The Evening Wrap: U.N. Security Council, for the first time, demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The United Nations Security Council on March 25 demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages after the United States abstained from the vote. The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the body. Washington had been averse to the word ceasefire earlier in the nearly six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip and had used its veto power to shield its ally Israel as it retaliated against Hamas for an October 7 attack that Israel says killed 1,200 people. But amid growing global pressure for a truce in the war that has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, the U.S. abstained from the vote on March 25 to allow the Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire for the month of Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, which ends in two weeks. It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Israel says Hamas took 253 hostages during its October 7 attack. The Security Council resolution also “emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.” Israeli Army radio reported shortly before the council meeting started that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would cancel a planned delegation to Washington if the U.S. did not veto the resolution. The U.S. has vetoed three draft council resolutions on the war in Gaza. It has also previously abstained twice, allowing the council to adopt resolutions that aimed to boost aid to Gaza and called for extended pauses in fighting. Russia and China have also vetoed two U.S. drafted resolutions on the conflict — in October and on Friday. Lok Sabha elections | Congress releases sixth list, fields Prahlad Gunjal against Om Birla from Kota Former BJP MLA, Prahlad Gunjal, who recently joined the Congress party, will take on the outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Rajasthan’s Kota parliamentary constituency, as the Congress announced its sixth list of candidates on March 25. With five names in the fresh list, the Congress has, so far, announced a total of 190 candidates. In Rajasthan, the party also fielded Ramchandra Choudhary from Ajmer, Sudarshan Rawat from Rajsamand and Damodar Gurjar from Bhilwara. In the Tirunelveli seat of Tamil Nadu, Congress announced C. Robert Bruce as the candidate. The party also announced the name of Tharahai Cuthbert will contest the bye-election from the Vilavancode constituency in the State. Tamil Nadu will vote on all 39 Lok Sabha seats on April 19. The 25 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan will go to polls in two phase; voting on 12 seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while 13 seats will go to polls on April 26. The party has gone all out to break its record of the 2019 election, in which it failed to win a single seat. Gunjal, who had joined the Congress last week in the presence of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, was the MLA from Kota North twice but had lost the last Assembly polls. A close aide of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, his presence in the Congress is expected to benefit in the Hadoti region that includes districts like Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar and Kota. Lok Sabha polls 2024 | BRS completes announcement of candidates for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has officially declared its candidates for all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana for the general elections-2024. The announcement of Gaddam Srinivas Yadav for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat on March 25 marks the culmination of the candidate selection process. It appears that BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had explored all avenues for ‘social equity’ in the selection process. The party leaders assert that this strategic selection of candidates with considerable grassroots support would enhance the party’s prospects, positioning them favorably against rival parties, the Congress and the BJP. While the BRS won nine Lok Sabha seats in 2019, five sitting MPs of the party recently joined its rivals after the party lost power to the Congress in the State Assembly polls held in November 2023, and one other—Kotha Prabhakar Reddy from Medak—has been elected as the MLA from Dubbak constituency in the Assembly polls. BRS MP from Chevella, Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, joined the Congress, while Zahirabad MP BB Patil and Nagarkurnool (SC) MP Pothuganti Ramulu quit BRS and joined the BJP. Warangal (SC) MP Pasunuri Dayakar and Peddapalli (SC) MP Borlakunta Venkatesh Netha also left the party to join Congress. Against this backdrop, the BRS president renominated Nama Nageswara Rao, Maloth Kavitha, and Manne Srinivas Reddy from their respective sitting seats of Khammam, Mahabubabad, and Mahabubnagar, respectively. Meanwhile, the BRS has selected two former bureaucrats—R.S. Praveen Kumar and P. Venkatrami Reddy—as its candidates. Former president of Bahujan Samaj Party-Telangana and former IPS R.S. Praveen Kumar, who recently joined the BRS, was named as the candidate for the Nagarkurnool (SC) MP seat, while the party leadership also nominated former IAS officer and MLC P. Venkatarami Reddy as its candidate for the Medak Parliamentary Constituency. ED takes cognisance of directions issued by Kejriwal to Delhi govt from custody The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken cognisance of Delhi Minister Atishi’s statement that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent her directions from the agency’s custody to initiate public welfare works related to water and sewerage, official sources said on March 24. The federal agency will conduct an investigation to ascertain if these directions from the arrested Chief Minister were in line with the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court’s order issued to the ED and Kejriwal during his custody period, the sources said. While remanding