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DSC exams scheduled for June 20, 21 postponed

DSC exams scheduled for June 20, 21 postponed

Time of India5 days ago

Visakhapatnam: The dates of the DSC (teacher recruitment) examinations, originally scheduled for June 20 and 21, have been revised to July 1 and 2. The change has been made in view of the International Yoga Day event being organised on a grand scale in Visakhapatnam on June 21, with prime minister
as the chief guest.
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Mega DSC–2025 convenor MV Krishna Reddy said that the decision was taken to avoid any inconvenience to candidates who might otherwise face travel disruptions during the Yoga Day celebrations. "The updated hall tickets, reflecting the new examination dates and centres, will be made available on the official AP mega DSC–2025 website: https://apdsc.apcfss.in from June 25," said Krishna Reddy.
Meanwhile, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will hold a high-level review meeting on preparations for the International Yoga Day event on Monday in Visakhapatnam.
According to officials, the event will be held along the 26.5-km beach stretch from RK beach to Bheemili. In case of rain, the venue will be shifted to Andhra University engineering college grounds, where the authorities have covered the entire ground with pandals.
The govt has been preparing to perform yoga with around five lakh people on that particular day on the entire beach stretch. On the event day, around 127 compartments measuring 200x14 meters will be equipped with water, medical support, and volunteers. There will be small stages on the beach stretch and various schools and colleges with sound systems and LED screens.

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Armenia PM arrives in Turkey for 'historic' visit
Armenia PM arrives in Turkey for 'historic' visit

Time of India

time34 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Armenia PM arrives in Turkey for 'historic' visit

AP File ISTANBUL: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Istanbul Friday for a rare visit to arch-foe Turkey, in what Yerevan has described as a "historic" step toward regional peace. Armenia and Turkey have never established formal diplomatic ties, and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s. "Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Turkey on a working visit," his spokeswoman Nazeli Baghdasaryan said on Facebook. The visit follows an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Pashinyan is scheduled to meet at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace at 1500 GMT, Erdogan's office said. Relations between the two nations have been historically strained over the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire -- atrocities Yerevan says amount to genocide. Turkey rejects the label. Ankara has also backed its close ally, Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, in its long-running conflict with Armenia. "This is a historic visit, as it will be the first time a head of the Republic of Armenia visits Turkey at this level. All regional issues will be discussed," Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters. "The risks of war (with Azerbaijan) are currently minimal, and we must work to neutralise them. Pashinyan's visit to Turkey is a step in that direction." An Armenian foreign ministry official told AFP the pair will discuss efforts to sign a comprehensive peace treaty as well as the regional fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict. On Thursday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in Turkey for talks with Erdogan and praised the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance as "a significant factor, not only regionally but also globally." And Erdogan repeated his backing for "the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia". Baku and Yerevan agreed on the text of a peace deal in March, but Baku has since outlined a host of demands -- including changes to Armenia's constitution -- before it will sign the document. Normalisation Pashinyan has actively sought to normalise relations with both Baku and Ankara. Earlier this year, he announced Armenia would halt its campaign for international recognition of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide -- a major concession to Turkey that sparked widespread criticism at home. Pashinyan has visited Turkey only once before, for Erdogan's inauguration in 2023. At the time he was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate the Turkish president on his re-election. Ankara and Yerevan appointed special envoys in late 2021 to lead a normalisation process, a year after Armenia's defeat in a war with Azerbaijan over then then-disputed Karabakh region. In 2022, Turkey and Armenia resumed commercial flights after a two-year pause. A previous attempt to normalise relations -- a 2009 accord to open the border -- was never ratified by Armenia and was abandoned in 2018.

25% rise in violence against children in conflict zones in 2024; Gaza tops list: UN report
25% rise in violence against children in conflict zones in 2024; Gaza tops list: UN report

Indian Express

time40 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

25% rise in violence against children in conflict zones in 2024; Gaza tops list: UN report

Violence against children trapped in armed conflicts reached 'unprecedented levels' in 2024, with a staggering 25% surge in grave violations compared to the previous year, according to a United Nations report released Thursday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres' annual report on Children in Armed Conflict points towards escalating brutality in conflict zones. 'Children bore the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks,' Guterres said, citing the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the systematic exploitation of children for combat roles. The report confirmed 41,370 grave violations against minors — 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 from earlier years that were verified during the year. These violations include killing, maiming, child recruitment, abduction, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian aid. The occupied Palestinian territories saw the highest number of verified violations. The UN attributed 7,188 grave violations to Israeli forces, including the killing of 1,259 Palestinian children and injuries to 941 others in Gaza. 'I am appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel,' Guterres said, urging Israel to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians. Amid calls for accountability, the UN kept Israeli forces on its blacklist for a second consecutive year. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, responsible for the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the current conflict, also remained on the list, reported AP. Aside from Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti were among the worst-hit regions: The UN also continued to list Russian forces and affiliated armed groups for grave violations in Ukraine. Guterres expressed alarm at 1,914 violations affecting 673 Ukrainian children in 2024, including the killing of 94 children, injury to 577, and attacks on 559 schools and 303 hospitals. Virginia Gamba, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said: 'The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball — but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings — should keep all of us awake at night.' (With inputs from AP)

