Delhi HC slams school rebuilding delay
The court's remark came after it was informed that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had granted permission for repair and renovation of existing facilities like a porta cabin, toilet block, boundary wall, and water space—but not for the construction of classrooms.
'It is beyond comprehension as to how a school can run without classrooms and only with the facilities of boundary wall, toilet block and drinking water space alone,' said a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela in a July 2 order, adding that the school 'will require classrooms as well.'
The school, which shares a wall with the Tomb of Yusuf Qattal, was constructed in 1949 to educate local children. It was demolished in 2012, and 350 students were shifted to another MCD school. ASI had objected to reconstruction without a no-objection certificate, citing the protected status of the tomb.
A petition filed by the Khirki Village Residents Welfare Association was earlier disposed of last year after the court directed ASI to decide on MCD's application for reconstruction 'in accordance with law… preferably within six weeks.' But no progress has been made, the court noted.
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Economic Times
14 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Snip, shelter, repeat: Delhi rolls out aggressive plan to curb stray dog menace amid rising bite cases
Faced with rising cases of dog bites and public anxiety, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to launch a month-long pilot programme starting August 5 to sterilise and immunise stray dogs across 12 assembly constituencies. The move is part of an intensified effort to curb the city's growing stray population and reduce aggressive dog behaviour, especially in densely populated decision was taken at the first meeting of a newly formed MCD committee to tackle the issue, chaired by standing committee chairman Satya Sharma. According to the civic body, the pilot will aim to sterilise 70–80% of the canine population in the selected constituencies, a benchmark seen as critical to breaking the breeding cycle.'We aim to achieve 70% sterilisation in six to seven months across Delhi,' said committee head Sunder Singh Tanwar. 'This will be possible only with the wholehearted support of the stakeholders.'The veterinary department has been asked to prepare an action plan within a month in consultation with residents' welfare associations, NGOs, and animal welfare groups. Deputy directors have also been tasked with finalising the 12 target constituencies within the next few a significant move, the committee has also approved the creation of dog shelters within each of the 20 existing sterilisation centres, specifically to house aggressive or habitual biters. 'A portion of each sterilisation centre will be developed as a dog shelter with kennels to house furious dogs and habitual biters,' said committee member Rajpal Singh, councillor from Sriniwaspuri. However, Singh noted that the current Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 limit the holding of dogs in custody to just 10 days, which may hamper long-term relocation. 'We will simultaneously pursue the central government on amending this rule,' he committee, which includes nine members such as the MCD additional commissioner and the veterinary director (a position currently vacant), is also pushing for more sterilisation camps and time-bound programmes to control dog biting incidents. 'A direction has been issued to appoint the veterinary director in the next eight days,' said Yogesh Verma, councillor from to officials, the last dog population survey conducted in 2022–23 pegged Delhi's stray dog count at around 10 lakh, out of which 4.7 lakh were sterilised in 2023. The MCD has also informed the state's chief secretary of these statistics. Currently, 21 sterilisation and immunisation centres are operational, run by 13 NGOs registered with the Animal Welfare Control Board of India. 'These NGOs have the capacity to sterilise and vaccinate up to 10,000 dogs a day,' said a senior official. The MCD is also working on additional kennel infrastructure in areas like Usmanpur and Rohini to share the load of existing facilities. The issue has garnered high-level attention. On Monday, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a Times of India report on dog bite cases, calling the situation 'very disturbing and alarming'. Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan examined the Delhi edition of the paper during Minister Rekha Gupta also convened a meeting on Wednesday, instructing officials to include inputs from animal lovers and experts in shaping the city's approach. 'The chief minister directed the officials to treat this issue not merely as an administrative task but also as a social responsibility,' her office posted on X.A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Thursday, according to government Parliament, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat raised the matter during Zero Hour, pointing to a steep rise in dog bite cases in the capital. Quoting data from Safdarjung Hospital, she said, 'Dog bite cases have spiked from 63,600 in 2021 to nearly 90,000 in just the first seven months of 2025.'Calling for a national shelter policy, she urged the Centre to direct local bodies to establish permanent facilities to house stray dogs and prevent further Delhi prepares for a citywide sterilisation push, pressure is mounting on all sides—for faster implementation, regulatory reform, and a humane yet effective response to a problem that has long walked the city's streets unchecked. (With inputs from ToI)
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First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
What would a recognised Palestine state mean for the world?
