Police, protesters clash over laying of SilverLine survey stones in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram/ Kannur, Apr 21: Resumption of the survey stone laying work for the Kerala government's ambitious semi-high speed rail corridor project after a gap was marred by protests against the initiative on Thursday, with locals and anti-Silver Line activists clashing with the police in the state capital and northern Kannur, prompting authorities to halt the process temporarily.
Alleging police highhandedness against protesters, the opposition Congress came down heavily on the Pinarayi Vijayan government and urged it to stop action against common people and their party activists, who protest the multi-crore project.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly, V D Satheesan even drew parallel between the police action against the anti-Silver Line protesters in the state and the demolition drive in New Delhi and asked whether Left leader Brinda Karat was seeing this.
A group of local people, led by the Congress activists, blocked the officials when they arrived with the equipment to plant survey stones near Kaniyapuram in Thiruvananthapuram.
The clash broke out after the police, who escorted the officials, tried to remove the protesters from the area.
In visuals aired by local television channels, a policeman is purportedly seen kicking some of the protesters with his boot. Later, the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
One of the protesters said they would continue to gather at the place and they would never allow officials to lay the survey stones.
He also said the residents of the place did not get any prior information regarding the procedure.
However, police rejected the allegations of high-handedness against the agitators, saying they did not kick any protester but only tried to provide protection to K-Rail officials.
At Chala in Kannur district, local people, under the aegis of the anti-Silver Line People's Forum, blocked the vehicle which arrived carrying the survey stones.
People, including women, gathered in huge numbers in the area, announcing that they would not allow the survey stones on their land.
Police then arrested and removed the protesters from the area.
It was after a gap of almost one month that the authorities resumed the survey stone laying process, which had led to mass protest in several parts of Kerala since the beginning.
Meanwhile, Satheesan visited the people injured in the alleged police action near Kaniyapuram, at a local hospital where they were admitted for treatment.
He said the Congress would not allow the Left government to install the survey stones for the mammoth project and they would continue uproot them across the state.
"We are ready to face any consequence in this regard. We will explain the people about our stand in the issue," Satheesan told reporters.
Though the Left government is going ahead with the multi-crore semi-high-speed rail project, it is being opposed by the opposition Congress and the BJP as well as by the local people in many parts of the southern state.
The SilverLine rail corrdior, envisaged to cover a 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, is estimated to cost around Rs 64,000 crore.
The project aims to make transportation easy along the entire north south of Kerala and reduce travel time to less than four hours as against 12 14 hours.
#Kerala | A clash broke out between Congress workers and police while the party's members were protesting against the Silver Line project in Thiruvananthapuram
— NDTV (@ndtv) April 21, 2022
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/B7sAVghBi9
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UAE denies Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Iran war
Jerusalem (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. The UAE denied any secret visit had occurred.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates", according to the Israeli statement.
THE UAE's official WAM news agency posted an article denying the report about a Netanyahu visit.
According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel “are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.
The report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them to the UAE.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors that it remains open for business and safe.
Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called the Emirati president to condemn Iranian attacks and express their solidarity with the Gulf federation.
It was rare public acknowledgment of direct talks between the countries that normalized relations in the 2020 Abraham Accords and have strengthened their ties during the Iran war.
Iran has criticised that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalising relations.
Iran demands Kuwait release detainees
===================
Iran's foreign minister accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians that the Gulf Arab country accuses of being Revolutionary Guard operatives.
In a post Wednesday on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demanded the Iranians' immediate release and said Iran reserved the right to respond.
“This illegal act took place near an island used by the US to attack Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
A day earlier, Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Iranian human rights lawyer released
======================
Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been released from prison more than a month after being detained, a rights group and her daughter said Wednesday.
Sotoudeh, who is known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves, was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran in April.
Her release comes as US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a long-anticipated visit that is expected to touch on the war in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which closely tracks developments in Iran, said that Sotoudeh was released on bail from Tehran's Evin Prison.
Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted on social media that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody. Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency also reported Sotoudeh release.
Sotoudeh has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned in the same prison as his wife.
Nobel Peace laureate needs long-term care
==========================
Doctors who examined Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi more than a week after she collapsed at a prison in Iran said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation.
Mohammadi, 53, was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 after she fell unconscious. She was released on bail nearly 10 days later and transferred to a hospital in Tehran where her specialists examined her.
The doctors said her vascular disease has worsened since she was last checked in 2024 and recommended eight months of treatment.
She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her latest imprisonment began in December when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
