Mangaluru Journalist Vijay Kotian donates award money of PaGo Award to feed hungry
Mangaluru: The winner of the 2019 Pa Go (Padyana Gopalakrishna) Rural Correspondent Award conferred by Dakshina Kannada Working Journalist’s Association, Journalist Vijay Kotian set an example by donating the winning award money to the Karunya Scheme run by M. Friends Charitable Trust.
Vijay Kotian, who is a senior correspondent for the Vijay Karnataka Newspaper donated a sum of Rs. 5,001 of the Award money along with an additional amount of Rs 2,499, a total of Rs 7,500 to the Karunya Scheme, through the senior journalist Arif Padubidri, the secretary of M. Friends Charitable Trust during the Pa Go Award Presentation Ceremony, which was held at the Mangalore Press Club on 31st of December.
During the occasion, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr. Rajendra K.V, District Police Superintendent B.M Lakshmiprasad, DCP Vinay Gaonkar, D.K District’s Working Journalists Association’s President Srinivas Nayak Indaje, and several others were present.
Under the ‘Karunya Scheme’ developed by the M. Friends Charitable Trust, everyday dinner arrangements are made to feed the people accompanying the patients at the Wenlock Government Hospital in Mangalore. The daily expenditure for this cause amounts to Rs. 7,500 as per the Trust. Vijay Kotian took it upon himself to oversee a day’s feeding and thus donated the required amount at the award gathering.
Through their ‘Karunya Scheme’, M. Friends has been feeding the hungry for the last 3 years in the city.
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Trump says US Navy seizes Iranian-flagged cargo ship
Dubai (AP): President Donald Trump said the US forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
He said a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman "stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room" and that US Marines had custody of the vessel, named Touska, and were "seeing what's on board!"
There was no immediate comment from Iran.
The news threw into question Trump's earlier announcement that US negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday, but Iran has not confirmed it would attend.
The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed fighting that has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers in Israel, and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
Here is the latest:
Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran
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Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be travelling to Islamabad for the second round of in-person talks, according to the White House.
Trump in his social media post Sunday accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement by firing bullets Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if it does not take the deal the U.S. is offering.
"If they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran," Trump wrote.
Pakistan, Iran don't confirm Round 2 of talks
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More than six hours have passed since US President Donald Trump said negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for more talks with Iran, but neither Iran nor host Pakistan have confirmed it.
Pakistan has kept up the diplomacy today, with its prime minister holding a 45-minute call with Iran's president and Pakistan's foreign minister speaking with his Iranian counterpart.
But while authorities have begun tightening security in Islamabad, the only player that has openly committed to another round of talks is the Trump administration.
Preparations pick up in Islamabad ahead of possible ceasefire talks
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Pakistani authorities have begun tightening security in the capital, Islamabad, ahead of a possible second round of ceasefire talks between the US and Iran.
Authorities on Sunday deployed troops at roadside checkpoints, closed tourist sites and ordered major hotels to cancel bookings and keep facilities available.
Islamabad's streets are largely deserted, as residents stayed home to avoid road closures seen earlier this month during the first round of talks.
While there were no formal announcements, Pakistani officials said arrangements are in place for talks in the coming days.
A regional official involved in the mediation efforts said mediators were finalizing the preparations. He said US advance security teams are already on the ground. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the preparations.
Pakistan has led mediation efforts to end the war. Its military chief visited Tehran last week, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with regional leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
French shipping company says one of its ships was targeted
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CMA CGM said Sunday that one of its vessels was the target of warning shots. Trump said Iran had fired on French and British ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The International Maritime Organisation confirmed that a French-flagged vessel was involved. The IMO, which regulates international shipping, said there have been 24 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and across the Middle East since March 1. The latest, on April 18, involved the CMA CGM Everglade, a container ship sailing under French flag. The IMO said it was damaged north of Kumzar, Oman, though no pollution or injuries were reported.
Trump said Sunday on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Iran had "fired bullets" in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that "many of them were aimed at a French ship and a freighter from the United Kingdom."
US energy secretary says extending Russian oil sanctions waiver pragmatic
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The decision announced Friday at the Treasury Department came days after Secretary Scott Bessent had ruled out such a move, and Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called it "shameful."
"Putin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of President Trump's war against Iran, as Russia saw oil revenues nearly double in March," the Democrats' statement said. "Enough is enough."
But Chris Wright said the Trump administration's reasoning was to ensure that India and other Asian countries receive oil that would have otherwise gone to China. He noted that India exports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Europe, where people are also concerned about fuel prices.
"These are short term, pragmatic decisions to allow oil that was already flowing to flow a different direction, and they're temporary," Wright said on Fox News Sunday.
British military says situation in Hormuz critical
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The British military has declared the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to be "critical," its highest risk level.
The military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, UKMTO, cited "a high level of activity by naval forces in the region."
It said there is a "risk of attack or miscalculation" in the waterway.
