Maritime routes remain flashpoint as Houthis control coastal areas, Yemeni leader warns

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Aden, March 18 (IANS) Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi warned that maritime routes will remain a persistent source of regional tension as long as Houthi forces maintain control over Yemen’s coastal territories.

The statement came during Al-Alimi’s meeting with French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun in the southern port city of Aden, where they discussed recent developments in the region, particularly the ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the state-run Saba News Agency.

Al-Alimi underscored the need for the international community to adopt “punitive measures against the Houthi militias,” stressing that “the only way to end terrorist threats is through supporting the Yemeni government, a United Nations member, in restoring state institutions and asserting authority over all its territories.”

He also emphasised Yemen’s role as a strategic partner in securing maritime traffic and upholding international peace and security.

The Houthis now control most of the northern areas, including Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The internationally recognised Yemeni government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022, mainly controls the southern and eastern regions, with Aden serving as the temporary capital.

The US military on Saturday evening launched a new wave of airstrikes on Houthi sites in northern Yemen, killing 53 people, including five children and two women.

It came as Trump vowed to continue air attacks until the Houthis stopped attacking international shipping lines and ships. He also warned the Houthis that if they do not stop their attacks “starting today … hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”

Following the US attacks, Houthi forces announced Monday they had targeted the USS Harry Truman in the northern Red Sea for the second time within 24 hours, claiming the assault involved multiple ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, in an engagement lasting several hours.

The US Navy has not yet issued a statement confirming or denying the alleged attack on its aircraft carrier.

The renewed conflict comes after Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, coinciding with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

On March 11, the Houthi group announced that it would resume launching attacks against any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the crossings of the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid allowed in.

From November 2023 to January 19, the Houthi group launched dozens of drone and rocket attacks against Israel-linked ships and Israeli cities to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The attacks later expanded to include US and British ships after the US-British navy coalition started to intervene, launching air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.

–IANS

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Adani Energy’s growth story intact, stock has potential upside of 67 pc: Jefferies

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) Global brokerage Jefferies has maintained its ‘buy’ rating on the stock of Adani Energy Solutions, saying the company’s growth story remains intact.

The brokerage has kept its target price for the stock at Rs 1,300, implying a 67 per cent upside.

“It is a 50 per cent premium to our implied 10 times target EV/EBITDA multiple for Power Grid given the much higher growth in Adani Energy as against Power Grid’s 6-7 per cent profit after tax compounded annual growth rate in FY24-27,” said the brokerage.

Adani Energy Solutions, in its Q3 update, highlighted that it maintained robust system availability at 99.7 per cent.

“Company added 225 circuit kilometres (ckm) in its transmission network taking the total to 26,485 ckm. Two new projects have boosted the project pipeline to Rs 547 billion from Rs 170 billion at the start of FY25. Smart metering is a new high-growth area. Capital management program focus is on reducing volatility in interest costs through long-tenure bonds. Buy,” said Jefferies in its note.

The Adani Group company won two transmission bids in Q3, both in Rajasthan, related to the renewable energy park.

The company has a market share of 24 per cent in competitive bids, which is up from 17 per cent given the recent win.

“Management indicated a robust pipeline in near-term tendering at Rs 590 billion, up 55 per cent YoY on its recent Q2 call. We believe AESL should see 16 per cent revenue CAGR and 62 per cent PAT CAGR in FY24-27E, driven by locked-in growth in both transmission and distribution business,” said the brokerage.

Recently, Tamil Nadu scrapped an 8.2 million meter bid stating that while Adani Energy Solutions is the lowest bidder, they believe the bid price is fairly high.

“This does not impact AESL’s current under-execution projects as they are not a part of the 22.8 mn,” the brokerage said. “In our view, the company is realising the business potential on both smart metering and distribution.”

–IANS

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Telangana tunnel accident: Silt, debris removal in full swing (Lead)

Hyderabad, Feb 27 (IANS) Rescue workers continued their intensive efforts to remove silt and debris from the partially-collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district as the operation to rescue eight trapped persons entered the final stage on the sixth day on Thursday.

Teams of the Army, the Navy, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and rat hole miners were removing silt and debris from the tunnel.

The rescue workers were using gas plasma cutters to detach damaged parts of the tail portion of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to clear obstructions to the access end of the tunnel where the eight men were trapped.

The rescue workers were also engaged in the efforts to ensure that the loco train reached the last point and the conveyor belt became operational.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is supervising the rescue operation, said plasma cutters, high-grade shutters, and debris removal machinery were being used while international experts were overseeing the strategy. He said dewatering processes had been reactivated to clear obstructions.

