150,000 grants to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, earmarking both for the Gas Leaks Action Campaign. The Heising-Simons Foundation has reportedly given more than $3.3 million in recent years to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a climate think tank that was involved in the aggressive push last year targeting gas stoves via regulation. The Heising-Simons Foundation was also co-founded in 2007 by Mark Heising, who remains its vice chair and is involved financially in a number of green energy companies. BIDEN’S ENERGY SECRETARY MET WITH CHINA-CONNECTED GROUP FUELING GAS STOVE BANS IN US “The only thing green about today’s environmental movement is the billions in cash that flow freely between lefty billionaires, their operatives in the green movement, and the politicians who do their bidding,” said Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. “Their campaign to ban natural gas stoves is yet another example of the nexus between self-dealing wealthy elites like Mark Heising, green pressure groups like the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Democratic Party machine.” While environmentalists have for years sought to crack down on natural gas and gas appliances over their climate impacts, the push came to a head early last year when Richard Trumka Jr., a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said banning gas stoves was “on the table.” The Department of Energy then issued regulations targeting gas stoves shortly thereafter. In a social media post at the time, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm pointed to a Rocky Mountain Institute-funded study and said the government “must FIX this” by increasing access to electric stovetops. The study, which was also cited by environmentalists and other officials, tied 12% of childhood asthma cases to gas stoves. Gas Leaks, Climate Nexus, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the Heising-Simons Foundation didn’t respond to requests for comment for purposes of this story. Markey and Whitehouse also didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Republican aims to break decades long Senate election losing streak in this blue state
EXCLUSIVE – It’s been over a half century since a Republican won a Senate election in blue state New Jersey. But real estate developer and hotelier Curtis Bashaw is optimistic about his party’s prospects in November’s elections to end the decades-long losing streak. Bashaw, one of the two leading contenders in a multi-candidate field in June’s GOP Senate primary in New Jersey, emphasized “I believe this is a once in a generation opportunity.” “I can’t wait to see how we prove to the rest of the country that New Jersey is a lot more purple than people realize,” he added in a national digital exclusive interview with Fox News. THIS POPULAR FORMER GOP GOVERNOR AIMS TO FLIP A SENATE SEAT IN HIS DEEP BLUE STATE A major reason for Bashaw’s optimism is the prospect of a three-way race in New Jersey. Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who was indicted last year on federal corruption charges, is not running for re-election as a Democrat and instead is mulling an independent bid, which polls indicate would potentially take votes away from likely Democratic Senate nominee Rep. Andy Kim. EMBATTLED DEMOCRATIC SENATOR MAY TESTIFY AGAINST HIS WIFE Bashaw, an entrepreneur and historic preservationist who is recognized in the Garden State for leading the restorations of the historic Congress Hall and the Virginia Hotel in Cape May, at the southern tip of the Jersey shore, is a first time politician. “I’m a political outsider,” Bashaw emphasized. “I’m a business guy. I built a business over 35 years restoring landmark abandoned hotels.” And he highlighted that he grew his business from 25 to 1,000 employees. “I’m in it because I want to unshackle small business from over regulation,” he said. Bashaw’s chief rival for the GOP nomination is Christine Serrano Glassner, who’s served for four years as mayor of Mendham Borough, in the northern part of the state. Bashaw holds a formidable fundraising advantage in the Republican race – thanks in part to a large self-investment in his campaign. He also enjoys an advantage on the primary ballot, as he has the county line in two-thirds of the state’s 21 counties. SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER New Jersey has long allowed counties to print ballots that include a prominent party line, which are widely viewed as helping candidates with establishment backing. Kim sued in federal court to overturn the county lines in the Democratic Primary. But the GOP county lines were upheld. “New Jersey is made up of thousands and thousands and thousands of small businesspeople. We are going to get to them really quickly and our name ID will go up really fast,” Bashaw said. And pointing to a busy schedule on the campaign trail ahead of the primary, Bashaw showcased that “I go to six coffees a day. I go talk to every single county in our state. I put a lot of miles on the car.” Asked about former President Donald Trump, who is the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, Bashaw told Fox News “I’m supporting this ticket top to bottom.” It’s been 36 years since a Republican carried New Jersey in a White House race, but Trump is planning a campaign stop in the state next month. “Donald Trump thinks New Jersey’s in play. I agree with him. Trump believes he can flip the country from blue to red. I believe we can flip this Senate seat from blue to red,” Bashaw said. He argued that “there’s a massive opportunity to pull” New Jersey’s large pool of unaffiliated voters “to the Republican tent…. We are going to pull those unaffiliated voters our way this fall.” National Republicans to date have not made any investments in the Senate race in the Garden State. But National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Mike Berg said “we’re keeping a close eye on New Jersey.” A national Democratic Senate campaign aide, asked about the contest, told Fox News that “Democrats have won every New Jersey Senate race since 1978 and 2024 will be no different.” Bashaw, in his interview, spotlighted a couple of key issues, including crime. “New Jerseyans are not feeling safe and secure in their homes,” he argued. On immigration and border