Pope Francis calls for negotiations, civilian protection in Syria
Vatican City, Sep 2 : Pope Francis on Sunday called on the international community to ensure the safety of civilians in Syria's Idlib province, one of the last opposition-held territories in the conflict-ridden nation.
"The winds of war are still blowing and we are receiving disturbing news of a possible humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, in the province of Idlib," Efe news quoted the pontiff who was addressing a crowd at the Vatican during the Angelus prayer.
"I renew my appeal to the international community and to all the actors involved to use diplomacy, dialogue and negotiations in accordance with international humanitarian law to protect the lives of civilians," he added.
The UN has also requested international parties involved in the Syrian civil war to do everything to prevent open warfare in Idlib, which is home to around three million people.
In recent years, the government of Bashar al-Assad has used Idlib province as a repository for rebel fighters and families evacuated from other regions of the country.
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Voting begins for Assam''s 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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