Iran's ‘friendly neighbour' Qatar says we have right to respond to Iranian strikes on US bases
Jun 23, 2025 10:43 PM IST
Qatar says it reserves its right to respond after Iranian attack on US bases in Doha, reports Reuters. HT Image
Meanwhile, Iran's top security body said the strikes 'do not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly neighbour Qatar.' Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, UK, Bangladesh, and Russia get all the latest headlines in one place with including Vance Luther Boelteron Hindustan Times.
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Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Sanskrit got lion's share of language promotion funds: RTI data
The central government spent ₹ 2532.59 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit between 2014-15 and 2024-25, 17 times the combined spending of ₹ 147.56 crore on the other five classical Indian languages –– Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia, according to the data obtained by Hindustan Times through a Right to Information (RTI) application and from public records. Government spent ₹ 2532.59 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit between 2014-15 and 2024-25 (HT Photo) That works out to ₹ 230.24 crore every year (on average) for Sanskrit and ₹ 13.41 crore every year for the other five. Tamil, the highest-funded among the five classical Indian languages, received less than 5% of Sanskrit's total funding, Kannada and Telugu each received less than 0.5%, and Odia and Malayalam each received under 0.2% of Sanskrit's total allocation. Tamil, the first language to be designated as 'a 'classical' language in 2004 received ₹ 113.48 crore under Grants for Promotion of Indian Languages (GPIL) scheme, 22 times less than the amount spent on promotion of Sanskrit which was given the same status in 2005. The combined funding of the remaining four Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia which received classical language status between 2008 and 2014, was ₹ 34.08 crore. To be sure, the spending on Sanskrit exceeded that on Urdu, Hindi, and Sindhi too (although none of these is recognised as a classical language). The combined funding for Hindi, Urdu and Sindhi between 2014-15 and 2024-25 was ₹ 1,317.96 crore, roughly 52.04% of the amount spent on Sanskrit. In this period, Urdu individually received ₹ 837.94 crore, Hindi, ₹ 426.99 crore, and Sindhi, ₹ 53.03 crore. According to the 2011 census, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, and Kannada speakers together accounted for 21.99% of India's total population of 1.2 billion. The proportion of Sanskrit speakers was negligible. Hindi speakers (those who listed the language as their mother tongue) accounted for 43.63%, and Urdu speakers, 4.19%. In March, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin condemned the promotion of Sanskrit and Hindi in the state while calling for practical measures to support Tamil culture. '...Rather than installing Sengol in Parliament, uninstall Hindi from Union Government offices in Tamil Nadu. Instead of hollow praise, make Tamil an official language on par with Hindi and allot more funds for Tamil than a dead language like Sanskrit,' he said. In October 2024 five more languages , Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali were recognized as classical languages through a Gazette notification, taking the total number of such languages to 11. The details of the funds used to promote these languages were not immediately available. 'Classical languages are regarded as the custodians of India's ancient and profound cultural legacy, preserving the rich history, literature, and traditions of their respective communities. By conferring this status, the government seeks to honour and protect the linguistic milestones of Bharat's diverse cultural landscape, ensuring that future generations can access and appreciate the deep historical roots of these languages,' the central government said in a statement in October 2024. While the ministry of home affairs (MHA) initially granted classical status to Tamil and Sanskrit in 2004 and 2005 respectively, the ministry of culture took over the responsibility for further implementations and future recognition of classical languages. The ministry of education (MoE) is responsible for promotion of these languages through different councils, institutes and universities. MoE also supports promotion of scheduled languages such as Hindi, Urdu and Sindhi. In the union budget 2025-26, the government has announced Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme (BBPS) to provide textbooks being taught at every level of school and higher education in 22 Indian languages in digital form. There are 22 scheduled languages in India including 9 classical languages. Pali and Prakrit are the only two classical languages which are not there in the list of scheduled languages. HT reached out to The Ministry of Education but did not receive a response till Monday evening. Professor Syed Imtiaz Hasnain, retired professor of sociolinguistics, department of linguistics at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) said 'Sanskrit is largely used for religious purposes but it occupies a sanctified place in the larger imagination of common masses,' adding that this could be one reason for the 'disproportionate funding.' The government promotes Sanskrit Language through three Central Sanskrit Universities (CSU) established by Central Sanskrit Universities Act, 2020 and located in New Delhi and Tirupati by providing funds to them for teaching and research in Sanskrit Language leading to award of degree, diploma, certificate to students. The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru works for the promotion of all Indian languages including four classical languages – Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia. CIIL with its seven regional language centres across the country also helps in implementation of the Union government's language policy and conducts training programmes for school teachers of different languages.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Iran Fires at US Bases in Qatar, Iraq
