Heavy rain continues to wreak havoc in Mysuru-Kodagu region

KSNDMC issues an Orange Alert in Kodagu for heavy rains, thunderstorms, and gusty wind citing the Indian Meteorological Department. In addition, a Yellow Alert has been issued for Mysuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga

Orb Energy launches its first 35 MW ground-mounted solar park in Karnataka

Orb Energy, a key player in the Indian solar power industry, has launched its first 35 MW ground-mounted solar park in Arsikere, Hassan district. The park, which spans 110 acres, delivers 5.24 crore units of green power and reduces 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Orb Energy plans to develop and commission around 400 MW of solar parks for SMEs across India by the end of the decade, with an investment of around Rs 2,000 crore. The company's innovative solar park model allows enterprises to purchase plots and own their own solar sub-arrays within the park.

Officer's body camera off when he shot man dead

Hassan Yahya was carrying knives before he was shot by police in central London, an inquest is told.

Diplomatic Passport Demand: Karnataka Seeks Cancellation for Hassan MP

Diplomatic Passport Demand: Karnataka Seeks Cancellation for Hassan MP Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state government has written to the Ministry of External Affairs to cancel the diplomatic passport of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexual abuse, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued against him by a court. The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and is the NDA's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls, and is still at large. ''CM (Chief Minister) has already written to the Prime Minister, but the department (Home) writing it in accordance with law is different. Warrant has been issued now, on the basis of the warrant, a letter has been written stating that -- warrant has been issued and the diplomatic passport has to be cancelled,'' Parameshwara said. Speaking to reporters here, he said if the passport is cancelled, it will be impossible for Prajwal to stay anymore in the foreign country, and he will have to come back. ''We have written to the Ministry of External Affairs as matters related to passports come under them, they will have to respond to it,'' he added. A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant on Saturday against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the state government to probe the serial sex abuse charges against the MP. Earlier, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on May 1 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to move the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs to take swift action to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on Prajwal's whereabouts has already been issued by Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Responding to a question on JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy requesting Prajwal Revanna, who is also his nephew, to return to India and face the probe, Parameshwara said, ''I have seen it in the media, it is their family's internal matter, let him (Prajwal) come and face the law.'' Regarding Kumaraswamy alleging that 40 phones including his own and those of his family members and supporters are being tapped, the Home Minister said, ''I have already said that the government has not tapped the phones of Kumaraswamy or 40 people that he has claimed. If he has accurate information that it has been done, let him give the information, we will get it investigated as to who has done it and why.'' Asked whether the purported audio of alleged conversation between Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and BJP leader Devaraje Gowda about the leak of explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna, that has surfaced will also be probed by the SIT, Parameshwara said, ''they (SIT) will decide it, at every level the government will not instruct about the investigation, we have nothing to do with it. SIT has been given total freedom to investigate and they will investigate as per their mandate.''

Prajwal Revanna assumed that political power of family would let him get away with anything, say people in Hassan

Activists, party workers, writers and ordinary citizens, who have seen the political graph of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowdas family members over the decades, are of the opinion that the young parliamentarian hardly did the work expected from an elected representative of the people

K'taka govt has written to MEA to cancel diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna: Home Minister

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara revealed that the state government has urged the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke the diplomatic passport of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, facing sexual abuse charges. A warrant has been issued, and Prajwal's departure to Germany post-elections raised concerns. Interpol issued a notice seeking his whereabouts.

Can Iran avoid a political crisis after its president's death?

The death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash this week occurred during one of the Islamic Republic of Iran's most challenging periods. Raisi, a prominent figure in the political elite, held substantial sway over Iran's domestic policies. He was also central to Iran's recent moves to improve relations with its rivals in the region. Given his sizeable influence, what will his absence mean for the country's domestic affairs? And how will it impact the country's relations in the region? Maintaining stability at a perilous time Raisi's government was very conservative and had a close relationship to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. There were almost no conflicts or disagreements between the two sides, which contrasts with previous governments, most of which had some distance or tension with the leader. Raisi's death unlikely to change Iran foreign policy: Analysts Raisi was also considered one of the leading candidates to succeed the 85-year-old Khamenei, who has held the office of Supreme Leader for 35 years. His broad influence within the country's conservative circles made him a significant figure in shaping the future of Iran's leadership. However, his death, which occurred a year before the conclusion of his second term, came amid a backdrop of domestic, regional and international challenges. Iran remains under severe sanctions imposed by the United States for its nuclear program, which have caused significant damage to the economy and had a profound impact on people's lives. The country also witnessed one of the most significant protest movements in its history over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022, following her arrest by the morality police. There have been local protests in different parts of the country as well, mostly over the economic crisis and some of the government's domestic policies. Moreover, parliamentary elections in March of this year saw one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country's history. A year after Mahsa Amini's death from police brutality, what's changed for Iran's women? As a result, the holding of new elections, which is mandated within 50 days of Raisi's death, poses a significant challenge for the regime at a time when its public legitimacy is at its lowest. In addition, the recent escalation in the ongoing shadow war with Israel has presented serious security concerns and given rise to a host of conspiracy theories. Rumours have gained traction with the public suggesting the president's helicopter crash was the result of electronic warfare, a drone attack or even a ground assault by Israel. (The IRNA state news agency said the crash was due to a technical failure.) Despite these challenges, however, the transfer of power is unlikely to significantly impact the country's stability due to the nature of power dynamics in Iran. The Iranian political system consists of multiple interconnected circles under the guidance of the Supreme Leader. Losing one main player would not cause a major disruption when there are several others ready to fill the void. Iran's supreme leader appoints First Vice President as acting president after Raisi's death Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has stepped in as acting president until new elections are held. It is expected the conservative inner circle close to the Supreme Leader will select its preferred candidate for the poll, aiming for a smooth transition with minimal challenges. As Khamenei posted on X: The nation doesn't need to be worried or anxious, as the administration of the country will not be disrupted. However, a historical analysis of leadership in the Islamic Republic suggests a recurring pattern of power shifting between conservatives and reformists, which creates a sense of balance in Iranian politics and boosts the regime's public legitimacy. Hence, even though Raisi's successor will be nominated and supported by a conservative inner circle, he may embody somewhat of a moderate stance. Figures like the current parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, or former speaker Ali Larijani, who are both moderate conservatives, fit this description. What will it mean for Iran's neighbours? During his tenure, Raisi shifted the country's foreign policy more towards the Middle East, making it the top priority. This marked a departure from his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, who had prioritised strengthening relationships with European countries and normalising ties with other Western nations. During Raisi's presidency, for instance, Iraq hosted five rounds of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, culminating in the historic normalisation of relations between the two in early 2023. As a former advisor of strategic communication to the then-Iraqi prime minister, it became evident to me that Iran was earnest about forging a strategic, long-term, robust relationship with its neighbours. The outcome of these negotiations marked the end of a lengthy civil war in Yemen, facilitated the normalisation of Arab countries' relations with Syria, and contributed to enhanced stability in Iraq. Additionally, Iran has recently engaged in substantial negotiations with Jordan and Egypt, facilitated again by Iraq. These initiatives offered a chance to move past the sectarian conflicts that have long dominated the region and lay the groundwork for greater cooperation. Iran also grew closer with both China and Russia also during Raisi's presidency, reflecting a strategic, long-term pivot towards the East endorsed by the Supreme Leader. However, Iran also continued negotiations with Western powers over its nuclear program, employing different tactics compared to Rouhani's tenure. Iran's foreign policy looks likely to remain the same under a new president. The appointment of Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister following the helicopter crash (which also claimed the life of the current foreign minister) reinforces this continuity. Kani, who played a key role in leading the nuclear negotiations under Raisi, aligns with the country's established foreign policy direction. In addition, Iran's closer relations with its neighbours signals a more permanent shift away from isolation. This will likely continue to improve in the short term.

Landmark Trial in Paris: Unveiling Atrocities of the Syrian Civil War

Landmark Trial in Paris: Unveiling Atrocities of the Syrian Civil War The Syrian soldiers came first, at night, for the son, Patrick, a 20-year-old psychology student at Damascus University, and said they were taking him away for questioning. They came back the next night for his father, Mazen. Five years later, in 2018, death certificates from Syrian authorities confirmed to the Dabbagh family that the French-Syrian father and son would never come home again. In a landmark trial, a Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war were responsible for their disappearance and deaths. The four-day hearings from Tuesday are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to keep power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. The French trial comes as Assad has been regaining an aura of international respectability, starting to shed his long-time status as a pariah that flowed from the violence unleashed on his opponents. Human rights groups that are parties to the French case hope it will refocus attention on alleged atrocities. Here's a look at those involved: THE ACCUSED Ali Mamlouk, former head of the National Security Bureau overseeing Syrian security and intelligence services. Allegedly worked directly with Assad. Now in his late 70s. Jamil Hassan, former Air Force intelligence director. Survivors testifying in the case allege having seen him at a detention centre in the capital, Damascus, where the Dabbaghs are thought to have been held. In his early 70s. Salam Mahmoud, in his mid-60s, a former investigations official at a Damascus military airport believed to house the detention centre. Mahmoud is alleged to have expropriated the Dabbaghs' house after they were taken away. The three men are accused of provoking crimes against humanity, giving instructions to commit them and allowing subordinates to commit them through the alleged arrest, torture and killing of the father and son. They also are accused of confiscating their house and of putting Air Force intelligence services at the disposal of people who allegedly killed them. The accused are being tried in absentia. French magistrates issued arrest warrants for them in October 2018, despite acknowledging that there was little likelihood of their extradition to France. Defence lawyers will not represent them and French magistrates determined they don't have diplomatic immunity. The three people accused are very senior officials of the Syrian system of repression and torture. This gives a particular tone to this trial. They are not small fish, said Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer for rights groups involved in the case. The legal file is very detailed, full of evidence of systematic, very diverse and absolutely monstrous torture practices,'' Baudouin said. WHY IS THE TRIAL IN FRANCE? Patrick and Mazen Dabbagh had dual French-Syrian nationality, which enabled French magistrates to pursue the case. The probe of their disappearance started in 2015 when Obeida Dabbagh, Mazen's brother, testified to investigators already examining war crimes in Syria. Obeida Dabbagh lives in France with his wife, Hanane, and is also a party in the case. According to the trial indictment, seen by The Associated Press, he told French investigators that three or four soldiers came for Patrick around 11 pm on November 3, 2013, during the height of Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests that were met by a brutal crackdown. The soldiers identified themselves as members of a Syrian Air Force intelligence branch. Obeida also testified they searched the house, taking cellphones, computers and money. They came back the next night for Mazen Dabbagh, who was 54 and worked as a counsellor at a French high school in Damascus, and also took his new car, the brother said. Their death certificates said Patrick died January 21, 2014, and Mazen on November 25, 2017, but didn't say how or where. THE TRIAL EXPECTED TO EXPOSE TORTURE French investigating magistrates collected evidence from Syrian regime deserters and prison survivors as they built the case. Testifying anonymously, survivors' accounts speak in the indictment of rape and of being denied food and water, of beatings on feet, knees and elsewhere with whips, cables and truncheons, of electric shocks and burnings with acid or boiling water, of being suspended from the ceiling for hours or days. Investigators also studied images provided by a Syrian policeman, who anonymously turned over photographs of thousands of torture victims. Cameras are generally banned from French criminal trials, but this one will be filmed for the historical record. ANOTHER FRENCH PROBE TARGETS PRESIDENT ASSAD In a separate investigation, French magistrates have also targeted President Assad himself but face questions about whether he benefits from presidential immunity. Magistrates are investigating chemical weapons' attacks that killed more than 1,000 people and injured thousands of others in the suburbs of Damascus in 2013. They issued international arrest warrants for Assad, his brother Maher Assad, commander of the 4th Armoured Division, and two Syrian army generals Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The French probe was opened in 2021 in response to a criminal complaint by attack survivors. The investigation is being conducted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues that in some cases, crimes can be pursued outside the countries where they take place. The Syrian government and its allies denied responsibility for the attacks. The French warrants, very rare for a serving world leader, were seen as a strong signal against President Assad's leadership at a time when some countries have welcomed him back into the diplomatic fold. Victims' lawyers hailed the warrants as a crucial milestone in the battle against impunity. The Paris appeals court is weighing whether Assad has absolute immunity as head of state. French prosecutors asked it to rule on that question at a closed hearing May 15. That procedure does not impact the warrants for Assad's brother and the generals. OTHER COUNTRIES ALSO TAKING ACTION In March, Swiss prosecutors indicted Rifat Assad, the president's uncle and a former Syrian vice president, for allegedly ordering murder and torture more than four decades ago to crush a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama where thousands were killed. A court in Stockholm put a former Syrian army general who lives in Sweden on trial in April for his alleged role in war crimes in 2012. Courts in Germany found two former Syrian soldiers guilty in 2021 and 2022 of crimes against humanity. One was sentenced to life imprisonment, the other to 4 1/2 years for complicity. They had claimed refugee status in Germany before former detainees recognised them. They were tried under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Come back to Karnataka, face investigation: Kumaraswamy appeals to Prajwal Revanna

Come back to Karnataka, face investigation: Kumaraswamy appeals to Prajwal Revanna JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy has appealed to Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna who is facing an SIT probe over the allegation of sexual harassment to return to Karnataka and face the investigation. He also accused the Congress-run Karnataka government of misusing the issue. ...I would appeal to him (Prajwal Revanna) to come back to Karnataka and face this investigation... If you have not done anything then why are you afraid, why did you run away? You have to face this situation, Kumaraswamy told a reporter here on Monday. He also responded to the allegations of 400 rapes by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Where is the small piece of document with Rahul Gandhi? His government is running here. Even Priyanka Gandhi, she also in a public meeting, more than 2000, 3000 incidents took place. That is her charge. They wanted to destroy the strength of the NDA. They are misusing the issue, the J(DS) leader said. Earlier on May 18, JDS patron HD Deve Gowda said that the state should pursue all legal avenues against Prajwal but his son HD Revanna had been framed in the case. HD Kumaraswamy has already spoken on behalf of our family and party regarding the allegations against Prajwal Revanna and HD Revanna. The government must pursue all possible legal avenues against Prajwal Revanna. However, it is evident that the cases against HD Revanna were orchestrated to target him, Deve Gowda had said. Earlier on May 6, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had urged the centre to help the Karnataka SIT team in its investigation by helping bring Prajwal Revanna to India from abroad. The Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the allegations of sexual assault against MP Prajwal Revanna will conduct an independent and impartial investigation in which the state government will not interfere even a single inch... The success of the SIT investigation is now entirely dependent on the cooperation of the Central Government. The central government should cooperate in bringing the accused Prajwal Revanna, who is said to be abroad, to India, the Karnata CM said. HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, are facing a probe by an SIT constituted by the Karnataka government over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in their household. (ANI)

India Declares One-day Mourning Today for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

India has declared a one-day state mourning on Tuesday, May 21, to honor the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who tragically died in a helicopter crash. India Mourns Iranian President Raisi The Indian government announced that the country will observe state mourning on May 21 to mark the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, officials confirmed on Monday. In light of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Foreign Minister, the Government of India has declared a one-day state mourning on May 21 across the nation, stated the Home Ministry. During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is regularly displayed, and no official entertainment will take place, the ministry added. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's Legacy President Ebrahim Raisi, known for his close alignment with Iran's supreme leader and his involvement in the mass executions of 1988, as well as leading Irans controversial uranium enrichment program, has passed away at the age of 63. Raisi was also noted for orchestrating a major attack on Israel and faced significant internal protests. Following the confirmation of Raisi's death, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media. Modi stated that he was deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Raisi, and affirmed that India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow. Details of the Accident and Raisi's Political Journey The fatal helicopter accident, which also took the lives of the foreign minister and other officials, occurred in northwestern Iran on Sunday. Raisi's death comes amid internal unrest and tense international relations for Iran. Initially a cleric, Raisis demeanor was more akin to a preacher, famously kissing the Quran at the United Nations. After losing the 2017 presidential election to the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, Raisi rose to power four years later in an election managed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ensured the removal of major opposition candidates. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash: 'No Survivors' Found How Speculation Arises Over Potential Israeli Involvement in Iranian President Raisi's Helicopter Crash What Would Be the Regional and Global Implications of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's Death in a Helicopter Crash? Who Was Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's Hardline President Killed in a Helicopter Crash?

