BENGALURU: Pointing to years of neglect and delay, the Federation of Akhila Karnataka Hindu Temple Archakas, Agamikas and Upadhivanths has urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to approve the crucial amendments to the Muzrai Act which has already been passed by both houses of the Karnataka legislature. It said once cleared, the law would allow richer A and B category temples to share their surplus income with underfunded category C temples in villages, which has been a demand for over ten years. At

MYSURU: Tourists who had gathered to enjoy the serene beauty of Brindavan Gardens at the KRS dam were left stunned on Sunday as loud sirens, smoke and scenes of chaos unfolded around them. Many were unsure whether they were witnessing a real-life terror attack or a film shoot only to later realise that it was a high-intensity mock drill conducted by the Mandya district administration as per the Home Ministrys directions. The drill -- Operation Abhyasa -- was aimed at testing the preparedness an

BENGALURU: The southwest monsoon is expected to arrive in Karnataka early this year, as the IMD has predicted an early onset in Kerala on May 27. Weather experts are hoping that the monsoon may reach Karnataka on May 28. In Karnataka, rainfall is expected to be above normal to excessive this year. Coastal and Malnad regions are likely to receive excess rainfall, while other parts of the state may witness above normal, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC) former director Sr

BENGALURU: Amid rising concerns over the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information, the Telangana Government has launched an internal review to identify private individuals from the previous BRS regime who continue to serve in key ministerial offices under the current Congress administration. According to high-level sources, the CMO has directed the state intelligence department to compile a detailed record of personnel working in the offices of all cabinet ministers. The focus is on iden

BENGALURU: Amid raging security concerns in Jammu and Kashmir, in the wake of cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan , 13 students from Karnataka studying at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Srinagar, have safely arrived in New Delhi. The movement was facilitated by the Ministry of Steel and Heavy Industries, under the supervision of Union minister HD Kumaraswamy. According to a statement, the government acted swiftly to ensure that the students were

DAVANAGERE: Nearly six soldiers from Tolahunase, who had come to their village on annual leave, rushed back to attend the call of duty, in the wake of India-Pakistan cross-border tensions. The village, located on the outskirts of Davanagere city, is home to 400-500 military personnel, who have served in the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy. Hence, Tolahunase is popularly called Soldiers Village. Sunil Naik, brother of Krishna Naik, posted with the Madras Sappers, said, My brother came to our vill

MANDYA: In a tragic incident, renowned agriculture and fisheries scientist Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, a Padma Shri awardee, was found dead in the Cauvery River near Sai Ashram in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district on Saturday evening. Dr. Ayyappan, who had been living with his wife in an apartment in Visvesvaraya Nagar, Mysuru, had gone missing on May 7. His family had filed a missing person report with the Vidyaranyapuram Police Station shortly after. According to police, a local alerted them a

BENGALURU: The Banaswadi police have arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly morphing photos of his former female colleagues. The accused Ashish Monnappa is a resident of Jakkur and a native of Madikeri. He was employed at a private firm in the city. According to police, the incident came to light when one of the victims found her morphed photos and other women on her laptop. Monnappa had formerly worked with the victim and had recently shifted to another company. While working with them, he ha

BELAGAVI: The Vijayapura police have filed a case against a student of Al Ameen Medical College of Vijayapura for sharing an alleged pro-Pakistan post from her accounts on social media sites. The student, however, retracted from her post after a suo motu case was filed against her. The student, Tashaudh Faruqui Shaikh, shared a post on her Instagram account allegedly stating, To my Pakistani friends, people of IOJK (Indian Occupied JK) to avoid going near military, government installations. If y

GOKAK(BELAGAVI DISTRICT): While Colonel Sofiya Qureshi continues to apprise the world through press briefings about Indias Operation Sindoor, her in-laws residence in Konnur, Belagavi district, is bustling with visitors who are praising the family for the role played by their daughter-in-law. Commoners, politicians, and religious heads are elated at the way Col Sofiya has hit the headlines for effectively disseminating information about the precision of strikes carried out on Pakistan and Pakist

When the nation is at war with terrorists and their backers from across the border, every responsible citizen is like a soldier. Not just those in the border states, who are working closely with our armed forces and the state administrations, but even those in other parts of the country, can play a role in thwarting the adversarys nefarious designs, which include a barrage of misinformation /disinformation and cyberattacks. After Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam

BENGALURU: As drones are being used extensively in Operation Sindoor, experts point out that this war-like situation should be used to learn and scale up the pace of R&D in counter-drone technologies, and indigenous development of micro-controls and lethal technologies. While most of the drones being used in Op Sindoor were made in Bengaluru, Pune and Gurugram-Noida circuit, microchips, microprocessors and micro controllers are being imported, including from Taiwan. A DRDO official, seeking anon

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has issued a circular giving exemption from creamy layer to candidates in government service at lower-level posts. Interestingly, the Backward Classes Commission in its recommendations based on Socio Economic and Educational Survey (SES-2015) had recommended applying the creamy layer to the OBCs which was also a subject in the Fridays agenda of the cabinet. But the circular was issued a day earlier, on Thursday, to give exemption.For direct recruitment under A

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, but instructed the states top officials to be on high alert to face any eventualities. A few hours later, there were reports of explosions being heard in Srinagar, in a possible violation of the truce by Pakistan. He said, The ceasefire is officially announced by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, following the mediation by US president Donald Trump. But district officers should remain fully alert.

