International

Donald Trump backs out of US-Iran nuclear deal

US President Donald Trump says he will withdraw the US from an Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran. Calling it “decaying and rotten”, he said the deal was “an embarrassment” to him “as a citizen”. Going against advice from European allies, he said he would reimpose economic sanctions that were waived when the deal was signed in 2015.

In response, Iran said it was preparing to restart uranium enrichment, the key for making both nuclear energy and weapons. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said: “The US has announced that it doesn’t respect its commitments. I have ordered the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran to be ready for action if needed so that if necessary we can resume our enrichment on an industrial level without any limitations.”

Trump said he would “wait a few weeks” to speak to allies and the other signatories to the nuclear deal first. “If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place,” he said.

The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) curbed Iran’s nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions that had been imposed by the UN, US and EU.

Mr Trump had previously complained that the deal only limited Iran’s nuclear activities for a fixed period; had failed to stop the development of ballistic missiles; and had handed Iran a $100bn (£74bn) windfall that it used “as a slush fund for weapons, terror, and oppression” across the Middle East.

 

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Politics

Congress sees red in Mumbai development plan; seeks PM’s intervention

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Congress today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to withdraw the decision of the Maharashtra government to open salt pans and no development zones in Mumbai for affordable housing.

In a letter to Modi, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam urged him to intervene in the decision, which is part of just-released Mumbai’s Development Plan (DP) 2034, taken by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

There was an urgent need for the prime minister to address the issue and instruct Fadnavis to stop the new Development Plan which would allow builders in Mumbai to have a field day, he said.

“Mumbai city cannot afford to have these tracts of land, which are last remaining open spaces, fall prey to the builder lobby,” the former Member of Parliament said.

Nirupam said the DP, in its present form, will disturb the ecological balance of the financial capital.

“Fadnavis has been deliberately trying to defile the ecological balance of Mumbai. And it is extremely unfortunate to watch this happen even after the World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed Mumbai as the fourth most polluted metropolitan city in the world.”

The Congress leader accused Fadnavis of being “pro- builder”.

“The chief minister claims unlocking salt pans will pave the way for affordable housing. However, looking at the proximity of salt pan lands to Mumbai, it is bound to be unaffordable for most of the people. Then why is the CM fooling Mumbaikars?” he said.

Maintaining that the CMs decision will cause a great loss to the Mumbaikars, Nirupam added, “26th July 2005 marks a black day in the history of Mumbai city as more than 500 people lost their lives that day in devastating floods.”

According to the DP 2034 for Mumbai, 300 hectares of salt pan lands, which serve as natural buffers during heavy rains and high tides, will be utilised for affordable housing. This will destroy the regions bio-diversity and increase the chances of similar deluge in future, Nirupam said.

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