security, another key issue Republicans are spotlighting, he charged that New Jersey “is now a border state. There are illegals coming into all of our counties.” “The woke ideology has permeated through our culture and we now have in our state, schools keeping secrets from parents about very, very, personal decisions,” he claimed, as he defended parental rights in public education. On the issue of abortion, which Democrats are spotlighting, Bashaw pointed to the two-year-old blockbuster decision by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which for a half century had legalized abortion nationwide. “I believe that the Dobbs decision was the correct decision,” Bashaw said. But he added that “I don’t support a federal ban,” which some in his party are backing. The Dobbs decision moved the fight over abortion back to the states, and in New Jersey abortion is legal in all stages of pregnancy. “New Jersey’s decided it,” Bashaw said, before charging that “the Democrats are the extremists on this issue, passing legislation allowing abortions up until the day of birth.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Vulnerable Dems signed pledge from Gen Z group that pushes no-cash bail, decriminalizing prostitution
A handful of vulnerable House Democrats, including those in pivotal battleground states, celebrated partnering with a left-wing Gen Z advocacy group ahead of 2024 that supports policies such as decriminalizing prostitution and abolishing cash bail. “I am thrilled to be a Voters of Tomorrow Youth Vote Champion. As elected officials, my colleagues and I have a unique opportunity to give young Americans a voice in their future,” Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright said of the endorsement, according to an X post from the Voters of Tomorrow. A left-wing advocacy group that promotes voting among Gen Z voters, Voters of Tomorrow has a particular focus on “justice” issues such as decriminalizing prostitution, dismantling “racist” institutions — including those that carry out “racial profiling in education and policing” and ending “racist voting laws” — as well as calling for stricter gun control, and ending “the abusive practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection.” Voters of Tomorrow announced last year that 36 members of Congress joined a “Youth Vote Champion” pledge in an effort to engage young Gen Z voters, a generation typically considered to include anyone born between 1997 and 2013. PA DEM IN DISTRICT THAT VOTED FOR TRUMP SAYS HE’S A MODERATE, BUT VOTING RECORD TELLS ANOTHER STORY “We have to engage young voters not only in the two weeks before the election, but in the two years before the election,” Jack Lobel, 18, the national press secretary of Voters of Tomorrow, told Axios at the time. As the election season heats up this year, Fox News Digital found that a handful of the House members who took the Voters of Tomorrow pledge are located in swing-districts, including Cartwright, Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio, Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska, and Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania. The four members of Congress were identified last year by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as vulnerable in the 2024 elections, assigning them as members of the Frontline Program for vulnerable incumbents. Each member celebrated joining forces with the Voters of Tomorrow in comments shared by the advocacy group on social media. ONE OF NATION’S MOST VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS COZIES UP TO BIDEN FOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY “I wholeheartedly agree with Voters of Tomorrow’s view that empowering Gen Z in our political process is a requirement for building a better future,” Landsman said in a message of his support of Voters of Tomorrow. “I ran for Congress to be an advocate for all Alaskans — from every region, background, and generation. Encouraging young people to get involved in our political process benefits everyone — and is a responsibility I take very seriously,” Peltola said in another message posted by Voters of Tomorrow last year. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told Fox News Digital that the four Democrats aligning with Voters of Tomorrow ahead of 2024 shows they are not “moderate” Democrats, but instead “complete frauds that should never be re-elected.” “Self-proclaimed moderate House Democrats are once again showing the American people where their true priorities lie: abolishing cash bail, defunding the police, ending ICE & CBP, and decriminalizing sex work and drugs. It’s dangerous, and exposes how Cartwright, Landsman, Peltola, or Wild are complete frauds that should never be reelected,” the NRCC’s rapid response director Macy Gardner told Fox News Digital. VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM CAUGHT ON ZOOM CALL LAMENTING ‘TRUMP KOOL-AID’ VOTERS IN HER DISTRICT Fox News Digital reached out to the campaigns for comment, but did not receive replies. Immigration and the economy are two of the biggest issues weighing on voters this election cycle, while crime still ranks high for voters following 2020’s historically bloody year, which was followed by other ongoing crime trends, such smash-and-grab robberies and carjackings. OHIO CONGRESSMAN CANCELS TOWN MEETING OVER THREATS AGAINST JEWISH PEOPLE Prostitution has spiraled in certain areas of the country in recent months, which has been compounded by the immigration crisis and local state laws. Residents in California have particularly voiced their outrage over rampant and brazen prostitution on city streets, which many pin blame on a law that repealed a previous law that banned loitering with the intent of engaging in prostitution. New York City has also seen “third world” conditions, including prostitutes and pimps walking the streets of Queens in broad daylight. Voters of Tomorrow argues prostitution should be decriminalized, saying that “Sex work is work.” “Criminalizing consensual sex, including the exchange of these services, is taking away from the human right to autonomy and privacy. The government should not be telling consenting adults who they can have sexual relationships with and on what terms,” the group says on its website. The group also advocates for the end of cash bail, which would abolish the requirement that suspects charged with crimes post bail in order to leave jail while they await court proceedings. “If the ‘justice’ system has policies or laws in place that have a monetary value tied to them, then those policies only apply to low-income people. No one should have to remain in prison for the duration of their case just because they do not have the financial means to pay their bail. Cash bail only applies to low-income people and we need equal justice,” the group states. Voters of Tomorrow was founded in 2019 by a 17-year-old immigrant from Mexico, Santiago Mayer, after he “noticed a lack of political engagement at his high school,” according to the group’s website. The group has since gone on to advocate that Gen Z vote, including in both the 2020 election and the 2022 midterms. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES AD BLASTING ALASKA DEMOCRAT FOR VOTING AGAINST MILITARY PAY RAISE BATTLE FOR THE LAST FRONTIER: REPUBLICANS LOOK TO TAKE BACK HISTORICALLY GOP-HELD HOUSE SEAT IN ALASKA The Republican Party had a lackluster 2022 in the midterms, which some have attributed to lack of outreach to America’s youngest voting generation. “Another reason that the polling was so inaccurate and that so many critical races swung to Democrats is the growing
House to vote on Johnson’s foreign aid bills as GOP rebels’ ouster threat looms
The House of Representatives is holding a rare Saturday vote to consider Speaker Mike Johnson’s foreign aid plan, which has spurred calls for his ouster by a small group of GOP rebels. Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, totaling roughly $95 billion. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership, as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine. Each is expected to receive a final vote sometime later this afternoon after lawmakers weigh amendments to all but the Israel bill, which House leaders decided must stay as is. Among the amendments up for consideration is one by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of the House GOP’s fiercest foreign aid skeptics, to strip all funds from the $60 billion Ukraine aid bill. It’s not likely to pass, but it could get a significant amount of Republican support with a growing number of right-wing lawmakers opposed to the U.S.’ involvement in Kyiv’s war with Moscow. DEMS SAVE JOHNSON’S $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN FROM GOP REBEL BLOCKADE Johnson’s handling of foreign aid and government spending spurred Greene to file a resolution calling for a vote to oust him from power, known as a motion to vacate the chair. Since revealing the details of his plan earlier this week, two more Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. — have formally backed her effort. Foreign aid has proven to be one of the most politically fraught fights Johnson has faced in his short tenure as speaker. As has been the case for most complicated issues, he’s caught in a two-front battle between the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House, as well as outspoken conservatives in his own conference — namely the House Freedom Caucus and their allies. The former group had been pressuring Johnson to take up the Senate’s $95 billion supplemental aid package as one item, while the latter objected to foreign aid without spending offsets or border security measures. HOUSE TAKES KEY TEST VOTE FOR JOHNSON’S $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN AFTER DEMS HELP IT ADVANCE To assuage GOP border concerns, Johnson is also holding a vote on a border security and immigration bill on Saturday — though it’s unlikely to pass. Republican rebels blasted that move as a meaningless display, arguing that Johnson knows it has no chance in the Senate if not paired with foreign aid. The foreign aid proposal passed a key procedural hurdle on Friday morning known as a rule vote, which now allows for debate and passage of the final bills. Rule votes have traditionally fallen across party lines, with lawmakers on both sides following their leadership to allow for a vote on legislation even if they don’t agree with its contents. However, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus have deliberately sunk GOP rule votes several times this Congress in protest of House Republican leadership’s decisions. In a stunning turn of events not often seen in modern U.S. politics, Democrats leaped to the foreign aid proposal’s rescue and provided more than enough support to counter the 55 Republican defections — something that further irked Johnson’s right-wing critics. TENSIONS ERUPT ON HOUSE FLOOR AS CONSERVATIVES CONFRONT JOHNSON ON $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN Not only did Democrats vote for the rule, they outnumbered Republicans in support. It got 165 Democratic “yes” votes compared to 151 Republicans, for a total 316 to 94 margin. “We agreed with the objective,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the former House majority leader, told reporters when asked about the overwhelming Democratic support. “I think Democrats are going to continue to save the country. And when the speaker proposes something that we think is good for the country, we’re not going to arbitrarily oppose it because it happens to be a Republican proposal.” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., accused Johnson of dividing the Republican Party but distanced himself from calls for his ouster. “Funding Ukraine divides the country. It divides Republicans tremendously, divides the Republican conference, as evidenced by the vote today, just a moment ago. And so that should not be our starting point, to do what the Democrats want to do,” Good said. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, one of the House’s GOP national security hawks, said he was “absolutely” relieved that the bills advanced on Friday but that he was “confident” they would. Unlike his colleagues who were criticizing the show of bipartisanship, Ellzey said he was glad to see Democrats buck norms to support the rule. “I think that, this is a good thing for us now, for our national security, and the assurance of our friends and allies across the world, that we are a steady partner, and it’s bipartisan. Americans come together in times like this,” he said.
