Former Bhatkal MLA J. D Naik makes a ‘Ghar-wapsi’ to Congress
Bengaluru: In a latest development of the state politics, former Congress leader and two times Bhatkal MLA J. D Naik, on Wednesday returned back to his old camp of Congress, after nearly spending two years in BJP.
The former MLA had joined BJP in 2017, citing lack of importance being given in the Congress, after he lost the 2014 elections to independent candidate Mankal Vaidya, who later joined the party.
J D Naik and claimed that Mankal Vaidya had started dictating terms in party’s Bhatkal affairs.
He was also expecting ticket in assembly elections from Saffron Party, and hence, after meeting BJP MP Anant Kumar Hegde, a couple of time, he had joined BJP.
However, he was deprived of the ticket in the Saffron party as well, as Sunil Naik contested the assembly election on BJP ticket and also won the seat.
In a bid to revive his political career, which seems to be heading towards twilight, the veteran leader has once again made his way back in to the Congress.
He joined Congress at its head office, in presence of KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao, Revenue Minister and District In-Charge Minister of Uttara Kannada District RV Deshpande and other leaders.
Speculations were rife about the possible home coming of Naik, after he was seen with RV Deshpande earlier last month during the latter’s visit to Bhatkal.
It will now be interesting to see where this move takes the political career of J. D. Naik.
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Israel's military says it has fully disabled Yemen's main airport with airstrikes
Jerusalem, May 6 (AP): Israel's military said Tuesday it launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, fully disabling the country's international airport in the capital, Sanaa, and striking several power plants.
The strikes, the second in two days, came after Israel launched airstrikes in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike the previous day on Israel's international airport.
The Houthis' satellite news channel al-Masirah reported the strikes, confirming the airport had been hit.
Footage aired on Israeli television showed thick black plumes of smoke rising above the skyline of Sanaa. Social media video purported to show multiple strikes around Sanaa, with black smoke rising as the thumps of the blast echoed against the surrounding mountains.
There was no immediate information on any casualties.
Tuesday's strike came shortly after the military issued a warning on social media for people to evacuate the area of Yemen's international airport.
“We urge you to immediately evacuate the area of the airport and to warn anyone nearby to distance themselves immediately,” spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on social media, attaching a map of Sanaa International Airport. “Failure to evacuate the area endangers your lives.”
On Monday night, Israel targeted the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen's Red Sea province of Hodeida, killing at least one person and wounding 35.
The rebels' media office said at least six strikes hit the crucial Hodeida port. Others hit a cement factory in the district of Bajil, 55 kilometres northeast of Hodeida, the rebels said. The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the strikes killed at least four people and wounded 39 others.
The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel's main airport near Tel Aviv, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. Four people were lightly injured.
It was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Israel's main airport, Ben Gurion, since the October 2023 start of the war in Gaza. It prompted a flurry of flight cancellations. While most missiles launched by the Houthis have been intercepted, some have penetrated Israel's missile defence systems, causing damage.
The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, raising their profile as the last member of Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel.
The US military under President Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.
Israel has repeatedly struck against the rebels in Yemen. It struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv.
In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a missile targeted Ben Gurion airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to the country. In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida.