DKS, Shivarame plotted to destroy Gowda: HDK

BENGALURU: Former CM HD Kumaraswamy on Monday alleged that the Congress government has been misusing IPC Section 376 (rape charge) against those who are saying the truth about the pen drives containing sleazy videos, allegedly of Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna. He told reporters that the government had booked BJP leader and lawyer G Devaraje Gowda under IPC Section 376 in an old case, for releasing the audio of a conspiracy on circulating the pen drives. Are you going to destroy the whole family because of someones mistake? Is this justice? Dear Siddaramaiah, you grew up eating food from my mothers hand when you were in our party. Do you know the pain of that mother? If you are honest, look into investigation of this case, he suggested to the chief minister. He questioned why action was not yet taken against Prajwals driver Karthik, who allegedly played a key role in the circulation of the pen drive. Arrest and hang those who shot the videos, but why target the Deve Gowda family? There should be a probe into circulation of the pen drive that has affected the women victims, he urged. He also urged Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara to immediately register a case against DyCM DK Shivakumar and former MP LS Shivarame Gowda for allegedly hatching a plot to politically destroy Deve Gowdas family. In the conversation, one of them asks why Deve Gowda hasnt committed suicide yet. Everything is revealed in the conversation between Shivakumar, Shivarame Gowda and Devaraje Gowda, he said. Kumaraswamy claimed that he met Shivakumar in Tihar Jail, and also his mother, but the DyCM has showed little courtesy. After the audio release, Shivakumar is missing. He should have given instructions to act when he got the pen drive, but he made it an election commodity, he said. He also alleged that Karnataka DG&IGP Alok Mohan was settling scores with the Gowda family through the alleged sex scandal. When I was CM for 14 months, I did not make him Bengaluru City police commissioner, so he is avenging us, he alleged. The women in the videos were summoned to the DGPs office in Bengaluru from Holenarasipura, and their complaints were typed here against Revanna and Devaraje Gowda under Section 376, he alleged. Miscreants throw eggs at Shivarames house Five unidentified persons threw eggs at former MP LR Shivarame Gowdas residence in Banagiri Nagar in Bengaluru on Sunday night. The incident follows the release of an audio clip, in which the former MP purportedly spoke disrespectfully of HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy. CK Achukattu police have registered a case.

Aggression or Caution: The choice facing Iran's next leaders

A decade ago, it was possible to imagine a very different future for the United States and Iran. Raisi's predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, and his urbane, Western-educated foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, seemed determined to dial back the decades of hostility, and sanctions, that had crippled Iran's economy. They talked about personal freedom and women's rights, and courted European leaders even while Iran's Revolutionary Guard kept funding terrorism.

Iran's Presidential Death Sparks Uncertain Future

Iran's Presidential Death Sparks Uncertain Future The death of Iran's president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran's ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader, and his death makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei's son. A hereditary succession would pose a potential crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic, which was established as an alternative to monarchy but which many Iranians already see as a corrupt and dictatorial regime. Here's a look at what comes next. HOW DOES IRAN'S GOVERNMENT WORK? Iran holds regular elections for president and parliament with universal suffrage. But the supreme leader has final say on all major policies, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and controls the powerful Revolutionary Guard. The supreme leader also appoints half of the 12-member Guardian Council, a clerical body that vets candidates for president, parliament and the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of jurists in charge of choosing the supreme leader. In theory, the clerics oversee the republic to ensure it complies with Islamic law. In practice, the supreme leader carefully manages the ruling system to balance competing interests, advance his own priorities and ensure that no one challenges the Islamic Republic or his role atop it. Raisi, a hard-liner who was seen as a protege of Khamenei, was elected president in 2021 after the Guardian Council blocked any other well-known candidate from running against him, and turnout was the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic. He succeeded Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who had served as president for the past eight years and defeated Raisi in 2017. After Raisi's death, in accordance with Iran's constitution, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, a relative unknown, became caretaker president, with elections mandated within 50 days. That vote will likely be carefully managed to produce a president who maintains the status quo. That means Iran will continue to impose some degree of Islamic rule and crack down on dissent. It will enrich uranium, support armed groups across the Middle East and view the West with deep suspicion. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SUCCESSION? Presidents come and go, some more moderate than others, but each operates under the structure of the ruling system. If any major change occurs in Iran, it is likely to come after the passing of Khamenei, when a new supreme leader will be chosen for only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khamenei succeeded the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. The next supreme leader will be chosen by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, who are elected every eight years from candidates vetted by the Guardian Council. In the most recent election, in March, Rouhani was barred from running, while Raisi won a seat. Any discussion of the succession, or machinations related to it, occur far from the public eye, making it hard to know who may be in the running. But the two people seen by analysts as most likely to succeed Khamenei were Raisi and the supreme leader's own son, Mojtaba, 55, a Shiite cleric who has never held government office. WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SUPREME LEADER'S SON SUCCEEDS HIM? Leaders of the Islamic Republic going back to the 1979 revolution have portrayed their system as superior, not only to the democracies of a decadent West, but to the military dictatorships and monarchies that prevail across the Middle East. The transfer of power from the supreme leader to his son could spark anger, not only among Iranians who are already critical of clerical rule, but supporters of the system who might see it as un-Islamic. Western sanctions linked to the nuclear program have devastated Iran's economy. And the enforcement of Islamic rule, which grew more severe under Raisi, has further alienated women and young people. The Islamic Republic has faced several waves of popular protests in recent years, most recently after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly not covering her hair in public. More than 500 people were killed and over 22,000 were detained in a violent crackdown. Raisi's death may make the transition to a new supreme leader trickier, and it could spark more unrest.

Pakistan: Court acquits Imran Khan and his party leaders in vandalism case

Pakistan: Court acquits Imran Khan and his party leaders in vandalism case The sessions court in Islamabad on Monday acquitted former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, and others in the Azadi March vandalism case, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas Khan announced the reserved verdict. The people who have been acquitted alongside Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan were other prominent PTI leaders Zartaj Gul, Ali Nawaz Awan, Saifullah Niazi, Faisal Javed, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qasim Suri, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Shireen Mazari, Asad Umar and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad. During the court hearing, Imran Khan's lawyer Naeem Panjotha said that the FIR had been registered by an unauthorised person, according to ARY News report. He stated that the authority to register the case rested only with the person who imposed Section 144. Naeem Panjotha said that FIRs were filed against peaceful protesters and 19 cases of the same nature were registered against Imran Khan in different police stations. He urged the court to acquit the PTI founders the allegations made against him were baseless. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved the verdict on the acquittal pleas. Earlier in 2022, vandalism cases were lodged by the Karachi Company police against PTI founder Imran Khan, lawmaker Zartaj Gul, former PTI leader Asad Umar, Faisal Javed, Ali Nawaz Awan and Saifullah Niazi in connection with the Azadi March. On May 15, Islamabad High Court granted bail to Imran Khan in the 190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference, according to ARY News report. Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed the hearing of appeals against the conviction of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for May 21, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. According to details, a two-member bench comprising Pakistan's Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear the pleas. Previously, the hearing was adjourned on May 15 due to the cancellation of the cause list. The FIA Special Prosecutor, Hafiz Hamad Ali Shah, is expected to complete his arguments during the court's next hearing. Following the completion of the prosecution's arguments, Imran Khan will present his defence arguments. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan filed pleas in the Islamabad High Court against convictions in the cypher and Toshakhana case, ARY News reported. On January 30, a special court hearing cipher case handed a 10-year jail term, each, to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two leaders were accused of conspiracy to misuse the contents of the cypher to fulfill nefarious purposes. In its verdict, the court said the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charges against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. (ANI)

Kamal Hassan announces release date for Indian 2

Actor-politician Kamal Hassans Indian 2: Zero Tolerance will release in theatres on July 12. Haasan shared the news in a Continue reading Kamal Hassan announces release date for Indian 2 The post Kamal Hassan announces release date for Indian 2 appeared first on EasternEye .

Political Scandal Erupts: Alleged Phone Tapping and Sexual Assault Videos Shake JD(S)

Political Scandal Erupts: Alleged Phone Tapping and Sexual Assault Videos Shake JD(S) Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy on Monday alleged that 40 phones including his own and those of his family members and supporters are being tapped. Even as he made an appeal to his nephew and Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna to come back to the country, Kumaraswamy accused the government of spying on himself and his family. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara dismissed the allegation as baseless and a means to gain publicity. Our phones are being tapped. I know it. Forty phones of people around me are being tapped. Whatever discussions are happening on phone are being monitored. H D Revannas phone is also being tapped, Kumaraswamy alleged. Revanna is Kumaraswamys brother who was released on bail in kidnapping and sexual assault cases. The JD(S) 'first family' is in trouble after a huge cache of explicit videos showing many women being sexually assaulted and filmed allegedly by Prajwal became public. Prajwal, grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and son of Revanna, is hiding in a foreign country as the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. The 33-year-old JD(S) leader is the NDAs Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by a court. Interpol has also issued a Blue Corner Notice seeking information on his whereabouts. Kumaraswamy appealed publicly to his nephew to return to India and cooperate with the investigation. Come back to India and cooperate with the investigation. How long this police and thief game will go on? Your grandfather always wanted you to grow politically. If you want to honour his reputation, then come back to India, he said. He added that he has asked his brother Revanna to help bring back his son. Kumaraswamy, who is the JD(S) state president, claimed that if he knew beforehand about the explicit videos and sexual assault cases, he would not have allowed him to flee the country. He also apologised to the victims of the sexual assault case. I once again publicly apologise to my mothers and sisters who are passing through painful mental agony. I understand their sufferings, the JD(S) second-in-command said. I would like to say that many such cases have happened. The intensity of such cases may be high or low. It is such a case which is unacceptable and makes us hang our heads in shame, he noted. Accusing DCM Shivakumar of being the ''architect'' (''sutradhari'') of distribution of thousands of pen drives carrying the sexual assault videos, Kumaraswamy said, You (Shivakumar) are the lead person for distributing those pen drives. Case should be filed against Shivakumar and Shivarame Gowda. The JD(S) leader was referring to an audio going viral in which senior Congress leader L R Shivarame Gowda is purportedly heard telling BJP leader G Devaraje Gowda to distribute pen drives containing the explicit videos. Distribute the pen drive and put the blame on Kumaraswamy, creating an impression that he wanted to promote his son (Nikhil Kumaraswamy), Shivarame Gowda has purportedly said in the audio. He further allegedly ''advised'' Devaraje Gowda not to underestimate the JD(S) first family, including former PM Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and other members of his family. The government is committed to ruin their (Deve Gowda and his family) lives. I am surprised why Deve Gowda has not died by suicide yet, Shivarame Gowda is allegedly heard telling Devaraje Gowda in the audio clip. In response, Devaraje Gowda allegedly told him that sharing these videos would badly affect the lives of many women. To this, Shivarame Gowda allegedly replied that there was no need to bother about it. The JD(S) took to social media saying that the audio makes clear the intention of the Congress to finish Deve Gowdas family. Dismissing the accusation of phone tapping, Shivakumar, who is also Congress Karnataka unit president, said Kumaraswamy and Revanna were not terrorists to warrant such action. Speaking to reporters at his residence, he said, ''Government taps phones of terrorists with due processes. There is no need to tap the phones of political leaders in the state. They are casting these aspersions for publicity.'' He also said he has nothing to do with the ''pen drive case''. Home Minister Parameshwara too rejected the charge of phonetapping. ''I deny it totally. If he has any proof that his phone is being tapped by so and so... (he should bring it forward),'' he told reporters in Hubballi.

Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri named acting foreign minister

TEHRAN: Iran's veteran nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri, a harsh critic of the West, was Monday named acting foreign minister to replace the top diplomat killed in a helicopter crash along with the president. Bagheri, 56, had served as deputy to the foreign minister of the Islamic republic, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who perished along with the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in the accident. Bagheri is considered close to Iran's ultraconservatives and a member of the inner circle of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the father-in-law of Bagheri's brother. The negotiator with the salt-and-pepper beard came to be known to his interlocutors for a soft-spoken composure that often stood in sharp contrast to his uncompromising stance. Every time foreigners intervene, under any pretext... their presence interferes with the security and stability of the region, Bagheri once said. The new acting foreign minister has long experience with Iran's nuclear dossier -- the flashpoint issue that has pitted Tehran against major powers and arch foe Israel, who suspect it is seeking the atomic bomb. Iran struck a landmark nuclear deal in 2015 in Vienna under which it agreed to curb the programme in return for sanctions relief, but former US president Donald Trump withdrew from it three years later. After Iran had agreed the Vienna deal under its moderate president Hassan Rouhani, Bagheri emerged as one of its main critics, accusing the administration of bowing to the West. He charged that the deal violated most of Khamenei's ed lines by imposing curbs and strict surveillance on the nuclear programme, which Iran says is strictly for civilian purposes. After the US withdrawal and reimposition of sanctions in 2018, Bagheri accused Rouhani of having given the West the impression that Iran is very weak. He later also used tough language to defend Iran's efforts to revive the deal. Last year he charged that the critics of those efforts in reality want to deprive the Islamic republic of a key and important tool to guarantee national interests. Born in 1967 in the village of Kan in northwestern Tehran, Bagheri grew up in a family deeply involved in politics in the Islamic republic. His father, a renowned Shiite cleric, was a member of the Assembly of Experts tasked with selecting the supreme leader. Bagheri's uncle, Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, later led the same body. Bagheri worked in the foreign ministry in the 1990s and grew close to conservative figure Saeed Jalili. When Jalili was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and became Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Bagheri served as his number two. After Bagheri concluded his own mission at the Council, he joined the judiciary when it was headed by Raisi. He served as secretary of the human rights council and then assistant for international affairs. Weeks after Raisi took office in 2021, Bagheri was appointed deputy foreign minister for political affairs and chief nuclear negotiator. But those talks have since come to a standstill over seemingly insurmountable differences, particularly with Washington. Iran's supreme leader appoints First Vice President as acting president after Raisi's death

JD(S) MLA H D Revanna gets bail from Bengaluru court in sexual assault case

JD(S) MLA H D Revanna granted bail in a sexual assault case despite SIT objections. Case involves allegations against Revanna and his son, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Prajwal fled to Germany with an arrest warrant and Interpol Blue Corner Notice issued. HD Revanna arrested, in police and judicial custody, secured conditional bail from a special court for MPs and MLAs.

Watch viral video: Man gets attacked after trying to touch 'pet' cheetah; netizens react

The shocking video posted on Instagram by Nouman Hassan featured a cheetah sitting on a sofa between two men.

HD Revanna gets bail from Bengaluru court in sexual assault case

H D Revanna H D Revanna Bengaluru: A court on Monday granted bail to JD(S) MLA and former Karnataka Minister H D Revanna in a sexual assault case. The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court had previously granted interim relief to the 66-year-old politician. Judge Preeth J refused to hear objections from SIT and ordered bail. The case, registered on April 28 at the Holenarasipura town police station, involves allegations of sexual assault by Revanna and his son, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, against a 47-year-old house help. Prajwal Revanna reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and an arrest warrant has also been issued against him in the sexual assault case. Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against Prajwal, who is on the run. HD Revanna was arrested on May 4 and was remanded into four-day police custody. He was later sent into judicial custody. Towards the end of his judicial custody, he secured conditional bail from a special court for MPs and MLAs.

Iran's supreme leader appoints First Vice President as acting president after Raisi's death

DUBAI:Irans supreme leader has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as countrys acting president after a helicopter crash killed President Ebrahim Raisi. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement in a condolence message he shared for Raisis death in the crash Sunday. The helicopter was found Monday in northwestern Iran. Khamenei also announced five days of mourning in the message. Who is Iran's first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, appointed acting president after helicopter crash? Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Monday said they were deeply saddened by the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister in a helicopter crash. We share our grief with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the people of that country and offer our condolences to all the families of the victims, the nation and the government of Iran, the Taliban prime minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, said in a statement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences to the Iranian people and government over the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other officials in a helicopter crash. Erdogan said in a statement posted on social platform X that he remembers Raisi with respect and gratitude and praised his efforts for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his time in office. Turkish authorities dispatched a drone late on Sunday to help locate the wreckage and early on Monday released footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday extended his deep condolences to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling the deaths of the countrys president and other officials a huge tragedy and a difficult, irreparable loss. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin, was an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving the Motherland. He rightfully enjoyed high respect from his compatriots and significant authority abroad. As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good neighborly relations between our countries and made great efforts to bring them to the level of strategic partnership, the Russian president said. Putin said that he had met Raisi several times and will forever retain the fondest memory of this wonderful man. Lebanons caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared three days of mourning in the country in response to the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, with flags at official institutions to be flown at half-staff. Lebanons political factions are deeply divided between those in support of Iran and its protege, Hezbollah, and those opposed to Iranian influence in the country.

