HUBBALLI MONDAY JULY 22, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 16 CITY EDITION TENSIONS RISE AS ISRAEL STRIKES LEBANON; HEZBOLLAH RETALIATES Hezbollah said on Sunday it fired rockets at Israel in response to an overnight Israeli strike that hit a Lebanese arms depot and wounded six civilians ISRAELI SCHOOL HIT BY ROCKETS FROM LEBANON YEMEN REBELS FIRE MISSILES AT ISRAEL’S EILAT Hezbollah-fired rockets hit an empty school in northern Israel’s Dafna, the Times of Israel reported. The rocket barrage also set off a number of blazes in the area, the report said. Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have traded fire on a near-daily basis. Rising intensity of attacks and counterattacks have raised concerns about a full-scale war breaking out ■ ■ Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they fired missiles towards Eilat in the early hours of Sunday after the Israeli strike on Yemen that killed 6 Israeli military intercepted the missiles. Analysts say the Israeli strike on Yemen will likely embolden the rebel group. Saudi Arabia, a key regional player, urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint | P12 104 civilians KILLED IN LEBANON SINCE THE START OF ISRAEL’S WAR IN GAZA LAST OCTOBER CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI MAHA CAMPAIGN In rare attack on Pawar, Shah calls him ‘leader of corruption’ S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched an unusually blistering attack on Opposition leader Sharad Pawar, calling him the ‘sargana of corruption’ (ring leader of corruption). Shah’s attack drew an equally sharp response from the NCP (SP), which called the BJP, “a washing machine” that le gitimises corruption. Shah was speaking at the BJP’s state convention in Pune, kick-star ting the party’s elections campaign for the upcoming assembly elections. “They (Opposition) talk about corruption, but the biggest leader of corruption in Indian politics is Sharad Pawar and I have no confusion when I say this. Sharad Pawar institutionalised corruption in many governments of this country,” Shah alleged. Shah also said when- DEADLY UNREST B’desh SC dials down job quota A G E N C I E S @ Dhaka THE Bangladesh Supreme Court on Sunday pared back the contentious quotas for government jobs after days of clashes between students and security forces that have killed at least 155 people. Protests erupted after a lower court last month ordered that a scheme, that reserved 56% of government jobs for select applicants, be brought back. It had been scrapped by the Sheikh Hasina government in 2018 amid protests by youngsters. Critics accused the government of using the scheme to stack public jobs with loyalists to Hasina’s ruling Awami League. The Supreme Court on Sunday decided that the lower court’s order to reintroduce the scheme was “illegal”. The court curtailed the number of reserved jobs from 56% to 7%, AFP reported. It reserved 5% of all government jobs for the children “freedom fighters” who took part in the 1971 liberation war, down from 30%. One percent is reserved for tribal communities, and another one percent for people with disabilities. ever Sharad Pawar’s government comes to power, Maratha reservations go out. “Therefore, if we want Maratha reservations, Sharad Pawar should not be voted to power,” Shah added. Responding to Shah’s attack on Pawar, NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “They accuse political leaders of corruption, and then once those who they accuse join BJP, they are all given a clean chit. This is the BJP’s washing machine process of legitimising corruption.” He said Rahul Gandhi has become arrogant after the Opposition’s surprisingly strong performance in the Lok Sabha polls. “Once we win the Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand assembly polls later this year, Rahul Gandhi’s arrogance will be crushed,” Shah said. Training his guns on the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, Shah called it the “Aurangzeb fan club”. Stormy Budget session from today as BJP allies join Oppn to raise heat NEET row, UP govt fiat on eateries, special status for states raised at Sunday’s all-party meet EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Malappuram RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR NEET, Kanwar yatra pleas in SC today @ New Delhi DROPPING hints that the Budget session of Parliament starting Monday is going to be stormy, the all-party meeting on Sunday saw Opposition parties demanding discussion on a number of contentious issues, including the NEET fiasco, the UP government’s order to eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route, among others. Misuse of central agencies, Centre-state relations, and Lok Sabha deputy speaker post were among the other issues the Opposition parties wanted discussion on. But what will put the BJP-led government in a tricky situation is the demand by the Opposition as well as some BJP allies JD(U) and LJP for special status for states. The JD(U), the BJD and the YSR Congress Party demanded the status for Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, respectively As many as 55 leaders from 44 parties attended the meeting. In a bid to signal its political outreach, the government had invited a number of smaller parties, including some hav- The SC will on Monday hear a batch of petitions related to the NEET-UG 2024. The apex court will also hear a petition against the Uttar Pradesh government’s order that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display the names of their owners Economic Survey to be presented today Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju and J P Nadda during the all-party meeting in New Delhi on Sunday. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also seen | PTI ing only one MP. While most opposition parties participated in the meeting, the Trinamool Congress chose to skip it. At the meeting, which lasted for over three hours, the Congress batted for the post of deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha for Opposition while the AAP raised serious concerns against the alleged misuse of central agencies such as ED and CBI. