Turkey's Erdogan Meets Hamas Chief In Istanbul, Israel Reacts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel's war in Gaza following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday, his office said. 

Erdogan has failed to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Gaza conflict that has roiled the region, with the Hamas-run Palestinian territory bracing for a new Israeli offensive and a reported Israeli attack on Iran.

Erdogan said Palestinian unity was "vital" following the talks at the Dolmabahce palace on the banks of the Bosphorus strait, which Turkish media reports said lasted more than two and a half hours. 

"The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity," Erdogan said according to a Turkish presidency statement. 

Hamas -- designated a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and Israel -- is a rival of the Fatah faction that rules the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank. 

As fears of a wider regional war grow, Erdogan said recent events between Iran and Israel should not allow Israel to "gain ground and that it is important to act in a way that keeps attention on Gaza". 

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the meeting, writing on X: "Muslim Brotherhood alliance: rape, murder, desecration of corpses and the burning of babies. Erdogan, shame on you!" 

Hamas was founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987.

Close ties with Haniyeh

With Qatar saying it will reassess its role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, Erdogan sent Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Doha on Wednesday in a new sign that he wants a role. 

"Even if only I, Tayyip Erdogan, remain, I will continue as long as God gives me my life, to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people," the president said Wednesday when he announced Haniyeh's visit. 

Hamas has had an office in Turkey since 2011 when Turkey helped secure the agreement for the group to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. 

Erdogan has maintained links with Haniyeh, who has been a frequent visitor.

Fidan was a past head of Turkish intelligence and the country provided information and passports to Hamas officials, including Haniyeh, according to Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. 

This has never been confirmed by Turkish authorities, however.

Erdogan slams Israel

If Qatar withdraws from mediation efforts, Turkey could seek to increase its mediation profile based on its Hamas links.

Fidan on Saturday held talks with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, with both men emphasising the need to deliver more humanitarian aid to devastated Gaza where the threat of famine looms.

Turkey is one of Gaza's main humanitarian aid partners, sending 45,000 tonnes of supplies and medicine in the region.

Israel has said it is preparing an offensive against the Gazan city of Rafah and the reported Israeli attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan, following Iran's direct attack on Israel, has only clouded hopes of a peace breakthrough.

But Erdogan can only expect a "very limited" role because of his outspoken condemnation of Israel and its actions in Gaza, according to Ciddi.

Last year, the Turkish leader likened the tactics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and called Israel a "terrorist state" because of its offensive against Hamas after the group's October 7 attacks on Israel. 

Ciddi said Erdogan would not be welcome in Israel and at most might be able to pass messages between Palestinian and Israel negotiators.

The unprecedented Hamas attacks that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Hamas also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 34,049 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Great Response, People Voting For NDA In Record Numbers": PM On Phase 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the BJP has received a "great response" in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which saw a national average voter turnout of 60 per cent.

In a post on the microblogging website X, PM Modi said the people of India are voting for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in record numbers.

"First phase, great response! Thank you to all those who have voted today. Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today's voting. It's clear that people across India are voting for NDA in record numbers," PM Modi said.

First phase, great response! Thank you to all those who have voted today.

Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today's voting. It's clear that people across India are voting for NDA in record numbers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 19, 2024

Polling took place in 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories in the first of the seven-phase elections. The Election Commission (EC) described the turnout as "high", noting that voting remained "largely peaceful".

In the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout was recorded at 69.43 per cent. Some constituencies were different then and the total number of seats which went to the polls were 91.

Violence was reported from some areas in West Bengal and ethnic crisis-hit Manipur. Inner Manipur Congress candidate A Bimol Akoijam alleged BJP workers and an armed group stopped people from coming out of their homes to vote.

At least four incidents of people breaking electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Inner Manipur polling booths were reported. The people got upset allegedly over proxy voting by an armed group.

Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep completed their voting process today in a single-phase election.

For the first time, people in 56 villages in Bastar in Chhattisgarh cast their vote in polling booths set up in their own villages.

The EC said in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, voters belonging to tribal communities came out in large numbers. The Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar made history by casting vote for the first time.

Voters braved the heat in most parts of the country while, at others, they waited patiently in pouring rain.