Viral video: Pakistani man tries to get close with tiger and this happens next

Nouman Hassan, a content creator from Pakistan, has sparked both admiration and criticism for his viral videos featuring his pet tigers.

Who Was Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's Hardline President Killed in a Helicopter Crash?

Ebrahim Raisi, the hardline president of Iran and a potential successor to the supreme leader, has died in a helicopter crash in the mountainous northwest of the country, according to Iranian media. Raisi, who served as the head of Iran's judiciary and was under U.S. sanctions for his role in the 1988 mass executions, became president in 2021 amid historically low voter turnout. During his presidency, he was a staunch supporter of Iran's uranium enrichment program and its aggressive foreign policy, including attacks on Israel. Raisi had been viewed as a protg of Iran's supreme leader and a likely candidate to succeed him. Iranian media confirmed his death on Monday, stating that the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, had an accident while serving and performing his duty for the people of Iran and was martyred, according to the Mehr news agency. Before becoming president, Raisi led Iran's judiciary and ran unsuccessfully for president in 2017 against Hassan Rouhani, a more moderate cleric who was instrumental in the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Raisi was sanctioned by the U.S. and other countries for his involvement in the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners. In the 2021 presidential election, Raisi won nearly 62% of the vote, although it was the lowest voter turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic. Many potential candidates were barred from running, leading to widespread voter apathy and ballot voiding. Raisi was unapologetic about his role in the 1988 executions during a press conference after his election. The executions, known as death commissions, involved sham retrials of political prisoners and militants at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. Those who identified as members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, an opposition group, were executed. Amnesty International estimates that up to 5,000 people were killed, and Raisi was a member of the commissions overseeing the trials. In 2019, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Raisi for his role in overseeing executions, including those of juveniles, and for the torture and mistreatment of prisoners in Iran. As president, Raisi supported Iran's uranium enrichment to near-weapons-grade levels and hindered international inspections, escalating tensions with the West. He also backed a massive attack on Israel in April, involving over 300 drones and missiles, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack that killed Iranian generals in Syria. Raisi supported a harsh crackdown on dissent, particularly following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests. The crackdown resulted in over 500 deaths and more than 22,000 arrests. In March, a U.N. investigative panel held Iran responsible for the physical violence leading to Amini's death after her arrest for not wearing a hijab to the authorities' standards. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash: 'No Survivors' Found Island Nations Welcome Indian Tourists with Visa-Free Entry this Summer! Iran's Top Commander Warns of Blocking Eastern Mediterranean

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hard-line diplomat, dies in helicopter crash

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hard-line diplomat, dies in helicopter crash Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hard-liner close to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who confronted the West while also overseeing indirect talks with the US over the country's nuclear programme, died in the helicopter crash that also killed the country's president, state media reported on Monday. He was 60. Amirabdollahian represented the hard-line shift in Iran after the collapse of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers after then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord. He served under President Ebrahim Raisi, a protg of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and followed their policies. However, Amirabdollahian also was involved in efforts to reach a dtente with regional rival Saudi Arabia in 2023, a move eclipsed months later by tensions that arose over the Israel-Hamas war. But he remained close to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, once praising the late Gen. Qassem Soleimani, slain in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020. You should thank the Islamic Republic and Qassem Soleimani because Soleimani has contributed to world peace and security, Amirabdollahian once said. ''If there was no Islamic Republic, your metro stations and gathering centres in Brussels, London and Paris would not be safe. Amirabdollahian served in the Foreign Ministry under Ali Akbar Salehi in 2011 through 2013. He then returned for several years under Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was a key player in the nuclear deal reached under the administration of the relative moderate President Hassan Rouhani. But Zarif and Amirabdollahian had a falling out, likely over internal differences in Iran's foreign policy. Zarif offered him the ambassadorship to Oman, still a strategically important post given the sultanate long serving as an interlocutor between Iran and the West. But Amirabdollahian refused. He became foreign minister under Raisi with his election in 2021. He backed the Iranian government position, even as mass protests swept the country in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been earlier detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death. During the Israel-Hamas war, he met with foreign officials and the leader of Hamas. He also threatened retaliation against Israel and praised an April attack on Israel. He also oversaw Iran's response to a brief exchange of airstrikes with Iran's nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan and worked on diplomacy with the Taliban in Afghanistan, with whom Iran had tense relations. Amirabdollhian is survived by his wife and two children.

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, supreme leader's protg, dies at 63 in helicopter crash

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, supreme leader's protg, dies at 63 in helicopter crash Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protg of the country's supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone-and-missile attack on Israel, has died. He was 63. Raisi's sudden death, along with Iran's foreign minister and other officials in the helicopter crash Sunday in northwestern Iran, came as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world. A cleric first, Raisi once kissed the Quran, the Islamic holy book, before the United Nations and spoke more like a preacher than a statesman when addressing the world. Raisi, who earlier lost a presidential election to the relatively moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani in 2017, ended up coming to power four years later in a vote carefully managed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to clear any major opposition candidate. His arrival came after Rouhani's signature nuclear deal with world powers remained in tatters after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord, setting in motion years of renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington. But while saying he wanted to rejoin the deal, Raisi's new administration instead pushed back against international inspections, in part over an ongoing suspected sabotage campaign carried out by Israel targeting its nuclear program. Talks in Vienna at restoring the accord remained stalled in his government's first months. Sanctions are the US' new way of war with the nations of the world, Raisi told the United Nations in September 2021. He added: The policy of maximum oppression' is still on. We want nothing more than what is rightfully ours. Mass protests swept the country in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and more than 22,000 others were detained. In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death. Then came the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, in which Iranian-backed militias targeted Israel. Tehran launched an extraordinary attack itself on Israel in April, in which hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles fired. Israel, the US and its allies shot down the projectiles, but it showed just how much the yearslong shadow war between Iran and Israel had boiled. Khamenei appointed Raisi, a former Iranian attorney general, in 2016 to run the Imam Reza charity foundation, which manages a conglomerate of businesses and endowments in Iran. It is one of many bonyads, or charitable foundations, fuelled by donations or assets seized after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. These foundations offer no public accounting of their spending and answer only to Iran's supreme leader. The Imam Reza charity, known as Astan-e Quds-e Razavi in Farsi, is believed to be one of the biggest. Analysts estimate its worth at tens of billions of dollars as it owns almost half the land in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city. At Raisi's appointment to the foundation, Khamenei called him a trustworthy person with high-profile experience. That led to analyst speculation that Khamenei could be grooming Raisi as a possible candidate to be Iran's third-ever supreme leader, a Shiite cleric who has final say on all state matters and serves as the country's commander-in-chief. Though Raisi lost his 2017 campaign, he still garnered nearly 16 million votes. Khamenei installed him as the head of Iran's internationally criticised judiciary, long known for its closed-door trials of human rights activists and those with Western ties. The US Treasury in 2019 sanctioned Raisi for his administrative oversight over the executions of individuals who were juveniles at the time of their crime and the torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in Iran, including amputations. By 2021, Raisi became the dominant figure in the election after a panel under Khamenei disqualified candidates who posed the greatest challenge to his protege. He swept nearly 62 per cent of the 28.9 million votes in that vote, the lowest turnout by percentage in the Islamic Republic's history. Millions stayed home and others voided ballots. Raisi was defiant when asked at a news conference after his election about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as death commissions. After Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a UN-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border from Iraq in a surprise attack. Iran blunted their assault. The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded mujahedeen were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic, according to a 1990 Amnesty International report. International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions. I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people's security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was, Raisi said. Born in Mashhad on December 14, 1960, Raisi was born into a family that traces its lineage to Islam's Prophet Muhammad, marked by the black turban he would later wear. His father died when he was 5. He would go onto the seminary in the Shiite holy city of Qom and later would describe himself as an ayatollah, a high-ranking Shiite cleric. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Prajwal Revannas alleged sex scandal case: Alleged audio clip of Devaraje, Shivarame out

BENGALURU: Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna s alleged sex scandal case took a new twist on Sunday with the release of audio tapes consisting of the alleged conversation between BJP leader and advocate Devaraje Gowda and former MP LR Shivarame Gowda. In the alleged audio, Shivarame Gowda says DCM DK Shivakumar has given him a task and insists that Devaraje Gowda should help Shivakumar frame ex-CM HD Kumaraswamy as the mastermind behind the circulation of pen drives containing sleazy videos allegedly of Prajwal. Shivarame Gowda also allegedly says the Congress government is all prepared to politically finish off former PM HD Deve Gowda and his family. Before the audio was aired on TV news channels, Shivarame Gowda refuted the charges at a press meet. He said he will file a defamation suit against Devaraje Gowda. There are invisible hands behind Devaraje Gowda and he might have dragged Shivakumars name and used Union minister Amit Shahs name as SIT is taking forward the case against him. I have conversed with Devaraje Gowda for only two days and besides that, I am in no way concerned with the pen drive release deal, he maintained. On May 6, Devaraje Gowda alleged that Shivarame Gowda made him speak to Shivakumar over phone. Soon after, Devaraje Gowda was arrested in an old case. On Friday, Devaraje Gowda alleged that Shivakumar had offered him Rs 100 crore to frame Kumaraswamy. But Shivakumar denied the charges and alleged that Devaraje Gowda is mentally unstable. @INCKarnataka . ... ? . . CD . Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) May 19, 2024 JDS posted on X, Your president is the original owner of the pen drive factory. These are all conspiracies of the nefarious act of pen drive distribution by the CD Shivakumar gang. It is the audio tapes that have come out after Devaraj Gowdas statement that have unravelled the saga of a mega conspiracy. Now tell me, who is mentally unstable? It alleged, The conspiracy is to discredit the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, undermine the leadership of H D Kumaraswamy, break JD(S) and BJP alliance and to take the life of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda. A BJP delegation will approach Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, appealing him to take action to hand over the alleged sex scandal case to the CBI, sources said.

Ashoka discusses Prajwals case with Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka called on former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and greeted him on turning 92, here on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Ashoka claimed to have discussed the states political scenario with Gowda, who spoke about certain issues. He clarified that action should be taken against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in the alleged sex scandal case, but questioned the government for allegedly sparing those who had circulated the pen drives consisting the sleazy videos. He alleged that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was trying to cover up the truth, and hence, advocate and BJP leader Devaraje Gowda who spoke the truth about the pen drive was arrested. Shivakumars intention was to prevent the truth from being telecast in the media, he stated. Shivakumar, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah together made a master plan. Siddaramaiah has already finished the Dalit leaders. In the same way, he made a plan to finish off Vokkaligas. Prajwals case should be handed over to the CBI and heads in the government will roll. The SIT has been trying to bury the case, as it has not arrested those who circulated the pen drives, he alleged.

Congress cannot take Kerala for granted

Barely days after the Lok Sabha elections concluded in Kerala, the Congress state unit is grappling with a crisis, and it has none other than KPCC president K Sudhakaran at its crux. Though AICC did blink and allow Sudhakaranwho had handed over the charge to another leader as he was a candidate in the LS pollsto return as KPCC president, signals emanating from the party show that all is not well. Both opposition leader V D Satheesan and the temporary KPCC chief M M Hassan had skipped the event where Sudhakaran re-assumed the charge. Sudhakaranknown for his acerbic retorts and loose tonguedid not hide his resentment over their absence and made snide remarks about them while talking to the media. The matter has not been settled. Post LS polls, the party high command is being flooded with letters favouring and opposing Sudhakaran and Satheesan. The duo was chosen as an antidote to everything that was plaguing the party after it got drubbed in the 20121 Assembly elections. Sudhakaran, with his sharp retorts to C M Pinarayi Vijayan and his efforts to create a cadre system, did manage to re-energise the party initially after he took charge. But the hype did not last long as he could not carry out the organisational revamp as per the plan. The party went into the LS election with no booth committees in place in several constituencies. UDF partners were shocked at the breakdown of the organisational structure and conveyed their displeasure to the Congress leadership. The public spat between the KPCC president and Opposition leader also had put the party in a bad light. Despite all the shortcoming of its Kerala unit, the southern state is still one of the strongest bastions of the Congress party. But it has got more to do with the prevailing anti-CPM sentiments in the state and less with the organisational strength of the Congress party. So, even if the grand old part manages to win handsomely in Kerala, it should not be taken as an affirmative vote for the Congress in the LS elections. In other words, the Congress party should not take Kerala for granted, especially as the BJP is gradually carving out a space for itself in the state. Local body elections will take place next year and the Assembly election will follow immediately after that. After being out of power in the state for two consecutive terms, the Congress party cannot afford to lose one more round of elections. The KPCC must put its house in order at the earliest if it doesnt want to follow the fate of its counterparts in other states.

Intense search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter 'accident'

TEHRAN: Iran was thrown into uncertainty Sunday as search and rescue teams scoured a fog-shrouded mountain area after President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter went missing in what state media described as an accident. Fears grew for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province, reports said. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iranians to ot worry about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying here will be no disruption in the country's work. We hope that Almighty God will bring our dear president and his companions back in full health into the arms of the nation, he said in a nationally televised address as Muslim faithful prayed for Raisi's safe return. Expressions of concern and offers to help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort. State television first reported in the afternoon that an accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president in the Jolfa region. The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site, said one broadcaster, as the massive search effort later continued into the night. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the helicopter made a hard landing in bad weather and that it was difficult to establish communication with the aircraft. He urged people to get their information only from state television, and not listen to foreign media channels Iran deems hostile to the Islamic republic. - Massive search effort - Raisi's convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had eached their destination safely, said the Tasnim news agency. More than 60 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, the IRNA news agency reported. Army, Revolutionary Guard and police officers joined the search, authorities said, as TV stations showed pictures of Red Crescent teams walking up a hill in the mist, and rows of waiting emergency response vehicles. Raisi had visited the northwestern province to inaugurate a dam project together with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, on their common border. Aliyev said in a post on X that we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran. Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation, he said, also offering any assistance needed. Foreign countries were closely following the search at a time of high regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 that has drawn in other armed groups in the Middle East. A US State Department spokesman said: We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister, adding that we have no further comment at this time. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the crash, an American official said on condition of anonymity. - 'Servant of the people' - Raisi has been president since 2021 when he succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, at a time when the economy was battered by US sanctions over Iran's contested nuclear programme. Iran saw a wave of protests triggered by the death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly flouting dress rules for women. In March 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise deal that restored diplomatic relations. The Gaza war sent regional tensions soaring again and a series of tit-for-tat escalations led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April this year. In a speech following Sunday's dam inauguration, Raisi emphasised Iran's support for Palestinians, a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution. We believe that Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world, and we are convinced that the people of Iran and Azerbaijan always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime, said Raisi. Hamas, which the United States and European Union consider a terrorist group, said that in this painful incident, we express our full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, government and people. One 37-year-old Tehran citizen, who gave his name only as Hadi, called Raisi one of the servants of the people, and said we hope that he and his companions are found in good health.