What does Israel have in its arsenal that it could use against Iran?
On Friday morning, Iranian air defences shot down three drones above its central province of Isfahan. Iran has yet to announce the results of its investigation into the incident, but the US said early on that Israel launched the attack. Israel has not commented despite speculation that it was behind it. Observers have, however, been anticipating an Israeli attack on Iran as the next link in a chain of escalation that began with an April 1 attack on the Iranian mission in Damascus that Iran blamed on Israel. The second was Iran launching 331 drones and missiles towards Israel on Saturday night in a well-choreographed attack, giving rise to expectations of an Israeli response. But if Israel were to strike Iran, how would it go about it? Israel has been planning strikes on sensitive Iranian sites for decades, but this response would have to be limited, part of the coded diplomatic and military dialogue between Iran and Israel. Israel would have to hit a high-value target but not one so valuable it would warrant a further military response from Iran and push the escalation into a full-on conflict. So what are Israel’s choices? Air strikes The two countries are more than 900km (560 miles) apart at their closest point with most of Iran’s military bases and nuclear sites more than 2,000km (1,243 miles) away from Israel. For strikes deep inside Iran, F-15i Ra’am and F-35i Adir stealth jets would be used. An Israeli F-15i Ra’am, top, and F‑35I Adir [Courtesy: Creative Commons] Both aircraft are optimised for long-range, but they would still need to refuel unless taking the shortest routes to Iranian targets near the border. The route would also be tricky. It is unlikely Saudi Arabia or Jordan would give Israel permission to fly through their airspace to attack Iran because it could draw them into a potential conflict and stands a good chance of inflaming domestic opinion, already vocal against Israel’s war on Gaza. Flying down the Red Sea and around Yemen and Oman to attack targets in southern Iran would mean a 4,700km (2,920-mile) trip before Israeli jets even reach the Iranian coastline. The fastest route to attack targets in the north of Iran would be through Syria and Iraq. The Israeli air force would have to suppress Syria’s air defences either by jamming or by cyberattack, as in 2007 when Israel destroyed what it said was a nuclear reactor being built in Syria. Israel “switched off” a large section of Syria’s air defence radar network beforehand. A technique like this could be used only in strategically important moments like a major air strike or at the start of a conflict. Even if Israel could still do this, it’s highly unlikely it would “show its hand” and reveal a major capability. Extended range External fuel tanks added to fighter jets can significantly extend their range but would make them show up on enemy radar. There have been reports of Israel-designed fuel tanks that can be fitted on their F-35 Adirs that would still allow them to stay moderately stealthy and invisible to radar. The tanks, to be jettisoned later, would allow the aircraft to reach and destroy targets much deeper inside Iran, return to their home airbases without being seen and fly unaided by the usual accompanying jets needed to destroy radar and protect fighter-bombers from other fighters. The plan would still be complex and, like all complex plans, subject to failure at its weakest link. Bad luck or enhanced radar the Iranians have not yet revealed could contribute to Israeli jets getting shot down – not the message of invincibility or revenge Israel wants to send. The naval option Israel has at its disposal five Dolphin-class submarines, German diesel-electric subs that run quietly and are ideal for coastal operations. Two of the latest subs built for Israel have AIP, or air-independent propulsion, meaning they can stay submerged for weeks as they stalk potential targets. One of the more obvious targets is the Behshad, an intelligence-gathering command ship that belongs to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC). It had been at sea for three years and was positioned up until recently at the mouth of the Red Sea near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. It was ordered back to port, and satellite imagery put it just outside the naval base at Bandar Abbas, just within the Strait of Hormuz. The ship is now in home waters and protected by shore defences but not invulnerable. The Dolphin-class subs are armed with a land attack variant of the Popeye cruise missile, the Turbo Popeye, having a range of 200km to 350km (124-217 miles) and launchable under water through the submarines’ torpedo tubes. The Dolphin subs are part of Israel’s nuclear deterrent, and there are reports a version of the Popeye has a range of 1,500km (932 miles) and the latest version of the improved Dolphin-class has a VLS (vertical launching system) in its sail, allowing for longer missiles to be launched that would hold more fuel and, therefore, have a longer range. It would be far easier to attack Iranian coastal targets from international waters, then submerge and disappear. Again, the target would have to be big enough to make its point but not large enough that it has to invite a response from Iran. These are the two real options. Any other military action, such as using special operations troops – Israeli boots on Iranian soil – stands the chance of escalating the conflict. The real question is, will Israel risk a full-scale war while it is already fighting on two fronts, one war on Gaza and a slow-burning confrontation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Adblock test (Why?)
