Tag: crime

Pakistan’s Lahore sees surge in crime rate amid inflation spike

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Lahore: As Pakistanis are struggling to make the ends meet amid the rise in inflation, Lahore is seeing a massive surge in street crime, reported Dawn.
According to the official data, the crime rate in the first three-and-a-half months of the year shows that over 90 percent of them have been committed at gunpoint. This shows that robbers are fearless and brandish illegal weapons in the city to deprive the citizens of cash and valuables. The criminals are so desperate and fearless of the police action that they are even lifting bicycles too.
The data also revealed that 143 bicycles were stolen from various parts of the provincial capital during the first three-and-a-half months of this year besides 5,366 motorcycles.

Lahore has six police divisions, 35 circles, and 84 police stations. Each division is headed by a superintendent of police (SP) while circles are headed by sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs), reported Dawn.
But despite the appointment of so many police officers in such a large number, the criminals are on the rampage, looting and depriving citizens of their belongings fearlessly. The official data shows that 89 citizens have been allegedly murdered in Lahore in about the first quarter of 2023.
Most of the murder incidents – 20 each – were reported in City and Saddar divisions.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, provincial’s Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Kanju admitted that the street crime rate has increased in the provincial capital, Dawn reported.
According to a Pakistani newspaper, Kanju claimed that the increase in the population has led to a spike in street crime cases, according to Dawn.

However, he claimed that the government was taking effective steps to ensure the safety of citizens.
The minister made these comments while responding to a calling attention notice, moved by PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Asiya Azeem regarding the increase in crimes against women in Islamabad, Dawn reported.
Giving details about the measures that the Pakistan government has taken to control crime, Interior Minister said that Eagle Squad had been formed to patrol streets on motorcycles, claiming that there had been a significant decline in the crime rate since the formation of the squad.
Kanju claimed that since the start of the year, not a single case of house robbery had been reported in the capital, reported Dawn.
Regarding the crimes against women, Kanju claimed that it was because of the government’s directives to the police to register every first information report (FIR) in this regard.
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#Pakistans #Lahore #sees #surge #crime #rate #inflation #spike
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 4, 2023
Crime in Telangana below permissible limit for 11th time: DGP

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Hyderabad: Telangana director general of police (DGP) Anjani Kumar held an online monthly crime review meeting with all police commissioners and district superintendents on Tuesday. He said for the 11th consecutive time overall crime in Telangana wss found to be below the permissible limit.
The DGP appreciated the Telangana police for 99 percent reduction of under investigation POCSO cases. During the meeting a special session on emerging technologies like cryptography, crypto currency and block chain technology with cyber expert Ram Prasad was organised.
Anjani Kumar directed the police officers to be vigilant against the latest emerging technology related crime like crypto currency, block chain and cryptography. The Telangana police said that new crimes registered in the name of crypto currency, blockchain and cryptography in the cyber sector are likely to become a challenge.
Cyber expert Ram Prasad explained through a powerpoint presentation about the nature of these cyber crimes and registration of cases against them. The DGP of Telangana advised the police officers to sensitize the public on 1930 helpline number in case of financial fraud online and filing a complaint through the relevant website on cyber crimes.
DGP noted that the cases of theft of cell phones have increased across the state and Central Equipment Identity Register (C.E.I.R.) system introduced recently by Department of Telecom Government of India is being specially introduced to identify these stolen cell phones.
Stolen mobile phone numbers and IMEI numbers of those phones are entered in this register and it will be easy to identify them and block those phones immediately wherever they are in the state, he said. A police officer will be designated as a nodal officer in each police unit. This policy will be introduced in the next ten days.
The Telangana DGP reiterated that every SHO must participate in community policing program four times every month. He said that this policy will help during the crisis. He suggested that for peaceful conduct of Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatras on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami, procession routes should be cleared from any debris or obstacles in coordination with the Municipal, R& B and other departments.
He mentioned that after reviewing the functional verticals implemented by the police stations, the constable officers who show the best performance in the performance of duty should be recognized and given suitable rewards.