Imran Khan's party rejects Rana Sanaullah's out-of-court settlement offer on meddling in judicial affairs

Imran Khan's party rejects Rana Sanaullah's out-of-court settlement offer on meddling in judicial affairs Rejecting Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on political and public affairs, Rana Sanaullah's suggestion that the issue of six judges' letter over meddling in judicial affairs should be settled out of court, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stressed that the proposal is clear evidence that there is no rule of law in Pakistan, Dawn reported. In a statement, PTI spokesperson said the Supreme Court should issue a contempt notice to Sanaullah. The party spokesperson said, [The] Party, which has come to power through a deal, has been suggesting judges make a deal. In March, six judges of the IHC, including Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir wrote a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), seeking its guidance on interference of the intelligence agencies in the courts' affairs, according to Geo News report. The letter, which was written by judges, read, We are writing to seek guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regard to the duty of a judge to report and respond to actions on [the] part of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, that seek to interfere with [the] discharge of his/her official functions and qualify as intimidation, as well as the duty to report any such actions that come to his/her attention in relation to colleagues and/or members of the courts that the high court supervises. Meanwhile, the PTI criticised the government for its alleged silence over rising tensions along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Imran Khan-founded party called on the state to reassess its priorities and create a strategy to find a durable and permanent solution to the issue. The party spokesperson said that the border areas of Pakistan faced constant tension due to the failed foreign policies of the government. He voiced concern over the fixing of Tyrian case against PTI founder Imran Khan for rehearing after a year, noting that the two judges of a three-member bench have already ruled against maintainability of the case. PTI leader said that Imran Khan's opponents now had hopes on this case after they did not achieve their desired goals in the cypher, Toshakhana and Al-Qadir Trust cases, according to Dawn report. He noted that Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had proved his ias against Khan by establishing a fresh bench to hear the case rather than announcing the verdict of a three-member bench, headed by him, wherein two judges had spoken against the maintainability of the case. Meanwhile, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has voiced grave concern over the incidents of mob violence against international students, including Pakistanis, in Bishkek, Dawn reported. He stated that the foreign office should take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of students and facilitate their safe return to Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed the hearing of appeals against the conviction of Imran Khan and Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for May 21, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. According to details, a two-member bench comprising Pakistan's Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear the pleas. Previously, the hearing was adjourned on May 15 due to the cancellation of the cause list. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan filed pleas in the Islamabad High Court against convictions in the cypher and Toshakhana case, ARY News reported. On January 30, a special court hearing cipher case handed a 10-year jail term, each, to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two leaders were accused of conspiring to misuse the contents of the cypher to fulfill nefarious purposes. In its verdict, the court said the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charges against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. (ANI)

Building a superstar: Kalki team releases new video

Team Kalki has ramped up its promotions on social media, with interesting videos the team is looking to grab the attention of the audience and thus create a sense of enthusiasm among the moviegoers. The Epic-Science-fiction movie, 'Kalki 2898 AD' was earlier criticised for its less promotional activity on social media platforms. The movie starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan and Deepika padukone in important roles is set for a June 28 release date. The team has released a video titled Building a superstar Bujji, which looks like the creation of an AI incorporated vehicle. The video is funny and draws the curiosity of the audience. In the video, a robot was seen with a big brain but no body and many try and fail to give it a body. At the end of the video Prabhas was seen uncovering a car, drawing speculations that his character might use the car with some special AI-like features. The makers announced in the two and half minute video that they will reveal 'Bujji' on May 22. Recently, Prabhas made headlines with his Instagram story, where he said 'someone special is entering his life,' and that too was a part of the movie's promotions. Watch: Presenting ' : Builiding a Superstar #Bujji ' from #Kalki2898AD !!! https://t.co/iv3McvKMYt @SrBachchan @ikamalhaasan #Prabhas @deepikapadukone @nagashwin7 @DishPatani @Music_Santhosh @VyjayanthiFilms @Kalki2898AD @BelikeBujji pic.twitter.com/NjJJhreM5h Vyjayanthi Movies (@VyjayanthiFilms) May 18, 2024

Pakistan: Woman journalist beaten up by group of people involved in cheating at examination centers

Pakistan: Woman journalist beaten up by group of people involved in cheating at examination centers Pakistan: Woman journalist beaten up by group of people involved in cheating at examination centers A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the group of people seen beating up the woman journalist at a school in Korangi. A female journalist was allegedly tortured by a group of people involved in facilitating cheating at examination centers amid ongoing matric exams, ARY News reported. Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ali Malkani sought reports from concerned officials. Following which, the Home Minister directed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Korangi Hassan Sardar Khan to submit a report on the incident at the earliest. The police took action on the viral video and arrested three suspects, including the school owner, ARY News reported. Notably, the matriculation exams are being held in Karachi with severe irregularities, including a lack of furniture for students and complaints of open cheating. Moreover, the examination papers were also leaked ahead of the commencement of the exams. Additionally, power load shedding was also reported in several examination centers during the annual examination of classes 9 and 10 under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK). Students in Karachi are facing power failure problems amid hot weather conditions. (ANI)

Action on Prajwal Revanna is OK, but false case against Revanna, says Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: Breaking his silence on the sexual abuse charges against his grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda on Saturday clarified that he has no objection to the legal action initiated against Prajwal. But he alleged that the ruling Congress has created a case against his son and MLA HD Revanna. Prajwal fled the country after casting his vote in Hassan on April 26. After this, the Karnataka government set up an SIT based on the state womens commissions recommendation, to probe the Hassan sex scandal. Meanwhile, the SIT arrested Revanna on May 4 in connection with the alleged abduction of a victim of the alleged sexual abuse. Revanna got bail and was released from jail on May 14. But he is facing another case of alleged sexual abuse and hearing will be held on Monday. Gowda made his last public appearance on April 26 when he cast his vote at Paduvalahippe village in Hassan district along with his wife Channamma and family members. He did not step out of his Padmanabha Nagar house in Bengaluru after the scandal came to light. Attempts to tarnish image of family: HDD Deve Gowda did not even campaign in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. On Saturday, he turned 92 and visited Sri Tirumalagiri Venkataramanaswamy Temple at JP Nagar as he does on his birthday every year and chose to speak to the media on the occasion. We have no objection to the action being taken against Prajwal. But people of the state have realised how a case has been created against Revanna, he said. He said he will not comment on it as his son and former CM HD Kumaraswamy has spoken elaborately on behalf of his (Gowdas) family. I will not take the names of those involved, but action should be taken against all of them, including Prajwal, as per law. It is the governments responsibility, he said. Replying to a query, Gowda said its true that his detractors are trying to tarnish the image of his family. On BJP leader and lawyer Devaraje Gowdas allegation that Deputy CM DK Shivakumar is behind the conspiracy, the former PM clarified that Kumaraswamy has spoken about all matters related to it. As JDS state chief, Kumaraswamy has been handling various issues related to the party. He has even clarified that action should be taken against all those, including Prajwal, involved in the circulation of obscene pen drives, he said. The former PM took exception to mediapersons camping outside his house. What have you achieved (by camping outside my house)? Now I am putting an end to it and you are free to telecast. I have campaigned (for the NDA candidates) in the LS elections and will speak after June 4 (when poll results will be announced), he said. Arrest warrant against MP An arrest warrant against absconding Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna was issued on Saturday in connection with the alleged sexual abuse cases. The warrant was issued by the special magistrate court on an application by SIT

Arrest warrant issued against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna

A special court issued an arrest warrant against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in a sexual assault case involving his father, H D Revanna. Prajwal, son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, faces multiple sexual assault cases and a blue corner notice as the NDA's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate.

Arrest warrant against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna

Arrest warrant against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna A special court for MPs and MLAs here has issued an arrest warrant against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in the sexual assault case. The court issued the warrant in connection with the sexual assault case registered against Prajwal on Saturday in which his father and Holenarasipura MLA H D Revanna is also an accused. Revanna, son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, is on bail after spending seven days in jail after four-day police custody for allegedly kidnapping a woman. There are three cases of sexual assault registered by three women against Prajwal, the NDA's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate who is at large. A blue corner notice has been issued against him by the Interpol. Trouble started for Prajwal after large number of explicit videos showing women being sexually assaulted allegedly by him became public. Subsequently, the Karnataka government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the recommendations of Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary to probe Prajwal's alleged atrocities on women.

If Devaraje Gowda has any proof of 100 crore bribe he must go to Lokayukta says D K Shivakumar

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has refuted the allegations levelled by BJP leader Devaraje Gowda that he offered Rs 100 crore to the latter to frame JDS state president and former CM H D Kumaraswamy as the mastermind behind the circulation of pendrives containing obscene videos allegedly of Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna. If Devaraje Gowda has any proof, he must lodge a complaint with the Lokayukta. He must be mentally unstable and my sympathies are with him. The media is aware and intelligent enough to separate the chaff from the grain. It is not correct to report whatever is said, Shivakumar said here on Saturday. To a query on his meeting with Devaraje Gowda, Shivakumar said hundreds of people meet him as he is a deputy CM. Both good and bad people visit me, and it is impossible to assess the background of people and their intentions. I havent spoken or done anything wrong, hence I dont worry about these things. They are using my name for the sake of publicity, he said. On former PM H D Deve Gowda demanding action against all those who are involved in the pendrive case, he said, Deve Gowda has gone to a temple on his birthday. May God give him health and happiness. I pray that his pain goes away. I wish him a happy birthday. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy refuted allegations of his involvement in the case. Devaraje Gowda had also alleged that Shivakumar had formed a team of ministers, including Cheluvarayaswamy, Krishna Byre Gowda and Priyank Kharge, to strike a deal on framing Kumaraswamy in the circulation of the pen drives. The role of the three in the case is being discussed. Prajwal, who made the videos, his driver Karthik who downloaded them and Devaraje Gowda who is facing charges of sharing the pendrives. But Devaraje Gowda, who had been feuding with Revannas family for a year, is now close to them, he said. Let Kumaraswamy get Prajwal back from abroad instead of dragging Shivakumar into the issue, he said. Since Shivakumar is the DCM, Devaraje Gowda might have met him to give certain information and it is not right to twist it otherwise, he said. Hitting at Devaraje Gowda, RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge said the former might have had the blessings of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to release the pen drives. He was the Holenarasipura BJP candidate who claimed to have direct contact with Shah. Hence, he might have had the blessings of Shah, he said. The JDS and BJP conspired to hush up the case as they were projecting that the release of the pen drives a bigger crime than who committed the crime, he said. Responding to Devaraje Gowdas remark that the government will collapse after he comes out of jail, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said then he will have to be in jail, while Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, Let him come out of jail first and later we will see whether the government falls or not.

High-octane year for Karnataka government, Parties now pin hopes on LS poll outcome

Around the same time last year, after a hard-fought election, Congress won a clear majority in the Karnataka assembly. After hectic parleys in the national capital, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, on May 20. Now, as the government completes its first year in office, peoples verdict on its performance will be out on June 4, when the results to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be announced. It was indeed a politically charged year for the state government and the ruling as well as the opposition parties. For the people in general, it was a bittersweet year, but it was the worst for farmers hit by severe drought. It is not fair to judge the state governments performance based only on the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls in the 28 seats, especially in the state, where the voting patterns for the assembly and Lok Sabha polls are different. But that is how it is viewed now. The Congress campaign in Karnataka was mainly mounted on its governments performance, especially the implementation of five guarantees which included free travel for women in state transport corporation buses, free electricity, financial assistance to women heads of households, Rs 170 in lieu of an additional five kilograms of rice to BPL families, and financial assistance to unemployed youth. From day one, it appeared that the entire focus of the state government was on implementing the guarantee schemes and burnishing its report card to maximise its gains in the Lok Sabha polls. Congress leaders are showcasing the Karnataka model to give credence to its national manifesto. Politically speaking, it did reasonably well on that strategy. However, questions were raised over the effective implementation of those schemes on the ground, its impact on development works and the diversion of funds meant for taking up development works exclusively for people from scheduled castes and tribes. The long-term benefits of such schemes and their impact on the economy are yet to be studied. Last year, it looked like a period between the assembly and Lok Sabha polls. While Congress kept its state unit fighting fit to do an encore of assembly poll performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the government took on the Centre on various issues, including alleged disparity in the devolution of taxes and drought relief. In an unprecedented move, the CM led a protest against the Centre and the state approached the Supreme Court for drought relief funds. The Center-state relations were strained. Farmers, who were in distress due to drought, were hit by delays in disbursement of compensation. Bomb explosion in popular Bengaluru cafe leaves 10 injured The law and order issues caused discomfiture to the government. From a blast at Rameshwaram Caf in Bengaluru, the raising of alleged pro-Pakistan slogans on the corridors of Vidhana Soudha by Congress supporters, assault on a shopkeeper playing devotional songs to gruesome murders in Hubballi, Karnataka was in the news for the wrong reasons. It may not be prudent to say the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated, but they do reflect the situation on the ground. Even in a sex scandal allegedly involving JD(S) MP from Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, the government should have taken proactive measures to prevent the circulation of videos to protect the identity of victims while initiating stern action against the accused. All along, the big question the party kept dodging was whether Siddaramaiah would continue as chief minister for five years or hand over the baton to DK Shivakumar. There is no clarity on it yet, but not giving a clear picture to the people of the state exposes the delicate power equations within the party. On its part, after its drubbing in the assembly polls, the BJP managed to regroup itself to some extent under the new state president BY Vijayendra. But to what extent it has made a turnaround will be known only after the Lok Sabha poll results. Although it is a Modi-centric poll for the BJP, local leaders do play an important role in taking the top leaderships message to the cadre and voters. For JD(S), it was a year of challenges and existential crisis. After the poor show in the assembly polls, it was rocked by the sex scandal allegedly involving its MP. As the Siddaramaiah government enters its second year in office, Lok Sabha results could further strengthen its position, or it may trigger intense political churning in the state.

Karnataka BJP chief insists Revanna case be handed over to CBI

The release of the video clips allegedly showing former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowdas grandson and Hassan sitting MP Prajwal Revanna sexually abusing women has taken political circles and civil society by storm in Karnataka.

First arrest warrant issued against absconding MP Prajwal Revanna

BENGALURU: The first arrest warrant was issued on Saturday against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who had been absconding after the sexual abuse cases registered against him. Sources confirmed that the warrant was issued by the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court following an application by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established to investigate the cases against Prajwal. However, sources in the SIT refused to reveal the grounds mentioned in the application filed before the court seeking the issuing of the arrest warrant and asked what more grounds are required than the grave charges against him. The warrant against the MP, who is facing three such cases, is seen as the first step toward seeking the cancellation of his passport, which would compel him to return back to India, an SIT official told TNIE. No objection to action against Prajwal, but case has been 'created' against H D Revanna: Deve Gowda The JD(S) MP fled the country shortly after the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls concluded in Karnataka on April 26. Earlier, Interpol issued a Blue Corner Notice seeking information on his whereabouts following a request by the SIT through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, there has not been any response yet. It was also learnt that the absconding MP who was earlier said to be in Germany has travelled via train to London along with two friends. It is said that an Indian origin London-based businessman helped Prajwal to commute and that his friends, who accompanied him on train, are said to be from Dubai and Bengaluru. However, SIT officials did not confirm the same. It was earlier said that the accused MP had booked flight tickets to come to India on May 15. SIT officials who have collected the bank account details of Prajwal have reportedly freezed seven of his bank accounts and the team is also gathering information about those who deposited money in the accounts.