Iran launched missile attacks Monday on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. Iran announced on state television that it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base , the largest US military installation in West Asia. Tehran said its missile attack matched the number of bombs dropped by the US on Iranian nuclear sites this weekend, signalling Iran's likely desire to de-escalate. The Iranian military said the attack was 'devastating and powerful' but Qatar said it successfully intercepted the missiles, and the attack caused no injuries while stressing it reserved the right to respond. Iran is also said to have targeted the Ain al-Assad base housing US troops in western Iraq. The attacks came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran. The main US base in Iraq's western neighbour Syria was also on full alert for possible attack by Iran or Iran-aligned militia groups, a Syrian security source said. Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE also closed their airspace following the attack. Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive US military action, had informed the US via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters. Iran's Supreme National Security Council in a statement said: 'This action posed no danger to our friendly and brotherly nation of Qatar and its honourable people. The Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to preserving and continuing its warm and historic relations with Qatar.' Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: 'We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.' In the past, Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command. Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran. Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's theocracy. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility of a regime change in Iran. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' A key area of focus for global markets is the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery for the world's oil and gas. Iran's parliament called for the closure of the strait, according to state-run TV on Sunday. Naval forces in the region warned that ships, especially US-linked ones, could be at heightened risk. Greece, home to more oil-tanker capacity than any other nation, cautioned its vessels owners to think again if they're considering entering the Persian Gulf. Two supertankers, each capable of hauling about 2 million barrels of crude, performed U-turns in the strait. They entered the waterway and abruptly changed course, according to vessel tracking data. After a pause, both headed back through Hormuz. The two vessels' movements come as shipbrokers and others in the oil tanker market report a cautious willingness to enter the stretch of water that's pivotal to the global oil trade.
Hindustan Times
30 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
India caught in crosshairs of US bill against Russia
India's economic ties with Russia are in the spotlight again after influential US Senator Lindsey Graham publicly pushed for a new sanctions bill that will also target countries that do business with Moscow. 'I've got 84 co-sponsors for a Russian sanctions bill that is an economic bunker buster against China, India, and Russia for Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. I think that bill's going to pass,' Graham said in a television interview on Sunday. US Senator Lindsey Graham looks on in Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 5, 2025. (Reuters) Graham was referring to the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which was introduced in US Senate in April this year. The bill proposes steep American tariffs on goods and services exports from countries that purchase Russian-origin oil, natural gas, uranium and petroleum products. It also pushes for expanded sanctions against Russian businesses, government institutions and top policymakers. Also Read | India welcomes Russian Prez Putin's offer of direct talks with Ukraine's Zelensky India was the second largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. It estimated that India purchased fossil fuels worth €4.2 billion from Russia in May, with crude oil amounting to 72% of the total. However, the proposed bill also allows the President of the United States to issue a one-time waiver of 180 days to a particular country in case 'if the President determines that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States'. The bill is intended to put economic pressure on Russia and force it to the negotiating table to end the Ukraine war. Graham , a close political ally of President Trump , has called on India to cut economic ties with Russia in the past. 'To China and India: if you continue to prop up Putin's war machine, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself,' he wrote on X, a social media website, on June 13. Also Read | Navigating India-Russia relations in the Trump era So far, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. It will subsequently have to be passed by the Senate, the House of Representatives and then signed by President Donald Trump before it becomes law. During an interview on Sunday, Senator Graham — who is the main sponsor of the bill — pushed for the Sanctioning Russia Act to be passed quickly. 'Trying to push Russian oil out of the market could cause a price shock. Exports from major suppliers like Iran and Venezuela have already been restricted by sanctions. If India and other countries are forced to stop buying Russian oil, then prices would rise,' explains Prashant Vashisht, Senior Vice President at ICRA, an investment information and credit ratings agency. 'India does face a risk of disruption to energy supplies. For example, we have been seeing increasing tensions in West Asia involving countries like Iran. While the situation is still uncertain, disruption of energy exports from major oil producers in the region due to an escalation would be disruptive. If you add to this by taking Russian oil out of the market, then that would create a challenging situation for India,' adds Vashisht.