Additional DGPs Mahesh Bhagwat IPS, Abhilash Bist IPS, Sanjany Kumar Jain IPS, Srinivasa Reddy IPS, IGs Chandra Shekhar Reddy, Shanawaz Qasim, DIG Ramesh Reddy and others participated with all Commissioner of Police and District Superintendent of Police units in Telangana.
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#Crime #Telangana #permissible #limit #11th #time #DGP
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Over 3 dozen cyber crime hotspots detected in 9 states: Sources

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New Delhi: More than three dozen towns and villages of nine states — from Delhi to Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat to Assam — have become cyber crime hotspots which are being closely monitored by law enforcement agencies, sources said on Tuesday.
Besides, a number of hostile countries have been trying for long to cripple India’s financial system and national security grid where additional preventive measures are put in place by the government.
The states where the cyber crime hotspots have been located include Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, they said.
The emerging cyber crime hotspot cities, towns and villages are: Mewat, Bhiwani, Nuh, Palwal, Manota, Hasanpur, Hathan Gaon (all in Haryana), Ashok Nagar, Uttam Nagar, Shakarpur, Harkesh Nagar, Okhla, Azadpur (all in Delhi), Banka, Begusarai, Jamui, Nawada, Nalanda, Gaya (Bihar), Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon (Assam), Jamtara, Deoghar (Jharkhand), Asansol, Durgapur (West Bengal), Ahmedabad, Surat (Gujarat), Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) and Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh).
The foreign cyber attackers mostly belong to countries like China, Pakistan and T rkiye, sources said.
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#dozen #cyber #crime #hotspots #detected #states #Sources
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
SSP Crime Among Two Police Officers Transferred

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SRINAGAR: Government of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered for transfers and postings in police department with immediate effect.
Amritpal Singh, IPS, SSP Crime Kashmir, is transferred and posted as SSP Rajouri while as Mohammad Aslam, JKPS, SSP Rajouri, is transferred and posted as Commandant, JKAP 13th Battalion.

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#SSP #Crime #Among #Police #Officers #Transferred
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 27, 2023
Gadkari praises CM Adityanath for controlling crime in UP, compares him with Lord Krishna

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Gorakhpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday heaped praise on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for controlling the law and order situation in the state and compared him with Lord Krishna who “came on the earth to end the evil”.
Gadkari, who was in the state to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several national highway projects worth a total of Rs 13,500 crore, reiterated efforts to lay expressway network in UP in a bid to make roads in the state at par with that of the United States.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken strict measures to protect people from the evil and dangerous tendencies in the society. On behalf of the people of the country and in my personal capacity, I congratulate him for the steps he has taken,” the road transport and highways minister said here after laying the foundation stone of and inaugurating various national highway projects worth Rs 10,000 crore.
Referring to a recent conversation with his wife, the Union minister said, “My wife asked me as to what is happening in Uttar Pradesh. When I told her about the measures taken by the state government in the last six years to rein in crime, she told me about epic Bhagwat Gita in which the lord has said that he will take incarnation whenever there is injustice and will end the evil.”
“As the Lord Krishna did, Yogi ji is also acting in a similar way, for safeguarding the gentle (sajjan) people. He has taken strong steps against the people having a mean attitude and are dangerous for society,” Gadkari said in presence of Adityanath on the dais.
Gorakhpur has been ‘karmabhoomi’ of CM Adityanath. He has been elected from there to Lok Sabha several times and is presently an MLA from Gorakhpur Urban constituency.
I am happy that Yogi ji has set an ideal about law and order situation. I had said earlier that we will make the roads of Uttar Pradesh at par with America’s, and our efforts have started in that direction.
“Yogi ji, I assure you that gradually the flight service from Delhi to Lucknow will stop as people will be made to think whether to go by plane or by road. In our country, infrastructure has got priority under the leadership of (Narendra) Modi ji,” Gadkari said.

