With BJP support, JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy registers huge victory in Mandya

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to “make a deal” before it’s “too late” after Israel bombarded Iranian nuclear sites and killed top regime officials overnight.

“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump wrote in the early hours of Friday morning. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.”

Israel launched a massive attack on Iran on Thursday night, striking targets including nuclear facilities, regime officials, military leaders, and key atomic scientists. Tehran retaliated with more than 100 drones, according to an Israeli military spokesperson.

The strikes have triggered fears that the Middle East risks descending into another catastrophic regional war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday condemned Israel and warned that “the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself.”

Trump said he “gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal” to shutter its nuclear program, but “no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.”

“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come,” he added.

Iran’s “hardliners” did not heed warnings, and “they are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” he wrote.

The dramatic escalation shocked world leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the situation “deeply alarming” and urged all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate, and not retaliate.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said it was “crucial” for Israel’s allies to work to de-escalate tensions.“I think that is now the first order of the day,” Rutte told journalists at a press conference in Stockholm.

Mangaluru, June 10: Eighteen crew members rescued from the blaze-hit Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 were safely brought ashore at the Indian Coast Guard berth of the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) late Monday night. 

However, four of the crew members continue to remain missing. The rescue, carried out by Indian Naval Ship INS Surat, came in the wake of a massive fire triggered by a container explosion onboard the ship while it was navigating the Arabian Sea, approximately 78 nautical miles off the Beypore coast in Kerala.

Key developments:

•    The MV Wan Hai 503, a 270-metre-long container vessel, departed Colombo on June 7 and was en route to Mumbai when the incident occurred. An explosion in one of the containers reportedly caused a fire, resulting in 20 containers falling into the sea. 

•    Some of these containers are believed to be carrying dangerous cargo, including flammable and toxic materials, raising environmental and safety concerns.

•    The fire-struck vessel is currently being monitored closely amid efforts to control the blaze and prevent further environmental damage. Authorities confirmed that specialised response teams are en route to manage the hazardous materials on board.

•    Of the 18 rescued, two crew members are reported to be in critical condition, four suffered minor injuries, and a dozen others are being treated for psychological trauma. The injured were taken to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana, Mangaluru. 

•    The missing crew members include nationals from Taiwan, Indonesia, and Myanmar. There were no Indian nationals among the crew. 

•    The search and rescue operations are ongoing, involving Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships, as well as aircraft from Kochi and Mangaluru.

•    According to officials, the critically wounded were stabilized onboard the naval vessel before being transferred under close medical supervision upon arrival. “The critically injured were stabilised onboard INS Surat, and shifted on arrival under close medical supervision. Immediate evacuation was our priority,” a Coast Guard official told reporters, as per a report on PTI.

Port workers at Panambur described the emotional scenes as injured sailors—many visibly shaken—disembarked, some whispering prayers and others frantically asking for news about missing shipmates.

The Congress leadership has decided to conduct a re-enumeration of caste data in Karnataka, responding to concerns raised by socially, economically, and politically influential communities who claimed they were excluded from the previous caste survey conducted a decade ago. The Lingayats and Vokkaligas are among those contesting the findings of the earlier survey.

The decision was made during a high-level party meeting, which also addressed the Bengaluru stampede incident that claimed 11 lives on June 4.

The meeting, attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on the caste census as a major state issue.

Briefing the media afterward, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal stated:

"The caste census was discussed. While the Congress supports the Karnataka government's previous caste survey in principle, concerns have been raised by certain communities regarding how caste data was counted."

Venugopal emphasized that the existing caste data is outdated, prompting the Congress to recommend a fresh enumeration within 60 to 80 days.

This decision follows the Centre's recent announcement of the schedule for a national census with caste enumeration, adding significance to Karnataka’s move.