Flood-like situation, landslides continue to cause havoc in rain ravaged parts of Karnataka
Bengaluru: Flood-like situation and landslides continue to cause havoc in several parts of Karnataka that has been battered by torrential rains.
Many places in Malnad, coastal and north interior regions of the state have been affected by deluge, putting life and properties at risk.
While most of the rivers in these regions are swollen due to rising inflow because of showers continuing in the catchment areas, there are reports of landslips in hilly regions of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru.
Flood like situation persists in the border regions of Belagavi district, with rising water levels in Krishna river and its tributaries due to rains in ghat areas of Maharashtra and water being released from the dams there. Adding to this, the district too has been receiving rains, inundating low lying areas and crops.
In Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts also there is similar situation of swollen rivers and inundation of low lying areas. Water is being released from several dams in the state including Alamatti and Kabini by opening the gates as inflow has increased. Tungabhadra dam in Hosapete has reached the brim.
There have been reports of mudslides near Botlappa and other places in Kodagu, also along Charmadi ghat near Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada.
District in-charge Minister V Somanna has rushed to Kodagu that has been ravaged by floods and landslides. Cauvery river is overflowing and water has entered Bhagamandala temple and blocked major connecting roads in the district.
Search is on by the NDRF team and authorities for five people including the priest at Talacauvery, the origin of river Cauvery, who had gone missing due to massive landslides at Bramhagiri hills on Wednesday night. Bad weather and heavy rain is affecting the operation.
Residents living in low lying areas in Kushalnagar in Kodagau are shifting themselves to safer places anticipating flood. Three relief centers are opened in the district so far and people in danger are being shifted there.
Heavy rains in Hassan district especially in the Hemavathi river catchment area has led to an increase in water level at the reservoir in Gorur. Also, Yagachi reservoir in Belur is receiving heavy inflow due to downpour in Mudigere taluk. Swollen Hemavathi river and rains in the district has caused damage to houses and roads, so people living in low lying areas are being shifted, Hassan district incharge Minister K Gopalaiah said, adding landslides have been reported in Sakleshpur.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka had on Thursday said, according to forecast for the next three days, there will be heavy rains in coastal region, moderate and heavy rains in Malnad and north interior Karnataka, and normal rains in south interior parts of the state.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who has released Rs 50 crore for emergency relief, has announced Rs 10,000 as immediate relief to affected families, Rs 5 lakhs to completely damaged houses and in case of partially damaged, relief will be distributed considering the extent of damage.
The Chief Minister has also directed the district in-charge Ministers to take precautionary measures in the wake of heavy rainfall across the state and instructed them to remain in their districts and tour the damaged areas.
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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.
