Politics
Delhi car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law
- Indian police probe Delhi blast under UAPA anti-terror law.
- Indian television channels cite case registered by police.
- Several states and key facilities placed on high alert.
NEW DELHI: Indian police are probing a deadly car blast in the capital Delhi under a stringent law used to fight “terrorism”, television channels reported on Tuesday, citing a case registered by the police.
The law, called the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is India’s main anti-terrorism law. It is used to investigate and prosecute acts related to “terrorism” and activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
The explosion near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured 20, a rare blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million people, sending several states and key facilities into high alert.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday “all angles” were being investigated and security agencies would come to a conclusion soon.
Police said a slow-moving car which stopped at a traffic signal exploded just before 7pm (1330 GMT). Nearby vehicles were also badly damaged.
The explosion left behind mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi.
The Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th-century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, and is visited by tourists throughout the year.
The prime minister also addresses the nation from the fort’s ramparts every year on August 15, India’s independence day.
- Trump threatens penalties for absent air traffic controllers.
- FAA reports 20-40% of controllers have been absent.
- Senate advances bill to end government shutdown.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Monday demanded air traffic controllers return to work as travellers endured another day of flight cancellations, which the administration ordered to manage staff shortages during the government shutdown.
Threatening to curtail the pay of any controller who did not go back, Trump said he would award those who have not taken time off during the 41-day shutdown $10,000 bonuses and would welcome the resignations of the rest.
“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,'” Trump wrote on social media. “REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY.”
The shutdown, the longest in US history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay. Some are absent as they work second jobs or cannot afford child care.
Some 20% to 40% of controllers have been absent on any given day at the 30 biggest US airports during the shutdown, the FAA said last week.
Shares of the biggest US airlines, including American Airlines AAL.O, Delta Airlines DAL.N and United Airlines UAL.O, turned negative after Trump’s social media post.
Officials said it was unclear how the White House could deny pay under the controllers’ union contract once the government reopens, as Trump threatened, or how the president would pay for the proposed $10,000 bonuses.
Airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights on Monday, and the number was set to rise as the FAA ordered flight cuts to step up to 10% on Friday. A winter storm in Chicago was also disrupting air travel.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, said by 3 pm ET (1800 GMT), 5,825 flights were also delayed Monday after 2,950 flights were canceled and nearly 11,200 delayed Sunday in the single worst day for flight disruptions since the government shutdown began on October 1.
Staffing issues worsened over the weekend and the number of air-traffic control centers with staff shortages rose to 81 on Saturday, the peak since October 1, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday.
Asked about Trump’s comments, National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said Monday controllers would appreciate any recognition. “We’ll work with the administration …. Air traffic controllers will continue to show up during this shutdown,” he said.
Trump scolded controllers who have taken time off and called those who have continued to work “GREAT PATRIOTS.” Representative Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives committee overseeing the FAA, said the controllers “deserve our thanks and appreciation, not unhinged attacks on their patriotism.”
‘Simply unacceptable,’ says American CEO
Airlines urged quick approval of a bill the US Senate voted to advance on Sunday that would reopen the government. It was unclear when Duffy would lift the flight restrictions.
“The government shutdown must end and so must the disruption caused to our customers and the federal employees who are being forced to work without pay,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said.
American Airlines said more than 250,000 customers’ flights were canceled or delayed over the weekend. “This is simply unacceptable and everyone deserves better,” American Chief Operating Officer David Seymour told employees.
The FAA instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting last week at 40 major airports. That is scheduled to rise to 6% on Tuesday and then hit 10% on Friday.
Even before the shutdown, the FAA was about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. Many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. Duffy has sought to retain controllers who could retire, speed hiring and undertake a $12.5 billion overhaul of air-traffic control systems.
The FAA late Sunday also said it was suspending private- plane traffic at 12 airports with air traffic control staff shortages including Chicago O’Hare and Reagan Washington National.
- Train stations, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh on high alert.
- Blast happened in vehicle stopped at red light.
- At least 20 injured, nearby vehicles caught fire.
At least eight people were killed and 20 injured on Monday when a car exploded near the historic Red Fort in India’s capital, Delhi, police said, a rare blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million people.
Major train stations across India, the financial capital Mumbai and the state of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi, were all put on high alert, authorities said.
“All angles” were being investigated and security agencies would come to a conclusion soon, Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said.
A previous owner of the car, named only as Salman, was arrested after the blast, NDTV reported, without going into more details. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Car stopped at red light
Mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars could be seen on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi, as police poured into the area to secure it and push back gathering crowds.
“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters.
He said the blast occurred just before 7 p.m. (1330 GMT).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to those who had lost loved ones.
“May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities,” Modi posted on X.
At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, Delhi’s deputy fire chief said.
‘Intense explosion’
People near the scene described hearing a loud explosion.
“I was at the metro station, going down the stairs, when I heard an explosion. I turned around and saw a fire. People started running helter-skelter,” one woman, Suman Mishra, said.
Wali Ur Rehman said he was sitting at his shop. “I fell from the impact of the explosion, it was that intense,” he told news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
About 30 to 40 ambulances were near the site of the blast and the entire area was cordoned off after the fire was put out, a Reuters reporter said.
The US Embassy in Delhi issued a security alert to its citizens, asking them to avoid crowds and areas surrounding the Red Fort, and to stay alert in places frequented by tourists.
The Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th-century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, and is visited by tourists throughout the year.
- Iran’s foreign ministry spox says entire matter was fabricated.
- Israel thanks Mexico for foiling Iran-linked terrorist network.
- Mexico says it received no information on alleged terrorist plot.
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday dismissed accusations by the United States that Tehran had attempted to kill the Israeli ambassador in Mexico, describing the claim as “absurd”.
“We found this claim very ridiculous and absurd,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing, adding that it was part of an attempt to destroy Iran´s friendly relations with other countries.
Following Washington’s accusation on Friday of the assassination attempt, Israel’s foreign ministry thanked Mexican authorities “for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran”.
But Mexico’s foreign ministry later said it had “received no information” on the alleged plot, and Iran’s embassy in Mexico called it “a great big lie”.
A US official alleged that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted earlier this year.
The alleged plot involved recruiting operatives through Iran’s embassy in Venezuela, whose leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, maintains a tactical alliance with Tehran.
“The entire matter was fabricated,” Baqaei said on Monday.
In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war during which the US briefly joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24.
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