Israeli airstrikes knock Syria’s 2 main airports out of service

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the tight Israeli blockade on the entry of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip is pushing the coastal territory closer to an acute hunger crisis.

Philippe Lazzarini made the remarks in a social media post, in which he noted that the siege, which is preventing food, medicines, water and fuel from entering the region, has lasted longer than what was in place in the first phase of the war.

Israel has banned the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 4, following the expiry of the first phase of a ceasefire and an agreement with Hamas resistance movement on the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners.

Lazzarini warned that Gaza’s population depends on imports via Israeli-occupied territories for their survival.

“Every day that passes without the entry of aid means more children go to bed hungry, diseases spread & deprivation deepens,” he said.

“Every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,” the UNRWA chief noted.

Lazzarini described the banning of aid as a collective punishment on Gaza’s population – the vast majority of which are children, women and ordinary men.

He called for the siege to be lifted and for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to be brought into Gaza “uninterrupted and at scale.”

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 50,021 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 113,274 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

On November 21 last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its deadly war on the blockaded coastal sliver.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student at Columbia University, has voluntarily left the United States after her visa was revoked over alleged support for Hamas, the democratically elected party in Gaza.

Srinivasan, a PhD student in Urban Planning, was in the US on an F-1 student visa. The US Department of State revoked her visa on March 5, 2025, citing security concerns related to her alleged involvement in activities supporting Hamas. On March 11, 2025, she self-deported using the CBP Home App, with officials confirming video footage of her departure.

US Homeland Security's Response

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem emphasized that studying in the US on a visa is a privilege, which can be revoked if an individual is found to support violence and terrorism. She stated that such individuals should not be permitted to stay in the country.

Srinivasan’s Academic Background

Srinivasan’s academic credentials include:

• M.Phil in Urban Planning – Columbia University (GSAPP)
• Master’s in Design – Harvard University (Graduate School of Design)
• Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) – CEPT University, India
• Her research focuses on land-labor relations in India’s peri-urban areas, with academic interests in political economy, land politics, and labor sociology.

'Security Concerns'

Her case has gained attention amid increased US government scrutiny of individuals and organizations allegedly supporting Hamas. Visa revocations for security reasons have become more frequent, reflecting the government's strict stance on national security and immigration policies.

Srinivasan’s self-deportation highlights the US government’s ongoing efforts to enforce visa regulations and prevent individuals it considers a security threat from remaining in the country.