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MANDYA: RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat on the premises of the Moodalabagilu Anjaneya Temple, while adressing the crowd said hijab-clad girl Muskan from Mandya has links with Al-Qaeda.
“Al-Qaeda has given money and support to Muskan. She has contact with the terror organisation. So, the people should be careful as terrorists will be coming to Mandya,” he said. Bhat said if Muslim girls are allowed to wear hijab, then Hindu students will wear saffron shawls to classes.
BETHLEHEM: The typically bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town Sunday after Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.
The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists and jubilant youth marching bands that gather in the West Bank town each year to mark the holiday. Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.
“This year, without the Christmas tree and lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has lived in Jerusalem for six years.
Vinh said he always comes to Bethlehem to mark Christmas, but this year was especially sobering. He gazed at a nativity scene in Manger Square with a baby Jesus wrapped in a white shroud, reminiscent of the thousands of children killed in the fighting in Gaza.
Barbed wire surrounded the scene, the grey rubble reflecting none of the joyous lights and bursts of color that normally fill the square during the Christmas season. Cold, rainy weather added to the grim mood.
The cancellation of Christmas festivities was a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all of that during the Christmas season.
With many major airlines canceling flights to Israel, few foreigners are visiting. Local officials say over 70 hotels in Bethlehem were forced to close, leaving thousands of people unemployed.
Gift shops were slow to open on Christmas Eve, although a few did once the rain had stopped pouring down. There were few visitors, however.
“We can’t justify putting out a tree and celebrating as normal when some people (in Gaza) don’t even have houses to go to,” said Ala’a Salameh, one of the owners of Afteem Restaurant, a family-owned falafel restaurant just steps from the square.
Salameh said Christmas Eve is usually the busiest day of the year.
“Normally, you can’t find a single chair to sit on, we’re full from morning till midnight,” said Salameh. On Sunday morning, just one table was taken, by journalists taking a break from the rain.
Under a banner that read “Bethlehem’s Christmas bells ring for a cease-fire in Gaza,” a few teenagers offered small inflatable Santas, but no one was buying.
Instead of their traditional march through the streets of Bethlehem, young scouts stood silently with flags. A group of local students unfurled a massive Palestinian flag as they stood in silence.
An organist with the Church of the Nativity choir, Shukry Mubarak, said the group changed much of the traditional Christmas musical repertoire from joyful holiday songs to more solemn hymns in minor keys.
“Our message every year on Christmas is one of peace and love, but this year it’s a message of sadness, grief, and anger in front of the international community with what is happening and going on in the Gaza Strip,” Bethlehem’s mayor, Hana Haniyeh, said in an address to the crowd.
Dr. Joseph Mugasa, a pediatrician, was one of the few international visitors. He said his tour group of 15 people from Tanzania was “determined” to come to the region despite the situation.
“I’ve been here several times, and it’s quite a unique Christmas, as usually there’s a lot of people and a lot of celebrations,” he said. “But you can’t celebrate while people are suffering, so we are sad for them and praying for peace.”
More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 50,000 wounded during Israel’s air and ground offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers, according to health officials there, while some 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ deadly assault on Oct. 7 on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 240 hostages.
The Gaza war has been accompanied by a surge in West Bank violence, with some 300 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire.
The fighting has affected life across the Israeli-occupied territory. Since Oct. 7, access to Bethlehem and other Palestinian towns in the West Bank has been difficult, with long lines of motorists waiting to pass military checkpoints. The restrictions have also prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from exiting the territory to work in Israel.
Amir Michael Giacaman opened his store, “Il Bambino,” which sells olive wood carvings and other souvenirs, for the first time since Oct. 7. There have been no tourists, and few residents have money to spare because those who worked in Israel have been stuck at home.
“When people have extra money, they go buy food,” said his wife, Safa Giacaman. “This year, we’re telling the Christmas story. We’re celebrating Jesus, not the tree, not Santa Claus, she said, as their daughter Mikaella ran around the deserted store.
The fighting in Gaza was on the minds of the small Christian community in Syria, which is coping with a civil war now in its 13th year. Christians said they were trying to find joy, despite the ongoing strife in their homeland and Gaza.
“Where is the love? What have we done with love?” said the Rev. Elias Zahlawi, a priest in Yabroud, a city about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Damascus. “We’ve thrown God outside the realm of humanity and unfortunately, the church has remained silent in the face of this painful reality.”
Some tried to find inspiration in the spirit of Christmas.
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arriving from Jerusalem for the traditional procession to the Church of the Nativity, told the sparse crowd that Christmas was a “reason to hope” despite the war and violence.