He posted on X that a multi-agency rescue operation is in full swing at the tunnel, with the country’s best experts and advanced equipment deployed to save the trapped workers.

The rescue and relief operations would be completed within two to three days, and the tunnel works would resume in two to three months, he added.

The authorities imposed restrictions at the site after a visit by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders led by former minister T. Harish Rao amid a tense situation.

Uttar Kumar Reddy said precautionary restrictions had been imposed at the site to ensure the safety of both workers and rescuers.

The minister stated that the incident is one of the most complicated and complex tunnel accidents in Indian history, and for the first time, so many national and international agencies have been brought together under a unified command for the rescue mission.

“Eleven top agencies specialising in tunnel disasters are leading the operation, working with unmatched coordination and expertise. Rescue teams are working round the clock, using the most advanced technology and equipment to safely extract the trapped workers.”

“This is an extremely challenging operation, and the best experts in the field are involved. They are working selflessly, risking their own lives to complete this rescue,” he added.

The minister also announced that once the workers are safely rescued, the government will ensure that tunnel works resume in the next two to three months and are completed within the stipulated time.

He took exception to Harish Rao’s visit to the tunnel, saying that he came to do politics. He blamed the previous BRS government for the tunnel tragedy. He said if the government had then taken up dewatering, the incident would not have happened.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the previous government neglected the project, which will carry 30 TMC water through gravity. Once the project is completed, it will irrigate 4.50 lakh acres.

Experts of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) assessed the situation inside the tunnel. They will give their suggestions to the agencies involved for precautions to be taken to prevent any further collapse during the rescue operation.

Earlier, the agencies decided to go for full-fledged dewatering and desilting and prepared a concrete action plan.

The government is also taking the help of experts in the construction of tunnels in border areas and those who participated in rescue operations after similar tunnel accidents in other parts of the country.

Rescue teams had not been able to advance further for the last two days due to 7-9 meter high silt in the last 40-metre stretch.

The accident occurred 14 km inside the tunnel. While the rescue teams had already reached 13.5 km, they could not advance further for the last two days due to mud, debris of the TBM, and seepage of water.

–IANS

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Telangana caste survey report to be presented in Assembly tomorrow

Hyderabad, Feb 3 (IANS) The Telangana government will table the caste survey report in the Assembly during the special session called on February 4 (Tuesday).

The state Cabinet will meet before the Assembly session to approve the caste survey report, which revealed that the Backward Classes (BCs) account for 56.33 per cent of the state’s population, of whom 10.08 per cent are BC Muslims.

After the debate on the caste survey report, the Assembly is also expected to pass a resolution urging the Union government to amend the Constitution to exceed the 50 per cent reservation cap set by the Supreme Court.

According to the report of the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey, 17.43 per cent of the population are Scheduled Castes (SCs), 10.45 per cent Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 12.56 per cent Muslims, of which 2.48 per cent are Other Caste (OC) Muslims. The OCs make up 13.31 per cent of the total population.

The comprehensive door-to-door household survey covered 3,54,77,554 people and 1,12,15,134 families. Of the total population covered, 50.51 per cent were male and 49.45 per cent female.

In absolute numbers, the population of Backward Classes (BC) in the state is 1,99,85,767, including 35,76,588 BC Muslims. The SC population is 61,84,319 and the ST population is 37,05,929. The OC population in Telangana is 44,21,115. The survey reveals that the Muslim population in the state is 44,57,012.

Officials said 96.9 per cent of the households in the state were covered during the 50-day-long survey. According to the report, 16 lakh people (3.1 per cent) opted out due to various reasons. The enumerators found 1.03 lakh houses locked. As many as 1.68 lakh families were hesitant to participate.

The report was reviewed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, who termed the survey historic. He claimed that the survey laid the foundation for comprehensive social justice.

Telangana became the third state in the country after Bihar and Karnataka to conduct a caste survey to determine caste-wise demographics. The survey has been conducted in line with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s idea of “jitni abadi, utna haq” (rights proportionate to population).

The caste survey was one of the promises made by the Congress in Telangana in its election manifesto in 2023.

The survey was undertaken by the state’s Planning Department after a resolution to that effect was passed in the Assembly on February 4, 2024. “Exactly a year later, the Cabinet will be approving the survey report,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

The survey was conducted by deploying 94,863 enumerators and 9,628 supervisors across 94,261 enumeration blocks. A total of 76,000 data entry operators digitised the information within 36 days.

–IANS

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