Congress moves SC against Bopaiah's appointment
New Delhi, May 18: The Congress moved the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the appointment of BJP legislator K.G. Bopaiah as Pro-Tem Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.
Bopaiah will be presiding over the floor test on Saturday to ascertain whether newly-appointed Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa enjoys a majority support in the Assembly or not.
A team of Congress leaders arrived at the Supreme Court on Friday evening to file the petition. Once the plea is accepted by the Registry, they will approach the registrar (vacation) for an early hearing late on Friday.
The Congress has contended that Bopaiah is not the senior-most member of the newly-elected House and as per the Parliamentary convention, it is only the senior-most member in terms of number of times he has been elected to the Assembly who can be a Pro-Tem Speaker.
Earlier in the day, the party said Bopaiah's appointment was made "with the sole intent of manufacturing a majority out of minority for Yeddyurappa".
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Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes kill 29 in Beirut as Israel intensifies attacks
Beirut: A new wave of Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut and its southern suburbs, escalating the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. The attacks follow a deadly assault the previous day that left 29 dead and 66 injured in the Lebanese capital.
On Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it had carried out "intelligence-based strikes" against Hezbollah command centers in Beirut's southern neighborhoods, including Haret Hreik, Burj Barajneh, and Hadath, as reported by Xinhua news agency. Within just 30 minutes, local TV station al-Jadeed documented 12 airstrikes in the area.
Videos shared online captured plumes of dense black smoke rising from the targeted suburbs, indicating the intensity of the bombardment. Prior to the strikes, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee used social media to warn residents to evacuate several buildings in the southern part of the city.
The fresh wave of airstrikes follows a Saturday attack on an eight-storey residential building in Beirut’s Basta Fawka neighborhood. While Israeli reports suggested the target was a senior Hezbollah official, Lebanese lawmaker and Hezbollah member Amin Sherri denied any political or military figures were present in the building during the assault.
In retaliation, Hezbollah declared it had destroyed five Israeli Merkava tanks in southern Lebanon using guided missiles on Sunday. The group also claimed to have launched attacks on several locations in northern Israel, including Kerem ben Zimra and Kfar Blum.
The hostilities have intensified since September 23, with Israeli forces increasing airstrikes on Lebanon and launching a ground offensive across the northern border in early October.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry released figures on Sunday indicating that Israeli airstrikes have resulted in 3,754 deaths and 15,626 injuries since the conflict reignited on October 8, 2023.