‘When will our good days come?’ The Mumbai cook voting in India’s election
What’s your money worth? A series from the front lines of the cost-of-living crisis, where people who have been hit hard share their monthly expenses. Name: Manisha Santosh Kadam Age: 42 Born: Manchar, in the Indian state of Maharashtra Occupation: Cook Lives with: Her husband, Santosh, 48, their daughter, Rithuja, 21, and son, Sujal, 17. Lives in: A 37sq-metre (400sq-foot) house in Diva, located in Maharashtra’s Thane district, which is about an hour’s drive from Mumbai, India’s financial capital. The house, which is located on a busy street, has two small rooms – a medium-sized hall where all of them sleep together, and a kitchen. They do not have a garden or any open space. Monthly income: Working as a cook for eight hours a day at a household in the Byculla area of South Mumbai, Manisha earns a wage of 17,000 rupees ($203.64) per month. India’s daily minimum wage is currently 176 rupees ($2.11). Manisha’s husband works as an electrician and earns an erratic income ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 rupees a month ($35.94 to $47.92). Total expenses for the month: 16,673 rupees ($199.72) on family living expenses. At the end of March, Manisha only had 327 rupees ($3.92) left in her bank account. She also paid 90,000 rupees ($1,078) to repay a loan she had taken from the government to cover running costs at their family farm near the town of Manchar, where Manisha is from. She paid back the loan by borrowing money from friends and relatives. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 786
As the war enters its 786th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Fighting Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported Ukrainian drone strikes overnight and into Saturday. It said 26 drones were detected over the Belgorod region, 10 over Bryansk, and eight over Kursk, among several other regions. The strikes killed two people in Russia’s Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Saturday. The governors of Kursk, Kaluga and Bryansk, all in western Russia, reported strikes in their regions as well. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber with antiaircraft missiles for the first time since the war began in 2022. The warplane was downed in Russian airspace, 300km (186 miles) from Ukraine’s border, on Friday after it took part in a long-range air strike in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk. The Russian attack killed at least nine people in the eastern city of Dnipro and surrounding region and injured at least 28 others, regional officials said. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of the strike in Dnipro and called on his country’s allies to rush in more air defences. Zelenskyy said Russian missiles also struck the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi in the southern Odesa region, destroying grain storage facilities and the food inside. Politics and diplomacy German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he believed the war in Ukraine could drag on for several more years and on Friday defended Germany’s military support for Ukraine. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries expressed “strong concern” about the transfer of materials and weapons components from Chinese businesses to Russia for its military offensive in Ukraine. At their meeting on the Italian island of Capri on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this was heightening “the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War”. Weapons The United States House of Representatives is scheduled to vote later on Saturday to approve $95bn in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies. The package includes $61bn for Ukraine. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy on Friday told a gathering of NATO defence ministers via videolink that the alliance must decide if it is Ukraine’s ally, urging member states to step up arms deliveries to his struggling forces. “Our sky must become safe again,” he said, telling the minister that Ukraine could not defend itself without Western support. Adblock test (Why?)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi takes a dig at PM Modi, accuses him of running ‘school of corruption’ in country
Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on Friday evening. During the roadshow, Shah took a dig at Rahul Gandhi, mocking him over his past predictions of turmoil in Kashmir.