Indian Seafarers Killed in Odessa Attack; Protesters Clash with Delhi Police
India on Monday condemned the attack on a merchant vessel near the Ukrainian port of Odessa that killed four Indian sailors and left one critically injured. The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India's opposition to such attacks, which violate freedom of navigation. Ukraine's acting foreign minister blamed Russia for the incident and said five crew members remain missing.
In Delhi, thousands of protesters, mostly students and young people, breached multiple layers of barricades and reached the doorstep of Parliament before being tear-gassed and baton-charged. A senior government official said security personnel were outnumbered by the turnout. The protest was organized by the Cockroach Janta Party as part of their 'Sansad Chalo' march.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk announced he would continue his indefinite hunger strike, citing the police action as a reason to extend his fast until youth leaders are allowed to meet parliamentarians or he is permitted to do so from the hospital.
Meanwhile, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday, promising a new political and social model that decentralizes power. He succeeded Keir Starmer, who became the shortest-serving Labour Prime Minister in history.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being 'the most anti-youth Prime Minister India has ever had,' backing student demands over recurring examination paper leaks as legitimate. The Congress party condemned the police action and said it had been raising the issue of paper leaks long before the current agitation.
In health news, the Drug Controller General of India granted market authorization to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India's QDENGA, the first dengue vaccine approved in the country for individuals aged 4 to 60 years. The live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine protects against all four dengue virus serotypes and is administered as two doses three months apart.
Finally, a special court in Mumbai sentenced 44 Somali nationals to life imprisonment for piracy and other offences in two separate cases. The court praised the Indian Navy for its prompt action in discharging legal and international duties.