A growing wave of nations — including Canada, France and the UK — is preparing to recognise Palestine as a state. What does such a recognition mean? Does it change facts on the ground or simply carry symbolic weight? Here's everything to know about what a Palestinian state would actually look like read more Palestinian demonstrators hold Palestinian flags as they celebrate after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a Palestinian-drafted resolution to fly Palestine's flag at United Nations headquarters, September 11, 2015. File Image/Reuters The question of Palestinian statehood has long been at the heart of one of the world's most intractable conflicts. Now, an unprecedented wave is taking shape as major global powers move toward recognising an independent State of Palestine. Canada has become the latest country to signal a historic shift in policy. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Ottawa is preparing to formally recognise Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in September, but only if key prerequisites are fulfilled. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking after a virtual cabinet meeting on West Asia, Carney made it clear that recognition would depend on elections under the Palestinian Authority in 2026 and on Hamas — the armed group that controls Gaza — being excluded from governance. Carney outlined strict conditions for the move, saying Canada would require Hamas to 'release all hostages it is holding, disarm, and play no role in the future governance of Palestine.' The statement came at a time of rising pressure on Israel to halt its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas's October 2023 raid that killed almost 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, and resulted in the kidnapping of more than 250 individuals. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported over 60,000 deaths in the territory. Carney's declaration places Canada alongside a growing bloc of nations reassessing their approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. France and the United Kingdom have already announced plans to recognise Palestine in the coming months, while Australia and New Zealand have signed on to a joint declaration signalling that they may follow. That declaration — known as the New York Call — was issued by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot and co-signed by 15 countries, including Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, and San Marino. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Several of these states have not previously recognised Palestine, while others — such as Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain — already have. In the declaration, the signatories 'have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine' and pledged support for 'the vision of the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders.' The statement also pointed out the 'importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,' a long-standing diplomatic priority. France's President Emmanuel Macron has said his country will move forward with recognition 'in the near future,' and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain would do so in September 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD People take part in a 'National March for Palestine' protest in London, UK, July 19, 2025. File Image/Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced similar intent but highlighted timing, 'What we're looking at is the circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states,' he said. 'My entire political life, I've said I support two states, the right of Israel to exist within secure borders and the right of Palestinians to have their legitimate aspirations for their own state realised. That's my objective.' How has Israel responded? Israel has sharply condemned these recognition announcements. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Damon, accused the countries of diverting attention from the plight of hostages taken by Hamas. 'While our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,' Damon said. He called the recognitions 'hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimises terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress,' adding that 'those who truly want to make progress should start with an unequivocal demand for the immediate return of all the hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that the creation of a Palestinian state would undermine Israel's security. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His coalition government includes hardline, far-right ministers and prominent settlers who are vehemently opposed to any Palestinian statehood, making recognition efforts deeply contentious domestically. Netanyahu faces the risk of fracturing his ruling bloc if he signals even minimal openness to the idea. Defining a State: Does Palestine meet the criteria? The question of whether Palestine qualifies as a state under international law is not new. The Montevideo Convention of 1933 established four key criteria for statehood: a permanent population, defined territory, an effective government, and the capacity to engage in international relations. By those standards, legal scholars say Palestine essentially meets the requirements, albeit with complications. There is a population and territory — the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem — though all three are subject to varying degrees of Israeli control. East Jerusalem has been effectively annexed by Israel, while Gaza is under Hamas rule and devastated by ongoing conflict. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, was created under the Oslo Accords and has limited administrative and security functions. It represents Palestinians internationally and maintains some government structures, even though its powers are restricted by the Israeli occupation and Hamas's control of Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Recognition would not resolve these limitations but would formalise diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority and symbolically affirm Palestinian sovereignty. Recognition is a legal step with broader implications. According to Ardi Imseis, associate professor at Queen's University Faculty of Law and a former UN official, 'a complete revision of bilateral relations with Israel' would follow. Speaking to The New York Times, he explained that any country recognising Palestine would have to reassess its agreements with Israel to ensure they don't infringe on the Palestinian state's rights, including 'political and territorial integrity, as well as economic, cultural, social and civil relations.' Paul Reichler, an attorney who has represented sovereign states at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), elaborated that recognising states wouldn't need to sever all economic ties with Israel. But there are limits: 'if, for example, a country that recognises a state of Palestine imports agricultural products from farms belonging to settlers in occupied territories, those agreements would be aiding and abetting the commission of a wrongful act,' he told The New York Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How many nations already recognise Palestine? Palestine has been recognised by a significant majority of the world's nations — 147 out of 193 UN member states — and has maintained that level of support for years. It currently holds 'permanent observer state' status at the United Nations, which allows it to participate in debates but not to vote. Recognition by the UK and France would mark a turning point, because both are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Their support would align them with China and Russia, meaning the United States would stand alone as the only permanent member withholding recognition. The US has acknowledged the Palestinian Authority since the mid-1990s, but it has consistently stopped short of recognising a state of Palestine. While several past US presidents endorsed the idea of an eventual two-state solution, US President Donald Trump's administrations have leaned heavily toward Israel and rolled back US commitments to the Palestinian cause. Symbolic step or real change? The idea of recognition raises a fundamental question: does it simply carry symbolic weight, or can it produce tangible change on the ground? Palestine is often described as a 'state that does and does not exist.' It fields Olympic teams, issues passports, and maintains embassies in countries that already recognise it. Yet it lacks several core attributes of full sovereignty: its borders are disputed, it has no standing military, and it has no uncontested capital. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Because of these realities, recognition alone will not instantly transform life for Palestinians living under occupation. But it does send a clear political message. Recognition acknowledges the Palestinian right to self-determination, rejects Israeli policies seen as undermining that right, and lays the groundwork for stronger pressure on Israel from civil society, lawmakers, and courts in recognising countries. International law experts say that recognition can also have practical effects, particularly in trade and diplomacy. As Imseis pointed out, agreements that conflict with obligations to a Palestinian state — for example, transactions involving goods produced in illegal settlements — may have to be reexamined or halted. This creates new legal obligations for countries that take the step. What about the two-state vision? The recognition campaign is fundamentally tied to the decades-old goal of a two-state solution, an idea enshrined in UN resolutions and repeatedly cited by world leaders. Reichler summed up the principle: 'There are two peoples living between the river and the sea, not one, and they are entitled to separate states in which each of these peoples enjoys the full panoply of civil and human rights. The only solution is two states, and it so happens that is what international law requires and is reflected in UN resolutions and in determinations of the ICJ.' Some nations, such as Norway, had long argued that recognition should come only after a negotiated settlement. But with the peace process stalled and frustration mounting over Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank, more states are now taking the opposite approach — recognising Palestine first, hoping that diplomatic momentum might eventually push both sides back to the negotiating table. If the UK, France, and Canada go ahead as planned, Palestine will have the backing of four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — leaving the United States increasingly isolated in its position. With inputs from agencies
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
'The time is long overdue': Bernie Sanders calls on Senate to end US military funding to Israel
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