Strict action to check crimes in UP and demolition of illegal properties of mafias and wrongdoers with the help of bulldozers have been making news very often in the state.
The stern measures in this regard has earned CM Adityanath the nickname “Bulldozer Baba”.
Gadkari said that looking at the changing picture of UP, the way investment is coming in, “I believe that UP will definitely become a happy and prosperous state under the leadership of Yogi ji”.
The development of roads in UP will remove poverty, hunger and unemployment in the state, he said, adding that there is a need to bring the automobile industry in UP so that more and more youths get employment.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Adityanath said that today with the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a strong network of road infrastructure is visible in the entire country.
“The credit for this goes to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari under the guidance of the prime minister. Highway construction is going on across the country and Gadkari ji has taken its pace to a new height. The world is amazed that despite the biggest pandemic of the century, India’s economy is growing at such a fast pace. Its basis is strong infrastructure,” Adityanath said.
Later, in Mahoba, Gadkari in the presence of the chief minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of nine national highway projects worth Rs 3,500 crore, an official release said.
Gadkari said Mahoba was the land of brave warriors and had a rich history.
With the construction of Jhansi-Khajuraho road, the traffic will ease in Maihar-Singrauli-Ranchi industrial division and Jhansi-Orchha-Khajuraho route and tourism of the state will get a boost, the release said.
Gadkari said with the construction of Kabrai section on the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border, the traffic in the Bhopal-Kanpur industrial division till Lucknow will be smooth.
The Union minister also said the construction of road over bridge between Jhansi and Prayagraj will facilitate traffic in Bundelkhand region.
Gadkari announced to expand 258 km Ramvangaman road in Chitrakoot to four lanes. He also announced to build 15 km four-lane bypass at a cost of Rs 200 crore in Chitrakoot, 18 km four-lane bypass in Mahoba and 15 km 4-lane bypass in Artara along with four-laning of 70 km stretch from Prayagraj to Mirzapur.
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#Gadkari #praises #Adityanath #controlling #crime #compares #Lord #Krishna
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 14, 2023
‘Rumours’, says Tejashwi on ED claims of Rs 600 cr ‘proceeds of crime’

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Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has dubbed as “rumours” the claim of the Enforcement Directorate that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 600 crore were detected during searches on premises owned by him and close family members.
The RJD leader, who is currently away in Delhi, also said the BJP will be left embarrassed if he made public the “panchnama” (seizure list) signed after the raids.
“Just recall, in 2007, transactions worth Rs 8,000 crore, including a mall and hundreds of land plots, were alleged,” tweeted Yadav, in an obvious reference to the land-for-hotels ‘scam’ pertaining to his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister.
Now facing the heat in the land-for-jobs ‘scam’ pertaining to, roughly, the same period, Yadav also recalled his name being linked to a mall seized in Gurugram, which turned out to be owned by a private company.
The RJD had threatened legal action against media outlets for “wrongly” reporting that Yadav, the party supremo’s son and heir apparent, owned the commercial establishment.
“The BJP government (at the Centre) spreading rumours again, quoting sources. It should have asked its spin doctors to first settle the account on the previous operations, before coming up with the new tale of Rs 600 crore,” Yadav said.
The ED had on Saturday said it seized “unaccounted cash” of Rs 1 crore and “detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore” after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to the railways land-for-jobs ‘scam’.
“Let them make public the ‘panchnama’ (seizure list) signed after the raids. If we do so on our own, think of the embarrassment that these BJP leaders will have to face,” added Yadav.

