Feature
India joins UN majority, defies US on Jerusalem
New Delhi : India joined the UN majority in voting for a General Assembly resolution criticising US President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move Washington’s embassy there.
The resolution that was passed by a two-thirds majority on Thursday demanded Washington comply with Security Council decisions against changing the status of Jerusalem and declared US and Israeli action on the city “null and void”.
It, however, only expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem”, stopping short of naming the US or condemning it outright.
Defying Trump’s threats to cut off aid to countries that voted for the resolution, 128 countries voted for the resolution, while nine countries joined the US and Israel in voting against it.
An unusually large number — 35 countries — abstained, and 21 others were absent, showing that Trump’s threats had some effect.
US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley repeated Trump’s warning on aid before the vote describing support for it an “insult” to her country.
“We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the UN,” she said. “And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said that by voting for the resolution nations would be rejecting attempts at blackmail and intimidation.
He warned that Washington’s action could lead to a religious war that “has no boundaries” and only served the interests of extremists.
The Assembly resolution followed the US veto on Monday of a similar resolution in the Security Council introduced by Egypt. All the other 14 Council members voted for it, isolating the US.
The Assembly resolution was sponsored by Yemen on behalf of the Arab Group in the UN, and by Turkey on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Representing the OIC, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Jerusalem was the holy city of three monotheistic religions and its historic status had to be preserved.
Referring to the US’ threats to withhold aid, he said such “bullying” was unethical and votes were not for sale.
While the Assembly resolutions do not have the legal clout of the Council resolutions, they carry political clout, especially when endorsed by a two-thirds majority.
Previous Council resolutions have said that the status of Jerusalem and territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war should not be altered unilaterally.
While close US allies like Britain, France and Japan, which had voted for the resolution in Council, again broke ranks with it in the Assembly, there were some surprises. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims to follow a progressive foreign policy, Canada abstained.
Five of the countries that voted with the US and Israel were tiny Pacific island nations like Micronesia, and two were from Latin America. No country of any significance politically or in size voted for the resolution, even if some of them abstained or absented themselves.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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