First planeload of wounded Palestinian children from Israel-Hamas arrives in United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi, Nov 18: The first planeload of Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip reached the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, part of a pledged relief effort by the country to aid 1,000 children.
The group of 15 people, including children and their family members, made it across the Gaza Strip's Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday. They then took a flight to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.
Young children lay asleep on their moms' laps as the plane finally landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Some of the seats of the plane were removed to make room for the most critically wounded children, who needed to lie on stretchers.
Some of the young had bandaged arms and legs. Others sat quietly next to their parents or relatives. Some traveled alone. The mood was somber and quiet inside the plane. Many of the mothers said they were exhausted.
Twelve-year-old Amr Jandieh, his eyes welling up with tears, said he traveled to the Emirates alone.
"My dad, uncle, and I were talking on the street," Jandieh said. "My uncle was killed. My dad was injured ... all of a sudden a missile hit and I lost consciousness. I woke up and found myself in the hospital."
Mohammed Abu Tabikh, 14, was one of the more seriously wounded children on the plane. He suffered injuries to his neck and spine when a car he was traveling in was hit in a strike.
"When I got injured, I felt shock. And then I stopped moving," he quietly said before being brought carefully out of the plane.
Nabila Mahmoud traveled from the Gaza Strip with her 17-year-old daughter Rawan, who suffered a broken pelvis. Mahmoud said their house was hit by a direct missile and 13 of her family members were killed.
The war, now in its seventh week, was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
Israel's ongoing retaliatory military strikes on Gaza has so far killed more than 11,400 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. Another 2,700 have been reported missing, believed buried under rubble.
The UAE a federation of seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula also home to Dubai has diplomatic relations with Israel following a 2020 recognition deal.
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Heated debate in Karnataka Legislative Council over continued ACC mining in Kalaburagi
Bengaluru (PTI): A heated exchange took place in the Karnataka Legislative Council on Tuesday over alleged non-payment of mining dues and the "unauthorised" continuation of quarry operations by the Adani Group’s ACC Limited, with ruling Congress and the opposition BJP members questioning the government’s handling of royalty recovery and permissions.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, Congress MLC K Shivakumar, speaking on behalf of his party MLC Arathi Krishna, alleged that substantial royalty dues remained unpaid even as operations continued.
Krishna wanted to know whether the Karnataka government was aware that the lease period granted to Adani Group’s ACC Ltd for mining in the Kannur Limestone Block at Wadi in Kalaburagi has expired.
“If it is true, what action has the government taken against the said company for allegedly carrying out unauthorised mining at the site without paying the total dues of Rs 850.21 crore towards royalty, rent or penalty payable to the state government?” she asked in the written question.
She claimed that despite the Law department having given a written opinion to the Mines department that the said company should not be permitted to undertake mining activities until it clears all pending dues payable to the government, no legal action has been initiated against ACC, and instead a letter has been written to the central government regarding renewal of the lease in favour of the company.
Krishna questioned the apparent disparity in enforcement between small quarry operators and large corporate entities.
“After the Adani Group took over quarrying, they had to pay Rs 837 crore as royalty. Till today, they have not paid the royalty. What prompted you to exempt them from this royalty?” asked Shivakumar, on behalf of Krishna.
“If there is any small quarry operator, if he does not pay royalty, you do not allow him... You just bring him and seize it.”
BJP MLC C T Ravi echoed similar concerns, questioning the legal and procedural basis for allowing participation in bidding and continuation of operations despite pending dues.
“Do your rules allow those with pending dues to participate? If such a provision exists, under which rule does it exist?” he asked, also seeking clarity on recommendations of the High-Level Committee, Law Department and concurrence of the Finance Department.
Responding to the allegations, Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, replying on behalf of the Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun, maintained that no fresh licence had been granted and that the matter involved both an existing mining lease and a separate new application still under process.
He said the company had applied through the bidding route and was given time to complete formalities, which had since been done.
The minister explained that the issue of dues was pending before the court, which has allowed operations to continue subject to certain conditions.
“The old licence is continuing under court direction. It has not been stopped. We are following court direction,” he said, adding that part payment had been made and the balance would be decided through legal proceedings.
Ravi, however, pressed further, arguing that court orders did not prevent recovery of dues.
“The court has not said do not recover dues. What does your legal opinion say? Why have you not recovered?” he asked.
Shivakumar also raised concerns over declining non-tax revenue from mining, citing the state’s own budget observations.
“If Rs 800 crore to Rs 900 crore is allowed to let go like this, where will non-tax revenue come from?” he asked and sought to know why the government had not fully tapped the sector’s revenue potential.
The Minister reiterated that the due itself was under dispute, making immediate recovery difficult.
“How can we recover when the amount itself is not decided? Until recovery is possible, no further permission will be given,” he said, adding that consultations with the Law Department and Advocate General would be held to explore further action.
He also cited tender conditions, stating, “As per the tender notification dated October 5, 2020, a company must have paid all past dues to be considered a successful bidder.”
Unconvinced, Ravi demanded that the recovery of dues should follow.
