
HRF condemns Andhra govt's move to extend workday from 8 to 10 hrs
Terming the move as a serious threat to labour rights, HRF State General Secretary Y Rajesh and HRF member of the AP & Telangana Coordination Committee VS Krishna demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the proposed amendment. The amendment, which seeks to modify provisions under the Factories Act, 1948, has been described by the government as a reform aimed at improving business efficiency. However, HRF argued that the change undermines the progress made over decades through labour struggles for fair and humane working conditions.
'The eight-hour workday has long been a cornerstone of labour rights, not a gift from employers but the outcome of generations of working-class resistance,' the Forum stated. It recalled the role played by BR Ambedkar in shaping and institutionalising this right in the 1940s, and criticised the amendment as a rollback of this significant achievement.
According to HRF, the language of 'ease of doing business' is increasingly being used to justify policies that erode labour protections.
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News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Israeli forces push into parts of central Gaza city that war largely spared
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Jul 21 (AP) Israeli ground troops for the first time Monday pushed into areas of a central Gaza city where several aid groups are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors. Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that hasn't seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there. The main group representing hostages' families said it was 'shocked and alarmed" by the incursion, which was confirmed by an Israeli military official, and demanded answers from Israeli leaders. Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing ceasefire talks. The UN food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend. Gaza's Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine. In the latest sign of international frustration, the United Kingdom, France and 23 other Western-aligned countries issued a statement saying 'the war in Gaza must end now." They harshly criticised Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid and called for the release of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza. Evacuation orders dropped at dawn Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah during repeated waves of mass displacement in Gaza. Associated Press reporters heard explosions and saw smoke rising from parts of the city that were ordered evacuated on Sunday. The Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was the first time ground troops had operated in the area. A man living in the evacuation zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Israel dropped pamphlets at dawn ordering people to evacuate. Two hours later, tanks rolled into the area. He said his 62-year-old father, who had spent the night elsewhere, fled from house to house as Israeli forces moved in and saw them flattening structures with bulldozers and tanks. Both men managed to leave the evacuation zone. The military declined to say if it had ordered the evacuation of aid groups based in the city, saying only that it maintains continuous contact with them and facilitates their relocation when necessary. Israel has taken over large areas of Gaza and split the territory with corridors stretching from the border to the sea as it seeks to pressure Hamas to release more hostages. In response to the Deir al-Balah incursion, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum warned in its statement that 'the people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn't know what was at stake." Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people. Less than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Rare condemnation from UN food agency The World Food Programme, in a rare condemnation, said the crowd surrounding its convoy in northern Gaza on Sunday 'came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire." It said 'countless lives" were lost. A photographer working with The Associated Press counted 51 bodies at two hospitals. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 80 people were killed. Israel's military said it fired warning shots 'to remove an immediate threat" and questioned the death toll reported by the Palestinians. It declined to comment on the WFP statement. Hundreds of people have been killed while seeking food in recent weeks, both from UN convoys and separate aid sites run by an Israeli-backed group that has been mired in controversy. The Palestinian death toll from the war has climbed to more than 59,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Strikes across Gaza kill 18 Gaza health officials said at least 18 people, including three women and five children, were killed in Israeli strikes overnight and into Monday. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates from populated areas. At least three people were killed when crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks were shot at in the area of Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, according to two hospitals that received the bodies. Gaza's Health Ministry meanwhile said Israeli forces detained Dr. Marwan al-Hams, acting director of the strip's field hospitals and the ministry's spokesman. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel again strikes rebel-held port in Yemen The fighting in Gaza has triggered conflicts elsewhere in region, including between Israel and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is in solidarity with Palestinians. The Israeli military said it struck the Hodeidah port in Yemen early Monday. Israel has struck the port before, including two weeks ago, accusing the Houthis of using it to import arms from Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the targets included areas of the port that Israel had destroyed in previous strikes. 'The Houthis will pay heavy prices for launching missiles towards the state of Israel," Katz said. (AP) GRS GRS (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 21:30 IST News agency-feeds Israeli forces push into parts of central Gaza city that war largely spared Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Rebels in Colombia attack military patrol with drone, killing 3 soldiers