BENGALURU: Noted Kannada film actor Sudeep has said that the Operation Sindoor, the military action to dismantle terror infrastructure across the border, is a bold and decisive message to the world. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the actor said: As the nation salutes the triumph of Operation Sindoor, I write to you with deep admiration. It was not just a response, it was a statement. A bold, decisive message to the world that Bharat does not flinch, Bharat does not forget, and Bhar

BENGALURU/TUMAKURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has appealed to party workers not to celebrate his birthday on May 15 in view of the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan. In this backdrop, it is not appropriate to celebrate my birthday. I appeal to my followers, fans and party workers not to celebrate my birthday this time, he said in a statement issued in Bengaluru. I also appeal to my party leaders, workers, followers and fans not to display flexes, banners, hoardings and a

BENGALURU: Forensic evidence is important to not just understand the crime scene and gather information about criminals, but it is also crucial in wildlife to ascertain the number of carnivores in an area and identify the individuals. A recent study by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, showed that tracing the DNA left behind by large carnivores at the livestock kill site helps as a reliable source of information to identify the predators. Prof Uma Ra

BENGALURU: The Active Bengaluru Foundation (ABF) has launched the Mission NoDropOut initiative to tackle the low SSLC pass rates across Karnataka. With a failure rate of 33.86%, students from underprivileged backgrounds, such as those in the 2B category, have recorded some of the lowest pass percentages, 57.27 among Scheduled Tribe (ST) students and 58.4 overall. The Mission NoDropOut is a non-commercial campaign aimed at supporting students appearing for the SSLC supplementary exams starting Ma

BENGALURU: Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the Consortium of Medical, Engineering, and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) Undergraduate Entrance Test (UGET) third shift exam was postponed at selected centres across the country on Saturday. The decision, which impacted several regions, was made as a precautionary measure following government directives under Operation Sindoor to ensure the safety of candidates. While the exam was entirely (all three shifts) postponed at centre

MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday reiterated that the state police department is competent to investigate the murder of Hindutva activist and rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty, and there is no need to hand it over to the NIA. Responding to BJPs demand for an NIA probe, the minister, however, said the government will take a call on it. I dont want to comment on a matter pertaining to the Home Department, he said. However, he said that one needs to delib

MYSURU: While India and Pakistan agreed to cease fire, a civil defence mock drill, Operation Abhyas, was held on the premises of Mysuru Palace on Saturday for emergency preparedness and to raise public awareness on disaster response. Around 5.15 pm, sirens were sounded on the palace premises. Palace security personnel Dayanand and Madhu activated the sirens for 10 seconds each six times to alert civilians of an air raid. Within a few minutes, an airplane hovered over the palace building and ther

BENGALURU: To address staff shortage in the state public health system, the state government has ordered the return of all Health and Family Welfare Department officers and employees who have been working on deputation in other departments including the Medical Education Department for more than five years. Many of the staff members had been sent on temporary assignments, especially to the Medical Education department, but the officials continued to remain there even after completing their dep

BENGALURU: Starting May 15, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be a thing of the past. It will now be Greater Bengaluru Authority, as the cabinet on Friday gave the nod to issue a notification on May 15. The next course, including splitting of the existing area to three or more municipal corporations and delimitation and reservation of wards, will be decided in the coming days. This also means that the elections to the city corporation will not be held anytime soon. Government so

BENGALURU: Karnatakas More and Most Backward Caste (MBCs) leaders came together under the leadership of actor-activist Chetan Ahimsa on Thursday, to criticise the Backward Classes Commission, and denounce what they said was betrayal of social justice. Terming the newly-introduced 1B reservation category unscientific, unjust, and politically motivated, speakers accused the Commission of bypassing academic and employment data and educational statistics to fabricate the category for political conve

War, or an undeclared war involving active conflict like the ongoing one between India and Pakistan, does not involve only the armed forces. It potentially involves each and every citizen of the country. While the armed forces actively engage the enemy, it is up to the citizens to prepare themselves for emergency situations arising from possible enemy attacks on civilian areas. The go-to has remained on our mental back-burner, only now fished out from the bottom with an almost-war going on. It i

