Kurdish militant group PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey
Ankara: The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has declared a ceasefire with Turkey, ending over four decades of armed conflict. The announcement follows an appeal from the group’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, urging the PKK to disband and abandon its insurgency.
The PKK’s executive committee confirmed the ceasefire in a statement released by the pro-PKK ANF news agency. "To facilitate the implementation of leader Apo’s call for peace and a democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective immediately," the statement read, using a common reference for Ocalan. The group also expressed its commitment to following his directives.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in an armed struggle since 1984, demanding greater autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish population, which constitutes nearly 20% of the country’s 85 million people.
Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, has been involved in past peace efforts, but negotiations collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed violence. The latest development follows an unexpected peace initiative proposed in October by a nationalist ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggesting a resolution if Ocalan renounced violence.
While Erdogan supported the initiative, his government simultaneously intensified crackdowns on opposition figures, resulting in the arrests of several politicians, activists, and journalists.
Following meetings with Ocalan at his prison on Imrali Island, the pro-Kurdish DEM party conveyed his message on Thursday, calling for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve.
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3 killed in landslide during road widening at Hulikal ghats in K'taka, CM announces ex-gratia
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Three labourers were killed and four others injured after a landslide struck a road construction site at Hulikal Ghat in this district, police said on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Raghavendra (37), Raju (30), and Shabbir (40), all engaged in wall construction work at the site, they said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The incident occurred late Thursday afternoon at a hairpin bend in Hulikal Ghat in Hosanagara taluk, they said.
According to officials, a massive landslide of soil and rocks from the hillside buried the workers.
A total of seven workers were caught in the landslip. Three labourers died on the spot after being trapped under the debris.
Rescue teams managed to pull out four injured workers and shift them to hospitals in nearby areas, including Kundapura and Udupi, for treatment, they said.
The mishap took place during ongoing efforts to build a retaining wall aimed at ensuring the safety of vehicles navigating the ghat section, which is known for its steep curves and landslide-prone terrain.
An SDRF team from Mangaluru reached the place early Friday morning and took up relief work.
Police, fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched rescue operations.
Authorities said the sudden collapse of loose soil and rocks from the upper slope is suspected to have triggered the landslip.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to ascertain whether adequate safety measures were in place at the worksite.
Taking to 'X', CM Siddaramaiah said that regarding the incident, I have spoken with District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa and obtained information.
"I am deeply saddened to hear the news that three workers lost their lives when soil collapsed during the construction of a road barrier at a bend in Hulikal Ghat, in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district. I pray that the souls of the deceased unfortunate workers attain eternal peace, and that their family members find the strength to bear this sorrow," he said.
These breadwinning lives, which were the support of their families, have been lost in this tragedy, and on humanitarian grounds, a compensation of Rs five lakh each will be provided to the families of the deceased workers, the chief minister added.
