Sam Pitroda quits as Indian Overseas Congress chief after controversial remark

A 27-year-old non-resident Indian and his Sudanese colleague died of dehydration and exhaustion in Saudi Arabia's Rub' al Khali desert.

Mohammad Shehzad Khan, a resident of Karimnagar, had been working in Saudi Arabia for three years with a telecommunications company.

The incident took place when Shehzad accompanied by his Sudanese colleague lost his way in the desert after his GPS lost signal. Shehzad's phone battery also died, leaving the two unable to call for help.

Soon, their vehicle also ran out of fuel, and the two men ran out of food and water in the searing heat. Being stranded in the dangerous Empty Quarter part of the desert is almost a guarantee of death.

The Rub' al Khali, which stresses over 650 kilometres, is well-known for its harsh conditions and spans across Saudi Arabia's southern regions and into neighbouring countries.

Even though the two fought to survive, the temperatures were extreme and dehydration and exhaustion took over. Their bodies were discovered on Thursday, four days after they ventured into the desert, lying next to their vehicle in the sand dunes.

The car they had been driving had stalled, which had led them to wander in the dessert. Their bodies were found on a prayer mat, according to the Free Press Journal.

Sources in Shehzad's family told online news platform Siasat Daily, they would prefer to maintain their total privacy at this grief-stricken hour.

Information on Shehzad's colleague, who was a Sudanese national, has not been found.

Kasaragod: Mohammed Ziyad, a 24-year-old Quran teacher from Kasaragod, Kerala, will be the first owner of Skoda's upcoming SUV, set to launch in 2025. The reason? He named the vehicle "Kylaq." Skoda India revealed the winning name and its creator in an Instagram post, congratulating Ziyad and announcing that he would receive the first model of the sub-four-metre car.

"Congratulations to Mr. Mohammed Ziyad from Kerala for winning the all-new #SkodaKylaq. He will be the first owner when it is launched next year," Skoda India wrote. The contest saw participation from around 200,000 people, all vying for the chance to name the new SUV. In another post, the company explained that "Kylaq" is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "crystal," and is inspired by the word "peak."

Ziyad, who holds an English degree from the University of Calicut, has been teaching at the Najath Quran Academy in Kasaragod for over two years. Despite his modest background, Ziyad’s dream of owning a car seemed out of reach—until this opportunity arose. "I don’t have a passion for cars, but I’ve always wanted to own one. However, my family’s financial situation didn’t allow it," Ziyad shared.

When he encountered Skoda's contest to name their next SUV in February, Ziyad decided to give it a try. The only requirement was that the name should start with a "K" and end with a "Q."

"I spent several days thinking it over, jotting down potential names, and eventually settled on 'Kylaq,'" Ziyad explained. His journey in education also includes a seven-year Islamic studies program at al Marjan Institute for Hafazath al Quran in Malappuram district and a one-year Islamic degree at Jamia Yamaniyya Arabic College in Kozhikode.

Mandya: Accusing the opposition BJP of attempting 'Operation Kamala' to destabilise the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka, a ruling party MLA on Sunday claimed that efforts were on to entice Congress legislators, by offering Rs 100 crore.

Congress MLA from Mandya Ravikumar Gowda (Ravi Ganiga) alleged that though attempts are on by the BJP to destabilise the government by luring MLAs, no legislator will fall for it, and the government was stable and strong.

‘Operation Kamala’ (Operation Lotus) refers to an alleged attempt of the BJP to engineer defection of its opponent party legislators to install its own government and to ensure its stability.

"Even today I'm saying, they (BJP) have now raised the offer to Rs 100 crore from Rs 50 crore, someone had called day-before-yesterday saying hundred (crore) ready, (wanted) to purchase 50 MLAs. BJP people have gone from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore," Gowda said in response to a reporter's question.

Addressing media here, he said, "Someone had called me, I told him to keep Rs 100 crore with himself, I thought of complaining to ED." "Everyday they (BJP) are planning to dislodge our government, from Rs 50 crore, they have now gone to Rs 100 crore offer, but our government is stable, the Chief Minister is also strong," he added.

Earlier, in October last year too, Gowda had claimed that a team was trying to lure Congress legislators with offers of Rs 50 crore and ministerial positions. He had said that four legislators have been contacted, and there is evidence to support this claim.

Gowda today accused BJP national General Secretary Organisation B L Santhosh, Union Ministers Shobha Karnadlaje, Pralhad Joshi and H D Kumaraswamy (of JDS) of working as a "gang" to destabilise the Congress government in the state.

With 136 MLAs the Congress government is "strong like a rock", there is a popular CM, who is pro-poor, and no one can dislodge it, he further said. "But these people have promised PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and are walking around with an aim to topple the government."

Alleging that BJP's "brokers" are contacting Congress MLAs every day, Gowda said, "none of our MLAs will fall for it... they (BJP)want to dislodge the government, by purchasing MLAs. They want to destabilise, as Congress is strong in Karnataka."

"We are collecting evidence, we will give it to ED, CBI, we want to catch them with the bag of cash...I have the audio of the person who had called me, he should be feeling his heart beat now, we will release it at the right time," he added.