BENGALURU: The family members of murdered VHP activist Suhas Shetty, accompanied by a delegation of senior BJP leaders, met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan on Friday, and demanded an NIA probe into the killing. The BJP delegation included its state president BY Vijayendra, Opposition Leader in the Assembly R Ashoka, MLAs and MPs. We do not have faith in the state government. We have appealed for an NIA probe into my sons murder case, Shettys mother told media persons after meeting the

MANGALURU: Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Friday said it is up to the state government whether to hand over the Suhas Shetty murder case to the National Investigation Authority (NIA) or not, and he has no objection to any probe. Responding to a media query on the Opposition BJP demanding a NIA probe into the case and criticism of the ongoing probe by the local police, Khader said, I have already requested the authorities to arrest all the culprits in the case and those involved in assaults after

RAICHUR: As part of the civil defence mock drill amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Raichur District Disaster Management Authority and the district administration, along with various departments, organised Operation Abhyaas on the helipad premises of Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) in Shaktinagar on Friday. People were sensitised on the measures and precautions to be taken in case of an air attack on India. Volunteers were taught how to handle the seriously injured

BENGALURU: The State cabinet once again deferred discussion of the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (SES-2015) or caste census, on Friday. Law Minister HK Patil said it will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting. Reports of the survey were given to ministers at the cabinet meeting held on April 17. They had decided to discuss it on May 2, and deferred it to May 9. Now, the cabinet has again postponed discussing the caste census. Patil told reporters that the Backward Class Commission had

MADIKERI: The 52 tribal families who entered the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve claiming land rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) continue to stay put inside the forest as a way of protest. Meanwhile, the forest department is urging them to vacate, citing legal and implementation hurdles. Over 150 tribes from Jenukuruba, Betta Kuruba, Yarava and Paniya communities have occupied the forest land in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, demanding implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). However, as per the

BENGALURU: Karnataka Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Thursday said that if people are allowed to stay inside forests, it will effect the natural habitat of tigers, elephants and other wildlife and will lead to further conflict. Taking note of the 52 families forcefully entering Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Monday and Tuesday and building huts and shed, Khandre said there are some group of people who are inciting them and spreading false news about retired and serving

BENGALURU: Change in land use and reduction in green cover are taking a drastic toll on the Western Ghats, especially the state of Goa, where development projects for tourism, infrastructure and connectivity have been put on the fast track. This has significantly impacted the functioning of forest ecosystems, contributing to climate change. A recent study by researchers from the Centre for Ecology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), revealed that the total forest cover declined drastically post

BENGALURU: Nothing that the Government of India has taken a conscious decision to suspend various visas and also directed Pakistani nationals to leave the country to safeguard the interest of Indian citizens, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petition filed by three minor Pakistani children through their mother with a prayer to issue directives to the Commissioner of Police and Foreigners Registration Officer, Mysuru City, to extend their visa or issue a long-term visa. The children, who ar

BENGALURU: Karnatakas KREIS (Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society) schools continue to outperform government-run ones in board examinations, but a severe shortage of teaching staff threatens to undermine their long-term success. Currently, just 9,000 teachers are responsible for educating over 2.12 lakh students. The demanding nature of these postings has deterred many educators from accepting positions, according to officials from the Social Welfare Department, which oversees

BENGALURU: IT was childs play, but it ended in murder. An eight-year-old boy was killed by his neighbour after a quarrel broke out between the two families over the boy beating the daughters of the accused. The police have booked the accused, Chandeswar Matur (36) who hails from Bihar, for murder and remanded him in judicial custody. The boy, Ramananda, while playing with the daughters of the accused, allegedly hit them, which led to a quarrel between the families for over a week. The accused is

KARWAR : The Karwar district ddministration will hold a mock drill on May 12 in and around Karwar. The Ministry for Home Affairs had ordered for mock drills in 300 districts with vital installations in the country. Among them three are in Karnataka-- Bengaluru, Karwar and Raichur. We are scheduled as Category 2 by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The mock drill will be held on May 12. Earlier there was some confusion regarding the places of Uttara Kannada, since our district fell into Category 2 ba

BENGALURU: With India carrying out Operation Sindoor and destroying terror infrastructure in Pakistan, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, special pujas and prayers were offered in the name of the country and our Armed Forces at various religious places, including temples. While there was a special puja organised by temples across the state on Thursday, special prayers will be also held in mosques on Friday. Also, the state government will be organising a Tiranga Yatra on Friday, extending its suppor

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has disqualified senior BJP leader Gali Janardhan Reddy from the post of MLA for a period of six years, as he has been convicted in the illegal mining case by a CBI court in Hyderabad. Presently, Reddy is serving as MLA from Gangavathi. According to the notification issued by Assembly secretary MK Vishalakshi, Consequent upon conviction of Gali Janardhan Reddy, representing the Gangavathi Assembly constituency by the court of the Principal Special Ju

