Bengaluru: 22 families fined Rs 1.1 lakh for wasting drinking water amid crisis
BWSSB responded to complaints on social media that claimed individuals were wasting drinking water on unneeded tasks like car washes and gardening. It further stated that the south division of the authority is known for its stringent policies regarding water wastage.
Fetterman rejects Harris suggestion that Israel could face consequences for Rafah invasion: ‘Hard disagree’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pen., lashed out at Vice President Kamala Harris for suggesting that the U.S. could impose “consequences” on Israel if the country moves forward with an invasion of Rafah. Fetterman made the statement on X in reaction to an interview Harris gave with ABC News on Sunday. She stated that it would be a “huge mistake” for Israel to carry out an offensive without U.S. approval. “Hard disagree,” Fetterman wrote in response. “Israel has the right to prosecute Hamas to surrender or to be eliminated.” “Hamas owns every innocent death for their cowardice hiding behind Palestinian lives,” he added. SENATE PASSES MAMMOTH $1.2T SPENDING PACKAGE AFTER BRIEF PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Fetterman has emerged as one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the Senate in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre. ISRAELI STRIKES IN RAFAH LEAVES 31 PALESTINIANS DEAD AHEAD OF PLANNED GROUND INVASION Meanwhile, relations between President Biden’s administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continue to fray. Netanyahu has vowed that an invasion of Rafah is imminent, with or without U.S. approval. Harris explicitly left the possibility of consequences for Israel on the table in her Sunday interview. She cited the dense civilian population around Rafah and argued they have nowhere else to go. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris told ABC. “Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go.” “We’re going to take it one step at a time, but we’ve been very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not [an invasion] should happen,” she added. “Are you ruling out that there would be consequences from the United States?” ABC reporter Rachel Scott pressed. “I am ruling out nothing,” Harris said. Rafah lies on the border with Egypt, which – like other nearby Arab nations – has so far refused to accept any Palestinian refugees, even temporarily. Representatives for those countries argue by and large that Palestinians should not be forced to leave Gaza. Many Arab states in the region are actively blocking Palestinians from traveling out of Gaza, by refusing to issue visas to Palestinian passport holders. Each of those countries underscores the point that they do not want to be complicit in a forced evacuation. They speculate that Israel will not allow those who leave to return, despite comments by Israel’s foreign minister and others to the contrary. Netanyahu agreed to send an Israeli delegation to Washington this week to determine whether a compromise can be made regarding Rafah. Israel says Rafah is the last remaining stronghold of Hamas and the terrorist group’s forces there must be defeated for Israel to meet its war objectives. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7 attack, which killed some 1,200 people, took 250 others hostage and triggered the fierce Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rafah now serves as shelter for roughly 1 million Palestinians displaced by the Gaza war, however. The Biden administration has insisted that any plan for an invasion must include clear and robust protections for civilians, and they have yet to be satisfied with Israel’s precautions. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Palestinian boy assaulted by Israeli forces over ‘gun’ shirt
NewsFeed Video has been shared online of a Palestinian boy being assaulted and made to remove his shirt by an Israeli soldier because it had images of guns on it. After the video was published, the store was raided by the army in an attempt to confiscate the original video. Published On 25 Mar 202425 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Warnings against normalising conflict as Yemen marks decade of war
About four and a half million children are not in education in Yemen, while half of the country is in desperate need of medical aid, NGOs have warned. Reports released on Monday said two in five Yemeni children are not attending school while more than 17 million people – half of them children – require health assistance. The statistics underline the uncertainty of daily life following a decade of brutal war, the NGOs noted, pointing to mounting difficulties in funding and supplies as the number of emergency situations spread across the Middle East and other global locations. A Save the Children publication [PDF], Hanging in the Balance: Yemeni Children’s Struggle for Education, details the continuing issues in the country, where a United Nations-negotiated ceasefire has restored relative calm, but humanitarian needs still remain dire amid low-intensity violence. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Houthis in Saudi Arabia have been fighting since 2014. A UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022 brought a sharp reduction in hostilities. The truce expired in October last year, and fighting largely remains on hold following a renewed peace process reached in December. PRESS RELEASE: After 9 years of conflict in #Yemen:▪️ 4.5 million children are out of school▪️ Displaced children are twice as likely to drop out▪️ 76% of students reported that their sense of safety has not increased.New report and press release 👇https://t.co/pAfi85JTmz — Save the Children MENA & Eastern Europe (MENAEE) (@scmenaee) March 25, 2024 “Nine years into this forgotten conflict, we are confronting an education emergency like never before,” Save the Children’s Mohamed Mannaa said in a statement. “While the truce reduced some violence, it hasn’t ever brought the stability families desperately need to rebuild their lives. Above everything else, families in Yemen need an official ceasefire; without one, families are left in limbo.” ‘Normalized’ The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that as the conflict in Yemen enters its 10th year, over half of the country’s population is in desperate need of aid. An estimated 17.8 million people require health assistance, 50 percent of them children, the NGO said in a statement. “It’s almost as if ongoing conflicts have become an accepted part of the everyday realities of life in the region. It’s important