Scores arrested for protests as economic crisis worsens in Sri Lanka

Mangaluru: The block level and District Congress Committee presidents in the state will be changed in the next one month for better reach into society and bring in organisational fortification, said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president G C Chandrasheker on Saturday.

The All India Congress Committee and KPCC have a vision for bringing a change in how the party works with the last man and woman in the state, he said at a press conference here.

"We are looking at bringing development models into the state with a new vision. We are a party that likes to work with the opposition in the developmental aspects and keep all other matters away that do not relate to the development of the state.

"We have a great respect for the people of the coast who are considered to be forward-looking and perceptible, but it is also true that we do not have the numbers in the upper house and in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)," he said.

"Our endeavour is to not only create a strong pro-development workforce at the base level by strengthening the second and third level leadership in the state," he said.

Chandrasheker, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said that he and his four colleagues of the rank of working presidents of the KPCC are going to every district to infuse the new thinking in our workers and leaders.

"This move will get a new surge considering the party is facing byelections in Shiggaon, Chennapatna and Sandhur segments and also vacant seats in the legislative council, followed by elections to the Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats" he said.

When asked about the reason for the changes, Chandrashekar said most of the people have already lived their tenures. The party wants to reward those who have not been given tickets to contest in the 2023 state assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections for political reasons.

There are quite good leaders and hard-working ground level workers who have great potential to lead the party in the coming years, he said.

"Women will get at least one top post in all District Congress Committees and block levels. There is also a move to give responsible positions for the workers and leaders coming from different strata of society, which are deliverable. The party will not shy away from it," he said.

The other two working presidents, Dr Manjunath Bhandary and Vasanth Kumar, were also present at the press conference.

Kumar said some of the regions in the state are dominated by the BJP. "We want to end this run and defeat the divisive models of the BJP." Bhandary said the Indian National Congress was aiming at a high development phase in the state and involve the opposition parties and their leaders in the development plans in the state. 

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, private universities in Karnataka offering professional courses will no longer conduct separate entrance exams. This decision follows a directive from the state’s Higher Education Department, prompting private universities to form an association and agree to this significant change.

In a recent meeting with Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, representatives from 17 private universities confirmed their decision to discontinue individual entrance tests. Of the 27 private universities in the state, 17 offer professional courses, and they have collectively agreed to accept scores from existing national or state-level entrance exams.

“Some universities will consider JEE scores, others will rely on KCET, and a few are inclined towards COMEDK,” Dr. Sudhakar stated, leaving the choice of examination to the universities themselves. However, the department has also suggested that the universities consider a unified entrance test for admissions.

Looking ahead, Dr. Sudhakar hinted that the government may introduce a common entrance test for general degree courses at private universities as well. "As government colleges and universities currently don’t require entrance exams for general degree courses, we haven’t made any decisions on this yet," he explained.

The meeting also addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private universities. To regulate this, the universities were instructed to establish fee fixation committees, headed by retired judges, as required by law. These committees will be responsible for determining tuition fees. Additionally, the government will continue to regulate fees for 40% of seats in professional courses that are filled through KCET.

In an effort to bring greater uniformity among private institutions, the government is considering enacting a common law for all private universities, which would replace the individual acts currently governing each university. This would place all private universities under a single regulatory framework.

This move is expected to streamline the admissions process and create a more standardized system for both professional and general degree programs across Karnataka's private universities.

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.