Expired UAE residence visas to be renewed automatically for 3 months

Udupi, Oct 26: In a heartbreaking incident in Beejadi village near Kundapur in Udupi district, two young men were swept away by a powerful wave while swimming in the sea on Saturday morning. 

Santosh, 21, was pulled from the water by local fishermen and residents, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. Ajay, who was also caught in the wave, remains missing, according to Kundapur police.

The duo, along with friends Shreyas and Mokshith, had been staying at the Sahana Sun Caste Resort to attend a wedding. Ignoring warnings from locals about the dangers of entering the sea, the group ventured into the water. Around 9:30 a.m., a large wave suddenly engulfed them, sweeping Ajay and Santosh into deeper waters.

Police reported that Ajay hailed from Hangalli village near Kundapur, while Santosh was from Dasarahalli near Bengaluru. Expert divers have been dispatched to the scene in hopes of locating Ajay’s body.

Mangaluru: The MLC by-election for the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Local Authorities Constituency commenced at 8 AM on Monday, with voting set to continue until 4 PM. A total of 392 polling booths have been established across the two districts, which form the constituency.

The constituency has 6,032 eligible voters, including 3,127 women. Early reports indicated brisk voting at the Mangaluru City Corporation polling booth, where corporators were seen patiently standing in line in the morning.

In a unique moment, Sharath, a gram panchayat member from Kokkada, cast his vote at Kokkada Gram Panchayat before heading to his wedding ceremony.

The constituency features 53 sensitive polling booths. Eligible voters include members of gram panchayats, corporators from Mangaluru City Corporation, city and town municipal councils, town panchayats, MLAs, MLCs, and Lok Sabha members representing the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Notably, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole and MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, who do not represent local bodies, were left out of the voters' list. According to electoral rules, only those MLAs, MLCs, and MPs who represent city corporations, municipalities, town panchayats, taluk panchayats, or zilla panchayats are granted voting rights in the MLC elections for the Local Authorities’ Constituency.

A substantial wave of Israeli settlers is migrating to Cyprus, fueling concern over what analysts are calling a “silent occupation” as Israeli buyers snap up properties across the island. Following Israel’s recent military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon, thousands of Israelis have reportedly relocated, seeking real estate and creating enclaves of secretive luxury resorts that cater exclusively to affluent settlers. This shift represents the third major wave of Israeli migration to Cyprus, driven by a mix of war fallout, economic pressures, and Israel's internal political unrest.

Dimitri Lascaris, an investigative journalist and activist, reports on the rapid real estate acquisition in Cyprus, revealing that Israelis have been “buying anything in sight” amid the recent regional crises. He warns of an underlying agenda, stating that Cyprus has historically been viewed by Zionist ideologues as a potential site for a Jewish settlement due to its proximity to Israel and suitability for European-style development. Lascaris draws a link to early Zionist ambitions for Cyprus, recalling the Third Zionist Congress of 1899 when David Trietsch and Theodor Herzl both championed Cyprus as a base for Jewish settlement—a precursor to claiming Israel itself by force.

This migration, which has swelled Cyprus’s Israeli community from 6,500 in 2018 to over 12,000 by April 2024, has sparked an influx of 250-300 Israelis monthly. This quiet but steady stream has led to a larger presence of Israelis in Cyprus, with many pursuing strategic real estate purchases despite legal restrictions. Under Cypriot law, foreign entities can only acquire 500 square meters of land. However, by registering as Northern Cyprus firms and securing at least 51% Turkish Cypriot ownership, Israeli companies can circumvent this rule, enabling them to buy extensive tracts of land.

Cyprus’s geopolitical position—close to Israel, with NATO membership and new gas reserves—amplifies the strategic importance of this quiet expansion. Additionally, the island hosts a significant UK military base at Akrotiri, which has served as a launch point for aircraft bound for Palestinian territories, further heightening the controversy around Israeli-Cypriot connections.

Economically, the high cost of living in Israel and divisive internal issues, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial reforms, have also driven migration from the occupied lands. According to a Hebrew-language report by Maariv, the first seven months of 2024 saw an exodus of 40,000 Israeli settlers—nearly triple previous years’ numbers—primarily to Cyprus and other nearby regions.