The ED had launched raids on Friday at multiple locations linked to Prasad’s family members, including that of his son Tejashwi in Delhi.
The CBI had also recently questioned Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.
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#Rumours #Tejashwi #claims #proceeds #crime
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 12, 2023
Bihar: ED says Rs 1 cr seized, Rs 600 crore detected in proceeds of crime

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New Delhi: As RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family faced more heat from central agencies in the alleged land-for-jobs scam, the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it seized Rs one crore in “unaccounted cash” and detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore after raids against them in a related money laundering case.
The agency said it is suspected that a huge amount of proceeds of crime was infused into purchasing a house in New Friends Colony in south Delhi that Prasad’s son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was using as his residential property.
The house, which was among the locations raided on Friday when Yadav was staying there, was shown to have been acquired at a value of a mere Rs 4 lakh while the present market value is approximately Rs 150 crore, the agency claimed.
An investigation is underway to unearth more investments made on behalf of Prasad’s family and their associates in various sectors, including real estate, the ED said in a statement.
Tejashwi Yadav was called for questioning on Saturday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case but did not appear and has sought a fresh date citing personal reasons, officials said.
The agency had recently quizzed Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.
It is alleged that people were given employment in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and its associates during Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister in the UPA government from 2004 to 2009.
In a statement on Saturday, the ED said, “Searches resulted in the recovery of unaccounted cash of Rs 1 crore, foreign currency including USD 1,900, 540 gms gold bullion and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery worth about Rs1.25 crore.”

“Several other incriminating documents including various property documents, sale deeds, etc. held in the names of family members (of Lalu Prasad) and benamidaars indicating illegal accretion of huge land bank and electronic devices,” it said.
It said the raids resulted in the “detection of proceeds of crime amounting to about Rs 600 crore at this point of time which is in the form of immovable properties of Rs 350 crore and transactions of Rs 250 crore routed through various benamidaars”.
Making a specific mention of Tejashwi Yadav, the ED said the property situated at D-1088, New Friends Colony in south Delhi is an independent 4-storied bungalow registered in the name of A B Exports Private Limited and is being used by Tejashwi Yadav as his residential premises.
This company has been called a “beneficiary firm” in this case and is “owned and controlled” by Tejashwi Yadav and his family, the ED said.
This house was shown to have been acquired at a value of a mere Rs 4 lakh while the present market value is approximately Rs 150 crore, the agency said.
While other opposition parties have slammed the action by central agencies and accused the BJP-led central government of political vendetta, RJD ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said it was a repeat of what happened in 2017 when he was in the anti-BJP camp.
“What do I have to say, those who are at the receiving end are giving an adequate response… similar things happened in 2017 when I was on this side. Now that I am here again, these things are happening again,” said the JD(U) leader when asked about his “silence” on the issue.
This was in contrast to the stand Kumar took in 2017, when he had wanted the ally to come clean on charges of corruption.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the BJP-led government was indulging in politics of “suppressing” the unyielding voices of the Opposition.
“The action of agencies on Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav ji is inspired by this politics,” the Congress general secretary alleged.
“The public is watching everything, and will take all this into account,” she said.
After the recent questioning of his parents, Tejashwi Yadav had alleged that investigation agencies were acting against political opponents of the ruling BJP at the Centre.
On Saturday, the ED, in its statement, said that Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was found to be staying at the New Friends Colony house during the raid and was using this house as his residential property.
“It is suspected that huge amount of cash/proceeds of crime has been infused in purchasing this property and few Mumbai-based entities, dealing in the gems and jewellery sector were used to channel ill-gotten proceeds of crime in this regard,” the ED alleged.
“The property has been though, on paper, declared as an office of A B Exports Private Limited and AK Infosystems Pvt ltd, it is being exclusively used as residential premises by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad Yadav,” it said.
The agency said its probe found that four parcels of lands acquired by the family of Lalu Prasad in just Rs 7.5 lakh from poor Group-D applicants were sold to Syed Abu Dojana, ex-RJD MLA, by Rabri Devi with huge gains at Rs 3.5 crore in a “collusive” deal.
The probe found that a major portion of the amount thus received, was transferred to the account of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, it said.
Investigations revealed that in a similar fashion, lands were taken from several poor parents and candidates for Group D jobs in the Railways.
“It has been revealed during the investigation that in many Railways Zones, more than 50 per cent of recruited candidates were from Lalu Yadav families’ constituencies,” it said.
The investigation is underway to unearth more investments made on behalf of Lalu Yadav’s family and their associates in various sectors, including real estate at various places, the ED said.
The agency added that while carrying out the searches, all legal formalities were fully observed and due courtesy was extended to the women, children and senior citizens present at the searched premises.
In a video statement, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha has alleged that Tejashwi Yadav’s “pregnant wife was taken ill with high blood pressure” because of the ED raids and warned that the people of Bihar will take to the streets.
The CBI has filed a charge sheet in the land-for-jobs case against Prasad, Rabri Devi and 14 others under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and all the accused have been summoned on March 15 by a special court, officials said.
The allegations have been denied by members of the Yadav family.
The CBI officials said the fresh round of questioning is taking place as part of “further investigation” on the basis of fresh inputs gathered by it during its ongoing probe.
The agency has alleged that during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister in the UPA government from 2004 to 2009, favourite candidates were appointed in the railways in violation of norms and procedures.
No advertisement or public notice was issued for the appointment but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur, the CBI has alleged.
As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to the family members of Prasad at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates.
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#Bihar #seized #crore #detected #proceeds #crime
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 11, 2023
D.C. crime rollback energizes House GOP efforts to squeeze Dems