Kejriwal in ED custody till March 28, the court had allowed his wife Sunita Kejriwal and personal assistant Bibhav Kumar to meet him every day for half hour between 6 and 7 p.m., apart from his lawyers for another half hour. Earlier on March 24, Water Minister Atishi said at a press conference that Kejriwal sent her a document from ED custody on March 23 with “his directions” to resolve public issues related to water and sewerage. She said the Chief Minister directed that a sufficient number of water tankers be deployed in areas facing a water shortage to strengthen supply ahead of the summer months. Kejriwal also directed her to issue instructions to the Chief Secretary and other officers in this regard, she added. IPL 2024 | BCCI releases full schedule; Chennai to host final on May 26 Chennai was named the venue of this year’s IPL final on May 26 and was also awarded hosting rights of the second qualifier on May 24 as the BCCI unveiled the tournament’s complete schedule, factoring in the polling dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Chennai has been awarded the final as the Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions. The title-holders get to host the opening and the final game of the tournament as per established convention. The other two marquee play-off matches will be hosted by Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on May 21 and 22 respectively. The event got underway on March 22 after the BCCI announced the schedule for just the first two weeks (21 matches). The iconic Chepauk stadium will host the IPL finale long after voting in Tamil Nadu is complete. The State will go to polls on April 19 in the first phase of elections. Delhi Capitals, who will play their first two home games in Visakhapatnam on March 31 and April 3, will have five games at their actual base. These matches are scheduled for April 20, 24, 27, May 7 and 14. The polling for Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25. Should CSK go the distance in the tournament, the marquee games at Chepauk will be perfect opportunity for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to end his IPL career in front of home fans, as is being widely speculated after he handed over the team’s captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the league-opener. “Punjab Kings, who commenced their season at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, will culminate their home campaign in Dharamsala. Punjab will be hosting two matches in Dharamsala on May 5 and 9 against CSK and RCB respectively,” the BCCI said. Rajasthan Royals will also play a couple of matches at their second home base Guwahati. “Rajasthan Royals too have opted for a second venue in Guwahati and will play their final two home matches in Assam. They will first host Punjab Kings on May 15 and later play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19, which will also mark the conclusion of the league stage of the 17th season of IPL,” the release further stated. Moscow concert hall shooting | Four men charged in attack, showing signs of beatings at hearing as court says two accept guilt Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court on March 24 on terrorism charges showing signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing. Court statements said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault, though the men’s condition raised questions about whether they were speaking freely. There had been conflicting reports in Russian media outlets that said three or all four men admitted culpability. The investigators charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, with committing a terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered that the men, all of whom were identified in the media as citizens of Tajikistan, be held in custody until May 22 pending investigation and trial. Russian media had reported that the men were tortured during interrogation by the security services, and Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni showed signs of heavy bruising, including swollen faces. Rachabalizoda also had a heavily bandaged ear. The fourth suspect, Faizov, was brought to court from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts. Court officials said Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda admitted guilt for the attack after being charged. The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group, is the deadliest on Russian soil in years. Rescuers continued to search the damaged building and the death toll rose as more bodies were found as family and friends of some of those still missing waiting for news. Moscow’s Department of Health said on March 24 it had begun identifying the bodies of those killed via DNA testing, saying the process would take at least two weeks. Putin didn’t mention IS in his speech to the nation, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault to stoke fervor for Russia’s fight in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year. U.S. intelligence officials said they had confirmed the IS affiliate’s claim. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on March 25 said France has information that the IS carried out the attack. He added that “this particular group made several attempts (at attacks) on our own soil.” Macron, however, warned Russia against any “exploitation” of the attack, saying it would be “cynical and counterproductive for Russia to use this context to try and turn it against Ukraine”. In Brief Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down by year-end, in a broad management shake-up brought on by the plane-maker’s sprawling safety crisis stemming from a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane. Boeing also said that Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, would retire, and Stephanie Pope would lead that business. Steve Mollenkopf has been appointed the new chair of the board. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 25 March 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( U.N. Security Council for the first time demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza [The United Nations Security Council on March 25 demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages after the United States abstained from the vote.]( The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the body. Washington had been averse to the word ceasefire earlier in the nearly six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip and had used its veto power to shield its ally Israel as it retaliated against Hamas for an October 7 attack that Israel says killed 1,200 people. But amid growing global pressure for a truce in the war that has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, the U.S. abstained from the vote on March 25 to allow the Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire for the month of Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, which ends in two weeks. It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Israel says Hamas took 253 hostages during its October 7 attack. The Security Council resolution also “emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.” Israeli Army radio reported shortly before the council meeting started that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would cancel a planned delegation to Washington if the U.S. did not veto the resolution. The U.S. has vetoed three draft council resolutions on the war in Gaza. It has also previously abstained twice, allowing the council to adopt resolutions that aimed to boost aid to Gaza and called for extended pauses in fighting. Russia and China have also vetoed two U.S. drafted resolutions on the conflict — in October and on Friday. Lok Sabha elections | Congress releases sixth list, fields Prahlad Gunjal against Om Birla from Kota Former BJP MLA, Prahlad Gunjal, who recently joined the Congress party, will take on the outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Rajasthan’s Kota parliamentary constituency, as the [Congress announced its sixth list of candidates]( on March 25. With five names in the fresh list, the Congress has, so far, announced a total of 190 candidates. In Rajasthan, the party also fielded Ramchandra Choudhary from Ajmer, Sudarshan Rawat from Rajsamand and Damodar Gurjar from Bhilwara. In the Tirunelveli seat of Tamil Nadu, Congress announced C. Robert Bruce as the candidate. The party also announced the name of Tharahai Cuthbert will contest the bye-election from the Vilavancode constituency in the State. Tamil Nadu will vote on all 39 Lok Sabha seats on April 19. The 25 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan will go to polls in two phase; voting on 12 seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while 13 seats will go to polls on April 26. The party has gone all out to break its record of the 2019 election, in which it failed to win a single seat. Gunjal, who had joined the Congress last week in the presence of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, was the MLA from Kota North twice but had lost the last Assembly polls. A close aide of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, his presence in the Congress is expected to benefit in the Hadoti region that includes districts like Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar and Kota. Lok Sabha polls 2024 | BRS completes announcement of candidates for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana The [Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has officially declared its candidates for all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana]( for the general elections-2024. The announcement of Gaddam Srinivas Yadav for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat on March 25 marks the culmination of the candidate selection process. It appears that BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had explored all avenues for ‘social equity’ in the selection process. The party leaders assert that this strategic selection of candidates with considerable grassroots support would enhance the party’s prospects, positioning them favorably against rival parties, the Congress and the BJP. While the BRS won nine Lok Sabha seats in 2019, five sitting MPs of the party recently joined its rivals after the party lost power to the Congress in the State Assembly polls held in November 2023, and one other—Kotha Prabhakar Reddy from Medak—has been elected as the MLA from Dubbak constituency in the Assembly polls. BRS MP from Chevella, Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, joined the Congress, while Zahirabad MP BB Patil and Nagarkurnool (SC) MP Pothuganti Ramulu quit BRS and joined the BJP. Warangal (SC) MP Pasunuri Dayakar and Peddapalli (SC) MP Borlakunta Venkatesh Netha also left the party to join Congress. Against this backdrop, the BRS president renominated Nama Nageswara Rao, Maloth Kavitha, and Manne Srinivas Reddy from their respective sitting seats of Khammam, Mahabubabad, and Mahabubnagar, respectively. Meanwhile, the BRS has selected two former bureaucrats—R.S. Praveen Kumar and P. Venkatrami Reddy—as its candidates. Former president of Bahujan Samaj Party-Telangana and former IPS R.S. Praveen Kumar, who recently joined the BRS, was named as the candidate for the Nagarkurnool (SC) MP seat, while the party leadership also nominated former IAS officer and MLC P. Venkatarami Reddy as its candidate for the Medak Parliamentary Constituency. ED takes cognisance of directions issued by Kejriwal to Delhi govt from custody The [Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken cognisance of Delhi Minister Atishi’s statement that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent her directions from the agency’s custody]( to initiate public welfare works related to water and sewerage, official sources said on March 24. The federal agency will conduct an investigation to ascertain if these directions from the arrested Chief Minister were in line with the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court’s order issued to the ED and Kejriwal during his custody period, the sources