Bengaluru: Boats on roads amid heavy downpour; CM says SDRF teams dispatched

Mangaluru: In an act of extraordinary selflessness, a young lecturer and mother, Archana Kamath, tragically passed away just days after donating a portion of her liver to a relative. She was 33.

Archana, who had devoted her career to shaping young minds as a lecturer at Canara College and most recently at Manel Srinivasa Nayak MBA College, was a loving mother to a four-year-old boy. Her sudden passing has left her family, students, and colleagues reeling in shock and grief.

The story of her untimely demise began when a relative of her husband, CA Chethan Kumar, required a life-saving liver transplant. 

With no other matching donors in sight, Archana stepped forward, her heart full of compassion. Her blood type matched, and without hesitation, she made the brave decision to donate a part of her liver—an act that would ultimately cost her life.

The surgery, performed 12 days ago in Bengaluru, seemed successful. Archana appeared to recover well and was discharged, bringing hope and relief to her loved ones. 

But just days after returning home, she suddenly fell ill and passed away on September 15 in a Mangaluru hospital. The cause of her sudden decline remains a mystery, compounding the sorrow of those who knew and loved her.

Her final act of love saved a life—the relative who received her liver is said to be recovering well. But Archana’s loss is felt deeply by her husband and their young son, who are now left to navigate a world without her warmth and strength.

As family and friends grapple with this tragic turn of events, Archana’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew her as a caring educator, devoted mother, and a woman whose ultimate sacrifice was made out of love.

The full story of her passing is still unfolding, and her untimely death has left an irreplaceable void in the lives of all who knew her.
 

London: There will be no normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel until an independent Palestinian state is established, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former head of the Kingdom’s intelligence services, has warned. 

During a talk at London-based think tank Chatham House, the former Saudi ambassador to the US also discussed Washington’s role in the peace process as the Gaza war approaches its first anniversary, and how talks before the outbreak of hostilities had been broadly positive.

He said the US is keen on the resumption of talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia to strengthen regional security and to forge economic ties, but Riyadh’s position is that “if there’s a Palestinian state that Israel accepts to come (into) existence, then we can talk about normalization with Israel.”

The prince added: “Before Oct. 7 … talks not only progressed along those lines, but also the Kingdom invited a Palestinian delegation to come and talk directly to the Americans about what it is that might bring about a Palestinian state.

“I’m not privy to those talks so I don’t know what happened between the Palestinians and the Americans, but the Kingdom’s position has always been we won’t speak for the Palestinians. They have to do it for themselves. Unfortunately, of course, the Oct. 7 (Hamas attack against Israel) put an end to those talks.”

Prince Turki said the establishment of a Palestinian state is not only crucial for Israeli ties with Saudi Arabia but with the rest of the Muslim world as well.

“A Palestinian state is a primary condition for Saudi Arabia to have normalization with Israel, but … on the Israeli side, the whole government is saying no Palestinian state,” he added.

Prince Turki said for Saudi Arabia, an independent Palestine would encapsulate the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem.

He added that the Kingdom has led the way in trying to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict, citing the 1981 King Fahd Peace Plan and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative proposed by King Abdullah.

During the current Gaza war, “the Kingdom led the Muslim world, and not only summits with the Arabs but with the (rest of the) Muslim world, and also … the diplomatic missions that have been taking place to convince the world that there must be an end to the fighting, led by the Saudi foreign minister,” Prince Turki said.

“The Kingdom has been in the forefront of condemning the Israeli onslaught on the Palestinians, not just in Gaza but equally in the West Bank.”

He criticized the US and other Western nations for not applying more pressure on Israel to end the war, citing how the UK had only recently begun to suspend certain arms export licenses to Israel following the election of a new government in July.

“I’d like to see more done by the UK,” he said. “I think, for example, the UK … should recognize the state of Palestine. It’s long overdue.”

Prince Turki said the US could apply direct pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the actions of his government and military, and should address funding and lobbying by groups and individuals sympathetic to Israel.