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Democrats insist the effort turned to their advantage, since plenty of their incumbents welcomed the chance to distance themselves from President Joe Biden. Still, Wednesday’s vote ends weeks of Democratic angst over D.C.’s liberal crime bill, a particularly potent subject after their party’s humiliating losses in deep blue New York that ultimately cost them control of the House last November.
In the initial House vote in February, the vast majority of the House Democrats stuck with Biden — only to have him reverse his position, with Senate Democrats lining up behind him. And even as Senate Democrats emphasize that the circumstances surrounding the D.C. bill are unique, they’re also resigned to the reality that there are more disapproval votes to come.
“Unfortunately, the agenda on the Republican side is to just look for division and have investigations,” said Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the No. 3 Senate Democrat. “I would expect them to continue to look for ways to divide people and play politics.”

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., asks a question during a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday, March 7, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
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Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo
They won’t have to wait long. Republicans plan to use the same playbook to symbolically reject other Biden administration moves — including a vote this week on a wonky water rule that would cement broad authority for federal agencies to regulate streams and wetlands, an extremely unpopular policy in farm-heavy states.
For much of the House GOP conference, it’s seen as a win-win: A chance to declare their policy position, while putting vulnerable Senate Democrats on the spot in a campaign cycle that heavily favors the GOP. Unlike most bills, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can’t block GOP-led policy statements from reaching the floor and they require only a simple majority for passage. That means the chamber’s Republicans only need two Democrats to join them to send it to Biden’s desk under full attendance.
On the water rule, for instance, several Republicans have been eagerly predicting they’ll win over Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), two of the most endangered senators up this cycle who both hail from rural states. Manchin, who has not yet said whether he’s running for reelection, has already indicated he’ll support the measure, while Tester said Monday he is undecided.
With Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) out due to a medical issue and Manchin a “yes” vote, it’s expected to pass the Senate next week, assuming full GOP attendance. And this time, Biden has threatened to whip out his veto pen, after declining to do so on the crime bill.
“Our farmers and ranchers will be pissed about that,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). Summing up the GOP approach generally, he added: “It’s an area that we can have some success. I don’t think it can be our only strategy. But we’re happy.”