said. While remanding Kejriwal in ED custody till March 28, the court had allowed his wife Sunita Kejriwal and personal assistant Bibhav Kumar to meet him every day for half hour between 6 and 7 p.m., apart from his lawyers for another half hour. Earlier on March 24, Water Minister Atishi said at a press conference that Kejriwal sent her a document from ED custody on March 23 with “his directions” to resolve public issues related to water and sewerage. She said the Chief Minister directed that a sufficient number of water tankers be deployed in areas facing a water shortage to strengthen supply ahead of the summer months. Kejriwal also directed her to issue instructions to the Chief Secretary and other officers in this regard, she added. IPL 2024 | BCCI releases full schedule; Chennai to host final on May 26 [Chennai was named the venue of this year’s IPL final on May 26]( and was also awarded hosting rights of the second qualifier on May 24 as the BCCI unveiled the tournament’s complete schedule, factoring in the polling dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Chennai has been awarded the final as the Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions. The title-holders get to host the opening and the final game of the tournament as per established convention. The other two marquee play-off matches will be hosted by Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on May 21 and 22 respectively. The event got underway on March 22 after the BCCI announced the schedule for just the first two weeks (21 matches). The iconic Chepauk stadium will host the IPL finale long after voting in Tamil Nadu is complete. The State will go to polls on April 19 in the first phase of elections. Delhi Capitals, who will play their first two home games in Visakhapatnam on March 31 and April 3, will have five games at their actual base. These matches are scheduled for April 20, 24, 27, May 7 and 14. The polling for Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25. Should CSK go the distance in the tournament, the marquee games at Chepauk will be perfect opportunity for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to end his IPL career in front of home fans, as is being widely speculated after he handed over the team’s captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the league-opener. “Punjab Kings, who commenced their season at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, will culminate their home campaign in Dharamsala. Punjab will be hosting two matches in Dharamsala on May 5 and 9 against CSK and RCB respectively,” the BCCI said. Rajasthan Royals will also play a couple of matches at their second home base Guwahati. “Rajasthan Royals too have opted for a second venue in Guwahati and will play their final two home matches in Assam. They will first host Punjab Kings on May 15 and later play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19, which will also mark the conclusion of the league stage of the 17th season of IPL,” the release further stated. Moscow concert hall shooting | Four men charged in attack, showing signs of beatings at hearing as court says two accept guilt [Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court on March 24]( on terrorism charges showing signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing. Court statements said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault, though the men’s condition raised questions about whether they were speaking freely. There had been conflicting reports in Russian media outlets that said three or all four men admitted culpability. The investigators charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, with committing a terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered that the men, all of whom were identified in the media as citizens of Tajikistan, be held in custody until May 22 pending investigation and trial. Russian media had reported that the men were tortured during interrogation by the security services, and Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni showed signs of heavy bruising, including swollen faces. Rachabalizoda also had a heavily bandaged ear. The fourth suspect, Faizov, was brought to court from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts. Court officials said Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda admitted guilt for the attack after being charged. The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group, is the deadliest on Russian soil in years. Rescuers continued to search the damaged building and the death toll rose as more bodies were found as family and friends of some of those still missing waiting for news. Moscow’s Department of Health said on March 24 it had begun identifying the bodies of those killed via DNA testing, saying the process would take at least two weeks. Putin didn’t mention IS in his speech to the nation, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault to stoke fervor for Russia’s fight in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year. U.S. intelligence officials said they had confirmed the IS affiliate’s claim. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on March 25 said France has information that the IS carried out the attack. He added that “this particular group made several attempts (at attacks) on our own soil.” Macron, however, warned Russia against any “exploitation” of the attack, saying it would be “cynical and counterproductive for Russia to use this context to try and turn it against Ukraine”. In Brief [Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down by year-end]( in a broad management shake-up brought on by the plane-maker’s sprawling safety crisis stemming from a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane. Boeing also said that Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, would retire, and Stephanie Pope would lead that business. Steve Mollenkopf has been appointed the new chair of the board. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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