The pared-down Christmas was in keeping with the original message of the holiday and illustrated the many ways the community is coming together, said Stephanie Saldaña, who is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and has lived in Jerusalem and Bethlehem for the past 15 years with her husband, a parish priest at the St Joseph Syriac Catholic Church.
“We feel Christmas as more real than ever because we’re waiting for the prince of peace to come. We are waiting for a miracle to stop this war,” Saldaña said.
NEW DELHI: India recorded a single-day rise of 628 new COVID-19 cases while the active caseload jumped to 4,054, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The total fatalities were recorded at 5,33,334 (5.33 lakh) with one new death reported from Kerala in the previous 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The country’s Covid case tally is currently at 4,50,09,248 (4.50 crore). The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has risen to 4,44,71,860 (4.44 crore) while the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 percent, according to the Health Ministry website.
The case fatality rate stands at 1.19 percent. According to the ministry website, 220.67 crore Covid vaccine doses have been administered.
CHENNAI: As the year approaches its end, the wrestling saga has culminated with the elections of the Wrestling Federation of India on Thursday. It took just over eleven months but the results, however, was not as sweet for the protesting wrestlers.
Even as supporters of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh shouted slogans and burst firecrackers at his residence which serves as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office, to celebrate their victory in the elections, less than two kilometres from there one of India’s most decorated woman wrestlers announced her retirement.
staunch supporter of Brij Bhushan, was elected the WFI president after securing 40 out of 47 votes to beat Anita Sheoran, a former CWG medallist. Teary-eyed Sakshi Malik, the lone woman wrestler from the country to win an Olympic medal to date, placed her shoes on the table while announcing her decision at the Press Club of India.
She along with Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia and multiple World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat were the face of the protest against the former WFI chief Brij Bhushan on sexual harassment charges and mismanagement.
“We fought from our heart but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner and a close aide has been elected as the president of WFI, then I quit wrestling,” Sakshi told reporters with Bajrang and Vinesh in her company.
“We wanted a female president but that did not happen,” the 31-year-old said. Unable to control her emotions, a sobbing Sakshi left the venue soon after. The announcement marked an end to her illustrious career of more than a decade wherein she bagged bronze in the 2016 Rio Games apart from winning medals of all colours at the Commonwealth Games. The gold came last year when she made a dramatic comeback in the final, which also turned out to be her last international outing.
Bajrang felt let down by the government. “It’s unfortunate that government did not stand by its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist will contest the WFI elections,” he said during the press conference. As far as the elections were concerned, the faction of Brij Bhushan, who was ineligible to contest as he had completed three full tenures, won 13 out of 15 posts. As was reported by this daily in July, a compromise formula was devised apparently at the behest of the union government as candidates from other faction — Prem Chand Lochab, former secretary of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), and Devender Kadyan, a hotelier from Haryana — won the elections for secretary general and senior vice-president’s posts respectively.
Hours later, the newly-elected body cancelled all the decisions taken by the ad hoc committee. Kadiyan, who later attended the meeting, said he and Lochab have been apprised of the move and they support them. The formation of the new executive committee also paved the way for lifting the suspension of the WFI by United World Wrestling, the world governing body.
Sanjay, a close associate of the outgoing WFI chief became the new President with his panel winning 13 of the 15 posts in the elections — a result that expectedly brought disappointment for the top three wrestlers — Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia — who had aggressively pushed for a change of guard at the federation.
The top wrestlers had early this year, launched an agitation against Brij Bhushan who they had accused of sexually exploiting women wrestlers.
The matter is in court.
Winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games was the highlight of Sakshi’s 13-year-old career in which she won three CWG medals, including gold in the 2022 edition and four Asian Championship medals.
The Haryana wrestler, though, was struggling on the mat before the latest CWG edition and had conceded her spot in the national team to young Sonam Malik, who beat her during the national selection trials a number of times.
Sakshi appeared to be getting back her form during the 2022 Birmingham Games but it may be mentioned that the level of competition at the CWG is pretty weak as wrestlers from powerhouses Japan and Iran do not compete there.
Olympic medallists Punia and Phogat also addressed the media.
“It’s unfortunate that the government did not stand by its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist will contest the WFI elections,” rued Bajrang and added that he is not sure if he will continue to pursue competitive wrestling.
The wrestlers had managed to mobilise huge support from different sections of society during their protest but the agitation fizzled out the day they planned a march towards the new Parliament building on May 28 when Delhi police removed all the protesters from Jantar Mantar for rioting.