“I think the US has enormous tools to affect Israel which it isn’t using, not just simply … denial of supply of weapons and material to the Israelis,” the prince added.

“A lot of financial help goes to Israel from the US. If some of the privileges that (the) Israeli lobby, for example, in America, enjoys — of tax-free contributions to Israel — can be withdrawn from those Israeli lobbyists, that will (put) great pressure on Israel.”

In the US, “you have to register as a lobbyist for a specific country, or be prosecuted, if you want to talk for that country, but a lot of organizations in America do that for Israel and still enjoy a tax-free status because they’re considered not representing Israel per se, but simply as philanthropic or humanitarian groupings,” he said.

“There are many tools that are available to the US, not simply harsh talk, which seems to have gotten us nowhere. But is America ready to do that? As I said, I’m not too optimistic about that.”

Thousands of members of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah as well as civilians have been killed or wounded after wireless communication devices, known as pagers, exploded in different locations across the country on Tuesday, September 17. 

In its latest update, the Lebanese health ministry said at least nine people have been killed and 2,800 others wounded in the explosions that were first reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut. 

"Patients are being transferred to different governorates in Lebanon as hospitals in southern Lebanon have exceeded their capacity," the ministry stated.

Among those killed are a 9-year-old girl and son of a lawmaker affiliated with Hezbollah, Press TV correspondent in Beirut Mariam Saleh said in a report from the Lebanese capital.

The little girl has been identified as Fatima Jafar Abdullah while the young man is Mahdi Ammar, son of 'Loyalty to the Resistance' bloc MP Ali Ammar.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, is also among the injured. His wife took to X, formerly Twitter, to confirm his injury in the pager explosion but said his condition was stable. 

Saleh said certain people who were carrying pagers noticed them heating up before the explosions took place, adding that Israelis are on a state of high alert, expecting a response from Hezbollah.

Based on preliminary investigation, officials were quoted as saying that the blasts appear to have been caused by a remote cyber attack orchestrated by the Israeli regime amid heightened tensions.

Footage shared on social media showed the wounded being taken to hospitals in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Many were seen assembling in front of hospitals and health centers to assist the injured.

In its latest statement, Hezbollah said after examining all facts and available information about the attacks that they hold the Israeli regime "fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians and led to the martyrdom of several people and the injury of many others."

"Our martyrs and wounded are the symbol of our struggle and sacrifices on the road to Al-Quds, in victory for our honorable people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and continuous field support.

"Our position of victory, support and backing for the valiant Palestinian resistance will remain a source of pride and honor for us in this world and the hereafter.

"The treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its punishment for this sinful aggression," read the statement.

In its earlier statement, Hezbollah said at least three people, including a girl, had been killed in the pager explosions and many others sustained injuries.

The movement said relevant authorities were conducting security and scientific investigations to determine the causes of these simultaneous explosions.

The Lebanese health ministry has asked all its medical workers in Beirut and southern Lebanon to remain on alert and respond to all emergency medical cases.

The ministry has also urged all pager owners to dispose of their devices with immediate effect. 

Lebanon’s Minister of Health, Firas Abiad, earlier said the number of injured was in the “hundreds” and there were some fatalities from the explosions.

There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Tuesday's attacks although some reports suggest that the regime officials have been advised to remain tight-lipped about it.

Israel has been regularly exchanging fire with Hezbollah since last October, shortly after the regime launched its genocidal war on Gaza after the Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in retaliation for the relentless atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Experts believe the Israeli regime, after being militarily defeated, is resorting to desperate attacks against ordinary people in both Lebanon and Gaza, which will only hasten its demise. 

More than 41,200 Palestinians have been killed by the occupying regime in the besieged Gaza Strip in the past 11 months, most of them children and women. 

Condemnations have started pouring in against Tuesday's mass pager explosions in Lebanon, with Palestinian resistance groups as well as Yemen's Ansarullah strongly condemning it.

In a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned the Israeli terrorist attack targeting the Lebanese people.

He also expressed condolences to Lebanon and said Iran is ready to assist in treating the wounded or transferring them to Tehran.