Inclusion of Udupi in Special Action Force will not tarnish district’s image: G Parameshwara
Udupi: Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has clarified that the inclusion of Udupi in the recently formed Special Action Force (SAF) to prevent communal tensions along the coastal belt does not imply that the district is communally sensitive. He stated that the measure was taken purely for precautionary purposes based on recent incidents in the region.
Speaking to reporters at the Udupi guest house on Saturday after offering special prayers at the Kollur Mookambika Temple earlier in the day, the Minister responded to objections raised by MLA Yashpal Suvarna over Udupi’s inclusion in the SAF.
"I have already appealed to the public to ensure that this force remains unused. If no communal incidents take place, the need for such a task force becomes irrelevant. Whether it is necessary or not should be decided by the people themselves. If there is no need, doesn’t that mean communalism is gone?" he said with a smile.
He stressed that the move does not affect the dignity or image of Udupi district. “When we set up the ANF headquarters in Karkala to tackle Naxal activity, did anyone say Udupi’s prestige was hurt? Many were killed by Naxals back then. Just because there is a police presence, does that mean the area has lost its honour?” he asked.
The Minister also clarified that the SAF will be under the jurisdiction of the Mangaluru Police Commissioner, while the IGP will oversee three districts.
Responding to a question on the caste census, Dr Parameshwara said the state cabinet has already decided to conduct a fresh survey due to complaints from several communities and organisations regarding the inaccuracy of data in the earlier report.
“The current caste data is over ten years old. In the past decade, the population has grown by 1.5 crore, and many have pointed out that the earlier data doesn’t reflect this. Therefore, the state government has decided to conduct a new caste census on scientific grounds,” he said.
He also noted that the Union government’s census does not include data on social, educational, or economic backwardness, which is why the state is conducting its own enumeration.
On his temple visit, the Minister clarified that it was personal. “This is not an official visit. Visiting temples is part of our tradition. I went to seek the blessings of Mookambika Devi. Why I went and what I prayed for is not something you should ask or I should disclose,” he said.
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Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing US of violating deal to reopen it
Cairo (AP): Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway on Saturday after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.
Iran's joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The announcement came the morning after US President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear programme.
The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the US and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait, and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.
Control over the strait has proven to be one of Iran's main points of leverage and prompted the United States to deploy forces and initiate a blockade on Iranian ports as part of an effort to force Iran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to end almost seven weeks of war that has raged between Israel, the US and Iran.
Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. But after Trump said the blockade would continue, top Iranian officials said his announcement violated last week's ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US and warned the strait would not stay open if the US blockade remained in effect.
A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran's approval.
US forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, US Central Command said on X.
Truce in Lebanon could help US-Iran peace efforts
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The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement. But it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a deal it did not play a role in negotiating, and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.
Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the US from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defence.
Shortly before Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.
He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90 per cent of Hezbollah's missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.
In Beirut, displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.
An end to Israel's war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking last week's ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel had said that the deal did not cover Lebanon.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