The Iranian navy reimposed tight restrictions on transit through the strait as the US military implements a blockade on Iranian ports and waters. The UKMTO also cited multiple attacks on Saturday by Iranian forces on vessels passing through the strait.
Israel reveals new forward defence line in southern Lebanon after ceasefire
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The Israeli military says it has established the line and released a map showing troops operating south of it.
The deployment has been described elsewhere as a "Yellow Line." It says five divisions are working to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure. The line was not mentioned in ceasefire terms published by the United States.
The map shows dozens of villages inside the zone, stretching several kilometres into Lebanon, whose residents would likely be prevented from returning.
There was no immediate comment from Lebanese officials, but the move is likely to raise concerns in Lebanon about the scope and duration of Israel's presence.
Pope Leo XIV sees sign of hope for peace in the Middle East
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Celebrating Mass before an estimated 1,00,000 people outside the capital of Angola on Sunday, Leo praised the cease-fire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah as a "sign of hope" that he prayed would bring peace permanently to the Middle East.
Leo mentioned the conflict as he called on Angolans to denounce the exploitation of their mineral-rich land and people, who still bear the scars of a brutal, post-independence civil war. "We wish to build a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear, and where the scourge of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing," Leo said.
The American pope is on an African odyssey that will take him to an epicentre of the African slave trade with a history emblematic of the Catholic Church's role in forcing human bondage, and what some scholars say is the Holy See's continued refusal to fully acknowledge it and atone for it.
Israeli fire kills 1 Palestinian in central Gaza
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The strike on a group of people in central Gaza also wounded three others, according to a health official at Awda hospital, where the casualties arrived.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.
Palestinians in Gaza have reported that Israeli strikes have intensified over the past few days across the enclave. Since a fragile ceasefire deal was reached in October, deadly Israeli strikes have been a near-daily threat in Gaza, and more than 775 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
What's happening with ships in the Persian Gulf
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Vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz have reversed course, according to the MarineTraffic shipping tracker.
The Iranian navy has reimposed tight restrictions on transit through the strait while the US blockades Iran's ports and waters. The standoff has left hundreds of vessels waiting in both directions for clearance through the waterway where a fifth of the world's oil supplies normally passes.
Kpler, a maritime data firm, said 19 vessels had passed through the strait on Friday after Iran and the US announced the reopening of the strait late last week as part of understanding between the two governments.
But on Saturday, US Central Command said it had sent 23 ships back to Iran since its blockade began, and at least three vessels were attacked by Iran Saturday while attempting to cross the strait, bringing shipping to a standstill again and further straining the global energy market.
Iranian official says US blockade amounts to war crime
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Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Sunday that the US blockade of Iran's ports and coastline is an act of aggression that violates the shaky Pakistani-mediated ceasefire between the two countries.
By "deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crime and crimes against humanity," Baghaei said on social media.
Baghaei's comments came after Iran's renewed threats on shipping, in response to the US blockade, fully reclosed the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Spain's leader wants the EU to end agreement with Israel
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Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wants the 27-nation European Union to tear up its long-standing Association Agreement with Israel.
The agreement, in force since 2000, sets out the legal and institutional framework within which the bloc and Israel conduct trade and cooperation.
"We have nothing against the people of Israel; quite the contrary," Sánchez said in a post on X on Sunday. "But a Government that violates international law and, therefore, the principles and values of the EU cannot be our partner."
Iran rebuilds its stockpile of missiles and drones, commander says
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A senior Iranian military official said Sunday that Iran has begun rebuilding its stockpile of weapons and munitions as the two-week ceasefire nears to expire, state media reported.
Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guard's Aerospace Force, said they have repaired missiles and drone launchers during the ceasefire which started on April 8, according to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
“Our speed in updating and refilling missile and drone launch platforms is even greater than before the war,” he said.
The broadcaster aired a two-minute video paired with uplifting music, showing missiles and drones in warehouses as well as mobile launches of missiles.
The United States and Israel say they have degraded Iran's military capabilities over the course of the nearly six-week war.
Israel's fundamentalist government a global problem: Turkish foreign minister
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Hakan Fidan was asked whether Turkey could replace Iran as Israel's main adversary, a question raised in both Turkish and Israeli media in recent weeks.
"This is a fundamentalist government. They are a problem for the whole world. This is not just a problem for Turkey," Fidan told a news conference at the close of a three-day diplomacy forum in southern Turkey.
Iran negotiator says strait will remain closed
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Iran's parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the US imposes a naval blockade on Iran.
"It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot," he said in televised comments aired by Iranian semiofficial media late Saturday.
Qalibaf, who is Iran's chief negotiator with the United States, said that the strait is now under Iran's control, linking the choke point's reopening to the U.S. lifting of its blockade.
"If the U.S. does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be restricted," he said.
He said that the ceasefire was on verge of collapse when the US attempted to mine-clear the strait.
He said Iran viewed the US attempt as a violation of the ceasefire.
"The situation escalated to the point of conflict but the enemy retreated," he said.