to step back and remember that hungry children, disease outbreaks, hospitals shutting down … these are not to be normalized,” said Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Amid the escalating emergencies in the Middle East and elsewhere, WHO is finding it harder to secure the necessary emergency funding for war-torn spots like Yemen. In the last five years, it warned, WHO funding for the country has declined by 45 percent. In 2024, WHO needs $77m to provide essential health assistance, it insisted. Other aid agencies are also experiencing increasing difficulties in providing urgently needed help to Yemen. In December, the World Food Programme suspended food aid to northern parts of the country citing limited funding and a disagreement with the authorities over how to distribute supplies Survival trumps education At least one child has dropped out of school in the past two years in one-third of the families surveyed for the Save the Children report. Displaced children are twice as likely to drop out than their peers, the researchers found. Economic hardships and insecurity were the main drivers of absenteeism. More than 44 percent of guardians and children surveyed said they were more interested in supporting their family’s income. Children as young as 12 told the researchers they have had to leave education in order to work. About a quarter of the families said they could not afford monthly fees and school books. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has labelled the conflict in Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Thousands have died and millions have been displaced. Two-thirds of Yemen’s 33 million inhabitants have fallen below the poverty line, Save the Children said, with about 4.5 million people displaced. Over 3,700 schools have been damaged or repurposed. Persisting violence Fourteen percent of families interviewed pointed to insecurity as the reason for children dropping out, with three-quarters of students – 76 percent – reporting that they feel no safer since the truce. The ripple effects of Israel’s war on Gaza have dragged the country into further warfare, and threaten further destabilisation. The Houthis, who control much of the country, have attacked ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians. In turn, the United States and other military forces, have fired at Houthi targets in Yemen. Meanwhile, on Sunday, al-Qaeda launched an attack against troops from the secessionist Southern Transitional Council. Although at odds with the internationally-recognised government, the council – backed by the United Arab Emirates and controlling much of Yemen’s south – is its ally in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthi. Adblock test (Why?)
EU to investigate Apple, Google, Meta under new digital law
Antitrust regulators will probe the Big Tech companies for potential breaches of the Digital Markets Act. European Union regulators have opened investigations into Apple, Alphabet’s Google and Meta, in the first cases under a sweeping digital law designed to stop Big Tech companies from cornering digital markets. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive, said on Monday that it was investigating the companies for “non-compliance” with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect on March 7. The law requires six gatekeepers – which provide services such as search engines, social networks and chat apps used by other businesses – to comply with guidance to ensure a level playing field for their rivals and to give users more choices. Violations could result in fines of as much as 10 percent of the companies’ global annual turnover. The rules have the broad but vague goal of making digital markets “fairer” and “more contestable” by breaking up closed tech ecosystems that lock consumers into a single company’s products or services. The commission said in a statement that it “suspects that the measures put in place by these gatekeepers fall short of effective compliance of their obligations under the DMA”. It is looking into whether Google and Apple are fully complying with the DMA’s rules requiring tech companies to allow app developers to direct users to offers available outside their app stores. The commission said it is concerned the two companies are imposing “various restrictions and limitations” including charging fees that prevent apps from freely promoting offers. Asked if the commission was rushing the process, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the investigations should not be a surprise. “The law is the law. We can’t just sit around and wait,” he told a press conference. He said Meta, which introduced a no-ads subscription service in Europe last November that has triggered criticism from rivals and users, should offer free alternative options. Google and Apple have similarly introduced new fees for some services. Earlier this month the EU issued Apple an antitrust fine of more than 1.8 billion euros ($1.95bn) following a complaint by music streaming service Spotify. It was the first-ever antitrust fine slapped on the company by the bloc. The commission said the charge was triggered after Spotify complained in 2019 that Apple had prevented music-streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store. Apple criticised the EU decision, saying it would challenge it in court. Google is facing scrutiny for not complying with DMA provisions that prevent tech giants from giving preference to their own services over those of rivals. The commission said it was concerned that Google’s measures would result in third-party services listed on its own search results page not being treated “in a fair and non-discriminatory manner”. The commission is investigating whether Apple is doing enough to allow iPhone users to easily change web browsers. It is also looking into Meta’s option for users to pay a monthly fee for ad-free versions of Facebook or Instagram so they can avoid having their personal data used to target them with online ads. “The Commission is concerned that the binary choice imposed by Meta’s ‘pay or consent’ model may not provide a real alternative in case users do not consent, thereby not achieving the objective of preventing the accumulation of personal data by gatekeepers,” it said. The EU has sought to crack down on Big Tech companies, handing out a series of multibillion-dollar fines for Google and charging Meta with distorting the online classified advertising market. Apple’s fine is about a quarter of the 8.25 billion euro ($8.95bn) the EU regulator fined Google in three cases in the last decade. Adblock test (Why?)
Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Congress releases sixth list, fields ex-BJP leader Prahlad Gunjal from…
Earlier, the Congress party on Sunday released the fifth list of three candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, naming Pratap Singh Khachariyawas from Jaipur, replacing Sunil Sharma as announced earlier.
Trump faces NYC court hearing in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg case
Former President Trump is expected in a downtown New York City courtroom today for a hearing related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money payments case. The hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m. and last several hours. Trump is also up against a Monday deadline to post a $454 million bond that was imposed in his civil fraud trial. New York Attorney General Letitcia James, who has accused him of inflating his net worth, granted him a 30-day grace period that expires today. If he is unable to satisfy the judgment, James has threatened to begin seizing Trump’s property and assets. Trump’s criminal trial was originally scheduled to begin today with jury selection. However, earlier this month, Judge Juan Merchan delayed it until mid-April in order to give the former president and his lawyers more time to go through 15,000 records of potential evidence the Justice Department shared from a previous federal investigation. TRUMP TRIALS: HERE’S WHERE EACH CASE AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT AND PRESUMPTIVE GOP NOMINEE STANDS The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said much of the newly produced material is unrelated to the state’s case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already produced more than 100,000 pages of records for review. Fox News Digital has learned, though, that at least 74,000 pages of records initially were sent only to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s legal team. JUDGE DELAYS TRUMP’S HUSH-MONEY TRIAL AMID LAST-MINUTE EVIDENCE DUMP BY FEDS Trump’s lawyers were seeking a 90-day delay or a dismissal of charges against him, arguing there were violations in “the discovery process,” whereby both sides exchange evidence. Defense lawyers said a 30-day delay was “insufficient.” Trump’s lawyers have said the materials from the federal investigation are critical for his defense in the state case being brought by Bragg. TRUMP LAWYERS MOTION TO ADJOURN MANHATTAN DA TRIAL UNTIL AFTER SCOTUS RULES ON PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.” TRUMP SLAMS BRAGG AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY: ‘I NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN IN AMERICA’ The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted not to charge Trump related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
‘PM Modi wanted a…’: Congress on former MP Naveen Jindal’s BJP switch
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, lashed at former MP and well-known industrialist Naveen Jindal for leaving the party and joining the BJP.
Trump to renew push for delay in New York hush money trial as $454M fraud bond comes due
Former President Trump will appear in a Manhattan court on Monday, where he is expected to renew his push for a delay in his hush money payments trial. The trial is currently scheduled for April 15, a date that was already delayed 30 days thanks to the discovery of new evidence material in early March. In a separate case, Trump also faces a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million bond in the civil fraud case brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Judge Juan Merchan is holding Monday’s hearing to make a final determination for the date of the trial. Trump’s team argues that the evidence uncovered in early March requires more time for review. They also say that prosecutors with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office received elements of the new evidence before the defense and allegedly violated discovery rules. Trump is accused of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. JUDGE DELAYS TRUMP’S HUSH-MONEY TRIAL AMID LAST-MINUTE EVIDENCE DUMP BY FEDS Bragg’s office urged Merchan do deny Trump’s push for further delays in a filing last week. Prosecutors argue Trump’s team is seeking to delay the trial for as long as possible, with an ultimate goal of pushing his legal battles past the November election. TRUMP HOLDS SLIGHT EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE: POLL “Defendant’s accusations of a discovery violation are a distraction from the only issue actually presented here, which is how this Court should respond to the late arrival of potentially relevant evidence from sources outside of the People’s direction or control,” Bragg wrote in last week’s court filing. “On that question, the appropriate remedy is the brief adjournment that this Court has already granted, which is more than enough time for the parties to review what the People now have good reason to believe is the limited number of relevant records in the USAO’s recent productions. This Court should accordingly deny defendant’s request for more extreme sanctions,” the filing continued. COMER INVITES HUNTER BIDEN, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY MARCH 20 AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY The new evidence is some 15,000 records produced by the Justice Department relating to its investigation of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is serving as a star witness in the hush money case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said much of the material is unrelated to the state case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already provided at least 104,000 pages of records — 74,000 of which initially went just to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s lawyers. Bragg’s office has since turned over those 74,000 pages to the defense. In the civil fraud case brought by the state attorney general’s office, Monday is the end of the 30-day grace period Trump was given to post a $454 million appeal bond. If he fails to do so, Attorney General James can enforce the trial court’s judgment against the former president and start seizing his property and/or assets. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report
Indian PhD student, former NITI Aayog employee killed in bicycle accident in London
The incident unfolded as Cheistha’s husband pedaled a few meters ahead of her. Despite prompt response from law enforcement and medical personnel, Cheistha succumbed to her injuries at the scene.