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Hardik Patel likely to join BJP on June 2

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Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener and former Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel is likely to join BJP on Thursday, as per sources.

Though neither Patel nor the BJP has confirmed it officially, the sources said that he has sent messages to reporters informing them about the development.

Last week, in an interview to a national news channel, Hardik Patel had dropped hints about joining the saffron party on May 31. But when no such event took place, the mediapersons started inquiring about it.

At this, Patel has left messages to them saying that he is going to join the BJP on June 2, at the party state headquarters Kamalam in Gandhinagar in presence of state unit president C.R Patil. Along with him, some 1,000 to 1,500 supporters are likely to switch over.

When tried to get confirmation from the BJP spokespersons or media coordinators, their only response was: “We don’t have any instruction from the party leadership.”

Reacting to this development, PAAS leader Alpesh Kathiriya said: “I got to learn about it from the media. Hardik has not spoken to me regarding this. I wish him all the luck for the new journey, but the road ahead will be bumpy as he has to address pending issues of the community and ensure that cases against Patidars are withdrawn.”

Calling him an “opportunist”, Sardar Patel Group leader Lalji Patel said that because of Hardik Patel, those leading the Patidar movement were targetted by the community members, when he joined Congress. Now that he is likely to join the BJP, leaders will have to face more problems, he added.

Political analyst Hari Desai opined that it is going to be a tight rope walk for Hardik in BJP and wondered whether he will enjoy the same power and importance in BJP as it already has several stalwart Patidar leaders.

Another important factor which might not work in his favour is that the BJP has not invited him to join the party, it was his desire. This was apparent from party general secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela’s recent statement: “Neither the party has approached Hardik Patel, nor has he contacted the leaders to join us.”

International News

I am good at solving wars: Trump says he will resolve Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

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Washington, Oct 13: US President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to mediate the border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, claiming that he can bring an end to the dispute, referring to the other wars that he has “resolved”.

He made these statements as he was heading to Egypt for a summit on the Gaza peace process, which will officially mark the end of the two-year-long conflict in the Middle East, claiming it to be the eighth war he has resolved.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

“I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars,” he said, adding that conflicts that lasted for decades were solved ‘relatively quickly’ during his tenure as the US President.

“Think about India, Pakistan. Think about some of the wars that were going on for years… We had one going for 31, one going for 32, one going for 37 years, with millions of people being killed in every country, and I got every one of those done, for the most part, within a day. It’s pretty good,” Trump said.

Speaking about the Nobel Peace Prize, which was accorded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Trump said, “I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives.”

“The person who got the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I am accepting this in honour of you, because you really deserved it’. I’ve been helping her along the way,” he added.

Trump outlined several international disputes that he asserted were resolved during his leadership, including those between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Rwanda and the Congo.

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International News

Netanyahu says Israel’s military campaign ‘not over’ despite Gaza ceasefire

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Jerusalem, Oct 13: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country’s military campaign “is not over,” on the eve of the planned release of all living Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian detainees under the next stage of the newly implemented Gaza ceasefire with Hamas.

In a televised address, Netanyahu hailed the planned release of the 20 remaining living hostages as a “historic event,” Xinhua news agency reported.

“Wherever we fought, we won,” he said. “But the campaign is not over yet,” he added, without giving further details.

He said Israel still faces “very big security challenges” ahead. “Some of our enemies are trying to regroup,” he warned, vowing to ensure Israel’s security.

Earlier in the day, Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir said that the country had achieved a “victory over Hamas.” In a broadcast statement, Zamir said the victory came through a combination of sustained military pressure and diplomatic efforts.

Zamir added that Israel remains “in the midst of a multi-front war.” He said the military “will continue to act in order to shape a security reality that ensures the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians. Through our operations, we are reshaping the Middle East and our security strategy for the years ahead.”

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire went into effect on Friday, following more than two years of Israeli bombardments that devastated the Gaza Strip and caused famine.

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Crime

Mumbai: Woman Accused In 2013 PITA Case Arrested After 12 Years On The Run

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Mumbai: The DB Marg Police have arrested Channa Begum Shaikh alias Roja (38), a woman accused in a 2013 case registered under Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). Roja had been absconding for the past 12 years.

The Sessions Court had recently issued a standing non-bailable warrant against Roja, directing the DB Marg Police to trace and arrest her. Acting on confidential information, the police learned she was working at a cosmetic shop in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh.

A team led by PSI Azeem Shaikh conducted technical surveillance, traced her mobile number, analyzed CDR records, and identified her frequent contacts. Based on the findings, the DB Marg Police, with local police assistance, tracked and apprehended Roja from her workplace.

During questioning, Roja admitted to evading court appearances since 2013. Following Supreme Court guidelines, she was formally arrested and produced before the Kadapa court, which granted a five-day transit remand. She will be presented before the Sessions Court in Mumbai on October 11 for further remand proceedings.

The operation was carried out by the Wanted Fugitive Tracking Unit under the Girgum Division of Zone 2, Mumbai Police. Authorities commended the team’s persistence in capturing a fugitive who evaded law for over a decade.

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