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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Tel Aviv: A key governing partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday it is quitting the government, leaving him with a minority in parliament.
The Shas ultra-Orthodox party said it was leaving over disagreements surrounding a proposed law meant to grant wide military draft exemptions to its constituents.
A second ultra-Orthodox party quit earlier this week over the same issue.
Bengaluru: Days after Russian woman Nina Kutina was taken into custody for living in a cave deep inside the forest in Karnataka’s Gokarna with her two daughters, her ex-husband, an Israeli citizen, is demanding shared custody of their daughters, saying he wants to be a father to them.
“I just want to be able to see my daughters a few times a week and take care of them, too. My concern is that if they go to Russia now, it will get tougher to keep in touch with them. So, I wish they could stay in India,” said Goldstein to PTI Videos on Wednesday.
Dror Goldstein (38), who said he lives for nearly six months a year in Goa, said he had been living separately from Kutina (40) for the last couple of years and that he “lost touch” with them when she took the daughters and left Goa a few months ago.
“I managed to find them on a beach in Gokarna, but Kutina refused to let me be with my children as I don’t live with them anymore,” added Goldstein.
He said he met Kutina in Goa around 2017 and they had been together, travelling between India and Ukraine, until they split.
He said he had left India this time around in March, and because of the war, he couldn’t come before this.
“When I heard the news, I booked a flight immediately to Bengaluru to try and meet them,” said Goldstein.
He said Kutina wants to raise the children alone.
“She told me in the beginning itself that if I don’t live in the same house, I should not be in touch with them at all,” claimed Goldstein.
When they left Goa a few months ago, Goldstein said he filed a missing report with the police.
“But now, I want to push for shared custody,” he added.
Goldstein said he has been supporting Kutina since she gave birth to his first daughter.
“I give her money every month and then come here to India to spend six months with them, as I have other obligations for the other six months. Also, the visa is only for six months,” he added.
Goldstein said his younger daughter was born in India and that Kutina has been living here (in India) for nearly five years.
“As I understand, she (Ama) is a citizen of India and should not be deported,” he said.
The girls, Prema (6) and Ama (4), were found with Kutina in a secluded cave in the Ramatirtha hills of Kumta taluk on July 11.
They were found living inside a cave in Gokarna during a routine inspection by the police after a landslide in the area.
Police had said that all three had lived in isolation for nearly three weeks before they were found.
In an earlier interview with PTI, Kutina said that her life in the cave was not as it was being portrayed in the media.
She also complained about the place where she and her daughters were taken after being moved from the cave.
Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad being escorted by police personnel after his arrest
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned Haryana SIT’s line of investigation in the case of Ashoka University professor booked for social media posts on Operation Sindoor saying “it misdirected itself”.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the Haryana SIT headed by a senior police officer to only confine itself to the two FIRs against Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his contentious social media posts and see if there was an offence and submit its report in four weeks.
“We are asking why SIT is, on the face of it, misdirecting itself? They were supposed to examine the contents of the posts,” Justice Kant said.
The bench said though it did not want to interfere or intervene with the investigation, it questioned the seizure of the cell phones and other electronic gadgets.
“It is open for the SIT to say that the contents of the FIRs does not disclose any offence, this case can be closed. It can always say that during the course of investigation, they have come across certain incriminating materials, which constitute separate offences and the law will take its own course,” the bench told Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the SIT.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mahmudabad, submitted despite the court directing the SIT to focus on the contents of the FIR, it carried out a “roving inquiry” and sent the gadgets seized from the professor to forensic laboratory for examination.
He referred to the interim status report of the SIT saying it had received the forensic lab report of the gadgets and two more months were required for its examination.
Raju said the investigation was SIT’s prerogative and the accused couldn’t dictate terms of the probe.
“All you had to do was examine the posts, whether the expression, words or terminology constitute any offences alleged in the FIR. For that you do not need him, or a dictionary or his gadgets. We want to know for what purposes, these gadgets were seized?” the bench asked Raju.
Justice Kant said if Raju was unable to answer the question it would call the head of the SIT and them about the line of investigation.
Sibal said the posts were very patriotic statements and anyone looking at it would give the same view.
Raju argued to see if there was an offence, devices had to be examined to see if there was more than just social media posts.
“We feel that the SIT has misdirected itself despite the mandate given in the May 28 order,” the bench reiterated.
Since Mahmudabad was cooperating with the investigation, there was no need to summon him again, it said.
The investigation should not have taken two days, it added.
“There are two social media posts and two FIRs. The question is very simple. Which line and which word or expression constitutes an offence. This is what the SIT, being an expert body, has to find out,” the top court said.
The bench relaxed the professor’s bail condition imposed on May 21 and allowed him write posts, articles and express any opinion except on the sub judice case.
On May 28, the top court said there was no impediment on the professor’s right to speech and expression, but barred him from sharing anything online on the cases against him.