West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said she is optimistic about her chamber passing the water resolution, even if it won’t have the degree of Democratic support that the D.C. crime bill disapproval resolution is expected to garner.
“I would expect Democratic support, I wouldn’t expect it as a lot,” she said.
And there are more disapproval resolutions in the works. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have introduced a resolution that would repeal a recent rule from the Department of Veterans Affairs that offered abortion counseling and services in certain cases. Manchin has already signed onto that effort as well.
Manchin and Tester were also the only two Senate Democrats to support a resolution disapproving of a Biden administration policy that enables managers to consider climate change and social goals in retirement investing decisions. But it’s the D.C. crime bill that has drawn the most ire within the Democratic Party.
Biden’s surprise decision to go along with the GOP’s push infuriated many House Democrats who voted against the repeal, some of whom will almost certainly face soft-on-crime attacks from Republicans in their reelection cycles. And it’s prompted some in the caucus to wonder if they should support future GOP-led measures even if the White House opposes them.
“Like in any house, in any office, and any household, there can always be better communication,” Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) told reporters, though he stressed an otherwise “unified” relationship with the White House. Democrats had to “navigate what is a hostile environment” with Republican control of the House, he added, noting the potential political potency of the legislation undoing Biden administration policy.
Still, it’s clear some are still feeling burned by the White House.
When House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) brought up the Biden administration’s threat to veto the Obama-era water rule measure during a closed-door meeting Wednesday, there were some audible groans in the room, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Across the Capitol, many Senate Democrats largely blame the discord between the D.C. Council and the city’s mayor for the dramatic back-and-forth. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the measure, only to have the city council override the veto — and then attempt to withdraw its plan earlier this week, in the face of congressional backlash.
“The mayor and the police chief both opposed it, the head of the D.C. Council said, ‘OK guys, don’t vote on it, we’ll go back to the drawing board,’” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “So, unfortunately, the whole process has been flawed.”
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#D.C #crime #rollback #energizes #House #GOP #efforts #squeeze #Dems
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 9, 2023
Khamenei: Poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran ‘unforgivable crime’

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Tehran: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday described the poisoning of schoolgirls during the last few months as an unforgivable crime.
Speaking at a tree-planting ceremony at his office, Khamenei called for the most severe penalties to be imposed on those responsible, Reuters reported.
Khamenei’s statements come after new cases were recorded on March 5 in several regions, amid ambiguity surrounding the issue.
The first incident of mass poisoning was reported on November 30 last year. The illness which is so far unexplained has affected hundreds of students in recent months.
The Iranian authorities believe that these girls may have been poisoned and blame it on Tehran’s enemies.
Although there have been no casualties yet, the children have complained of headaches, heart palpitations and a feeling of lethargy.
Some described the symptoms as being unable to move, others smelled of tangerines, chlorine, or cleaning products.
This incident has happened in 100 schools and universities in 22 provinces— Qazvin, Golestan, Hormozgan, Hamedan, Zanjan, Qom, Lorestan, Tehran, Alborz, Kermanshah, Ardabil, Razavi Khorasan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Fars, Gilan, Isfahan, North Khorasan, Semnan, Mazandaran, Khuzestan and Ilam.

The poisoning incidents comes shortly after widespread protests that took place since September 2022 against the backdrop of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, days after she was detained by the morality police on charges of not adhering to the standards of compulsory headscarf.
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#Khamenei #Poisoning #schoolgirls #Iran #unforgivable #crime
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
Biden won’t veto GOP effort to repeal D.C. crime law

