Bamako: Fifty-three soldiers were killed Friday in a "terrorist attack" on a Mali military post in the northeast of the country, the government said. The assault is one of the deadliest strikes against Mali's military in recent militant violence.

A civilian was also killed at the outpost in Indelimane, in the Menaka region, close to the border with Niger, the country's communication minister Yaya Sangare said on Twitter. "The situation is under control. A search and the process of identifying the bodies is continuing," he added, after giving the latest update on the death toll.

He said 10 survivors were found at the outpost, which suffered "significant" damage. No further details of the attack were given.

The Malian government earlier condemned the "terrorist attack," saying it had left numerous dead or wounded but without giving a precise toll.

"Reinforcements have been dispatched to secure the area and hunt down the attackers," the statement added. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's assault.

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.