The top court had made it clear that the subject matter of investigation was two FIRs lodged against the professor and asked the Haryana police not to go “left and right” in the investigation and seek the “devices”, which the cops said they would like to examine.
On May 21, the top court granted him interim bail, but refused to stay the investigation against him.
The top court had also restrained the professor from expressing any opinion in relation to the terrorist attack on Indian soil or the counter-response given by the Indian armed forces.
It directed a three-member SIT to look into the FIRs against him.
Haryana Police arrested Mahmudabad on May 18 after two FIRs were registered against him.
His contentious social media posts on Operation Sindoor, it is alleged, endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
The two FIRs — one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch — were lodged by Rai police in Sonipat district.
He was booked under BNS sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty or unity and integrity of India), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (deliberate actions aimed at insulting the modesty of a woman) and 196 (1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion).
Several political parties and academicians condemned the arrest.
Kasaragod: In view of the ongoing heavy rains, a holiday has been declared for all educational institutions across Kasaragod district on Thursday, July 17. Kasaragod District Collector Inbasekar K issued an order in this regard on Wednesday.
The rain holiday applies to schools, colleges, professional institutions, Kendriya Vidyalayas, tuition centres, madrasas, anganwadis, and special classes. However, examinations that were already scheduled will be conducted as planned.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that heavy rainfall will persist across Kerala over the coming days. An orange alert has been issued for the districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, and Kozhikode on Thursday.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday declined to grant a stay on the state government’s decision to take control of the renowned Gali Anjaneya Temple, following allegations of corruption and administrative irregularities by its managing trust.
Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav heard a petition filed by the temple’s trustees challenging the takeover order.
The trust, represented by advocate P Prasanna Kumar, accused the government of acting without due process or a detailed inquiry into the temple’s internal affairs.
The temple’s legal counsel argued that the move was precipitate and based on incomplete data. He asserted that the trust had submitted the necessary records as required and claimed the government acted without considering the documents in full.
Countering these claims, the government’s counsel alleged that the temple trust had not provided satisfactory responses to repeated requests for financial and administrative records.
“Over the last 19 years, the income has been entirely shown as expenditure, with no proper documentation. Not a single financial record has been submitted. Devotees have welcomed the Muzrai Department’s decision to step in,” the government lawyer stated.
The state also pointed to a recent theft from the temple’s donation box as evidence of poor management. While two individuals were dismissed and an FIR was filed, authorities noted that a year later, no charge sheet had been filed, raising further concerns about the trust’s functioning.
A report by an assistant commissioner flagged not only the theft incident, but also internal discord among trust members. The inquiry highlighted widespread dissatisfaction among the devotees, with growing concerns expressed on social media. These findings prompted the Muzrai Department to issue an official order taking over temple management.
Tel Aviv: Twenty Palestinians were killed at a food distribution centre run by an Israeli-backed American organisation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, mostly from being trampled, the group said.
They were the first deaths reported at one of the group’s sites, though hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces on the roads leading to them, according to witnesses and health officials.
Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 41 others, including 11 children, according to hospital officials.
The Gaza Humanitarian Fund accused the Hamas group of fomenting unrest at the food distribution centre, leading to a “dangerous surge,” though it provided no evidence to support the claim.
Witnesses said GHF guards threw stun grenades and used pepper spray on people pressing to get into the site before it opened, causing a panic in the narrow, fenced-in entrance.
Since the group’s operations began in late May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while on roads heading to the sites, according to witnesses and health officials.
GHF’s four sites are all in military-controlled zones, and the Israeli military has said its troops have only fired warning shots to control crowds.
Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and the territory is teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts.
GHF said it believed that 19 of the dead died from trampling at its food distribution centre between the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah and one was killed by a stabbing in the crowd.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 17 people suffocated at the site and three others were shot. It was not clear if the shootings took place during the crush or earlier on the road to the center. The witnesses did not report shots fired at the center but said Israeli troops fired toward the crowds as they headed to it.
Witnesses said that thousands of Palestinians arrived at the site early in the morning, and the American contractors guarding it did not open the gates. It was not clear if it was before the site’s opening time or if it was not operating at all, since schedules often change.
The crowd surged forward at the turnstiles in the fenced-in entranceway, said one survivor, Ahmed Abu Amra.
“The Americans were calling out on the loudspeakers, Go back, go back.’ But no one could turn around because it was so crowded,” he said. “Everyone was on top of each other. We tried to pull out the people who were underneath, but we couldn’t. The Americans were throwing stun grenades at us.”
Other witnesses said the contractors used pepper spray as well. The Health Ministry said tear gas was used, but GHF denied that and said its contractors deployed “limited use of pepper spray.” It said they fired no shots at the crowd.
