Funds for nutritious food in sports hostel doubled: Sports Minister Rahim Khan
Udupi: Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister Rahim Khan said that it was discussed in the pre-budget meeting to double the funds being given for nutritious food for sports hostels students in the state in the Budget to be presented shortly.
Speaking after inaugurating various facilities including synthetic indoor tennis court constructed at a cost of Rs 3.75 crore, air conditioned gym constructed at Rs 1.50 crore, girls hostel constructed at Rs 1 crore, disabled-friendly toilets constructed at Rs 45 lakh and ramps by the department at Ajjarakad here on Monday, the Minister said that the department has planned to appoint the sports persons who have participated in international level as coaches to train the sports students. The district which is in the first place in education, has a conducive atmosphere to develop sports activities, for which the department is ready to provide all basic infrastructures, he said.
The sports had no barriers like caste, religion and others. Everyone would represent the country with sporting spirit. There were plenty of opportunities in sports and a sports personality would be honest and strong, he said.
District Minister Dr Jayamala said that the department has to take a decision to construct a cricket stadium in the district immediately, for which 10 acres of land was already identified at Kolalagiri. Indoor shuttle badminton stadium should be upgraded into international level and provide more coaches, she demanded.
Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat, ZP president Dinakar Babu, Taluk Panchayat president Nalini Pradeep Rao, department additional secretary Dr G Kalpana, Commissioner K Srinivas, Congress leaders MA Gafoor, Sathish Amin Padukere, ADC Vidya Kumar, and others were present.
Brother-sister gets Rs 5 lakh each
Minister Rahim Khan declared the cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each to brother and sister- Sachin Shetty (30) and Sahana Shetty (27) of Perdur who have participated in international events, on the occasion. He said that he has directed the Commissioner of the department to give Rs 5 lakh cash prize to each who have excelled in international tennis tournaments and this small prize amount would boost their morale.
Both Sachin and Sahan would work as coaches of the newly inaugurated synthetic indoor tennis court. They are the children of HM Vasanth Mohan Shetty of Perdur.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