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“I think that’s where most of the caucus is. Most of the caucus sees the mayor in a reasonable position as saying: 95 percent of this is really good, some of this is problematic. And we need to keep working on it,” Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said after the meeting.
Biden’s much-anticipated Thursday remarks end several weeks of mystery surrounding his handling of a politically perilous vote for his party. And it comes as the president moves to strengthen the ties with Hill Democrats that propelled him to the party’s nomination.
The president also told Senate Democrats during their meeting that he wants to see immigration reform on the floor, according to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and left several Democratic senators with the distinct impression that he’s running for reelection. In addition, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said that Biden addressed the debt ceiling by remarking that he’s waiting for Republicans to show him a budget.
Following their meeting, Schumer also told reporters that the president would support Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) bill on railroad protections following the East Palestine train derailment in their state, along with tackling insulin prices for people under 65. The debt limit and budget, along with an “online protection tech bill for kids,” were also discussed, Schumer said.
“We had a great meeting,” Schumer said as he exited the meeting with Biden. “We talked about implementing the great accomplishments of the president of the last two years. We believe we can get a lot of good bipartisan stuff done in these two years. We are filled with unity, optimism, and optimism about 2024.”
But Biden’s most potent comments came on the GOP efforts to unravel the criminal code reform that the D.C. Council passed over Mayor Muriel Bowser’s veto. That citywide legislation would scrap some mandatory minimum sentences and change some criminal penalties. Senators cannot filibuster the rollback as a result of the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress special oversight over local Washington affairs.
After the meeting, Biden tweeted that he supports D.C. statehood and local autonomy but does not “support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”
Senate Democrats have squirmed for two-plus weeks over the vote, which Republicans plan to force to the floor as soon as next week and would be the first congressional override of local D.C. affairs since 1991. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) predicted that “there will be substantial bipartisan support for a resolution to reject the proposed changes.”

Besides the obvious implications of a vote on the potent political issue of crime, some Senate Democrats are plainly uncomfortable with congressional intervention in D.C.’s affairs.
“I’m disappointed. First of all, I hope the Senate would not pass it. But I think it’s pretty clear they will,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). “And to me, the Congress should not substitute its judgment for the elected representatives of the people of the District of Columbia.”
Yet it appears that Democrats’ discomfort with the D.C. law — a near-rewrite of the capital’s criminal code — is carrying more weight than their natural inclination not to interfere.
“I guess [Biden] thinks it’s too far — a bridge too far, which it really is. I’m glad he said that,” Manchin said leaving the meeting, adding that he clapped loudly when Biden disclosed his view to his fellow Democrats.
House Republicans first teed up the bill in February, amid a highly public clash between D.C.’s council and its mayor over the sweeping crime bill. In the House, the GOP-led bill won support from 31 Democrats, many of them moderates who have already called for stronger action on nationwide rise in crime since the pandemic. One swing-seat Democrat who backed the bill, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), voted for it mere hours after she was assaulted in her D.C. apartment building.
Biden’s move to let Congress stop the criminal code changes in D.C. may aggravate locals, but will be a relief to many congressional Democrats who are weary of GOP attacks on them over progressive urban crime proposals. And it comes as prominent Democrats are talking less about Biden’s age or whether he should run again and more about working together heading into the 2024 election.
In the meeting on Thursday, Biden’s reelection campaign did not explicitly come up but it was mostly assumed he’s running again: “I didn’t hear negative vibes on that,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
“The pieces are together. He’ll run again. And he’ll get full support from the caucus,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “It’s a good feel overall.”
But not everyone is feeling the love. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), an outspoken progressive who’s mostly pro-Biden, said he’s had a couple issues lately with the president. He cited the administration’s new effort to restrict asylum in certain migration cases — “that’s a bad policy,” he said — and then a lack of public follow-through on an environmental justice initiative.
And this week, Bowman said he was “hurt” by the Biden team’s handling of a Black History Month celebration at the White House, which he said was so crowded that several of his colleagues left early rather than try to fight for space.
“They had us packed in the room like sardines,” Bowman said of the White House event, comparing it to better-planned events that span multiple rooms, like the annual Christmas party. “That was, to me, very disrespectful. A slap in the face.”
For now, though, Bowman’s view is an outlier. And Biden got a warm welcome Wednesday night when he visited a group of House Democrats in Baltimore at their annual policy retreat.
Reflecting on their much-improved rapport with Biden since last year’s squabbling over his party-line agenda, many Democrats said there was little doubt he would glide to the nomination in 2024.
“If we, the elected officials, are not with him. I think he’s going to have a very difficult time winning reelection. I gotta tell you, I just don’t see people being against him,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.).
“I look at everybody else who’s out there. I mean, he’s a little old. That’s true, he’s gotta address that. But other than his age, he’s the best guy we have in my opinion.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 3, 2023