Pakistan: Islamabad Court to hear appeals against conviction of Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi on May 21

Pakistan: Islamabad Court to hear appeals against conviction of Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi on May 21 The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed the hearing of appeals against the conviction of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for May 21, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. According to details, a two-member bench comprising Pakistan's Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear the pleas. Previously, the hearing was adjourned on May 15 due to the cancellation of the cause list. The FIA Special Prosecutor, Hafiz Hamad Ali Shah, is expected to complete his arguments during the court's next hearing. Following the completion of the prosecution's arguments, Imran Khan will present his defence arguments. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan filed pleas in the Islamabad High Court against convictions in the cypher and Toshakhana case, ARY News reported. On January 30, a special court hearing cipher case handed a 10-year jail term, each, to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two leaders were accused of conspiracy to misuse the contents of the cypher to fulfill nefarious purposes. In its verdict, the court said the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charges against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. On August 15, the first information report (FIR) was registered under the Official Secrets Act on the complaint of the Home Secretary. In the report, Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were nominated while names of former principal secretary to then Pakistan PM Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar were also included, according to ARY News report. According to the FIR, the former Pakistan PM and foreign minister distorted the facts of the diplomatic cypher. The FIR further added, A conspiracy was launched to misuse the contents of the cipher to fulfill nefarious purposes, ARY News reported. The FIR further stated that Khan and Qureshi endangered the state interests. According to the report, Imran Khan asked the then principal secretary Azam Khan - the then principal secretary - to manipulate cypher's content. It added, The former premier deliberately kept the copy of diplomatic cipher, which was sent to the PM office. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday approved former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail application in the Pound 190 million corruption case, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, had reserved the verdict on Tuesday after the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) prosecution team and Imran Khan's lawyer, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, concluded their arguments, according to Dawn report. The court set Imran Khan's bail at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1 million. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will not be released from prison as he is still serving out his sentences in the cypher case and the iddat case. His sentences in two separate Toshakhana cases were suspended by the IHC. (ANI)

Karnataka Sex Video Scandal: Court Issues Arrest Warrant Against JDS MP Prajwal Revanna

The JDS MP from Hassan reportedly did not appear before the SIT despite being served a notice

Activists to hold protest rally in Hassan on May 30

Activists to hold protest rally in Hassan on May 30 - The Hindu

Activists to hold protest rally in Hassan on May 30 The Hindu

Arrest warrant issued against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna

This is said to be the first step towards seeking cancellation of his passport, which will force him to return home

Prajwal Revanna case: Arrest warrant issued against Hassan MP - The Hindu

Prajwal Revanna case: Arrest warrant issued against Hassan MP The Hindu

Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra demands CBI probe into obscene video case

Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra demands CBI probe into obscene video case Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Saturday demanded to hand over the investigation into the alleged obscene video case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Speaking to ANI on Saturday, BY Vijayendra said, Many prominent names are being heard in connection with this case. Therefore I want to tell the state government that the victims should get justice and for that to happen it is not possible for the SIT but rather the case should be handed over to the CBI. This is what I'm requesting from the state government. Earlier in the day, HD Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief, urged to pursue all possible legal action against his grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in connection with the case. The former PM, however, alleged that the case against his son and Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna was orchestrated. HD Revanna was arrested on May 4 in connection with an alleged abduction case and was subsequently released on bail on May 14. HD Kumaraswamy has already spoken on behalf of our family and party regarding the allegations against Prajwal Revanna and HD Revanna. The government must pursue all possible legal avenues against Prajwal Revanna. However, it is evident that the cases against HD Revanna were orchestrated to target him, Deve Gowda told reporters on Saturday. Despite refraining from naming specific individuals, Deve Gowda echoed Kumaraswamy's criticism of the state government and Congress leader DK Shivakumar, hinting at broader involvement in the scandal. Many individuals are implicated in this case. It is essential that all those involved are held accountable, and justice is delivered to all the women who have been victimized, he said. Earlier on May 6, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had urged the centre to help the Karnataka SIT team in its investigation by helping bring Prajwal Revanna to India from abroad. The Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the allegations of sexual assault against MP Prajwal Revanna will conduct an independent and impartial investigation in which the state government will not interfere even a single inch. The success of the SIT investigation is now entirely dependent on the cooperation of the Central Government. The central government should cooperate in bringing the accused Prajwal Revanna, who is said to be abroad, to India, CM Siddaramaiah said. HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, are facing a probe by an SIT constituted by the Karnataka government over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in their household. (ANI)

'No objection to action against grandson if he is found guilty,' says Deve Gowda on sexual abuse case

Bengaluru: Breaking his silence over the sexual abuse charges leveled against JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, party Supremo H D Deve Gowda on Saturday said he has no objection to the action taken against his grandson if he is found guilty. He also said the cases against his son and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who is facing charges of sexual harassment and kidnap of a woman, were created, but refrained from commenting further, as the matter was subjudice. Addressing reporters, Gowda, who turned 92 today, said, ... I don't want to comment on things that are going on in the court regarding Revanna. Prajwal Revanna has gone abroad, regarding that Kumaraswamy (Gowda's other son and state JD(S) chief) has on behalf of our family said it is the duty of the government to take action in accordance with the law of the land. There are several people connected to this (sexual abuse cases), I don't want to take anyone's names. Kumaraswamy has said that for those who are involved in this matter, action should be taken against all of them, and the affected women should get justice and compensation. There is no objection from us for taking action against Prajwal. But people have come to know (facts) about the allegations made against Revanna, how the case has been created. In one case he has got the bail, in another case there is judgment day-after-tomorrow... I don't want to comment on it, he added, concurring with Kumaraswamy's statement that if found guilty no one should be spared. Gowda had recently announced his decision not to celebrate his birthday and had requested his well wishers and party workers to wish him from wherever they are. Prajwal (33) is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest. He reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and is still at large. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued against him, in an effort to bring him back. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's joint candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls on April 26. Asked whether there was a conspiracy to defame and scuttle his family politically, Gowda said, It is true... overall what all has happened, several people are involved, I won't take names. Kumaraswamy will say on what action to be taken. Responding to a query on BJP leader and advocate G Devaraje Gowda's allegations that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is behind the circulation of a pen drive containing explicit videos involving Prajwal Revanna, Gowda said Kumaraswamy will respond to all of this. We have seen in the media as to what Devaraje Gowda has said. Kumaraswamy has been reacting to all this actively as the party's state President, he will speak, but I won't at this point. I had campaigned for Lok Sabha polls, on June 4 after Lok Sabha polls results are announced, I will meet you (media), he added. Gowda also requested media persons camping near his house to leave. I also appeal to your owners.

Sex scandal: Jailed BJP leader alleges Rs 100cr bribe offer from Shivakumar

Bengaluru, May 18 (UNI) In a sensational revelation, BJP leader G Devarajegowda, currently incarcerated on multiple charges, claimed that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar offered him Rs 100 crore to accuse JDS State President HD Kumaraswamy of leaking pen drives containing videos of alleged sexual assault by Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Speaking to a... The post Sex scandal: Jailed BJP leader alleges Rs 100cr bribe offer from Shivakumar first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Man who sought revenge for a stolen phone pleads guilty to fire that killed a Senegalese family of 5

DENVER: A Colorado man pleaded guilty to murder charges on Friday for starting a 2020 house fire that killed five members of a Senegalese family out of misplaced revenge for a stolen iPhone that he mistakenly tracked to the house. Kevin Bui, now 20, was a teenager at the time of the fire but prosecuted as an adult. He has been portrayed by prosecutors as the ringleader of three friends who started the Aug. 5, 2020, fire in the middle of the night in a Denver neighborhood. Bui wrongly believed people who had recently robbed him lived in the home after using an app to track his stolen iPhone to the general area, according to prior testimony in the case. Bui pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. A plea deal reached between the defendant and prosecutors proposes a sentence of up to 60 years in prison -- 30 years for each count. The maximum penalty for each count of second-degree murder is 48 years and a $1 million fine. Judge Karen Brody set sentencing for July 2. Bui was seated at the table with his lawyers during the hearing with his hands cuffed in front of him and wearing a green jail uniform. He gave perfunctory answers to the judge's questions as his parents watched from the court gallery and listened to the proceedings as relayed by an interpreter through headphones. Bui's father told reporters after the hearing that they accepted the plea agreement. Bui is the last of the three friends to enter a plea in the fire that killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol. Their relative, Hassan Diol, 25, and her 6-month-old daughter Hawa Beye were also killed. Three other people escaped by jumping from the second floor of the home, breaking some bones. No relatives of the victims were in court, but they watched the proceedings online, said Ousman Ba, program coordinator of the African Leadership Group who is a spokesperson for the family of Djibril Diol and Adja Diol. He also consults with Amadou Beye, whose wife and daughter were killed. The families supported the deal even though they had originally hoped to see Bui sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Ba said. It is the harshest sentence available in Colorado since it abolished the death penalty and is the automatic punishment for a first-degree murder conviction. However, since people who commited crimes as juveniles are treated differently and allowed parole, the families believed that this plea agreement was the best option to resolve this case after nearly four years, he said. We are Muslims. We do believe justice will be served by Allah, our maker, said Ba, who thanked prosecutors for keeping the families informed about the case. One of the counts of second-murder that Bui pleaded guilty to was for killing Dijibril and Adja Diol and their child. The other is for killing Hassan Diol and her baby. Sixty other charges Bui had faced, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, arson and burglary, were dropped by prosecutors under the plea deal. Last year, Dillon Siebert, who was 14 at the time of the fire, was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention and seven years in a state prison program for young inmates. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a deal that prosecutors and the defense said balanced his lesser role in planning the fire, his remorse and interest in rehabilitation with the horror of the crime. In March, Gavin Seymour, 19, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder. Seymour and Bui pleaded guilty after a failed effort to get the internet search history evidence that led to their arrests thrown out. The investigation of the fire dragged on for months without any leads. Surveillance video showed three suspects wearing full face masks and dark hoodies. Fears that the blaze had been a hate crime led many Senegalese immigrants to install security cameras at their homes in case they could also be targeted. Without anything else to go on, police eventually obtained a search warrant asking Google for which IP addresses had searched the home's address within 15 days of the fire. Five of the IP addresses found were based in Colorado, and police obtained the names of those people through another search warrant. After investigating those people, police eventually identified Bui, Seymour and Siebert as suspects. They were arrested about five months after the fire. In October, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the search of Google users' keyword history, an approach that critics have called a digital dragnet that threatens to undermine people's privacy and their constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. However, the court cautioned it was not making a road proclamation on the constitutionality of such warrants and emphasized it was ruling on the facts of just this case.

Deve Gowda Supports Justice in Grandson's Sexual Abuse Case

Deve Gowda Supports Justice in Grandson's Sexual Abuse Case JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, who turned 92 on Saturday, broke his silence over the sexual abuse charges levelled against his grandson and MP Prajwal Revanna and said he has no objection to the action taken against him if found guilty. However, he said the cases against his son and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who is facing charges of sexual harassment and kidnap of a woman, were ''created'', but refrained from commenting further, as the matter was subjudice. Recently, Gowda had announced his decision not to celebrate his birthday and requested well wishers and party workers to wish him from wherever they are. ''... I don't want to comment on things that are going on in the court regarding Revanna. Prajwal Revanna has gone abroad, regarding that Kumaraswamy (Gowda's other son and state JD(S) chief) has on behalf of our family said it is the duty of the government to take action in accordance with the law of the land,'' Gowda said. Addressing reporters here, the former PM said, ''There are several people connected to this (sexual abuse cases), I don't want to take anyone's names. Kumaraswamy has said that those who are involved in this matter, action should be taken against all of them, and the affected women should get justice and compensation.'' ''There is no objection from us for taking action against Prajwal. But people have come to know (facts) about the allegations made against Revanna, how the case has been created. In one case he has got the bail, in another case there is judgment day-after-tomorrow...I don't want to comment on it,'' he said as he concurred with Kumaraswamy's statement that if found guilty no one should be spared. Prajwal (33) is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest. Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and is still at large. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued against him, in an effort to bring him back. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's joint candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls on April 26. Meanwhile, Gowda's 66-year-old son, Revanna, a former Minister, has got interim anticipatory bail from a court here, in a sexual harassment case, in which his son Prajwal is also an accused. Asked whether there was a conspiracy to defame and scuttle his family politically, Gowda said, ''It is true... over all what all has happened, several people are involved, I won't take names. Kumaraswamy will say on what action to be taken.'' Responding to a query on BJP leader and advocate G Devaraje Gowda's allegations that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is behind the circulation of pen drive containing explicit videos involving Prajwal Revanna, Gowda said, Kumaraswamy will respond to all of this. ''We have seen in the media as to what Devaraje Gowda has said. Kumaraswamy has been reacting to all this actively as the party's state President, he will speak, I won't at this point. I had campaigned for Lok Sabha polls, on June 4 after Lok Sabha polls results are announced, I will meet you (media),'' he added. Gowda also appealed to media persons campaign near his house to end it. ''I also appeal to your owners.''

HD Revannas bail plea order reserved till Monday

BENGALURU: The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court on Friday reserved the order on the bail petition filed by Holenarasipur MLA HD Revanna in a sexual harassment case till Monday. The court also extended his interim bail, which was granted earlier this week. Revanna came to the court barefoot for the hearing. Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Jayna Kothari requested the court for an in-camera hearing. The SPP told the court that Section 376 has been added based on the statements of the victim, and the hearing should be conducted in a sessions court and not at the magistrate court. Once a rape charge is pressed, it does not come under the jurisdiction of the magistrate court as Section 376 carries life imprisonment, the SPP argued. Meanwhile, the court, on Monday, will also decide whether to continue the hearing in the same court or to refer the case to a sessions court. The Holenarasipur Town police stations sexual harassment case against Revanna and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna should not be divided. It is not possible to say that Revanna is not accused of rape. Bail cannot be granted for the accused under CrPC Section 436, since IPC Section 376 is a non-bailable offence. Investigation against both the accused is still going on and the details will be known only after the chargesheet is filed. The victim, in her statements, has said that she could not bear the harassment from Revanna and Prajwal and left home. Ashraya Mane provided to the victim has been taken back and despite a complaint to the District Collector, no justice was delivered, Kothari argued. Ashok N Nayak, SPP, said that both Revanna and Prajwal have sexually assaulted the victim and she has been repeatedly raped and it is not possible to divide the accused and the case. Senior advocate CV Nagesh, who argued for Revanna, said the victims complaint has been typed and registered, while it should have been videotaped. The Act was amended in 2013 to protect the dignity of the victims. Rules are not followed. FIR had been registered illegally and it is a false case. Section 376 has not been mentioned in any of the notices given to Revanna so far and hence bail must be granted, Nagesh argued.

HD Revanna attends panel meeting

BENGALURU: Senior JDS leader and MLA, HD Revanna, attended official duties in Vidhana Soudha on Friday. Revanna and his son and Hassan MP, Prajwal Revanna, are in the centre of a political storm over the sex tapes. Revanna, a former minister, was arrested in connection with an alleged abduction case. He was granted bail by a special court for elected representatives earlier this week. Revanna, who is the chairperson of the Committee on Papers laid on the Table, attended the meeting in Vidhana Soudha. He came barefoot and left after the meeting, along with the members of the committee. As many as 10 to 11 legislators of the 20 members in the committee had turned up for the meeting. They held a closed-door meeting briefly and decided to take up the matters thoroughly in the next meeting as many of the top bureaucrats have not returned from their election duties. Revanna was also in a hurry to attend a court hearing concerning his bail. Even as reporters surrounded him for his reaction to the alleged sex scandal, Revanna said he would not react as the matter was in the courts. He also sidestepped questions regarding murmurs in political corridors about him being replaced as the committee chairperson.

Orange alert as heavy rain forecast for three days in Karnataka

BENGALURU: India Meteorological Department, Bengaluru, on Friday issued an orange alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain in parts of coastal and south-interior Karnataka from May 19 to 21. These places may see a dip in maximum temperature by 3 degrees Celsius. Karnataka did not receive any rain from December 2023 to this April. However, Karnataka is expected to experience good rain in the next five days, CS Patil, scientist and director, IMD, Bengaluru, said. He said light to moderate rain is expected across the state in the next five days. Orange and yellow alerts have been issued for Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. These districts are expected to receive 7 cm rain accompanied by thunder, lightning and strong surface winds ranging from 40 to 50 km per hour till May 21. IMD said more than 75% of southern and coastal Karnataka, and 25-50% of north interior Karnataka will receive rain. The maximum expected temperature will go down by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in the coming days. Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, and Yadgir districts will be unaffected by rain. Rain biggest challenge for RCB A resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in a do-or-die match that will decide the fourth and final team for the IPL playoffs in Bengalurus M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. RCBs fight will not just be with the Men in Yellow, but also with the Rain Gods as showers are forecast for Bengaluru on Saturday. RCB will need to win by at least 18 runs or chase the target with 11 balls to spare. A washout would mean CSK will sail to the playoffs.

DKS offered me Rs 100 cr to name HDK as mastermind: Devaraje Gowda

HASSAN: Giving a new twist to the Hassan sex scandal case, BJP leader and advocate Devaraje Gowda on Friday alleged that DCM DK Shivakumar had offered him Rs 100 crore to accuse former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy of masterminding circulation of pen drives allegedly containing obscene videos of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Disclosing this to reporters on the district court premises here before the local police handed him over to SIT sleuths, Gowda alleged that the plan was to defame Kumaraswamy and end his political career. Shivakumar forced me to target Kumaraswamy as the mastermind behind the distribution of pen drives. Shivakumar threatened me that you will be safe only if you target Kumaraswamy in the pen drive case, he alleged. Gowda said Shivakumar allegedly formed a ministers committee comprising Chaluvarayaswamy, Krishna Byre Gowda and Priyank Kharge to deal with the issue. Shivakumar also hatched a conspiracy to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government by linking Prajwal to the sex scandal. When I refused to obey his directions, the DCM sent former Congress MLC MA Gopalaswamy to a private club where I stayed to give me Rs 5 crore, Gowda alleged. Former MLA LR Shivarame Gowda also became a mediator between him and Shivakumar, he alleged and added that he has an audio conversation of Shivakumar targeting Kumaraswamy and Modi. I will release it at an appropriate time, he claimed. Predicting that the Congress government in the state will collapse immediately after he gets relief in this case, Devaraje Gowda said the police registered a rape case when he refused to act as per Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumars directives. Gowda further claimed that the evidence related to the pen drive case is safe with him and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the alleged sex scandal didnt get anything when it raided his house. He also blamed the IG, Southern Range, and the Hassan SP for the rape case filed against him. The court has the pen drive containing the footage of Prajwals former car driver Kartiks wifes abduction and not the alleged obscene videos of Prajwal. Ive applied for bail and will continue the legal battle till I get justice. Nobody is above law. Everybody should abide by law and respect it. The truth will prevail, he said.

