Deaths and destruction as cyclone Shaheen approaches Oman; flights affected

New Delhi, Jan 7: Fifty-three people were killed after an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit Tibet near the Nepalese border today, news agency AFP said quoting Chinese media Xinhua. The tremors of the earthquake were felt in several parts of India, including Bihar, Assam and West Bengal.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in Tingri county in Shigatse city. Tingri is about 400 km southwest of Tibet's capital Lhasa and is on the border with Nepal. It is a tourism hub for those visiting Mount Everest. 

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake was recorded at 6:35 am. NCS data reveals that two more earthquakes hit the region shortly after the first one. 

The second earthquake of magnitude 4.7 was recorded at 7:02 am at a depth of 10 km and the third earthquake of magnitude 4.9 at 7:07 am at a depth of 30 km. 

Nepal is nestled in a geologically active region, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, forming the Himalayas and making earthquakes a frequent occurrence. In 2015, nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.

The tremors were particularly felt in Bihar where people were seen outside their houses and apartments. There have been no reports of any damage to property because of the earthquake.

BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath and several BJP leaders were arrested in Mangaluru during a protest organized by the Dakshina Kannada BJP Yuva Morcha near Mini Vidhana Soudha. 

The protest targeted the Congress-led Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of fostering an environment of harassment and distress, which the BJP claims has led to multiple suicides among contractors and government officials.

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Addressing the gathering before his arrest, Kamath criticized the Congress government, alleging that neither contractors nor honest officials have found peace since it assumed power. He remarked, "Suicide seems to be the only 'guarantee' under this administration."

Kamath cited the suicide of contractor Sachin, allegedly driven to death by harassment from individuals linked to Minister Priyank Kharge.

Other cases highlighted included the suicides of Chandrashekar, superintendent of the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation, and Rudresh, who was allegedly harassed by an aide of Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

Kamath also referred to a Dalit inspector, Parashuram, who reportedly succumbed to alleged torture connected to Congress MLA Channareddy Patil’s son.

He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of remaining silent due to political fears over their positions.

Prominent BJP leaders such as Ramesh Kandetthu, Premananda Shetty, Vikas Puttur, Nandan Mallya, Monappa Bhandary, Pooja Pai, Deputy Mayor Bhanumathi, and Sanjay Prabhu participated in the protest alongside party workers and municipal council members.

The protest escalated, resulting in the arrest of Kamath and other BJP leaders by the police, marking a dramatic standoff between BJP and Congress.

Israeli settlers shielded by the occupation troops have stormed several villages in the West Bank, setting Palestinian homes, farms and vehicles on fire.

Palestinian media reported that the violent settler attacks took place on Monday night in the villages of Turmus Ayya, Tuqu', Hajjah, Fara'ata, al-Funduq and Immatain.

Prior to the raids, far-right Israeli social media groups had posted messages calling on members to join in on rampages against Palestinian villages.

The attacks took place although Israeli rights groups had demanded preventative actions by the regime's authorities.

“Once again, the army is doing nothing to prevent settler violence. This time, too, the writing was on the wall, and notices calling for riots in the villages were distributed publicly among settlers,” the Yesh Din right group said.

Settler violence has escalated significantly since October 7, 2023, when Israel unleashed a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 45,854 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 109,139 others, in its brutal Gaza onslaught. 

Israel confiscates more Palestinian land

Separately on Monday, the Wafa news agency reported that Israeli authorities had seized 262,000 square meters of Palestinian land in Jaba’, al-Ram, Kafr 'Aqab, and Mukhmas, all situated in the al-Quds governorate.

Israeli human rights organization Ir Amim said that the occupying regime is seeking to annex the confiscated area to the illegal Geva Binyamin settlement.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

While all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, Israel keeps expanding them in blatant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.