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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Swing Seats In Phase 1. See Details

1. The Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat will see a high-stakes battle, with Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai facing DMK leader Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK's Singai Ramachandran. The candidature of its Tamil Nadu state president shows the BJP is pressing hard to increase its presence in south India.
2. Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari is eyeing a third straight victory from Maharashtra's Nagpur seat. The seat will see a contest between Mr Gadkari and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre, who is at present the Nagpur West MLA.
3. Jitin Prasada, who quit Congress in 2021, is among the key candidates of the BJP in the first phase. He replaced two-time MP from Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi. The BJP got a solid majority in UP in the previous two Lok Sabha elections. The Samajwadi Party fielded Bhagwant Saran Gangwar, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded Anees Ahmes Khan against Mr Prasada.
4. Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is contesting from Gaya. This election holds important political significance for the 79-year-old Manjhi. Gaya has the highest number of candidates - 14 in total - contesting the elections. The BJP has left the Gaya (reserved) seat for its ally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S).
5. The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to snatch the only seat won by the Congress in the 2019 elections, Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, is fighting again from the Chhindwara seat against BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu, who had lost to Kamal Nath in the last two assembly polls.
6. The Jorhat seat in Assam will decide if the Congress's deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, can make it to the elected house this time too. The Constituency has been seen as a stronghold of the BJP. Mr Gogoi's decision to contest the elections from Jorhat, instead of his family's stronghold Kaziranga (erstwhile Kaliabor) -- from where he is the MP -- has made the contest interesting.
7. The assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) will also be held today. Voting will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm. The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations; over 16.63 crore people are eligible to vote.
8. Polling will be held in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
9. Besides, there will be voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 seats in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh.
10. In 2019, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 45 of these 102 seats and the NDA 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.

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Advances Rejected, Ex Classmate Stabs Woman 7 Times In Karnataka College

The daughter of a Congress corporator has died after being stabbed seven times with a knife by a former student of the college she was attending in Karnataka's Hubbali. Her attacker has been arrested and police said it appears that he carried out the killing because she had rejected his advances.

Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress corporator Niranjan Hiremath, was a first-year Master of Computer Applications student at the BV Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology in Hubballi. Officials said she had known her attacker, Fayaz - who also studied with her at the college, but later dropped out - for some time.

Around 5 pm on Thursday, Neha was walking inside the campus when Fayaz confronted her. CCTV footage shows a couple of sentences being exchanged between them before Fayaz attacks her. Neha falls to the ground after being stabbed the first time and Fayaz goes on to knife her at least six more times.

Fayaz then makes a run for it while some students chase after him.

Fighting back her tears, Neha's mother said, "I came to pick her up and spoke to her over the phone. Within five minutes of our conversation, chaos erupted and someone mentioned she had been stabbed. I haven't seen her face yet and I still believe our daughter is alive. I can't accept that she's gone. I'm not ready to see her in that state. We sent her to college with the hope that we would see her smiling."

Hubballi Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar said Neha was rushed to a hospital, but declared brought dead.

"The accused had fled, but we arrested him in under 90 minutes. Other students have told us that Neha and the accused knew each other and had studied together. We will know more once the accused's interrogation is done," she said.

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India Showed Will To Counter China's Activities In 2023: US Official

India in 2023 showcased itself as a global leader as it demonstrated a greater willingness to counter China's activity throughout the Indo-Pacific region and took steps to modernise its military and reduce its dependency on Russian origin-equipment, the top US intelligence official has told Congress.

The remarks by Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse, Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency came during a Congressional hearing on defence intelligence countering China. "During the past year, India has showcased itself as a global leader by hosting the Group of 20 economic summit and demonstrated a greater willingness to counter PRC's (People's Republic of China) activity throughout the Indo-Pacific region," Kruse told members of the House Armed Services Committee - the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations.

India, he said, has advanced partnerships in the Indo-Pacific with regional South China Sea claimants, such as the Philippines, through training and defence sales and deepening cooperation with the US, Australia, France and Japan.

China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, while The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the maritime area.

"In 2023, India took steps to modernise its military to compete with China and reduce its dependency on Russian-origin equipment. India conducted sea trials for its first domestically produced aircraft carrier and also has negotiated with several Western countries on the transfer of key defence technologies," Mr Kruse said.

India has maintained its neutral stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia remains India's most substantial defence partner and New Delhi continues to acquire weapons from Moscow, such as the S-400 surface-to-air missile system, despite New Delhi's desire to diversify its defence acquisition partnerships, Mr Kruse said.

