Kicked out by son, Raymond’s Dr Vijaypat Singhania is now penniless!

Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned that around 1,500 citizens have lost their eyesight due to the war and another 4,000 are at risk of blindness because of severe shortages of medications and medical equipment.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in a report on Sunday said that the eye care services in Gaza have been facing a catastrophic collapse because of the genocidal war.

“The health sector is witnessing a critical shortage of consumables and medical equipment for eye surgeries, which is leading to an almost total collapse of surgical services, particularly for retinal diseases and diabetic retinopathy with internal bleeding,” said Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, director of Gaza’s Eye Hospital.

“The Eye Hospital currently has only 3 worn-out surgical scissors in use, which greatly increases risks to patients’ lives and prevents effective treatment,” he added.

The majority of eye injuries are caused by shrapnel from ordnance explosions and need medical materials such as Healon and fine sutures, which are almost impossible to find in the Strip due to the blockade.

Unless immediate and urgent intervention is made by relevant bodies and international organizations, the Eye Hospital will be unable to provide any surgical services in the near future.

The siege has forced hospitals and medical centers in Gaza to ration medications such as painkillers, provide less effective treatment, or turn patients away.

Hospitals and medical centers have run out of surgical supplies such as anesthetics, pediatric antibiotics, and medicines for chronic conditions.

Since March 18, when the Israeli regime broke its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, it has killed around 1,900 Palestinians and wounded several thousand more, most of whom are children and women. 

Mangaluru, May 10: A new chapter in Mangaluru’s infrastructure story unfolds on May 16, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrives to inaugurate two transformative projects: the newly built Deputy Commissioner’s Office at Padil and a world-class indoor stadium at Urwa.

These developments signal a strong push toward better governance and enhanced urban amenities in the coastal city.

₹75 Crore DC Office

The new DC Office, spread across a modern campus at Padil, comes with a price tag of ₹75 crore. Initially budgeted at ₹55 crore, the project received an additional ₹20 crore under the Smart City Mission, aimed at integrating technology and convenience in public administration.

“This facility reflects our vision of a centralized, people-friendly government. With 23 departments under one roof, citizens can now access services more efficiently,” said District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

The phased relocation of departments will begin on the day of inauguration and be completed over the next 2 to 3 weeks.

₹35 Crore Indoor Stadium Opens Doors

Also on the agenda is the grand opening of Mangaluru’s new indoor sports complex in Urwa, built for ₹35 crore. This ultra-modern facility is equipped to host national-level indoor events and will offer quality training infrastructure for emerging sports talent in the region.

Initiated during Siddaramaiah’s previous term, both the stadium and DC Office projects are now ready for public use and are expected to create lasting impact.

“These projects are not just buildings. They are investments in governance, youth, and the future of Mangaluru,” said Rao.

Riyadh: Dismantling years of US government policy of treating Syria like a pariah, President Donald Trump on Wednesday met Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa-- former leader of a rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was an offshoot of al-Qaeda and designated as a terrorist organisation by the American government. The meeting was held in Riyadh at the request of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a day after President Trump lifted sweeping sanctions against Syria, which the US began imposing in 1979.

After the meeting, Trump, who often judges people based on how they look, suggested that al-Sharaa has a "real shot at doing a good job" with war-torn Syria. He also called the former terrorist a "young, attractive, tough guy" with a "very strong" past. 

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, he said al-Sharaa is a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”

“He's got a real shot at holding it together."

Trump said he spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, "who is very friendly with him. He feels he's got a shot of doing a good job. It's a torn-up country.”

Trump is the first US president to meet a Syrian leader in a quarter of a century, and urged the onetime jihadist to normalise ties with Israel. He, however, gave no indication that the United States would remove Syria from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism -- a designation dating back to 1979 over support to Palestinian militants that severely impedes investment.

But the US president's offer to lift sanctions on Syria, mostly imposed during the repressive rule of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, comes as a major boost to the war-ravaged country, still getting to grips with Sharaa's December toppling of Assad.

Why Meeting Raised Eyebrows?

The meeting between the two leaders raised eyebrows globally due to al-Sharaa's murky past. Previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, al-Sharaa was linked to the terror group al-Qaeda and fought against US forces in Iraq, and had even spent years in American custody. However, the former jihadist has abandoned his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, trimmed his beard and donned a suit and tie to receive foreign dignitaries since ousting Assad from power on December 8, 2024.

He was later appointed to lead Syria for an unspecified transitional period, and has been tasked with forming an interim legislature after the dissolution of the Assad era parliament and the suspension of the 2012 constitution.