Govt wants lockdown throughout the week in Karnataka; people are against: Chief Secretary

Mangaluru, Jan 17: A heart-wrenching accident at Nadupadavu near Kattukodi on the outskirts of the city claimed the life of a young scooter rider this morning. 

The victim, identified as Abubakar Siddiq Razwi (22), son of Moydeen Kunji Bavu and a resident of Nadupadavu, tragically succumbed to his injuries on the spot.

The accident occurred when a scooter traveling from Deralakatte collided with an Ace Tempo heading from Mudipu to Thokkottu.

Abubakar, a final-year student at an Arabic Shariah College in Kasargod, leaves behind a community in mourning. The tempo driver also sustained injuries in the collision.

The Mangaluru South Traffic Police have registered a case and are conducting an investigation into the incident.

Mangaluru, Jan 24: A high-level meeting to foster trade ties and attract Japanese companies to Mangaluru was held on Wednesday, focusing on leveraging the region’s robust infrastructure, skilled workforce, and strategic connectivity.

Hosted by Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Anand G. Pai, the session welcomed a Japanese delegation led by Prof. Gopal Mugeraya, Vice-President of Technical Education at NITTE, and included prominent figures such as Komatsu Shinya, Prefectural Assembly Member and Former Vice Chairman of Japan; Katsutoshi Seiwa, Director of Industrial Technology Innovation Division; and Kotaro Kurosaka, CEO of Sanyo Machinery Company, among others.

Anand G. Pai highlighted KCCI’s pivotal role in promoting trade and commerce, particularly the opportunities offered by the Mangalore Special Economic Zone Limited (MSEZL), which has already garnered interest from a multinational corporation. Pai assured the delegation of KCCI’s unwavering support to facilitate smooth business operations in the region. He also invoked Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta’s "Back to Ooru" vision, urging Indians in Japan to invest in Mangaluru to spur local employment and boost MSMEs.

Capt. Chowta, who felicitated the Japanese delegates, pledged full support, including land allocation, streamlined compliance processes, and potential government grants. He emphasized plans to collaborate with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to secure additional funding for these initiatives.

Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath lauded Japan’s technological leadership and appreciated its interest in the region. He also commended MP Chowta’s advocacy for infrastructure development as a foundation for such collaborations.

KCCI Vice-President Ahmed Mudassar, Secretary Aditya Padmanabha Pai, and other key officials were also present at the meeting, which is expected to pave the way for enhanced trade relations and local economic growth.

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.