BENGALURU: The powerful Veerashaiva Mahasabha finds itself in a spot of discomfort as the governments contentious Scheduled Caste survey, led by a commission under Justice Nagamohan Das, gathers steam. The commission, which began collecting detailed data on May 5, has set off complaints of confusion, particularly among non-SC communities. Seeking to end the confusion, Mahasabha president and Davangere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa issued a statement, insisting that non-SC citizens, especia

MYSURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the people of Mandya have stood by his leadership for decades, and advised district in-charge minister N Chaluvarayaswamy and others to take members of the AHINDA community and the poor along, since they have supported the Grand Old Party. Disputing the JDS claims that it has contributed to the development of Mandya, Siddaramaiah said it was he who sanctioned a medical college and agriculture university for the district, and also released suff

BENGALURU: When the Karnataka cabinet meets on Friday, it is likely to discuss enhancement of the backward classes quota from 32 per cent to 51 per cent, one of the key recommendations of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission headed by Jayaprakash Hedge. The commission had submitted the report, including recommendations based on the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey-2015 (SES-2015), to the government. Fridays meeting will not exclusively discuss the SES-2015, which is one of the su

BELAGAVI: The press briefing on Operation Sindoor by two women Army officers, Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, reflects the power which women wield in the country's armed forces. The duo effectively explained the counter attack by Indian forces in response to the terrorist attack which led to the killing of 26 Indians in Pahalgam. Col Sofia Qureshi, a 1999 commissioned officer, has served the Indian Army for over three decades, gaining praise for her uncompromising attitud

BENGALURU: The French Bastille Day could be celebrated in Bengaluru next year, with Marc Lamy, Consul General of France in Bengaluru, expressing his agreement in principle to the idea. I am in favour of it in Bengaluru. We will work out the modalities, he said on Wednesday. Lamy was speaking at the launch of Vachanas in French, a French translation of 2,500 vachanas by Lord Basaveshwara. The release, hosted at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, marks a crucial step in taking Basavannas teachings t

BENGALURU: The latest study by the Survey of India (SoI) and the National Hydrographic Office (NHO), using accurate satellite imagery data, has revealed that the total length of Indias coastline is 11,098.81 km and not 7,516.60 as what a manual survey conducted in 1970 showed. It also showed that Karnatakas coast extends to 343.30 km as against 320 km. The report is based on the assessment done using satellite data to the scale of 1:2,50,000 with the help of the National Remote Sensing Centre (N

BENGALURU: The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, have signed two MoUs to strengthen the states position as a leading commercial space hub. The MoUs signed signed on Wednesday includes, establishing a Centre of Excellence for Space Technologies in Bengaluru and setting up of a public-private space manufacturing park to anchor next-generation satellite and laun

BENGALURU: The special court to try criminal cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the manner in which the Lokayukta police sought adjournment of hearing in the MUDA case. The Lokayukta police were supposed to file a conclusive report the same day on the further investigation done to unearth the alleged role of former commissioners of MUDA in the illegal allotment of sites. On April 15, the special court kept its decision pending on accepting or reject

BENGALURU: Former Congress Lok Sabha MP VS Ugrappa on Wednesday urged the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to respond to a CBI court convicting former minister and Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy, and sentencing him to seven years imprisonment in the Obulapuram illegal mining case. Reddy and his team had illegally exported 29 lakh tonnes of ore to foreign countries. The judge himself said its value was Rs 884 crore. Now he has been convicted. I demand that BJP leaders who were w

BENGALURU: With a two-minute-long siren at the Civil Defence headquarters at Ulsoor in the city, Operation Abhyas, a mock drill, began around 4 pm on Wednesday with the rescue of two people stranded on Ulsoor Lake island. The drill emphasised the importance of understanding siren protocols, two different types of sirens and know-how to respond to each. Over a hundred citizens, including college students and senior citizens, witnessed the drill and learned how to react during an emergency and the

BENGALURU: Anyone involved in terrorist activities should not be spared, and justice must be served. Terror attacks should never take place again, anywhere, said Preetham, brother of Bharath Bhushan, who was killed in the terror attack that was carried out at Baisaran Meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22. Bhushan was on a holiday in Pahalgam with his wife, Dr Sujatha, and their three-and-half-year-old son. Responding to reporters on Wednesday, following the Indian Armed Forces Oper

SHIVAMOGGA: The mother of Manjunath Rao, who lost his life in the Pahalgam terror attack, on Wednesday expressed satisfaction after the Indian Armed Forces carried out swift retaliatory strikes inside Pakistan, under Operation Sindoor. Sumathi, the mother of the deceased Manjunath, said she felt a sense of relief after the Indian Armed Forces destroyed terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, as part of the operation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the authorities concerned have taken the right step, a