Karnataka govt mulls permitting Ganesha Utsav with covid rules

Udupi: Karnataka Kreedakoota-2025, a sports event organised by the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, Karnataka Olympic Association, and the District Administration, will be held in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts from January 17 to January 23.

The event will feature 1,373 athletes participating in a variety of sports, including kayaking, canoeing, archery, cycling, wrestling, boxing, hockey, lawn tennis, table tennis, Kabaddi, Judo, and athletics.

Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari K addressed a press conference on Monday, providing details about the events in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

According to her, while volleyball, basketball, and swimming competitions will take place in Dakshina Kannada, events like kayaking and canoeing will be held in Brahmavara’s Swarna River, and archery will take place at the MJC Ground in Manipal.

Marena Sports Complex in Manipal will host lawn tennis and table tennis matches, she added.

The opening ceremony will take place on January 17 in Mangaluru and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be inaugurating the event.

The closing ceremony will be held in Udupi on January 23, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Home Minister G Parameshwar attending.

The district administration, in collaboration with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, has made provisions for accommodation and food for the participants, said the DC.

She also said the synthetic track at the Mahatma Gandhi District Stadium in Ajjarakad is undergoing repair work after its 10-year durability period ended in 2023, to provide athletes better infrastructure.

Eight members of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) have called upon the regime’s minister of military affairs Israel Katz to instruct the occupation army to destroy all water, food and energy sources in the Gaza Strip “to achieve the war goals.”

The letter to Katz asserted “the Israeli military’s operations were failing to achieve the political objectives set for the war”, the Israeli Haaretz daily newspaper reported. 

Despite Israel’s complete siege on the Gaza Strip and the reduction in aid being allowed into the coastal territory, the legislators said the current plans to displace north Gaza residents to the south are not being implemented “properly”.

The Knesset members urged Katz to re-examine war strategies, asserting that after besieging northern Gaza and displacing its residents, the Israeli military should destroy all energy, food and water sources in the area.

They also called for the killing of anyone who moved within northern Gaza without surrendering by waving a white flag.

The measures should not be limited to northern Gaza, they said, but extended to other regions.

They made no mention of the Israeli captives being held in Gaza, Haaretz noted.

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 45,658 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 108,583 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Mangaluru, Jan 8: The serene beaches near Kulai Jetty under the limits of Surathkal police station turned into a scene of tragedy on Wednesday, January 8, as a group of four close friends saw their day of joy morph into heartbreak. 

Three young men lost their lives in the unforgiving waves, while one narrowly escaped death, saved by the heroic efforts of local fishermen.

The victims have been identified as: 

M. S. Manjunath (31), son of Shivlingappa, hailing from Upparigenahalli, Chitradurga district.

Shivakumar (30) from Shivamogga district.

Satyavelu (30) from JP Nagar, Bengaluru.

The sole survivor, Parameshwara (30), from Hangarga, Bidar district, now carries the weight of a harrowing ordeal and the devastating loss of his three closest friends.

These young men, all students of AMC Engineering College in Bengaluru, had embarked on a trip meant to create memories of joy and camaraderie. Driving overnight from Bengaluru, they reached Mangaluru on Wednesday morning. After breakfast at a local eatery, the group decided to visit the picturesque Kulai Jetty, seeking solace and adventure in the sea.

But their joyful outing took a tragic turn. While playing in the water, the four were caught in strong currents. Despite the swift intervention of local fishermen, only Parameshwara could be rescued in time. The lifeless bodies of Manjunath, Shivakumar, and Satyavelu were later found on the right side of the jetty, their dreams and futures cruelly cut short.

The Surathkal police, alerted to the incident, promptly arrived at the scene and began their investigation. The bodies were transported to AJ Hospital for post-mortem examinations, leaving their families and friends to grapple with the enormity of their loss.

A case has been registered at Surathkal Police Station. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of the sea, urging visitors to prioritize safety above all else.

What was meant to be a day of joy has left a void that can never be filled, as three grieving families now face the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones.