Stalin-led DMK heads for big win in Tamil Nadu

News Network

May 2, 2021

Chennai, May 2: The verdict is out, well almost, in Tamil Nadu with leads showing a clear majority for the DMK alliance led by MK Stalin. DMK workers in Chennai celebrated at the party head quarters flouting Covid norms.

The opposition DMK-Congress alliance is retaining its lead in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly though its gap with the AIADMK is shrinking. The DMK and its allies are leading in 144 seats. The ruling AIDMK and allies are now leading on 89 seats.

The majority mark stands at 118. The DMK has not been in power in the state for a decade, and this time the party and the AIADMK are contesting without their towering leaders, J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi whose deaths have brought a huge change in the political landscape.

Tamil Nadu's most iconic leaders J Jayalalithaa died in 2016, and M Karunanidhi in 2018. Their absence has left a huge political vacuum that many have raced to fill.

Actor Kamal Haasan and his Makkal Needhi Maiam or MNM, made a rather drab electoral debut in the 2019 general election, failing to win a single seat. This time they are leading in one seat.

"This has been an unprecedented election because of the pandemic. We are watching closely and frankly expected to perform better than what we are seeing so far," DMK's Manu Sundaram said. "The people saw this election as a choice between the BJP and BJP-controlled alliances and that of the DMK, which stands to oppose the BJP and its ideology," he added.

The senior leader also said they expect the numbers to rise further as the counting of votes continues. "Though we have the overall lead at the moment, we were hoping to do much better," he said.

Tamil Nadu was known for alternating between the two blocks every five years, but Jayalalithaa broke the mold in 2016, winning a second term in the state.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami is leading in his home segment of Edappadi in Salem district and leader of opposition and DMK president MK Stalin is ahead in the Kolathur constituency according to early trends.

The DMK is also ahead in constituencies including Kurinjipadi, Neyveli, Virudhachalam. The BJP's state unit chief L Murugan is ahead in Dharapuram and AIADMK leaders and state ministers KC Veeramani and Benjamin were ahead in Jolarpet and Maduravoyal.

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Hundreds of Palestinian kids kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured by Israel: UN expert expresses shock

News Network

November 14,2024

The UN special rapporteur for Palestine has slammed Israel’s parliament for passing a law authorizing the detention of Palestinian children, who are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” in Israeli custody.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in a Thursday post on X, characterized the experiences of Palestinian minors in Israeli detention as extreme and often inhumane.

The UN expert highlighted the grave impact of this policy, noting that up to 700 Palestinian minors are taken into custody each year, a practice she described as part of an unlawful occupation that views these children as potential threats.

Albanese said Palestinian minors in Israeli custody are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” and that “generations of Palestinians will carry the scars and trauma from the Israeli mass incarceration system.”

She further criticized the international community for its inaction, suggesting that ongoing diplomatic efforts, which often rely on the idea of resuming negotiations for peace, have contributed to normalizing such human rights violations against Palestinian children and the broader population.

The comments by Albanese came in response to Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passing a law on November 7 that authorizes the detention of Palestinian children under the age of 14 for “terrorism or terrorist activities.”

Under the legislation, a temporary five-year measure, once the individuals turn 14, they will be transferred to adult prison to continue serving their sentences.

Additionally, the law allows for a three-year clause that enables courts to incarcerate minors in adult prisons for up to 10 days if they are considered dangerous. Courts have the authority to extend this duration if necessary, according to the Knesset.

The legislation underscores a shift in the treatment of minors and raises alarms among human rights advocates regarding the legal and ethical ramifications of detaining children and the conditions under which they may be held.

Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently in Israeli jails—around one-third without charge or trial. Also, an unknown number are arbitrarily held following a wave of arrests in the wake of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, the Israeli regime, under the supervision of extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has turned prisons and detention centers into “death chambers,” the ministry of detainees and ex-detainees’ affairs in Gaza says.

Violence, extreme hunger, humiliation, and other forms of abuse of Palestinian prisoners have been normalized across Israel’s jail system, reports indicate.

Over 270 Palestinian minors are being detained by Israeli authorities, in violation of UN resolutions and international treaties that forbid the incarceration of children, as reported by Palestinian rights organizations.

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