Clash of lions and legends: Netanyahu, Khamenei weaponise history in Israel-Iran war
Clash of lions and legends: Netanyahu, Khamenei weaponise history in Israel-Iran war

First Post

time41 minutes ago

  • First Post

Clash of lions and legends: Netanyahu, Khamenei weaponise history in Israel-Iran war

As the Israel-Iran conflict continues to intensify, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to be using an old tactic, referencing history to justify their present actions read more Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (R) have one thing in common, both use history to justify their present. AFP/ AP West Asia continues to remain in a constant state of turmoil as Israel and Iran hurl missiles at each other. One common trend that has emerged from this conflict is how leaders of both sides are using history to justify their ongoing actions against each other. While Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the name of Operation Rising Lion against Iran from the Bible, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei evoked his religious symbol and traditions, pledging to retaliate against what he called the 'Zionist regime'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is not the first time world leaders have used history and nationalistic sentiments to justify war or any form of conflict. The tactics have been used by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to justify his invasion of Ukraine, a war which has been raging on for the past three years. Here's how both Netanyahu and Khamenei tapped into the commonly used playbook. Netanyahu's Operation Rising Lion After Israel struck several top military and nuclear targets of Iran, the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes were conducted under Operation Rising Lion. Netanyahu noted that the name of the operation came from a biblical verse that promises a 'victorious future for a powerful Israel.' A day before the operation, Netanyahu was photographed putting a handwritten note into a crack of Jerusalem's Western Wall, which is touted as the holiest prayer site of Judaism. On the day of the strike, his office released a photo of the note, which said, 'The people shall rise up as a lion'. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was photographed putting a handwritten note into a crack of Jerusalem's Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site. AFP It is pertinent to note that the expression comes from erse 23:24 of the Book of Numbers in the Bible: 'Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.' The verse is part of the first oracle of Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner, who foretells the strength and power of Israel. Balaam compared Israel to a lion that will not rest until it has satisfied its hunger. Khamenei's war cry Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took to X to declare 'the battle' against Israel. 'In the name of #Haider, the battle begins. Ali returns to #Khaybar with his Zulfiqar.' Khamenei wrote in Farsi, referring to Islam's first imam, Ali, who won the Battle of Khaybar with the sword Zulfiqar. What makes it relevant is the fact that Khaybar was a fortified Jewish stronghold in Arabia that Ali ibn Talib was known to have conquered during a crucial battle in Islamic history. This is not the first time Khamenei has used history to justify his current actions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This very year, during nuclear deal talks with the US , Khamenei likened nuclear diplomacy—or temporary détente—to the 7th-century Treaty of Hasan ibn Ali with Muʿāwiyah. He called it a strategic 'trial', emphasising that it is a 'temporary pause to safeguard long-term interests. In the same year, hardliners called the current rounds of negotiations the Prophet's Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (628 CE). The implication: moments of temporary peace can yield long-term strategic advantage. Apart from this, the Iranian supreme leader is known for his anti-Semitic remarks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On several occasions, he questioned the certainty of the Holocaust—an argument aimed at undermining Western moral authority and reinforcing distrust of the West. Old playbook This is not the first time world leaders have been referencing history to justify bombing their adversaries. Throughout the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin used history to justify the invasion of eastern Ukraine. In an interview with far-right media figure Tucker Carlson, Putin gave a lecture on Russian history. In the 2-hour-long interview, the 71-year-old Russian leader spent more than 20 minutes showering a baffled Carlson with dates and names going back to the ninth century. After his rundown of history, Putin gave him a folder containing what he said were copies of historical documents proving his points that Ukrainians and Russians historically have always been one people, calling Ukraine's sovereignty merely an illegitimate holdover from the Soviet era. Commenting on the interview later, Carlson said he was 'shocked' at being on the receiving end of the history lesson. Meanwhile, former US President, who often referred to Putin as his 'friend' used, George W. Bush also used the same strategy during the Iraq war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former President George W. Bush takes the field with his wife, Laura Bush, before an NCAA college football game between Florida State and SMU. File image/AP In June 2003, Bush told Palestinian officials that he felt 'driven with a mission from God,' as he recalled the Iraq war. 'God would tell me, 'George, go … end the tyranny in Iraq.' And I did," he said at that time. While the White House eventually said that Bush never made the claim, calling it 'absurd,' multiple Palestinian officials confirmed that the former president made these remarks. In 2002, Bush labelled Iraq part of the 'axis of evil,' drawing on World War II parallels—a powerful historical framing that equated Iraq with ideological tyranny. Among religious conservatives, Iraq was even likened to ancient Babylon, reviving the Biblical motif of righteous conquest over an oppressive regime. Hence, both Netanyahu and Khamenei seemed to be using the old playbook.

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