"In 2024, New Delhi probably will focus on securing its national parliamentary elections, maintaining economic growth, and building on its 'Make in India' initiative as part of its military modernisation effort -- which is aimed at countering Beijing," he told the lawmakers.

Bilateral relations between India and China remain tense following the 2020 Galwan clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least five PLA (People's Liberation Army) soldiers.

In October 2023, senior Indian and PLA officers failed to resolve disputes about the two remaining standoff locations in eastern Ladakh during their twentieth round of talks. Both sides maintain approximately 50,000-60,000 troops in the area and continue to improve their military infrastructure near the border, Kruse told the lawmakers.

On Pakistan, Kruse told lawmakers that it has sought international support, including from the UN Security Council, to resolve its dispute with India about Kashmir. Separately, Islamabad and New Delhi have maintained an uneasy ceasefire along the shared Line of Control since February 2021.

"Pakistan has sustained its nuclear modernisation efforts despite its economic turmoil. Terrorist violence against Pakistani security forces and civilians also rose last year," Mr Kruse said.

In 2023, militants killed approximately 400 security forces, a nine-year high, and Pakistani security forces have conducted almost daily counterterrorism operations during the past year.

Pakistan's contentious relationship with India continues to drive its defence policy, Mr Kruse said. However, cross-border violence between the countries has decreased since their February 2021 recommitment to a ceasefire, he said.

"Islamabad is modernising its nuclear arsenal and improving the security of its nuclear materials and nuclear C2. In October, Pakistan successfully tested its Ababeel medium-range ballistic missile," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Every Vote BJP Gets...": PM Modi's Personalised Notes To NDA Candidates

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a personalised letter to all BJP and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates contesting in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. This letter is part of a massive exercise by the BJP to reach everyone in a constituency with the PM's message.

In a letter to Tamil Nadu BJP Chief, K Annamalai, who is contesting from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat, the Prime Minister wrote, "I congratulate you on your decision to leave a prestigious job and commit to serving the people directly. You have been truly instrumental in fortifying the BJP's grassroots presence across Tamil Nadu, championing critical issues including law enforcement, governance, and youth empowerment. Coimbatore stands to gain immensely from your committed leadership."

"With the blessings of the people, I am confident that you will reach the Parliament. Team members like you are a great asset for me. As a team, we will leave no stone unturned for the welfare of the people of constituency and the country," the Prime Minister further wrote.

"Through this letter, I would like to tell the people of your constituency that this is not an ordinary election. Families across India, especially the senior members, would remember the difficulties they have gone through in the 5-6 decades of Congress' rule. In the last 10 years, the quality of life of every section of society has improved, with many of these troubles removed. Yet, a lot more is still to be done and this election will be decisive in our mission to ensure a better life for everyone," he added.

The Prime Minister wrote letters to the candidates in regional languages as well. The candidates were pleasantly surprised to get this letter. They said they have resolved to make this letter reach each voter in their constituency.

The 2024 Lok Sabha election will begin on Friday and run till June 1. Voting will take place over seven phases. The final result will be declared on June 4. This year's elections will be India's second longest after the first exercise following independence in 1947 from colonial ruler Britain, which ran for four months from Oct 25, 1951 to Feb 21, 1952.

There are seven voting days this year, with Friday's first phase seeing people cast ballots for 102 constituencies nationwide. The last polling date is June 1, covering 57 seats.

All votes will be counted together on June 4.

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India Opened Up Its Market That Benefited American Farmers: US

After resolving half a dozen WTO disputes last year, India opened up its market for several US products which have benefited American farmers, a top Biden administration official told lawmakers on Tuesday.

The steps taken by India have given more market access for turkey, duck, blueberries, and cranberries benefiting farmers from several American states, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told members of the House Committee on Ways and Means on President Biden's 2024 Trade Policy Agenda.

"Last June, India and the United States terminated six WTO disputes, and India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on several US products," Tai said.

"This means improved access for chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, and apples benefiting farmers across the country, including in Michigan, Oregon, and Washington," she said.

"Additionally, in September, India and the United States resolved our final outstanding WTO dispute, and India agreed to reduce tariffs on several US products. This means more market access for turkey, duck, blueberries, and cranberries benefiting farmers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin," Tai told lawmakers. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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