Three-day synchronised elephant census in southern states from May 23

BENGALURU: An elephant census in the border areas of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh will be held from May 23 to 25. While the elephant census is usually held for an entire forest patch once every five years, this time it will be held only in the border areas of the southern states. The exercise aims to understand the area, the conflict and chalk out better policies for better coordination and future planning. This is the first time such an exercise is being carried out. It is the outcome of the inter-state coordination committee meeting held in March 2024 in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, said a senior Karnataka Forest Department official. The inter-state meeting was held after a radio-collared tuskless male (makhana) killed a man in Wayanad, Kerala. The makhana was radio-collared by Karnataka forest officials after it was captured in Hassan. In the meeting, an Interstate Coordination Committee Charter 2024 was prepared to foster collaboration for human-animal conflict mitigation. The charter was signed by chief wildlife wardens and heads of forest departments of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu on March 10, 2024. The charter listed five sections for implementation, one of them included population estimation exercises. Earlier in 202223, Karnataka had taken the lead for southern states elephant estimation reports, which showed that Karnataka topped the charts, housing 6,395 elephants. The report, Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Population Size and Structure Estimates for Karnataka-Interim Report, August 2023, also quoted that there has been an increase in the population by 346 since 2017. This census exercise will be limited to only the bordering areas to identify conflict areas and chalk out better solutions. On the first day (May 23), the block count will be done, the transect method will be done on May 24, and the waterhole count will be done on May 25. Radio-collared elephants will also be tracked. Only the wild ones will be tracked and assessed, not those in captivity. The all-India elephant assessment will be done later on a large scale, the official added.In Karnataka, the exercise will be done in Kolar, Bannerghatta National Park, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, MM Hills (all bordering Tamil Nadu), Bandipur Tiger Reserve (bordering Tamil Nadu and Kerala), Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (bordering Kerala), and all three divisions of Kodagu. The other forest divisions of the state are not included in this exercise.

Council polls: Four rebels could tilt the scales

BENGALURU: With biennial polls scheduled on June 3 for six council seats three Graduates and three Teachers it is becoming clear that rebellion could impact four seats. A number of leaders who have turned rebel and filed their nomination papers could turn the contest into a cliffhanger if they fail to concede to their party high commands diktat and remain in the fray. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is May 20. In North East Graduates seat (Ballari, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayanagara and Yadgir), Kalaburagi-Yadgir DCC Bank vice-president Suresh R Sajjan is the rebel candidate against BJPs official candidate Amarnath Patil. Former MLC Chandrashekar B Patil of the Congress is likely to benefit from this rebellion. In South West Graduates seat (Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Kodagu, Shivamogga & Udupi), both Dr Dhananjaya Sarji of the BJP and Ayanur Manjunath of the Congress are facing hiccups. Former three-time Udupi MLA K Raghupathi Bhat has asserted that he will not withdraw his papers as there is a regional imbalance with the party not giving representation to Dakshina Kannada leaders in the Council polls. So, the going may be tough for Sarji, a newbie and a native of Shivamogga. For Ayanur, the situation would be no different as senior Congress leader SP Dinesh, who had contested twice consecutively and lost by a narrow margin, is reportedly firm on remaining in the fray. SL Boje Gowda of the JDS, who is the NDA candidate from South West Teachers seat (Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, two taluks of Davanagere, Kodagu, Shivamogga & Udupi) has an uphill task, as a popular figure in the cooperative movement, Dr SR Harish Acharya of the BJP, has filed his papers. Congress candidate K K Manjunath Kumar may take advantage of the rift in the BJP-JDS alliance. In Bengaluru Graduates seat (BBMP Central, North, South, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban & Ramanagara) where A Deve Gowda is the BJP nominee and Ramoji Gowda is contesting on a Congress ticket, there is no strong rebellion in either party. But KPCC social media general secretary Ferdinand Lawrence has also filed his papers, claiming to be the Congress rebel candidate. The South East Teachers seat is likely to witness a close contest between sitting MLC Y A Narayanaswamy of the BJP and DT Srinivas, husband of former Hiriyur MLA Poornima. The BJP-JDS leadership managed to quell the rebellion in South Teachers seat (Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Mandya & Mysuru) as BJPs EC Ningaraj Gowda was convinced to withdraw his papers in favour of JDS nominee K Vivekananda. Former MLC KT Srikante Gowda was keen to file his papers as a JDS rebel but could not do so as he was hospitalised on Thursday. Scrutiny of papers for SE Teachers seat adjourned The Election Commission of India (ECI) which scrutinised the nomination papers of the candidates in five Legislative Council seats on Friday, has deferred that of the South East Teachers seat to 3 pm on Saturday citing technical reasons. Fifteen people have filed 22 nomination papers for that seat. As many as 103 people have filed 156 nomination papers for the six seats that will go to the polls on June 3. The papers of 76 candidates were accepted to fight for the five seats on Friday. Nomination papers of candidates from all three major partiesJDS, BJP, and Congresswere accepted. There was also some issue with the Bengaluru Graduates seat, as the returning officer, Amlan Aditya Biswas, had rejected some papers of independents that were not in order. Scrutiny is quasi-judicial work done by the RO in front of candidates, clarified Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena.

Kerala: Congress A group steps up fight against Sudhakaran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Escalating its fight against the state Congress chief, the A group, with the tacit support of a section in the I group, has decided to approach the party high command against K Sudhakarans autocratic style of functioning. Kerala: Sudhakaran cancels lifting of Latheefs suspension The move comes in the wake of Sudhakaran revoking interim Congress state president M M Hassans decision to reinstate A group leader and then KPCC secretary M A Latheef, who was suspended from the primary membership of the party. Latheef said he would soon approach AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal. Ive been waiting for the last two years for the party to reconsider my suspension. I did not ditch the Congress and join another party. After Hassan was given charge, I made a representation requesting him to reconsider the disciplinary action. Before that, I had met K C Joseph and Benny Behanan. The letter informing me of my re-induction into the party came by post two days after the polling (for the Lok Sabha election), he told TNIE. Latheef said he decided to approach the KPCC leadership after meeting Venugopal and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. M M Hassan exceeded brief, say leaders close to Sudhakaran Later, I tried to meet Sudhakaran, but he was not interested, Latheef said. The A group has been for long demanding the revocation of Latheefs suspension. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy had tried to intervene, but poor health prevented him from taking matters forward. A group leaders say a consensus to review the suspension was reached at a meting they had with Venugopal and Satheesan. This has been breached by Sudhakaran , an A group leader said. Sudhakaran and the coterie around him are taking it as an ego issue. How can he overrule a decision taken by the former KPCC president without the consent of the leadership? Hassan decided with the consent of both Satheesan and Venugopal, he added. However, leaders close to Sudhakaran accused Hassan of exceeding his brief in reinstating Latheef. He was given the charge on a temporary basis. He should not have acted like the KPCC president. His role was to manage the campaigning for Lok Sabha polls, they claim.

Shivakumar offered Rs 100 cr to frame Kumaraswamy in sex video scandal, claims BJP leader

Hassan: Arrested BJP leader G. Devaraje Gowda alleged on Friday that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar offered him Rs 100 crore to malign the names of former Chief Minister and JD-S state President H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to mediapersons from the police vehicle after being sent to judicial custody on Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Scandal Shocker: BJP Accuses Deputy CM Shivakumar of Leaking Prajwal's Explicit Videos

Scandal Shocker: BJP Accuses Deputy CM Shivakumar of Leaking Prajwal's Explicit Videos BJP leader and advocate G Devaraje Gowda, who is in custody after being arrested in a sexual abuse case, on Friday charged that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and four other ministers were behind the circulation of pen drives allegedly containing explicit videos of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. He has even alleged that he was offered Rs 100 crore by Shivakumar to ''bring a bad name'' to BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to tarnish the image of JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy in Prajwal Revanna obscene video case. ''D K Shivakumar is behind the pen drive case, a team of four Ministers N Chaluvarayaswamy, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge and another minister was formed to handle this. It was done to bring a bad name to the BJP, PM Modi and Kumaraswamy. I was offered Rs 100 crore,'' Gowda claimed. Speaking to reporters while being taken to the district prison in Hassan, after the police custody ended, he said, ''Shivakumar told me 'you say Kumaraswamy is behind the distribution of pen drives. You won't be in problem, I will secure you...it was done to destroy Kumaraswamy's leadership in the state. As I did not agree, I'm being fixed in cases.'' ''They tried to fix me in a sexual harassment and rape case against me, but found no evidence. Now, they are trying to fix me in the pen drive case,'' he alleged, and said former MLC M A Gopalaswamy of Channarayapatna was sent for negotiations. The 33-year-old Prajwal Revanna is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The issue as raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued against Prajwal in an effort to bring him back. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's joint candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls in the first phase on April 26. While the Congress government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cases, the BJP and JD(S) -- NDA partners -- have demanded that it be handed over to the CBI, and action be taken against those behind the wide circulation of explicit videos.

Engineering student ends her life in Bengaluru, police probing matter

Bengaluru: A female student at a private engineering college on the outskirts of Bengaluru was found dead in mysterious circumstances and police are probing the case, officials said on Friday. The deceased student, identified as Harshita, 18, was a resident of Kodihalli in Arsikere taluk of Hassan district. and a first-year student in the electronic Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Efforts on to bring Prajwal Revanna back to India, says Ktaka Home Minister

Efforts on to bring Prajwal Revanna back to India, says Ktaka Home Minister Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Friday that the attempts and procedures to bring Prajwal Revanna back to India are going on. Prajwal Revanna, the JD(S) Lok Sabha MP and candidate from the Hassan seat is an accused in [] The post Efforts on to bring Prajwal Revanna back to India, says Ktaka Home Minister appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

Sexual assault case: Efforts on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna back to India, says Home Minister

BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said efforts are on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna , who is facing charges of sexual abuse against women, back to India. He also asserted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case was functioning efficiently. The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest. Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and is still at large. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls in the first phase on April 26. JD(S) suspends Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna over sexual harassment allegations Procedures are on, until we secure him, bring him back here and take action in accordance with law, they will continue. We will neither slow it nor stop it, Parameshwara told reporters on questions about the Interpol's Blue Corner Notice that was issued against Prajwal. On BJP alleging that the government was esponsible for Prajwal's escape from the country, the Minister said, They will say it, they have to say such things. They cannot say the government is doing a good job. But we have a responsibility as a government. Such incidents cannot be taken lightly. We will do our job. Accusing the Congress government of trying to tarnish the reputation of Deve Gowda's family instead of ensuring justice to victims of alleged sex videos scandal case involving Prajwal, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had recently alleged that every bit of information on the investigation is being sent to a Congress MLA of Mandya district, but not the Home Minister. Conspiracy to weaken our family politically, says Prajwal Revanna's brother Reacting to this, Parameshwara said,Kumaraswamy is also well aware, several things we cannot bring to the public domain, because the investigation is on. Who will brief the Mandya MLA? Making such allegations is easy. We all have responsibility and we are functioning with responsibility, and we are not under any compulsions. I want to tell him (Kumaraswamy) that SIT is working efficiently, and whatever they have to brief me or the Chief Minister, they will brief. Let there be no doubts about it, he said.

Efforts on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna back to India: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stated efforts are being made to bring back Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexual abuse. The SIT handling the case is functioning effectively. Prajwal, grandson of former PM H D Deve Gowda, faces multiple abuse charges. Political tensions have arisen between Congress, BJP, and JD(S).

Has Prabhas Found Someone Special? His Insta Story Says So

Tollywood's Rebel and Pan India superstar Prabhas posted a message for fans that took the internet by storm on Friday. The 44-year-old actor wrote on his Instagram story saying, Darlings!!...Finally someone very special is about to enter our life...Wait cheyandi. His story sent fans and media into a frenzy immediately, sparking speculations that the actor had finally found his lady love. Meanwhile, many suggest that his Instagram post is just a promotional activity for his upcoming movie 'Kalki'. Kalki 2898 AD, is an epic-science-fiction movie starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Hassan in important roles. The big budget movie is directed by Nag Aswin and is set to release next month. However, fans and a few trade analysts are saying that the 600-crore movie is dull in promotional activities though it has a potential to be the next big thing in the movie world.

BJP, JDS protest against DKS for diverting Hemavathi

TUMAKURU: The BJP and JDS held a protest against DCM and KPCC president D K Shivakumar, opposing implementation of the Express Canal on the Hemavathi river, in Gubbi taluk on Thursday. Former minister Sogadu Shivanna, Tumakuru Rural MLA B Suresh Gowda and MLA GB Jyothiganesh, all from the BJP, Turuvekere JDS MLA MT Krishnappa, a posse of religious heads of the district and thousands of farmers laid siege to D Rampura village. They alleged that Shivakumar, as Water Resource Minister, had managed to get the project sanctioned to divert Tumakuru districts share of Hemavathi water from Goruru reservoir in Hassan district to Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara. His younger brother DK Suresh is the Bengaluru Rural MP. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 1,000 crore, was commissioned during the Congress-JDS government in 2018, and work started when the Congress came to power in 2023. The plan is to draw 0.75tmcft of water to Magadi for the Sriranga-Hemavathi lift irrigation project. Opposing the Express canal, the protesters symbolically threw a fistful of mud into the canal where work is in progress, and warned that the protest would intensify if the project was not stopped. Pro-Kannada activists also took part in the protest, which went off peacefully. Sogadu Shivanna told reporters that the protest was an apolitical one, and he had also invited Congress leaders to safeguard the interest of the district. The district was allocated 24.5tmcft of water from Goruru reservoir but was not getting adequate quantity of water as yet. But Shivakumar is stealing from our districts share, he alleged.