“Everyone suffocated from people crushing on top of each other,” said Omar al-Najjar, a Rafah resident, as he and other men carried a wounded man on a stretcher. He said the chaos at the sites is forcing Palestinians to “march towards death.”
GHF said it believed elements in the crowd “armed and affiliated with Hamas” fomented the unrest. It said that its contractors identified men with firearms in the crowd and confiscated one.
Distribution at the GHF sites has often been chaotic. Boxes of food are left stacked on the ground inside the center and, once opened, crowds charge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF itself.
In videos obtained recently by The Associated Press from an American contractor working with GHF, contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds back behind metal fences or to force them to disperse. Gunshots can also be heard.
The United Nations human rights office said Tuesday that 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food since May. Of those, 674 were killed while en route to GHF food sites. The rest were reportedly killed while waiting for aid trucks entering Gaza.
Israeli strikes killed 22 people in Gaza City, including 11 children and three women, and 19 others in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it has struck more than 120 targets in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas military infrastructure of tunnels and weapons storage facilities.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that hospitals have received a total of 94 bodies over the past 24 hours, with another 252 wounded.
Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths because the group often operates in residential areas.
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli military announced the opening of a new corridor — the fourth — that bisects Khan Younis, where Israeli troops have seized land in what they say is a pressure tactic against Hamas. In the past, these narrow strips of land have been a serious hurdle during ceasefire negotiations, as Israel has said it wants to maintain control over them.
Indirect negotiations in Qatar between Israel and Hamas are at a standstill, after 21 months of war, which began with the Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. That day, fighters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Fifty hostages are still being held, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its tally.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other international organisations consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties.
London: The England cricket team slipped a rung to third position in the World Test Championship table on Wednesday after being docked two points for maintaining a slow over rate in the third Test against India at Lord’s.
Ben Stokes and Co. were also fined 10 per cent of their match fee after the Test, which they won by 22 runs on Monday.
Match referee Richie Richardson imposed the sanction after England were ruled to be two overs short of the target when time allowances were taken into consideration. India are fourth in the WTC points table right now.
“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,” the ICC said in statement.
“In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, two World Test Championship points have been deducted from England’s points total,” it added.
England’s tally in the World Test Championship standings dropped from 24 to 22 out of 36 points, consequently reducing their point percentage (PCT) from 66.67 per cent to 61.11 per cent.
As a result, Sri Lanka, who have a 66.67 PCT, have taken over England to be second.
Australia leads the WTC table with a 100 percentage point having won all three of their games so far, while India have 33.33 PCT
England captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd levelled the charge.
New Delhi: Air India on Wednesday completed the inspection of the locking mechanism of fuel control switches in its Boeing 787 planes and did not find any issues, according to an airline official.
On Monday, aviation watchdog DGCA directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes against the backdrop of AAIB’s preliminary report stating that fuel switches were cut off before the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people last month.
“Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found,” the official said, quoting an internal message sent to Air India pilots.
The official also said that all the Boeing 787-8 aircraft have undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacement as per the Boeing maintenance schedule. FCS is part of this module.
FCS regulate the flow of fuel into the aircraft engines. In its preliminary report on the Boeing 787-8 crash released on Saturday, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take off.
A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the Air India plane crash revealed fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off? The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
AAIB, which mentioned about FAA’s SAIB in the report, did not suggest any recommended action.
The airline has also asked pilots to remain vigilant and report any defect in the technical log, as per the existing reporting process, the official added.
An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck near Jhajjar in Haryana on Friday evening, sending tremors across parts of Delhi-NCR, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.
The tremors were recorded at 7:49 pm, with the epicentre located 10 km northeast of Jhajjar and around 51 km west of Delhi, it said.
People reported feeling the tremors in several districts, including Rohtak, Faridabad, Kurukshetra, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.
This was the second earthquake to jolt the region in as many days.
On Thursday morning, a stronger earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck near Jhajjar, triggering tremors across the capital and adjoining areas.
The back-to-back earthquakes have sparked concern and speculation on social media.
“Another earthquake — 2 earthquakes in 2 days! What’s happening?” a Gurugram resident posted on X.
“Another day, another earthquake. Earthquake jolts Delhi once again — second tremor this week! What’s going on with the tectonic plates? Delhiites are literally shaking…,” wrote another user.
Bengaluru: In a joint operation by the Bengaluru North Division Traffic Police and RTO officials, 10 school vehicles were seized on Friday for violating traffic rules.
The special drive, conducted on July 11 between 6 am and 9 am, focused on ensuring the safety of schoolchildren and cracking down on traffic violations. A total of 771 vehicles were inspected during the operation.
Among the key violations noted were overloading of students, driving under the influence of alcohol, and other serious breaches of road safety norms.
The traffic police registered six drunk driving (DD) cases as part of the operation. Ten vehicles were seized and notices were issued to the owners through the RTO, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-North) Sirigowri in an official statement.