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meet, appealed to all parties for the Army team comes to Ankola to take up search operation SUBHASH CHANDRA NS @ Shirur (Uttara Kannada) A 44-member team of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment from Belagavi has been deputed to carry out the search and rescue operations at the landslide site at Shirur village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district. They will look for missing persons, especially for Kasargod-based Arjun, amid the rubble. Arjun, a truck driver, was transporting timber from Jagalpet in Joida taluk when the area was hit by the landslide six days ago. The Army personnel have been deployed after severe criticism by Kerala media over the slow-paced rescue operations at the site. “The Ar my unit has arrived here. It was decided yesterday (Sunday). We have NDRF, SDRF and Army personnel working now. We hope there will be quicker results,” said a senior district administration official. Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya said there was a request from the Kerala government to expedite the rescue operations and the district administration decided to seek Army’s assist- Rescue personnel at the landslide site at Shirur village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district on Sunday | D HEMANTH ance. “We feel the truck could be buried under the debris. The Army unit will be here for four days,” she added. Asked whether Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself called to expedite the process, she said, “The Kerala transport minister had called.” The Army unit will search the Gangavalli river where the truck is suspected to be stuck. They will be helped by NDRF, ASDRF and district police. SP Narayan said the Army unit is quite experienced in rescue operations. “This team is not ordinary. It has members who worked in Himachal Pradesh in rescue operations.” CONTINUED ON: P5 CM meets residents Shirur: CM Siddaramaiah visited the landslide area at Shirur on Ankola-Kumta road in Uttara Kannada district on Sunday, spending more than an hour inspecting the damage and interacting with the locals. He directed the officials to provide relief to the needy | P5 Mys to Siachen: Capt Supreetha breaks barriers K A R T H I K K K @ Mysuru IN a remarkable achievement, Captain Supreetha CT from Mysuru has become the first woman officer from the Corps of Army Air Defence to be operationally deployed at the formidable Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. Born to Thirumalesh, a police sub-inspector, and Nirmala, a homemaker, Supreetha’s journey from the serene Mysuru to the treacherous terrains of Siachen has emerged as a testament to her unwavering determination and pioneering spirit. In 2021, Supreetha’s military dreams took flight when she was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Army Rigorous training at . the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai prepared her for her role in the Army Air Defence unit. Her service saw her deployed in strategic locations, like Anantnag, Jabalpur and Leh. Her posting to Siachen Glacier came on July 18, said Thirumalesh, who hails from Chamarajanagar district. Thirumalesh, an SI at the Talakadu Police Station, expressed immense pride in his daughter’s achievements. “Supreetha has always been determined and focused. Her journey to Siachen is a dream come true for her and an inspiration to many,” he said. Supreetha studied at Shastri Vidya Samsthe in Hunsur, St Mary’s in HD Kote, St Joseph’s in KR Nagar and Marimallappa’s School in Mysuru. She pur- sued LLB at JSS Law College and also got her BBA. Supreetha married Major Jerry Blaiz, son of Col (retd) Richard Blaize and Lt Col Vijayalakshmi, in 2024. The couple had made headlines as the first pair to participate together in this year’s Republic Day parade. 14-year-old boy dies of Nipah virus in Kerala Capt Supreetha CT (inset) crosses a gorge at Siachen Glacier smooth conduct of Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government is willing to discuss all issues in accordance with the rules. Later, speaking to the reporters, Rijiju said: “As we prepare for the budget session, running Parliament smoothly is a collective responsibility .” Most Opposition parties criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s fiat that eateries and shops along the Kanwar Yatra route must display owners’ The Economic Survey 2023-24 will be presented in the Lok Sabha at 1 pm and in the Rajya Sabha at 2 pm on Monday. The survey gives details about the economic progress the country made in the previous year. The Union Budget will be presented on Tuesday | P13 names, terming it ‘communal and divisive’. The Budget session will have 19 sittings till August 12 when the government is expected to present six bills, including the one to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act. A day after testing positive for Nipah, a 14-year-old boy from Kerala’s Malappuram district died on Sunday. The boy, who was undergoing treatment in the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, suffered a cardiac arrest around 10.50 am on Sunday and doctors could not revive him. “The boy was in an unconscious state. He suffered a cardiac arrest. The doctors tried their level best to save the boy . Unfortunately, he passed away around 11.30 am,” said Kerala Health Minister Veena George. The minister said three persons are under isolation at Kozhikode medical college. Although the health department received the monoclonal antibodies from the Indian Council of Medical Research on Sunday the boy died before , doctors could administer it. Meanwhile, samples taken from seven persons suspected to have contracted virus tested negative on Sunday . Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kerala since 2018, when 17 people died.
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