Padma Shri Harekala Hajabba feted on board by Air India Express plane

The Trump administration has given the go-ahead for a nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, sidestepping the standard congressional review process to expedite the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs widely used by the Israeli military in its ongoing onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

In a series of notifications sent to Congress on Friday, the State Department has reported it has approved the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion to Israel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department said.

Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.

According to the same statement, Rubio has also approved another munitions sale to Israel worth $675.7 million to be delivered starting in 2028.

The Israeli regime has extensively used the MK 84, also known as the 2,000-pound bomb, in its genocidal wars against the people of Lebanon and Palestine, including the assassination of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Last May, the previous US administration attempted to curb Israel’s military aggression in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, by imposing a temporary ban on the sale of 2,000-pound bombs.

This effort, however, proved futile in halting the invasion, as the US continued to supply other weapons to the Israeli regime.

On February 25, Trump’s National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz, rescinded the ban to allow the State Department to resume the sale of the bombs to the regime.

The State Department has also approved the sale of Caterpillar D9 Bulldozers and related equipment for an estimated cost of $295 million to Israel.

The Israeli regime has used D9 bulldozers to demolish thousands of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights has advised Caterpillar Inc. that by supplying the bulldozers to the regime, it is complicit in human rights violations.

D9 has been involved in several incidents of civilian deaths, including in 2023 when it was used against the refugees sheltering outside the Kamal Adwan Hospital.

ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿ 22 ನೇ ಶನಿವಾರ ಸಂಜೆ ದುಬೈ ಡೌನ್ ಟೌನ್ ನ ಪಂಚತಾರಾ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಪುಲ್ಲ್'ಮನ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಲ್ ಮಿರಾತ್ ರಿಯಲ್ ಎಸ್ಟೇಟ್ಸ್ 2025 ರ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವವನ್ನು ವಿಜೃಂಭಣೆಯಿಂದ ಆಚರಿಸಿತು.

ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅತಿಥಿಯಾಗಿ ಮಾನ್ಯ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ಲ ಅಹಮದ್ ಶಿಝಾವಿ (Chairman of Total Building Contracting) ಯವರು ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಮೆರುಗು ನೀಡಿದರು. ಸಭೆಯನ್ನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದ ಅವರು ದುಬೈ ರಿಯಲ್ ಎಸ್ಟೇಟ್ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಿರಾತ್ ನ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ಪ್ರಶಂಶನೀಯ, ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯು ಈ ಮಟ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಧನೆಗೈಯಲು ಮಾಲಕರ ಅನುಭವೀಯ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ಹಾಗೂ ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿಗಳ ಟೀಂ ವರ್ಕ್ ಮೂಲ ಕಾರಣ ಎಂದರು. ಮುಂದಿನ ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದುಬೈ ರಿಯಲ್ ಎಸ್ಟೇಟ್ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಿರಾತ್ ಉತ್ತಮ ಪ್ರಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಸಾಧಿಸಲಿ ಎಂದು ಶುಭ ಹಾರೈಸಿದರು.

ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ ರಹಿಮಾನ್ ರನ್ನು 2024 ರ BEST PERFORMER,  ಅಹಮದ್ ಕಬೀರ್ ರನ್ನು RISING STAR, ಅಶ್ರಫ್ ಅಹಮ್ಮದ್ ರನ್ನು EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR ಹಾಗೂ ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್ ರಿಝ್ವಾನ್ ರನ್ನು OUTSTANDING FEEDBACK ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿ ಗೌರವಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.

ಮಿರಾತ್ ರಿಯಲ್ ಎಸ್ಟೇಟ್ ನ ಚೇರ್ಮನ್ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಾದಿಕ್ ಅಲಿ ಯವರು ಮಾತನಾಡಿ ರಿಯಲ್ ಎಸ್ಟೇಟ್ ನ ಹೂಡಿಕೆಗೆ ದುಬೈ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. 2024 ರಲ್ಲಿನ ಆಸ್ತಿ ಖರೀದಿದಾರರಲ್ಲಿ 51% ಭಾರತೀಯರು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ ಆ ವರ್ಷ 760 ಬಿಲಿಯನ್ ದಿರಾಮ್ ನ ದಾಖಲೆಯ ಪ್ರಾಪರ್ಟಿ ವಹಿವಾಟು ನಡೆದಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದರು. ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯು ಉತ್ತಮ ಹಾಗೂ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟದ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಗ್ರಾಹಕರ ಪ್ರಶಂಸೆಗೆ ಪಾತ್ರವಾಗಿದೆ.

ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಿಥಿಗಳಾಗಿ ಮಾನ್ಯ ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ರಹೀಮ್ ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್ ಎ ಅಲಹಮ್ಮದ್, ಮಾನ್ಯ ಯಾಸರ್ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ಲ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ ಖಾದರ್ ರವರು ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿದ್ದರು.

ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ಲಾ ಹಮ್ದಾನ್ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕ ವರಧಿಯನ್ನು ಮಂಡಿಸಿದರು, ಅತಿಥಿಗಳ ಸ್ವಾಗತ ಹಾಗೂ ಧನ್ಯವಾದವನ್ನು ರಿಧಾನ್ ರಶೀದ್ ನೆರವೇರಿಸಿದರು. ರಿಝ್ವಾನ್ ಕಾರ್ಯಕೃಮ ನಿರೂಪಿಸಿದರು.

Mangaluru: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has urged the Karnataka government to allocate Rs 3,000 crore in the 2025 state budget for the development of the tourism sector in Dakshina Kannada. This demand was made as part of the party’s ‘Janata Budget – 2025’ initiative.

Anwar Sadath S, president of SDPI’s Mangaluru Rural district unit, emphasized the district’s vast tourism potential, given its location between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. He suggested projects such as beach development, walking tracks, play zones, amusement parks, and other recreational activities to boost tourism in the region.

In addition to tourism development, SDPI has called for several key initiatives in the state budget:

•    Establishment of a government medical college and a super-specialty hospital in Dakshina Kannada.

•    Setting up a High Court bench and a government law college in the district.

•    Development of an IT Park to boost employment opportunities.

•    Minimum support price for arecanut and a dedicated research centre for arecanut diseases.

•    Expansion of healthcare facilities, including a branch of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Mangaluru.

•    Construction of residential accommodation for Muslim religious leaders serving in mosques and madrasas.

•    A special financial package for paddy farmers, offering Rs 2 lakh per acre as financial assistance.

Sadath criticized previous administrations for neglecting Dakshina Kannada, despite the district being one of the top tax contributors in Karnataka. He highlighted the dominance of private entities in education, healthcare, and business, stressing the need for greater government support in public amenities and welfare schemes.

SDPI urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ensure adequate budgetary allocations for new projects, job creation, education, healthcare, and social welfare programs. The party insisted that the upcoming budget, to be presented on March 7, should prioritize balanced regional development across all districts.