Kerala: Change of guard no cakewalk for Sudhakaran detractors in party

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The change of guard in state Congress would not be as easy as detractors of K Sudhakaran think. As discussions over organisational revamp are centred around a change of guard in the KPCC and lack of Christian representation, especially of the Roman Catholic community, the leaders who support Sudhakaran warn about a possible backlash in south and central Kerala where Ezhava and non-Catholics play a key role in electoral politics. There is dissatisfaction in the Sudhakaran faction over how a section of KPCC leaders tried to foil his return. Many leaders in the south had only excelled in table talk politics while Sudhakaran had fought endangering his life for Congress growth in Malabar, a leader close to the KPCC president told TNIE. Some leaders (reference to M M Hassan) insulted him by not seeking his opinion before revoking the disciplinary action Sudhakaran had initiated against a leader based on a complaint filed by Adoor Prakash, he said. It is learnt that the KPCC president will call a meeting of office-bearers and DCC presidents after May 23. He will leave for New Delhi on Friday for campaigning and will be there till May 23. In the May 4 meeting, it was decided to evaluate the poll at the mandalam level before May 20. Hence the office-bearers meeting was cancelled,he said. Congress brass not keen to reinstate Sudhakaran as partys Kerala chief Congress leaders pointed out that whenever the Congress came to power, it had swept the seats in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha. In 2001, when A K Antony-led UDF was elected with 100 seats, these districts played a major role in the sweeping victory. However, the disruption of the community equation that was sustained in the Congress for long affected partys poll performance in the latter years. The strong support of Latin Catholics and Ezhava community through the SNDP Yogam helped Congress win many seats. However, the interplay of non-Catholic factors was often ignored by the Congress leadership. After the demise of Oommen Chandy, there were no leaders from the Orthodox Christian Community in Congress, a senior leader said. The Congress should try to bring in more non-Catholic leaders to its leadership. The LDF made Veena George, who is from Malankara Orthodox Christian community, a minister thus reducing the distance between the CPM and the community, he said. The leaders who oppose a leadership change in KPCC point out that it was non-Catholic elements that played a major role in the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections. According to them, in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, there was only a small segment of Catholic votes, especially in Aranmula, Adoor, Konni and Ranni barring Poonjar, Kanjirapally and Tiruvalla segments. In the assembly elections held in Vaikom, Ettumanoor, Kottayam Kanjirapally constituencies in Kottayam district, the winners were from non-Christian communities. In Idukki, in the five constituencies except Thodupuzha and Idukki, non-Christian leaders from LDF won in three constituencies, even though UDF fielded four Christian candidates. In its heydays, the Congress had leaders like C V Padmarajan, Kadavoor Sivadasan and Prathapa Varma Thampan- all representing the Ezhava community in Kollam. In Alappuzha also there were leaders like D Sugathan, C R Jayaprakash and N K Hemachandran. In Kottayam, SNDP Yogam president N Sreenivasan became a candidate with Congress support. Slowly the representation of the community in Congress came down as leaders ignored the community equilibrium that helped it reap success. Now they are fielding leaders like M Liju and Bindu Krishna in seats where they cannot win, political analyst Ajith Sreenivasan said. Sudhakaran faction dissatisfied There is dissatisfaction in the Sudhakaran faction over the way a section of KPCC leaders tried to prevent his comeback It is learnt that the KPCC president will call a meeting of office-bearers and DCC presidents after May 23. He will leave for New Delhi on Friday for election campaigning and will be there till May 23

WRAPUP 5-Israel moves into north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah without advancing

WRAPUP 5-Israel moves into north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah without advancing Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. The slow progress of Israel's offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas' deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aim of eradicating the militant group. Armed wings of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have been able to fight up and down the Gaza Strip, using heavily fortified tunnels to stage attacks in both the north - the focus of Israel's initial invasion - and new battlegrounds like Rafah. We are wearing Hamas down, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, announcing that more troops would be deployed in Rafah, where he said several tunnels had been destroyed. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri responded that the group would defend its people y all means. Israel says four Hamas battalions are now in Rafah along with hostages abducted during the Oct. 7 assault, but it faces international pressure not to invade the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians are sheltering. South Africa asked the top U.N. court to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive, saying it was part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed. Israel has denied South African allegations of genocide in Gaza and said it had complied with an earlier court order to step up aid. The Gaza death toll has risen to 35,272, health officials in the Hamas-run coastal enclave said, and malnutrition is widespread with international aid efforts blocked by the violence and Israel's de-facto shutdowns of its Kerem Shalom crossing and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel says Hamas is diverting aid and it needs to eliminate the organisation for its own protection after the deaths of 1,200 people on Oct. 7, and to free the 128 hostages still held out of 253 abducted by the militants, according to its tallies. FLOATING PIER ANCHORED, BUT AID PLANS UNCLEAR The United States anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza on Thursday to boost aid deliveries, but it was still unclear how it would be distributed given the challenges that have beset the United Nations and relief groups for months. The United Nations stressed that delivering aid by land was the most viable, effective and efficient method. To stave off the horrors of famine, we must use the fastest and most obvious route to reach the people of Gaza and for that, we need access by land now, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said. We don't want ships... we want safety, said displaced Gazan Hassan Abu Al-Kass, speaking in the central Gaza Strip. The United States State Department said the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to deteriorate and urged Israel to allow sustained access for aid via the southern and northern parts of the enclave. Israel's military says its operation in Rafah is meant to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure used by the group, which governs the blockaded Palestinian territory. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid, something it denies. Egyptian sources said Cairo, which fears a mass exodus from Gaza to Egypt, had rejected an Israeli request to coordinate on the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which Israel seized on May 7, and keep it beyond Palestinian control. Ceasefire and hostage release talks are deadlocked over how to end the war. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said his group, which has run Gaza since 2007, should continue to have a role while the Palestinian Authority, which Western leaders want to oversee Gaza, said it did not have enough funds to fulfil its current limited governing role in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel declared major operations over in northern Gaza months ago while pledging to return to prevent Hamas regrouping. On Thursday, around a week after they moved back in, Israeli tanks were heavily bombarding the main market in the heart of Jabalia, a decades-old refugee camp, and several stores there caught fire, residents and Hamas media outlets said. HAMAS SAYS IT DESTROYED ISRAELI TROOP CARRIER Earlier, the armed wing of Hamas said its fighters in Jabalia had destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with a locally made Al-Yassin 105 anti-tank rocket, causing casualties. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the statement and there was no immediate comment from Israel. They are bombing like crazy, destroying the houses and the main market in the camp, one of the camp's residents told Reuters via a chat app. Residents said tanks had also pushed back to near the entrance to the nearby northern city of Beit Hanoun and Israeli bulldozers were demolishing factories and property in the area. Israel says it has eliminated many gunmen in Jabalia but had no new comment on developments there on Thursday. In the southern tip of Gaza, tanks held their positions in eastern neighbourhoods and outskirts of Rafah while keeping up pressure with aerial and ground bombardments. Medics said one Israeli tank shell had landed in a square deep inside Rafah, killing one Palestinian and wounding others, while residents said clusters of homes on the edge of the city were blown up by the army after evacuation orders. Israel said its strikes were targeted at militants. We're operating ... where we know Hamas terrorists are hiding, and where we think we can find either tunnel shafts or terror infrastructure or ammunition of many types, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said.

Trying To Catch A Fish, 4 Boys Drown In Karnataka Lake

Four boys drowned to death while swimming in a lake in Karnataka's Hassan district, an official said on Thursday.

JD(S) MLA HD Revanna gets interim bail in sexual harassment case

Bengaluru: A court here on Thursday granted interim bail to JD(S) MLA and former Karnataka Minister H D Revanna in a sexual harassment case. The case of sexual harassment of a 47-year-old house help was registered against Revanna and his son and MP Prajwal Revanna at the Holenarsipur town police station in Hassan district on Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

JD(S) MLA H D Revanna gets interim bail in sexual harassment case

BENGALURU: A court here on Thursday granted interim bail to JD(S) MLA and former Karnataka Minister H D Revanna in a sexual harassment case. The case of sexual harassment of a 47-year-old house help was registered against Revanna and his son and MP Prajwal Revanna at the Holenarsipur town police station in Hassan district on April 28. Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and is still at large. The complainant had claimed that the father-son duo had sexually abused her at the 66-year-old MLA's house. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is probing the alleged sexual abuse charges against Prajwal and related cases, had sought custody of the former minister. Revanna's advocates sought anticipatory bail in the case. However, the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court (ACMM) heard the matter and gave interim relief to Revanna till Friday. The SIT had sent two notices to Revanna, son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, and Prajwal to join the investigation, but both of them skipped it. On Thursday Revanna applied for anticipatory bail and the SIT objected to this and sought his custody or that he be remanded in judicial custody. The court, after hearing both sides, decided to hear the matter again on Friday and till then gave relief to Revanna. A Special Court for Elected Representatives on Monday granted bail to Revanna in case where he is accused of having kidnapped one of the women allegedly abused sexually by Prajwal, as seen in the leaked videos. Revanna was then released from jail. He had been arrested by the SIT on May 4 in that case. The 33-year-old Prajwal is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The scandal has raised a political storm, with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaging in a slugfest. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's joint candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls in the first phase on April 26. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice issued against Prajwal in an effort to bring him back to the country to face the law has not yet had the desired effect.

Four children drown after going for a swim in a tank in Karnataka's Hassan

HASSAN: Four children drowned after going for a swim in a tank in Thimmanahalli village of Alur taluk in Hassan on Thursday. The deceased have been identified as Jeevan (13), son of Doreswamy, Saatvik (11), son of Satish, Vishvas (12), son of Chandru, and Pruthvi (12), son of Somashekar. Another friend Chirag who also accompanied them for the swim managed to reach the banks. The incident occurred when they went to swim in the tank to beat the heat. According to the police, Jeevan drowned and while rescuing him the rest also drowned. The incident came to light when a villager found one of the bodies floating. News of the incident spread like wildfire in the village. The children's parents rushed to the spot on hearing the news and broke down when they reached there. Police fished out the bodies with the help of fire and emergency department officials and swimmers. The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary in Alur hospital for postmortem. Alur Sakleshpur MLA Cement Manju visited the spot and consoled the parents.

Four boys drown in tank near Alur in Hassan district of Karnataka

The friends went to swim in the tank around 12.30 p.m.

Karnataka: Four children drown in lake in Hassan district

According to police, the tragedy occurred in Mutthige village at Aalur Taluk in Hassan district

Hyderabad water board chief inspects two STPs

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director C Sudarshan Reddy inspected two Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Attapur and Mir Alam on Wednesday. He also inspected the interception and diversion (I&D) point at Hassan Nagar. Along with other Water Board officials, Sudarshan first visited the Attapur STP and instructed authorities to speed up the construction work. Even if the work is delayed due to unavoidable reasons, plans should be made to complete it on time, he said. Later, he visited the recently completed Mir Alam STP, which is ready to be commissioned into operation. He examined the surrounding areas of the Mir Alam tank. The points from where the sewage enters the tank from nearby colonies have been identified. Sudharshan asked the officials to put up a pipeline ring main around the tank and direct the sewerage to the newly constructed STP. For the diversion project, he told officials to complete the works in coordination with the GHMC and irrigation authorities.

Karnataka: Express train runs over herd of 46 sheep, goats

BENGALURU: The gory tragedy played out on Tuesday evening in Bengaluru railway division, when a herd of 46 goat and sheep was run over by an express train moving from Bengaluru towards Tumakuru. The mishap is said to have occurred between 4pm and 5pm, between Nidvanda and Dobbespet railway stations. According to a senior railway official, Visibility was low and there was a drizzle. A shepherd who was grazing them did not see the approaching train. The animals trespassed the railway tracks and died on the spot. The shepherd had taken a break and was at a tea shop nearby, when the animals walked on to the track and got hit. The incident happened 2km from Nidvanda station, where the train takes a left turn to head towards Hassan, instead of going towards Dobbespet. Since it was at the curve, the loco pilot could not have noticed it, the source added. The information was not conveyed to the local station manager on Tuesday. A level crossing gate staffer who reported for duty in the morning (Wednesday) noticed it and conveyed it to staffers at Nidvanda railway station. No one knows how the accident happened, said a railway official. Senior railway officials had no clue which train had hit the animals. A top railway official ruled out the possibility of overspeeding by the loco pilot. It was a clear case of trespass by the shepherd. Loco pilots run only at permitted section speed here, he added. In a video accessed by this reporter, the Railway pointsman was being manhandled by an irate crowd which held him responsible for the accident, while a few were trying to carry away the carcasses for consumption.

SIT raids 18 properties in Hassan in connection with scandal probe

HASSAN: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged sex scandal involving Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna raided residences and office premises at 18 different locations here, over the last 24 hours, to gather evidence in the case. SIT officials in eight teams raided the houses of Sharath, the owner of Quality Bar; Kiran Kumar, the owner of Krishna Group of Hotels and also a close confidant of former BJP MLA Preetham J Gowda, in Hassan city simultaneously. The SIT also raided the houses of Putti alias Puttaraj, a close aide of Congress Hassan Lok Sabha candidate Shreyas Patel; Kartik, the former driver of Prajwal in Holenarasipur; and Navin Gowda, a Congress worker and alleged supporter of Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan in Nelke village of Belur taluk; and Puneet, a BJP worker in Hassan. The team reportedly also searched advocate Devaraje Gowda and Preethams properties in Channarayapatna, Belur, Arasikere and Sakleshpur taluks. Sources said the SIT team, however, didnt get any information or clues from any houses during the raid. It may be recalled that Preetham pointed at a political conspiracy behind the raids on the houses of his followers, despite no apparent involvement on their part, in the said case. The SIT reportedly also seized mobile phones. Puttaraj and Kartik have been absconding.

Ashoka slams SIT, says its working as per Congress directions

BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka slammed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex scandal allegedly involving Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, claiming that the team is working at the behest of the ruling Congress leaders. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ashoka said Congress is behind the conspiracy in the pen drive case and senior Grand Old Party leaders are trying to shift the blame on the BJP. The SIT that arrested JDS MLA HD Revanna, has not arrested Prajwals former car driver Kartik, who allegedly circulated the videos, the BJP leader said. The Congress has housed Prajwals former car driver in some place and he is sending video messages from there, the BJP leader alleged. At every stage of the investigation, the information first reaches Congress leaders. The case should be handed over to the CBI and see who all will be arrested, he said. The BJP leader said as mentioned by JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy, there is a big whale behind this conspiracy and the family of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda will decide what they want to do with it. The whale that is behind the conspiracy has to come out for oxygen, he said. People are questioning if the Vokkaliga community needed to be insulted, by insulting Deve Gowdas family, he said. If the pen drives were distributed in Hassan, they would have reached BJP and Congress workers, he said. They should have also arrested Congress workers, he said. He termed it a systematic conspiracy against Revanna in view of the elections. The Opposition Leader said Congress MLAs will bring down their government in the state and everything will be known after the Lok Sabha poll results are announced.

Did no wrong, have left it to God: HD Revanna

BENGALURU: A day after being released from the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, former minister and JDS leader HD Revanna chose to stay back in Bengaluru on Wednesday to consult with his lawyers regarding his case. I will not go anywhere now. I suggest to the people of the state and Hassan not to celebrate (his release from the jail). I have not committed any wrong. I have left everything to God. I bow down before the court and whatever the court disposes, I will accept, he told reporters. He skipped his visit to his hometown Hassan and Holenarasipur where his supporters and JDS workers were waiting for him to arrive. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested him on May 4 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a woman victim, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his son and Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna. Though he had alleged a political conspiracy behind his arrest earlier, he chose not to react on it on Wednesday. He only said he will cooperate with the SIT investigation. Earlier, he broke down looking at the assembled crowd at his residence in Basavanagudi, and they raised slogans as he came out. Former minister and JDS core committee chairman GT Devegowda met former prime minister HD Deve Gowda at the latters residence at Padmanabha Nagar on Wednesday to discuss the biennial Council polls for six seats on June 3. He (HD Deve Gowda) only said JDS and BJP should work together to win the Council polls. He is still in pain from the incident (arrest of Revanna) and has not come to terms with it yet, he told reporters. Since the beginning, HD Kumaraswamy and I have stuck to our stand that if Prajwal is guilty, he should be punished. I have also suspended him from the party and now its up to the government to take further action, he said.

Good feedback for candidates in 13-14 seats in Karnataka: Congress leaders

BENGALURU: After the completion of Lok Sabha elections in the state, Congress is upbeat as the feedback and results of internal surveys have been positive for the party from most constituencies. Congress senior leader Saleem Ahmed said the party has received positive feedback from its partymen from about 18-20 constituencies. But some prudent leaders said the signs are good for the party in about 13-14 constituencies. When TNIE contacted the Congress unit in Davanagere, local leaders said they are fairly sure of the party doing well in all the eight Assembly segments in the constituency. The campaigning by party candidate Prabha Mallikarjun, who is pitted against BJPs Gayathri Siddeshwara, received good response, they added. Ballari workers and leaders too said the feedback from all the booths has been good for party candidate E Tukaram, who is contesting against BJPs B Sriramulu. The mood in Belgaum and Chikkodi constituencies in Belagavi district is in favour of Mrinal Hebbalkar and Priyanka Jarkiholi, party leaders said. This despite the fact that Congress has lost the previous three Lok Sabha elections in Belgaum. Priyanka is up against former sitting BJP MP Annasaheb Shankar Jolle, while Mrinal is contesting against former BJP CM Jagadish Shettar. Hassan Congress candidate Shreyas Patel, contesting against incumbent JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, and Star Chandru in Mandya, up against JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy, may have a good show, say party leaders, but are cautious about predicting the outcomes. The feedback is mixed from Gulbarga where AICC president Mallikarjun Kharges son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is running against BJPs Umesh Jadva. This is because of a recent clash, where 50,000-60,000 members of one community attacked the houses of another community. But analyst BS Murthy pointed out that the Dalit and minority vote share here is so large that it dwarfs other communities. Congress is sure of good tidings in Raichur (ST reserved), where former IAS officer Kumar Naik is contesting against sitting MP and BJP candidate Raja Amareshwara Rai, they added. Congress is getting good vibes in Bengaluru Central and Rural, where Congress Mansoor Ali Khan and DK Suresh are contesting against BJPs PC Mohan and Dr CN Manjunath, the leaders said. The Grand Old Party is upbeat in Tumkur, where the partys Mudda Hanume Gowda is pitted against BJP leader V Somanna. While Lingayats have overwhelmingly supported Somanna, Vokkaligas, apart from SC/STs, Kurubas and minorities have backed Gowda, a Vokkaliga, they assessed. The party says it will fare well in Chikkaballapur, where Raksha Ramaiah, Youth Congress leader and son of former minister MR Seetharam, is the candidate against BJPs former state minister Dr K Sudhakar. Kolar too could be in the party candidates favour KV Gowtham, contesting against JDS Mallesh Babu, they added. The party leaders said the feedback is good from Mysore, where Congress spokesman and Vokkaliga leader M Lakshman is pitted against scion of the Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar. Chamarajanagar could have veered towards the partys Sunil Bose, up against BJPs little-known N Balraj, they added. But it is mixed for Bangalore South, where Congress Sowmya Reddy is contesting against BJPs Tejasvi Surya. But this is for the better as the prospects for Congress from the constituency in 2019 were poor, they said. Minister HK Patil said, We will win 18-20 seats in Karnataka and in North Karnataka where polls were held on May 7, we should win around 10 seats.

