BJP activist's murder: CM Bommai expresses confidence about nabbing killers at the earliest
Bengaluru, Aug 1: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said investigation is on in connection with the murder of a BJP youth wing leader in Dakshina Kannada district last week, which had sparked outrage, as he expressed confidence about nabbing the culprits at the earliest.
He said the case will be officially handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon and added, however its officials have already started gathering preliminary information.
"Police have been given a free hand and the investigation is progressing in the case, at the earliest killers will be found," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, in two to three days the case will be officially handed over to the NIA.
"The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has to be invoked, that process is on, technical and paper works are being done, at the earliest it will be handed over. NIA has been informed informally and few of its officials are already gathering preliminary information from Kerala and Mangaluru," he added.
A 32-year old zilla Bharatiya Yuva Morcha committee member Praveen Nettar was hacked to death by unidentified motorbike-borne assailants on July 26 night at Bellare in Sullia taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, which had sparked outrage.
Two persons with suspected links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested by Karnataka police in connection with the murder on July 28.
Amid criticism against him for skipping from visiting the houses of Masood (18) who was murdered in Bellare recently and Mohammed Fazil (23) who was hacked to death at Surathkal recently, when he called on the family of murdered BJP leader Praveen Nettar, Bommai said, "I will surely visit in the days to come."
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and a delegation of Congress leaders have visited the houses of all the three deceased.
The Chief Minister who is visiting Koppal district on Monday said, he will review and do a spot infection for the development of 'Anjanadri betta' (Anjanadri hill), considered to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, for which the government has already announced Rs 100 crore, and will be attending various other programmes.
"For now we will begin the work to provide facilities to tourists at Anjanadri betta, there is some land acquisition that needs to be done, we will do it and then begin the major works," he said.
The Chief Minister said he will be holding two key meetings, one-to take stock of the situation and gather information regarding damages caused due to recent rains in the state, and the second regarding monkeypox with the Health Minister and department officials, to decide on precautionary measures that need to be taken.
Bommai also said that the BJP is planning regional and district-wise conventions of the party in the days to come.
These conventions are part of BJP's preparations in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
