New Delhi, Nov 3: The Election Commission on Monday said that Rajya Sabha by-polls for one seat in Karnataka are scheduled to be held on December 1.
"Bye-election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) from Karnataka to fill one casual vacancy to be held on December 1," the Election Commission said.
It also said that polls for the biennial election to Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from 11 constituencies and Maharashtra Legislative Council from five constituencies will be held on December 1.
Mangaluru: Air India Express (AIE) has postponed its much-anticipated direct flight service between Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) and Singapore, citing low bookings. Passengers who had booked tickets for the inaugural flight scheduled for January 21 and subsequent dates have been notified of the cancellation through email.
In its email, AIE assured passengers of alternative travel arrangements, including connecting flight options between MIA and Singapore. However, the decision to delay the direct service has left travelers and travel agents disappointed.
An AIE official attributed the postponement to operational challenges but clarified that the airline has not abandoned plans for the route. “We are committed to starting the service, but there is no immediate confirmation on the new launch date,” the official stated. He further explained that sustaining a route requires consistent demand, and seasonal travel alone is insufficient to justify operations.
Another AIE representative admitted that the number of bookings for the inaugural flight was below expectations but declined to disclose specific figures.
Rajesh H Acharya, director of HQ Connections Pte Ltd in Singapore and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, expressed his disappointment. Acharya, who has been advocating for a direct flight between Mangaluru and Singapore since 2017, said, “After years of effort, we finally convinced the airline to start this service, but it has now been deferred.”
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Acharya posted: "Did not expect such behavior from @AirIndiaX, now owned by @TataCompanies & @SIAirlines. If there are issues, travelers deserve to be informed well in advance. This decision needs investigation at the highest level."
The delay has raised questions among the travel community, with many hoping the airline will address these concerns and provide a clear timeline for the launch of the Mangaluru-Singapore direct flight.
Bengaluru: In a sweeping anti-corruption operation, the Karnataka Lokayukta conducted simultaneous raids on the properties of eight government officials across eight districts on Wednesday. The raids, part of ongoing investigations into disproportionate assets cases, targeted over 20 locations linked to these officials.
According to Lokayukta sources, the coordinated operation spanned Bengaluru, Mandya, Bidar, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Gadag, Ballari, and Raichur. Properties of the following officials were under scrutiny:
Shobha – Joint Commissioner, Bengaluru Transport Department
S. N. Umesh – Health and Family Welfare Officer, Kadur
Ravindra – Inspector, Minor Irrigation and Groundwater Development Sub-Division, Bidar
Prakash Sridhar Gaikwad – Tahsildar, Khanapur
S. Raju – Retired RTO Officer, Tumakuru
Huchesh alias Huchappa – Assistant Executive Engineer, Gadag Municipality
R. H. Lokesh – Welfare Officer, Backward Class Department, Ballari
Huliraja – Junior Engineer (Electric), Raichur
Lokayukta officials are thoroughly examining documents, assets, cash, and other valuables found during the raids.
This operation is the Lokayukta’s first major crackdown in 2025. Notably, on December 12, the watchdog had unearthed disproportionate assets worth Rs 48.55 crore in raids on properties belonging to 10 government officials.
The Lokayukta’s intensified efforts signal its commitment to curbing corruption and ensuring accountability among government officials.
The planned ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian Hamas resistance group and Israel has taken effect after deadly strikes by the usurping regime on the Gaza Strip.
The truce deal was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT) on Sunday to end the 15-month-long Israeli genocidal war on the besieged territory but was delayed for almost three hours. It finally went into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said that it continued to carry out attacks on Gaza as Hamas had not provided a list of captives to be released under the ceasefire.
Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement that the regime’s military “continues to strike within the Gaza area at this time. According to the prime minister’s directives, the ceasefire will not come into effect until Hamas fulfills its commitments.”
He echoed an earlier statement from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the occupation’s military not to implement the Gaza truce until Hamas issues the names of the Israeli captives to be released.
Meanwhile, Hamas said the delay in handing over the names of the captives is due to “technical and field reasons.”
In a statement issued on Telegram, the resistance group reaffirmed its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Afterwards, Hamas provided a list of the three Israeli captives to be freed later on Sunday.
13 Palestinians killed during ceasefire delay
Gaza’s Civil Defense said 13 people have been killed and more than 30 others injured in the Israeli bombing of Gaza on Sunday morning during the nearly three-hour delay in the start of the ceasefire.
Gaza’s Government Media Office announced that it had begun deploying thousands of Palestinian police officers tasked with maintaining security and order in the blockaded territory.
“Ministries and government institutions are fully prepared to begin work according to the government plan [and] to implement all measures that ensure life returns to normal as soon as possible,” it added.
Israel unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, the Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire, accepting Hamas' longstanding negotiation terms.
The ceasefire deal consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days. Negotiations for the second and third phases will begin 16 days after the implementation of the first phase.
The first phase will see the release of some 1,900 Palestinian abductees in exchange for 33 Israeli captives held in Gaza. It also requires Israeli occupation forces to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor - also known as the Salah al-Din axis - on the Gaza-Egypt border.
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