Kerala: Sudhakaran cancels lifting of Latheefs suspension

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : M A Latheef, Thiruvananthapuram-based Congress leader who was suspended from the post of KPCC secretary and reinstated by former Congress president in-charge M M Hassan, has again been suspended by K Sudhakaran. The second suspension circular which came into effect on Wednesday states that right from booth level to constituency level, workers, leaders and DCC office-bearers have expressed their strong displeasure over revoking Latheefs suspension. The latest order suspending Latheef was issued by T U Radhakrishnan, KPCC general secretary (organization). Radhakrishnans circular states that there was strong opposition to Hassan s revocation of suspension where the party has received numerous complaints. It also states that the cancelled order had technical and factually wrong elements. Latheef was taken back to the party on April 27 by Hassan after he gave a letter to him informing him of revoking the expulsion. There were allegations that the suspension was unilaterally revoked by a section of leaders, including Hassan. Later when Sudhakaran resumed charge as Congress state president on May 8, he informed the media that certain decisions, including lifting of Latheefs suspension, would have to be cancelled.

Will BJP pull out candidate from South Teachers seat?

BENGALURU: The uncertainty over the BJP-JDS alliance in the South Teachers Council seat continued with JDS declaring realtor Vivekananda as its candidate on Wednesday, coinciding with the BJPs Dr EC Ningaraj Gowda filing his nomination papers for the June 3 biennial polls. The lack of consensus between the alliance partners is likely to mar the prospects of their candidate as Congress has fielded a veteran and former MLC Marithibbe Gowda. But Vivekananda is likely to give a stiff fight, sources said. He was the backbone of former MLA SaRa Mahesh and former minister GT Devegowda and helped them in the previous Assembly polls, they added. Mahesh and Devegowda were said to have convinced Kumaraswamy to give the ticket to Vivekananda, though former MLC KT Srinkante Gowda was also in the race. Interestingly, it was Srinkante Gowda who introduced Vivekananda into politics, remarked a leader close to him. The South Teachers constituency has an electorate of 18,000 teachers from Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar districts. On Saturday, the BJP parliamentary board announced candidates for five Council seats out of six going to the polls. Ningaraj Gowdas name too was in the list. The next day, the JDS leadership held a crucial meeting and resolved not to leave the South Teachers seat to BJP as JDS had won it previously with Marithibbe Gowda. The BJP leadership, including former CM BS Yediyurappa, also favoured leaving it to JDS. But the hiccup is that Ningaraj Gowda is a candidate suggested by BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, the sources said. After filing his nomination papers in Mysuru on Wednesday, Ningaraj Gowda met several RSS functionaries and BJP leaders to seek their advice as to whether to continue in the fray or to withdraw. BJP has not issued the B form to him to declare him as the partys official candidate. But he claimed that he will file the papers again on Thursday, the last date to do so, along with the B form. The deadline to withdraw the nomination papers is May 20 and will Ningaraj Gowda withdraw is the big question.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah hosts senior Hamas' Khalil al-Hayya to discuss Gaza truce and Israel

The clandestine meeting between Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and top Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in Lebanon. Witness the intricate alliance between these two militant groups, both engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces, as they strategize their next moves against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza conflict.

H.D. Revannas visit to Hassan cancelled

Gowda familys hold over Hassan dist under threat

The sex scandal involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and his father MLA HD Revanna has caused political upheaval in Hassan district, challenging the dominance of HD Deve Gowda's family. Congress and BJP aim to challenge the Gowda family's supremacy, with significant political shifts in JD(S), Tumakuru, and the emergence of key players like Shreyas Patel and Preetham Gowda.

Sexual abuse case: SIT conducts raids in multiple locations in Karnataka's Hassan - Hindustan Times

Sexual abuse case: SIT conducts raids in multiple locations in Karnataka's Hassan Hindustan Times

Kick, kick hurray !

KOCHI: The football landscape in Kerala, buoyed by its fervent fan base and a reservoir of talent, is set to see a new dawn with the advent of the Super League Kerala (SLK), organised by the state football association in partnership with Unified Football Sports Development Pvt Ltd. With six inaugural teams and matches at four venues spread across the state, this mens franchise football league is, in the words of Kerala Football Association (KFA) president Navas Meeran, expected to bring the same fervour and excitement as what football fans get to experience in Latin America and Europe. A glance at the list of team owners is enough to quash any doubts regarding the scale of the league. It comprises big names such as Mahesh Bhupathi; Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family; Kaz Patafta, a former Benfica player and chairman of Australian club Brisbane Roar FC, and the whos who of the corporate world. Football commentator Sreenadh Madhukumar, who had a ringside view of the recent franchisee unveiling ceremony, attests to the leagues organisational prowess. The inauguration ceremony was amazing and touched the same standards as the Indian Premier League, he gushes. I have a very positive impression about the SLK. The organisers have already given us signs that they will market this product well. But could holding an event well translate to being able to hold and manage football tournaments? Will the league help nurture more local talent? Only time will tell. But any football is good football, and more is certainly great seems to be the logic that pundits swear by. Each team will comprise four foreign players, besides young and talented players from both Kerala and other states. According to an SLK statement, at least 100 players from the state will be part of the league. Sreenadh points out that grassroots-level development neednt be the main focus of the SLK now as there are already a plethora of initiatives steered by the KFA and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to facilitate this. His only concern is timing. The SLK games will likely overlap with the Indian Super League (ISL) and the KFAs own Kerala Premier League (KPL), he says. But I believe this wont be a problem as SLK will most definitely glam up to catch its own audience. The Super League is slated to commence in September and will last 45-60 days. However, Navas assures that the league will be designed in such a way that fixtures dont clash with the games of ISL and I-League. Football enthusiast Unni Paravannur dismisses concerns of overlapping. Kerala Blasters, the only ISL team from Kerala, has already built a dedicated fan base for their team. SLK will not affect their following, he says. The same holds true the other way as well. Rather than ISL being a deterrent for SLK, it might well augment it as the latter can ride the Manjappada wave for better reach and TV presence. Notably, the TPuram Kombans FC and the Kochi Pipers FC will share the Nehru Stadium in Kaloor with the Kerala Blasters as their home base. The Kannur and Kozhikode teams will use the EMS Corporation Stadium, while Malappuram and Thrissur will play their home matches in Manjeri, says Mathew Joseph, CEO of SLK. Unni laments that the football infrastructure in the state, despite its longstanding passion for the game, is not comparable with other states such as West Bengal or Odisha. Thats why we dont get to see the Indian national team play in Kerala, he says. One of the persistent concerns raised by the Greater Cochin Development Authority, which manages the Nehru Stadium, is the lack of matches. While SLK is certain to soothe this ache to some extent with its fixtures, Unni maintains that its not a win, as most take it, for Kaloor stadium. More football is good, but whether that will actually translate to any credible work on refurbishment of the infrastructure remains to be seen, he adds. Unni, however, remains optimistic about SLKs prospects. Just as how ISL positively impacted how football is showcased to the audience, this league, too, will raise the profile of Kerala football, he says. Injecting money into football is indeed beneficial, but the decision to set up a new league instead of integrating with the Kerala Premier League (KPL), the associations own league and officially recognised by AIFF, puzzles Krishnan G, who hosts the Gods Own Football podcast. The current leadership won the election to the KFA super body promising to introduce this league. They could have done so in KPL itself. Instead, they went for something entirely new, he notes. The trouble or the challenge now would be how to link these extra clubs or franchises to the existing structure. We can only wait and watch. Another struggle for the KPL teams is that the talent quality available for them will go down as SLK takes precedence. Three prominent KPL teams have a tie-up with SLK sides. TNIE has learnt that Wayanad United is already mulling moving its top players to Kannur Squad, which its president Shammem Backer co-owns. A similar move is unfolding at Kovalam FC as well, which has ties to Kombans. Whats noteworthy here is that it is the top two teams of the Kerala Premier League that go on to play in the I-League division. Because SLK has foreign players, AIFF regulations mean that they are not eligible to compete in official leagues, says Krishnan. Football analyst Mishal Thanveer holds a similar opinion. The new league seems more about profit than enhancing the sports. Its the same I-League vs ISL scenario again. The KPL, with its 22-team format, is a huge platform for players to get much-needed matches. I hope SLK should in no way affect that, he says. However, Mathew, the CEO of SLK, clarifies that the league is held as per AIFF rules. The league is officially sanctioned by AIFF and KFA, he says. Meanwhile, a KFA official says the SLK is expected to meet I-League criteria a few years down the line, when more franchisees add to the current list. According to Kenny Roger Moise, a football enthusiast, sports leagues are like weddings in India. Big, loud and colourful. Every state is organising its own league. Yes, big leagues have given football the glitz and glam the game deserves, he says. But I wonder if its sustainable, and whether such leagues have a long-term vision. They focus on profit, rather than nurturing talents. Even as there is a bit of skepticism in the air, the legends are gung-ho about the new league. If India has to qualify for the World Cup, Kerala has a huge role to play. We need to produce 11 players like I M Vijayan and Jo Paul Anchery, and I hope SLK will help in doing that, says former Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia. Vijayan, the black pearl of Indian football, is also excited about SLK, of which he is an ambassador. During our days, there were several tournaments, and that was what propelled seven to nine players from Kerala to the national camp at one point of time, he recalls. I hope SLK brings those amazing days back. Currently, only a few players from Kerala get the opportunity to play in the Indian Super League and the I-League. If the SLK promises to open a new world for Kerala football and help aspiring local footballers develop a more professional attitude towards the sport, then we have only one thing to say: game on! Teams & owners Kochi Pipers: Mahesh Bhupathi Thrissur Roar: Kaz Patafta, CEO of Brisbane Roar FC; Benoit Joseph of Magnus Sports, Mohammed Rafeeq of Nusym Technologies Kannur Squad: M P Hassan Kunhi, director of Kannur Intl Airport Ltd; Mibu Jose Nettikadan, MD of Castle Group; Praveesh Kuzhuppilly, Asset Homes director; and Shameem Backer of Wayanad FC Thiruvananthapuram Kombans: Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi; Dr Mohamed Ilyas Sahadulla, KIMS Hospital CMD; K C Chandrahasan, of Kerala Travels; and T J Mathews, Kovalam FC Malappuram FC: Ajmal Bismi, MD of Bismi Group; Dr Anvar Ameen Chelat, of SAT Tirur FC and Grand Hypermarkets; and Baby Neelambra, President of Saudi Indian Football Forum Calicut Sulthans FC: V K Mathews, tech entrepreneur and chairman of IBS Group

Kerala: Go slow on revamp, high command tells Sudhakaran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an apparent setback for state Congress chief K Sudhakaran, the party high command has stalled his move for an immediate organisational revamp of the party in Kerala. Party leaders as well as workers are in a holiday mood now after hectic electioneering lasting over a month. The national leadership is of the view that party revamp can wait, and senior leaders agreed to it, KPCC general secretary (organisation) T U Radhakrishnan told TNIE on Tuesday. The entire process can be set rolling once the election results are out on June 4, Radhakrishnan said. Sudhakaran returns as Kerala Congress chief, questions some decisions by Hassan After resuming charge as the KPCC chief recently, Sudhakaran, who is the Congress candidate from Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, has taken upon himself the task of organisational revamp, which is long overdue. He had called a meeting of state office bearers and district Congress committee presidents at Indira Bhavan on Thursday. District leadership of the party have been reportedly directed to prepare a list of names to be considered for the revamp. Till now, the practice was that Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan would jointly ask for the lists from DCCs as well as factions within the party. On receipt of the list, both leaders would sit together and finalise the names. But now Sudhakaran is keen to get rid of any outside intervention, including that of Satheesan. A senior Congress leader attributed Sudhakarans stubborn stand to the deliberate leaking of an audio in which Satheesan questioned him on the funds received for the Lok Sabha elections. Sudhakaran was cast in bad light which led to uncertainty over him resuming the role of party chief. He is annoyed at this, and has decided to take up tasks, including orgnaisation revamp, single-handedly, the senior leader said.

HD Revanna released from Parappana Agrahara jail

BENGALURU: Holenarasipur JDS MLA, 66-year-old HD Revanna, who was arrested on charges of kidnapping a 47-year-old victim of sexual assault, was released from the Parappana Agrahara central prison around 1.30 pm on Tuesday. He was accompanied by a few party MLAs and other leaders, while several party workers had gathered outside the jail to extend their support. They greeted him with slogans and followed him in a large convoy of vehicles. As he was walking out of the prison, Revanna refused to speak to mediapersons, but greeted them with only a namaste. At 2.05 pm, he arrived at his sisters house in Padmanabhanagar to meet his parents. He is said to have wept looking at his family members and took blessings from his father, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, and mother Chennammma. Revannas brother and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy was at the house. A team of advocates also accompanied Revanna. After taking a rest for a while, he then went to a temple. Elaborate police deployment had been made near the prison. One DCP, three ACPs, six inspectors, 20 sub-inspectors and 250 police personnel were on security duty. The police were also deployed near the Padmanabhanagar residence and the roads were barricaded. Felt bad for Revanna, this should not have happened to their family: DK Shivakumar Revanna, who spent six days in jail, was granted conditional bail on Monday by a Special Court for Elected Representatives. He was remanded in judicial custody on May 8 after his arrest from his sisters house in Padmanabhanagar on May 4. Two FIRs have been registered against him. The first complaint of sexual harassment was filed by one of the victims at the Holenarasipur Town police station in Hassan district on April 28. The second of kidnapping was registered by another victims 20-year-old son on May 2 at the KR Nagar police station in Mysuru district, for which Revanna was arrested. Sexual assault victim says she was not kidnapped; questions now over Revannas arrest

India denies Maldives' accusation of 'unauthorised' naval chopper sortie

Indian naval chopper accused of unauthorised sortie in Maldives, high commission in Male dismisses allegation. Indian aviation platforms in Maldives operate as per agreed procedures with due authorisation for humanitarian assistance and disaster response including Dornier aircraft operations. Ghassan Maumoon alleges unauthorised operation in 2019, emergency landing at Thimarafushi due to unforeseen exigency with ATC approvals for safety.

India slams Maldives defence minister's claim that it carried out unauthorised helicopter landing

NEW DELHI: India has slammed Maldives defence minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon's allegation at a press conference on May 11 that Indian military personnel carried out an unauthorised helicopter landing during the earlier regime under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Indian High Commission in Male said, Indian aviation platforms in the Maldives have always operated as per agreed procedures and with due authorization from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). The specific sortie of 9th October, 2019, referred to in the press conference was taken with their prior approval. The emergency landing at Thimarafushi was necessitated due to an unforeseen exigency, which was carried out after taking necessary on-ground approvals from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) to ensure the safety and security of the platform and the crew. It may be recalled that all 88 Indian military personnel stationed across Maldives, deputed to take care of one helicopter and two Dornier aircraft used for medical evacuation and emergency services, have returned to India and have been replaced by technical staff since May 10. In the past five years when I worked in the Parliament, there was an instance where a concern was raised on a flight that operated without authorization. Such flights cannot operate in the present administration, Maumoon said during the press conference. The exact dates of the incident were not mentioned. Maumoon also said that the present government has now gained complete command and control of the aircraft. 'True gesture of goodwill': Maldives thanks India for $50 million budgetary support