Indian police arrested senior leaders of the Al-Shabaab movement, known as “Cockroches” or “cockroaches” today (Tuesday), after they crossed barriers to enter the courtyard of a historic observatory, a common site of protests, chanting slogans demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the head of the Election Commission, after a controversial amendment to the voter lists, according to what was published by “Reuters”.
Supporters of the KJP and opposition groups organized almost daily protests this month, demanding Kumar's dismissal over the amendments, which critics say serve the interests of the Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Election Commission denied its support for any party, and clarified that voters who were wrongly disqualified could re-register themselves, while the Bharatiya Janata Party accused its competitors of trying to undermine democracy by unjustly questioning the legitimacy of electoral processes.
Thousands joined a protest march organized by opposition groups on Monday, after repressive measures thwarted plans by the Kokroche Janata Party to organize a demonstration at the weekend, as police arrested thousands of demonstrators, including party leaders.
Yesterday, Monday, New Delhi Police announced that the Jantar Mantar Observatory, located in the capital's central business district, was no longer available as an official protest site, and indicated that three new sites had been identified.
A live broadcast from the Kokroch Janta Party showed about a dozen volunteers jumping over a gate and barriers to reach the site, raising the Indian flag and chanting slogans before the police arrested them.
North Korea test-fired a tactical ballistic missile, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday, local time. The agency said that the experiment confirmed the success of the technical upgrade of an important basic element of the missile.
On Monday, the South Korean army said that the northern neighbor fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its eastern coast, for the fourth time in a month, following Seoul’s recent test of a hypersonic missile.
The Japanese Coast Guard said earlier that North Korea fired two unidentified missiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, and added that both had apparently already landed.
The US Pacific Command said, in a statement reported by Reuters, that it was aware of the launch of two ballistic missiles, but the incident did not pose an imminent threat to American personnel, territory, or allies. The statement added: “We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners.”
In Washington, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he may meet the North Korean leader during a trip to Asia next month.
The Indian Shipping Minister announced that two Indian sailors were missing after a commercial ship was attacked by a drone yesterday (Sunday) off the coast of Oman.
Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the oil tanker MT Petro Dolphin, which had 11 Indian sailors on board, was attacked by a drone while it was in an area belonging to the port of Sohar in the north of the Sultanate of Oman.
He continued: “We are continuously coordinating with all concerned parties to provide full support to the ongoing rescue efforts, and to ensure that every possible measure is taken to find the two missing members of our crew and return them safely.” He said in a post on the X platform: “While 9 of our Indian crew members were successfully rescued and are safe, two Indian citizens are still missing.”
Sonowal also pointed out that the tanker "MT Valthera", which flies the flag of the Marshall Islands, and with 11 Indian sailors on board, was hit by a projectile on Sunday while sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to a fire breaking out on board, but he confirmed that all Indian crew members are fine.
On Tuesday, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned an attack on a ship flying the Panama flag, which was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said, "The continuing incidents targeting ships in the region continue to constitute a source of grave concern." She added: “We renew our call for an immediate halt to these attacks in order to preserve peace and stability in the region.”
