UAE-India Friendship Hospital, Trade Corridor Among Major Outcomes of Sheikh Hamdan’s India Visit

Gaza, July 4: As the humanitarian crisis deepens in the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed nearly 50 Palestinians—including civilians seeking food at aid distribution centers—according to medical sources.

In one of the most lethal events of the day, 15 individuals lost their lives and 90 others sustained injuries while waiting for humanitarian aid near the al-Tahlia roundabout in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Eight Palestinians, including women and children, were killed when Israeli forces targeted a tent housing displaced individuals near Tiba Towers in al-Mawasi, located to the west of Khan Yunis.

The majority of the victims were individuals from the same family whose residence was directly struck near the Tiba Towers, as reported by eyewitnesses. Additionally, several others were injured during the attack.

In a separate nearby attack, three more individuals, among them two children, lost their lives close to the British field hospital.

Airstrikes also targeted two tents on the Khan Yunis beachfront, resulting in the deaths of four civilians, primarily women and children.

The official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that Israeli artillery targeted tents accommodating displaced civilians in al-Mawasi, Rafah, in southern Gaza, causing further casualties.

In the central region of Gaza, four individuals lost their lives in the al-Bureij refugee camp as a family's residence was struck during a nighttime offensive.

In the meantime, three more people lost their lives in southern Gaza City as a result of a strike on a family residence located in the al-Sabra neighborhood.

Israeli forces also targeted a school that was providing shelter for displaced individuals; though, there were no immediate reports about the number of possible casualties.

Separately, eyewitnesses stated that Israeli forces razed multiple residential buildings in the northern flank of Khan Younis.

The latest attacks come as the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory said on Thursday that Israel is “responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history.”

Francesca Albanese made the remarks at the UN Human Rights Council as he presented her latest report, condemning the Tel Aviv regime over weaponizing Gaza as a testing ground and calling for sweeping international action.

“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is apocalyptic,” she said. “In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination. Israel is responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history.”

Albanese stated that official statistics indicate more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured; however, prominent health experts believe that “the true toll is far higher.” 

She criticized the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – Israel's newly established aid system in Gaza, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths thus far – labeling it as “a death trap – engineered to kill or force the flight of a starved, bombarded, emaciated population marked for.”

Albanese noted that arms manufacturers have garnered substantial profits by providing Israel with munitions used in the bombardment of Gaza.

“Arms companies have turned near-record profits by equipping Israel with cutting-edge weaponry to unleash 85,000 tons of explosives – six times the power of Hiroshima – to destroy Gaza,” she said.

The senior UN official denounced Israel over using the Gaza war to “test new weapons, customized surveillance, lethal drones, (and) radar systems,” warning that Palestine’s defenselessness had made it “an ideal laboratory for the Israeli military-industrial complex.”

She also called on businesses to act, stressing, “Corporate entities must urgently cease all business activities and terminate relationships directly linked with, contributing to, and causing human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people.”

Albanese said she no longer believed ignorance or ideology were sufficient explanations for global inaction. “In the face of genocide – so visible, so livestreamed – these explanations fall short.”

She concluded with a call for civil society to play its part, saying, “Trade unions, lawyers, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens should encourage such behavioral change from the side of businesses and governments by pressing for boycotts, divestments, sanctions, and accountability. What comes next depends on all of us.”
 

Mangaluru, July 12: A routine inspection at the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) turned fatal on Saturday when two field operators lost their lives after inhaling leaked Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) gas. The incident occurred near tank FB7029 A, a dry slop service unit with a floating roof, in the Oil Movement Area (OMS) of the plant.

The deceased have been identified as Deep Chandra Bhartiya (33) from Prayagraj and Bijil Prasad (33) from Kerala. A third operator, Vinayak Myageri from Gadag, who rushed to the tank in an attempt to rescue his colleagues, also fell ill due to gas exposure and is currently undergoing treatment in Mangaluru. His condition is reported to be stable.

According to Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H, the gas leak was minor and has since been contained. He confirmed that a police case will be filed based on the statements from the families of the deceased.

In a statement, MRPL said that both affected workers were found unconscious on top of the tank and were given first aid before being rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

High-Level Probe Ordered

In response to the incident, MRPL has constituted a high-level committee of Group General Managers to investigate the exact cause of the gas leak and identify any lapses in safety protocols. The company also stated that all relevant statutory authorities are being informed.

Top Officials Visit Site

Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. Santhish Kumar visited the site and held discussions with MRPL Managing Director Mundkur Shyamprasad Kamath. The ADC ordered a thorough inquiry and directed MRPL to provide generous compensation to the families of the victims. He also emphasized the urgent need to reinforce safety standards across the plant.

Mangaluru Tehsildar Prashath Patil and Surathkal Deputy Tehsildar Naveen Kumar were also present during the inspection.

As the investigation unfolds, the tragic deaths of two young field operators raise serious questions about on-ground safety practices and emergency response protocols at one of India’s key petrochemical hubs.

In a move that has reignited concerns over historical revisionism, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a new Class 8 Social Science textbook that erases Tipu Sultan, Haider Ali, and the four Anglo–Mysore Wars, while portraying Muslim rulers in a sharply negative light and glorifying Hindu powers.

The textbook, titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), conspicuously omits the fierce Mysorean resistance to British colonialism—led by Tipu Sultan, famously known as the "Tiger of Mysore"—from its account of India’s colonial past. No mention is made of the Anglo-Mysore Wars, which played a crucial role in the 18th-century power struggle between Indian states and the British East India Company.

Instead, the narrative elevates uprisings like the Sannyasi–Fakir rebellion and the Anglo–Maratha Wars, with the text claiming that “the British took India more from the Marathas than from the Mughals or any other power.” Critics say such selective emphasis attempts to marginalize Muslim rulers' contributions and resistance.

Further controversy arises from the book's depictions of Mughal emperors as violent invaders, especially in a dedicated “Note on Some Darker Periods in History.” Babur is described as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror who slaughtered entire populations,” while Akbar’s rule is framed as a “blend of brutality and tolerance.” Aurangzeb is characterized mainly by his demolition of temples and gurdwaras—a reduction many historians deem politically motivated.

NCERT’s textbook development committee chair, Michel Danino, defended the changes, saying the goal was to avoid rote memorization and keep the curriculum concise. He confirmed that Tipu Sultan and related events will likely remain absent in Part 2 of the series as well. “If we include every war, we go back to cramming,” Danino told India Today.

Yet, many academics and civil society voices see this as part of a broader trend under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which is being used to recast Indian history through an ideologically Hindu nationalist lens. Tipu Sultan, who fought valiantly against British forces using advanced military tactics like iron-cased rockets, now risks being erased from mainstream memory.