New Delhi: The Congress is on course to win over 100 Lok Sabha seats - after winning just 44 in 2014 and 52 in the 2019 election. In 2009 the party - then heading the United Progressive Alliance - won 206 seats.
The Congress-led INDIA bloc - formed in June last year to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP - led National Democratic Alliance from claiming a third consecutive term in power.
Prominent NRI community leader SM Syed Khalilur Rehman, fondly known as CA Khalil, passed away in Dubai on Thursday at the age of 86 after a brief illness.
Khalil had been admitted to Aster Hospital in Mankhool on Tuesday after experiencing severe leg weakness. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, he succumbed to a double heart attack that worsened his condition, his son Rais Ahmed confirmed.
The news of his passing has sent waves of grief across communities, particularly in his hometown of Bhatkal, Karnataka, where he was a celebrated figure. Tributes have been pouring in on social media, highlighting his significant contributions to international trade, social service, and education.
A Legacy of Leadership and Service
A chartered accountant by profession, Khalil was a founding member of the Dubai chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), where he served as chairman from 1987 to 1994. His illustrious career included key leadership roles, such as general manager of Khaleej Times, group executive director of the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, and vice-chairman of the Jashanmal Group of Companies.
He also chaired Maadhyama Communications and Sahil Online, a web-based news platform, and was a director and trustee of several media companies and charitable organisations in Dubai and India.
A Champion for Education and Philanthropy
Khalil’s impact extended far beyond his professional achievements. As president and general secretary of Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, he played a pivotal role in the development of educational institutions, including schools and colleges in Bhatkal and surrounding areas. His dedication to social upliftment earned him recognition from the Government of Karnataka, which honoured him with a prestigious award for his philanthropic contributions.
A Life Celebrated
The Bhatkal Muslim Khaleej Council (BMKC) recently released a documentary celebrating Khalil’s remarkable life and service to the community—a testament to his enduring legacy.
CA Khalil is survived by his family and countless admirers across the globe. His passing marks the end of an era for Indian expatriates in the UAE and beyond, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, generosity, and commitment to community service.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon has warned that the “picture of life in Lebanon remains grim,” highlighting an "alarming" level of human suffering and significant humanitarian consequences due to the ongoing Israeli carnage.
Imran Riza, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), provided a stark overview of the Arab country's dire circumstances in a statement released on Monday.
“The current picture of life in Lebanon remains grim. Yesterday, airstrikes reportedly killed 23 people, including seven children, in the village of Aalmat in Mount Lebanon,” Riza said on X.
An airstrike in the city of Tyre on the same day resulted in the tragic deaths of five siblings from a single family, all of whom had special needs, according to his statement.
He added that in the last week, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 241 individuals and left 642 others injured in Lebanon, as reported by the Ministry of Health.
“In the past month, more than 185,000 people have fled their homes in their search for safety within the country, bringing the total to over 870,000 people internally displaced,” Riza said
The UN official highlighted that numerous individuals, including the elderly and those with health issues, are staying behind while witnessing the ruins of their ancestral homes.
He urged for the swift safeguarding of civilian people and infrastructure, emphasizing the necessity to uphold international humanitarian law and end the ongoing violence.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli forces bombed a house in the town of Maydoun in Bekaa on Monday night, killing three people and destroying the house.
Earlier, Israel bombed the northern town of Ain Yaaqoub, killing at least 14 people.
The killings came as Israeli military continued to pound Lebanon, bombing shops selling electrical appliances in the southern city of Tyre and carrying out air raids on the towns of Shamshtar in eastern Baalbek and Roumine in southern Nabatieh.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks killed at least 54 people across the country on Monday.
Israel’s merciless attacks continue despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Lebanon, at least 3,243 people have been killed and 14,134 others wounded in Israeli attacks since the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023.
The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah opened a support front for Palestinians in Gaza only a day after the Israeli regime unleashed its genocidal war on the besieged territory.
The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul in the Afghan mission in Mumbai, Afghan media has reported.
It is the first such appointment made by the Taliban set up to any Afghan mission in India.
There was no immediate comment from the Indian side on the appointment that came.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has announced the appointment of Kamil as the acting consul in Mumbai, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.
"He is currently in Mumbai, where he is fulfilling his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate," it said.
The appointment is part of Kabul's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad, the media outlet said
Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry, it said.
He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India, the report added.
Kamil's appointment comes days after the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, in Kabul.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, also posted on X about Kamil's appointment.
The appointment of Kamil is seen as part of efforts to facilitate consular services to the Afghan population in Mumbai.
There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India.
Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.
In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai.
Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi late last year, after working as the Afghan consul general in Mumbai for more than two years.
She took charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi last November, after the mission helmed by then ambassador Farid Mamundzay announced its closure.
Mamundzay, who was an appointee of the Ghani government, had moved to the United Kingdom.
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