India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament after ethnic violence in the north-eastern state of Manipur killed 140 people and made 60,000 homeless in two months.
While Mr Modi has sent more soldiers to the region to quell violence between the Metei and the Kuki ethnic groups, he has faced increasing criticism for not publicly addressing the mounting violence.
That changed last week, when he condemned the sexual assault of two Kuki women in the state by a mob of hundreds of men, an incident that was filmed and sent shockwaves around India.
Mr Modi promised that “no guilty person will be spared”, but critics said his intervention in the crisis was too late and an embarrassment to his Bharatiya Janata Party, which controls Manipur.
India's parliament on Wednesday authorised the no-confidence vote, pushed for by an alliance of opposition parties, to force him to address concerns about the ethnic violence in detail.
His party has a clear majority of 301 members in the 542-seat lower house of parliament, so the no-confidence vote will not affect its stability.
The opposition instead wants a debate about the violence in the remote Manipur state, which is driven in part by disputes over access to land.
Approving the opposition motion, lower house speaker Om Birla said he would soon decide when the debate and vote would take place.
The ethnic tensions in the state of 3.2 million people are regarded as a rare security and political failure by Mr Modi's government, which will face a national election by May 2024.
As head of the government, he will have to respond to the no-confidence motion before it is put to the vote.
The government has offered a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah, saying internal security is his ministry's responsibility.
The violence began on May 3 after a court ordered the state government to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education enjoyed by the tribal Kuki people to the majority Meitei population as well.
Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the main opposition Congress party, said the government must invest time in answering questions about Manipur.
"Everyone knows that Manipur has witnessed horrendous loss of lives in violence, sexual assault and displacement. How can this not be the main agenda?" Mr Tharoor told Reuters.
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Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
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Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
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Starting at 10am:
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Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
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Hamilton profile
Age 32
Country United Kingdom
Grands Prix entered 198
Pole positions 67
Wins 57
Podiums 110
Points 2,423
World Championships 3
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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On sale: 2022
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
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Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
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Power: 242bhp
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Price: Dh136,814
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
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Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
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Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
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Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
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