Bogota, Jul 21 (AP) Rebels in northeastern Colombia used a drone to attack a military patrol in a rural area, killing three soldiers and injuring eight, the military said. The army blamed the attack on the National Liberation Army, or ELN, a group of approximately six thousand fighters that has been fighting the Colombian government since the 1960s. The attack took place Sunday outside the town of El Carmen in the Catatumbo region, the military said in a statement. Rebel groups in Colombia are increasingly using drones to attack the military and to attack each other as they fight for control of rural areas. They mostly use commercial photography drones with explosives strapped to them, flying them straight into their targets. Colombia's Defense Ministry says that rebel groups launched 115 drone attacks last year. Sunday's drone attack is the one of the deadliest on record. Colombia's government has struggled to contain violence in rural areas that were formerly under the control of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the guerrilla group that made peace with the government in 2016. Several smaller rebel groups and drug gangs are now fighting over the control of areas abandoned by the FARC, where illicit activities like drug trafficking and illegal mining are common. In January, Colombia's government suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, following a spate of attacks in the Catatumbo region, in which at least 80 people were killed and 50,000 were forced to flee their homes. (AP) GRS GRS (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 20:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Mid-year update: Crypto thefts top $2.17 billion in 2025, shows data
AP Crypto thefts in 2025 had already crossed USD 2.17 billion before last week's USD 44 million CoinDCX hack, underlining relentless cyber threat escalation in the digital currency world, according to the latest data. Blockchain analytics platform Chainalysis' 2025 crypto crime mid-year update says that over USD 2.17 billion was stolen from cryptocurrency services so far in 2025, and "this year is more devastating than the entirety of 2024". By the end of June 2025, 17 per cent more value had been stolen year-to-date (YTD) than in 2022, previously the worst year on record. The $1.5 billion hack of ByBit, the largest single hack in crypto history, accounts for the majority of service losses. So far in 2025, significant concentrations of stolen fund victims have emerged in the US, Germany, Russia, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea, it said. "Regionally, Eastern Europe, MENA, and CSAO (Central and Southern Asia and Oceania) saw the most rapid H1 2024 to H1 2025 growth in victim totals," it said. The report revealed that threat actors who have compromised services tend to exhibit higher levels of sophistication than those targeting personal wallets. At USD 1.5 billion, the ByBit hack not only represents the largest crypto theft in history, but also accounts for approximately 69 per cent of all funds stolen from services this year, Chainalysis said. "The sophistication and scale of this attack underscore the evolving capabilities of state-sponsored threat actors in the crypto space, and comes after a notable slowdown in the second half of 2024," it added. The report assumes significance in the backdrop of Indian cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX suffering a security breach, resulting in theft of USD 44.2 million, or Rs 378 crore. CoinDCX co-founders Sumit Gupta and Neeraj Khandelwal took to the social media platform X to reassure that customer funds remained unaffected and safe, with the compromise limited to an internal operational account. The total exposure is being absorbed entirely by CoinDCX, using the company's treasury reserves, the company said in a First Incident Report released on Sunday. Last year, crypto exchange WazirX faced a hack in India, leading to the loss of more than USD 230 million, and marking one of the biggest such heists in India. The theft had prompted a thorough examination of safety measures and eroded sentiments. Among other notable cryptocurrency thefts are those involving Cetus Protocol, which saw losses estimated between USD 200-260 million in May this year, and BigONE, which suffered a theft of USD 27 million in July 2025. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. From near bankruptcy to blockbuster drug: How Khorakiwala turned around Wockhardt Paid less than plumbers? The real story of freshers' salaries at Infy, TCS. What if Tata Motors buys Iveco's truck unit? Will it propel or drag like JLR? As deposit ground slips under PSU banks' feet, they chase the wealthy If data is the new oil, are data centres the smokestacks of the digital age? Stock Radar: M&M likely to break out from 1-year consolidation range; time to buy? Will consumer stocks see a comeback this festive season? 12 stocks to keep an eye on even when analysts are not bullish Don't fear volatility, focus on businesses: 5 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of up to 27% Best way to deal with volatility, just ' Hold' for wealth creation: 7 large-cap stocks with an upside potential of up to 41%