The wrestlers had officially called off their protest on June 7 when Sports Minister Anurag Thakur assured them that none of the family members or close associates of Brij Bhushan would be allowed to enter the WFI election fray.
“With Sanjay Singh becoming president, I don’t think women wrestlers will get justice because back door politics is still on to break their resolve. About 15-20 girls met with the sports minister and told him about the exploitation and today they are down to just six and they too are being coerced to pull out,” alleged Bajrang.
Bajrang said the ministry has gone back on its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist would be allowed to contest the elections.
“Following our protest in January, an oversight committee was formed by the ministry. Several female wrestlers had deposed before the panel, following which the sports minister said in front of the media that any person associated with Brij Bhushan would not enter the WFI. We waited for the outcome of the oversight committee for three months before starting the protest again. We were fighting for the truth and honour of our sisters and daughters,” said 29-year-old Bajrang.
The Tokyo Games bronze winner said it was a long-drawn battle and 2-3 generations might have to suffer before getting justice.
“The fight we have fought, I feel the next one or two generations will have to continue the fight to get justice. We fought with full strength but the promise the government had made, it could not stand firm on that. Very sad to say that,” he added.
PAARL, SOUTH AFRICA: India captain KL Rahul conceded that a “phenomenal” Sanju Samson was finding it difficult to find a place in the side as stalwarts in the team occupy key spots, adding that he was pleased the talented cricketer grabbed his chance in the series against the Proteas.
Samson, elevated to No.3 spot, smashed his maiden ODI century in the third and final match against the Proteas on Thursday as India won by 78 runs to wrap up the series 2-1.
“Pleased for Sanju, he’s been a phenomenal performer in the IPL over the years. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to give him the chance at No.3, because obviously there are stalwarts in the ODIs who occupy those key spots.
“Glad he was able to grab his chances here,” said Rahul following the big win.
Samson’s measured 108 (114 balls) and Tilak Varma’s patient 52 (77 balls) guided India to a competitive 296 for eight. South Africa challenged the tourists through a fifty by Tony de Zorzi (81, 87 balls) but were eventually bowled out for 218 in 45.5 overs.
Samson didn’t get the opportunity in the first ODI as the target set by South Africa was very low, while in the second match, the wicketkeeper-batter scored 12 coming in at No.5. But in the decider, he was elevated to No.3 as Virat Kohli is not touring with the ODI side.
Rahul added the focus of the team will now shift to the two-Test series beginning in Centurion on December 26.
Regular skipper Rohit Sharma and Kohli will be back in the side and Rahul will be the first-choice keeper.
“Will celebrate with the the boys and then switch back to focusing on the Test series in a day or two. Love being around the boys, that’s how it’s been since I came over to South Africa after some time away following a disappointing World Cup final,” he added.
‘Player of the match’ Samson said he was happy to have scored his maiden ODI century in 16 outings, and added the extra 3-4 overs he got to bat coming in at No.3 helped him in his endeavour.
“Proud of it (century), specially considering the result as well. Have been working hard. This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket and the bowler’s mindset. Batting at the top of the order gives you those 10-20 extra deliveries,” said Samson.
He added that the juniors in the side had really upped their game and made the seniors proud.
“The whole country is very proud of how Tilak Verma has stepped up, lots more expected from him. The seniors have set the standards of Indian cricket and the juniors are coming in and doing the job. It’s not very easy, travelling in between and playing every 2-3 days but they’re getting the job done.”
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who returned sublime figures of 4 for 30 to add to the five-for in the first ODI, said the IPL experience had made him a much better cricketer.
“The plan was simple, it was to bowl wicket-to-wicket and get lbws and bowled. Sometimes when there isn’t anything happening on the wicket, you need some support from the umpires, that’s why I had to appeal a lot,” said the ‘Player of the Series’ for his 10 wickets.
“IPL has been a very good platform for us youngsters, there isn’t a big gap between IPL and international cricket. You understand the mindset of international cricketers and it helps. We are all loving the chances we’ve got. We’d love to give our all in the future as well and do well,” he added.
BENGALURU: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name being proposed as the Prime Minister face of opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc is likely to put Congress under pressure to win more seats in the Lok Sabha elections next year.
A cautious Congress is now likely not to experiment with new faces, but field old warhorses to ensure better winning chances. Heavyweights, including ministers, could be asked to contest the polls to shore up the numbers and ensure Kharge a better chance if the results, if at all, swing INDIA way.
The Congress now has a lone MP DK Suresh, representing Bengaluru Rural constituency, out of 28 seats in the state. It is aiming at 20 seats with the advantage of it being in power.
Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna has voluntarily offered to be the Tumakuru candidate. The party could ask PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi to contest from Belagavi, Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa from Chamarajanagar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa from Kolar, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre from Bidar, former minister Shivaram Hebbar — if he quits BJP and returns to Congress, MLC Saleem Ahmed from Haveri and Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra from Mysuru-Kodagu.
Mahadevappa has proposed his son Sunil Bose’s name, while Muniyappa wants his daughter and KGF MLA Rupakala Shashidhar to be made a minister if he contests the polls, sources said.
The party plans to field H Anjaneya from Chitradurga, Ramanatha Rai from Dakshina Kannada and state Backward Classes Commission Chairman K Jayaprakasha Hegde from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, the sources said.
“Though Kharge’s name has not been formally proposed, it is still a matter of pride for all Kannadigas as he is the tallest leader from the state,” said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundurao.
It is interesting to see if Kharge, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, will contest from the Kalaburagi seat, which he lost in 2019, as he will be busy with the party campaign at the national level, a political analyst said.
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU/BAGALKOT: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the country’s airports and other vital establishments, will soon take over the security of the Parliament building complex. Sources said the CISF will conduct a comprehensive survey of the entire complex from Friday to assess the security measures in place.
The CISF will be in charge of access control to the new and old Parliament complex. Entry will be subject to frisking and screening with hand-held detectors, and personal belongings will be checked through X-ray machines. Sources said shoes, heavy jackets, and belts may also be scanned. Earlier, frisking of visitors to Parliament complex was done by Delhi Police.
“The plan is to ensure 100% security to both the new and old Parliament complexes and all other subsidiary buildings through a comprehensive security cover by the CISF, which will also have the existing elements of Parliament Security Service, the Delhi Police, and the Parliament Duty Group of the CRPF,” said a source.
Trained CISF commandos will be deployed for frisking and spotting suspects. Meanwhile, Delhi Police sleuths have detained a software engineer from Karnataka’s Bagalkot for questioning in the December 13 Parliament breach case. Sai Krishna Jagali, 30, son of a retired DySP, is a friend of D Manoranjan, one of the accused. His name was found in Manoranjan’s diary.
Bagalkot Superintendent of Police Amarnath Reddy said Sai Krishna was picked up from his house in Bagalkot on Wednesday night. He has not been arrested so far. On Thursday, a Delhi court extended the police custody of the four accused — Manoranjan, Sagar Sharma, Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad — till January 5.
NEW DELHI: India on Friday recorded 640 fresh COVID-19 infections while the number of active cases climbed to 2,997 from 2,669 the day before, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The country’s COVID-19 tally now stands at 4.50 crore (4,50,07,212).
The death toll climbed to 5,33,328 with one more fatality reported from Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,70,887.
The national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry’s website.
The case fatality rate stands at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the country so far.
NEW YORK: The FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 10,000 for information about a 29-year-old female student from India who went missing from New Jersey over four years ago.
Mayushi Bhagat was last seen leaving her apartment in Jersey City on the evening of April 29, 2019, wearing ‘colourful pyjama pants and a black T-shirt.’
Her family reported her missing to police on May 1, 2019.
The FBI Newark Field Office and the Jersey City Police Department are seeking the public’s help in solving Bhagat’s disappearance.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 10,000 for information leading to her location or recovery.
In July last year, the FBI added Bhagat to its list of “Missing Persons” and sought assistance from the public to help with information about her.
Born in India in July 1994, Bhagat was in the US on a student visa and was studying at the New York Institute of Technology.
NEW DELHI: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to ensure the release of the stipulated quantity of flows as per the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).
According to the final CWDT award, Karnataka should release 7.35 tmcft water for the rest of December, at the interstate connecting point Biligundulu on an average daily flow of 2,744 cusecs.
In the 91st meeting of the CWRC under the chairmanship of Vineet Gupta, the panel made a decision based on storage position, inflows and outflows of eight designated reservoirs and hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin. The next meeting will be held on January 9.
“The state of Karnataka needs to ensure flows at Biligundulu stipulated by CWDT, as modified by the Supreme Court, for the remaining period of December 2023 and January 2024, when the hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin will be reviewed,” Gupta told TNIE.
A good northeast monsoon has come as a relief to Tamil Nadu and also, the committee recognised the critical drought-like condition in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka.
“After January 31, there is no need for extra water required as harvesting of crops would start in February in TN while Karnataka needs to maintain the environmental flow of the river,” Gupta added. The committee observed that the live storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka is 42.546 tmcft, which is 40.69% of the total live storage. In Tamil Nadu, it is 54.089 tmcft, which is 41.77% of the total live storage.