Transform Kalyana Karnataka region like Bengaluru and Mysuru: Kharge
Yadgir (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar to transform the Kalyana Karnataka region -- which is considered backward in terms of development -- like Mysuru and Bengaluru.
Asserting that more funds have to be allocated for the development of the region, from which he too hails, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, expressed confidence that Siddaramaiah will cooperate in this regard.
"During S M Krishna's tenure (as CM) he used to speak about transforming Bengaluru into a Singapore like city, you may do it. It will be enough for us if the Kalyana Karnataka region is transformed like Mysuru and Bengaluru. Like Siddaramaiah's Mysuru and D K Shivakumar's Bengaluru. This is enough for us, let's see Singapore later," Kharge said.
Addressing a large gathering here, he said, "I request you (government) to focus on this. Ensure job vacancies or backlogs, especially of teachers in the region are filled. Also allocate necessary funds."
Kharge was speaking at an event to lay the foundation stone for various development projects under the Arogya Avishkara scheme aimed at enhancing health infrastructure in the Kalyana Karnataka region, worth Rs 440 crore.
The AICC chief asked the public representatives and officials of the region to utilise the funds allocated for the development work at the earliest, and on the basis of that, seek more funds required.
"Despite getting funds, if we don't utilise it, no developmental work will happen. Utilise the funds. This year Rs 5,000 crore has been allocated for the Kalyana Karnataka region. It should be spent. Siddaramaiah and other ministers have complained that the funds provided are not spent properly on time. This should not happen and the local legislators, ministers and officials should ensure it and see to it that development reaches the people," he said.
Pointing out that the Kalyana Karnataka region lags behind in education and has a shortage of teachers, Kharge said the seven districts in the region are always ranked at last in terms of performance in education.
Also, filling up of job vacancies in the region is essential, he said. Law says that there are no financial impediments for filling up job vacancies in the Kalyana Karnataka region, especially teachers, he added.
Article 371J of the Indian Constitution grants special status to the Kalyana Karnataka region aimed at addressing the socio-economic and developmental backwardness there.
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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline
Washington (AP): The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb 28 have terminated.” The official said the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president's military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorisation or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.
Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favour of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn't given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."
Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials to simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.
That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defence focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”
“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration's “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire.
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.
Other presidents have argued that the military action they've taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump's war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.
