250 dead in Syria's Eastern Ghouta in 48hrs: Rights group
Damascus: At least 250 civilians have been killed by shelling and air strikes in Syria's Eastern Ghouta in the past 48 hours, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Tuesday.
The death toll included 58 children and 42 women, the group said in what was termed as the deadliest attack in the city in the last few years.
More than 100 were killed and another 1,200 people were wounded by the Syrian regime shelling and air strikes on Monday on the besieged Damascus suburb, the rebel-held town of Hamouria, the CNN said.
The SOHR activists and residents described it as "being under constant bombardment". The rights group said at least 106 of the civilian deaths took place on Tuesday.
The monitoring group said the death toll is the highest since the 2013 alleged chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta, which activists say killed approximately 1,400 people.
"These are the worst days of our lives in Ghouta," Eastern Ghouta hospital director and pediatrician Amani Ballour said. "We in Ghouta have been getting hit by air strikes for more than five years and this is not new to us ... but we have never seen anything like this escalation."
Various Islamic rebel groups control Eastern Ghouta, including the Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which was previously known as Jabhat al Nusra before renouncing its ties to Al Qaeda.
Doctors said medics were working round the clock treating hundreds of injured people. Several medical facilities in Eastern Ghouta were reported to have been struck on Monday, the CNN report said.
Medical supplies were already in short after years-long siege of the area that began in 2012.
Now, Syrian regime forces are accelerating their offensive against the suburb, one of the last rebel-controlled areas in the country.
"I can tell you that the situation is very catastrophic ... there were four hospitals that were destroyed...," said Fares Ouraiba, a doctor from the Damascus suburb. He said most of the dead were women and children.
Besides, 13 more people were killed and 77 others wounded when militants in Eastern Ghouta fired 114 rocket and mortar rounds on several neighbourhoods here on Tuesday, said Syria state-run SANA news, citing police.
SANA added that the Syrian army responded to the attacks with "precise strikes", destroying rocket launchers and fortified positions used by the armed groups.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka mulls ban social media for children below 16, says Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is considering a ban on the use of social media for children below the age of 16, taking inspiration from steps taken by countries such as Australia and Finland, The New Indian Express reported.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and IT-BT, Priyank Kharge, informed the Assembly on Friday that the issue is under discussion. Responding to senior BJP leader and MLA S Suresh Kumar, who expressed concern over the abuse of social media, Kharge admitted that it is a serious issue.
Finland has taken action, the UK is considering similar steps, and Australia imposed a ban two months ago. “We too in the state have launched a digital detoxification programme for responsible use of AI and social media. The IT-BT department, in collaboration with Meta, has been running it by involving over three lakh children and one lakh teachers,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Kharge said that in March 2025, the government launched the ‘Beyond Screens’ programme to help people dealing with digital addiction. The initiative was announced during the GAFX 2025 summit, along with the opening of a ‘Beyond Screens’ digital detox centre and the launch of an official website.
The detox centre serves as a dedicated hub for resources, counselling and intervention programmes for healthier digital habits.
During the Assembly session, Suresh Kumar also referred to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The survey recommended that governments consider age-based restrictions on social media use for children.
