Hundreds of houses damaged, thousands of livestock killed as rains maroon cities, towns in parts of Karnataka

News Network
August 30, 2022

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Benglauru, Aug 30: Normal life continued to affect in parts north Karnataka and of Mysuru region due to heavy rains that turned Ramanagara district into one big pool. A breach in Bakshi lake on Monday resulted in the flooding of Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Highway and railway tracks. 

Hundreds of houses were damaged, food grains and standing crops destroyed and thousands of livestock killed due to the impact of heavy rain in Ramanagara district. Motorists taking the highway had a tough time and a private bus carrying passengers was stranded on the highway.

Residents were rescued and shifted to seven relief centres. Heavy rains and floods inundated vast tracts of farm lands, destroying crops.

Rainwater gushed into the layouts of the town as the Bolappanakere overflowed. The lake has developed cracks, posing a great risk. 

Patients were shifted from the ground floor of Ramakrishna hospital as water entered the premises.

Vehicular movement came to a standstill on the 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

As the highway was closed at Channapatna and Ramanagara, vehicles were diverted to alternative routes.

A few cars and a bus were stuck in water as the Basavanapura underpass was flooded. Residents rescued passengers and those inside the car.

Boregowda (52), a resident of Ittamadu, was killed on the spot, while one more person was injured after a tree came crashing down on a car at Toredoddi village in Bidadi hobli.

Over 30 sheep were killed after the wall of a house fell on them at Gandhinagar in Ramanagara town.

Movement of trains was affected in the morning as water entered railway stations in Ramanagara and Channapatna.

Six houses in the quarters for fire department staff near Basavanapura on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway were flooded with rainwater.

Water entered over 30 houses and a government school building at Palabhovidoddi village.

A cattle and a water tanker were washed away in flash floods in Arkavathi river. However, residents rescued the cattle.  

There was a flood-like situation following heavy discharge of water from Kanva dam in Channapatna. Water entered many villages and disrupted vehicular traffic.

Chamarajanagar and Yalandur taluks in Chamarajanagar district received heavy rains, believed to be the highest rainfall for a single day in the last three decades.

The downpour damaged houses, crops, public and private properties. There were floods in streams, lakes and rivers. 

Normal life was disrupted till noon. The district administration declared a holiday for schools and colleges.

Vehicular movement on the Chamarajanagar-Santhemaralli road was disrupted for hours as a bridge on the stretch was submerged. 

There was a mudslide near the 7th mile on the Madikeri-Mangaluru road. The Triveni Sangama at Bhagamandala has gone under water. Rainwater has entered the Bhagandeshwara temple.

Showers in Napoklu in Kodagu district created panic. Connectivity between Bhagamandala and Madikeri was cut off.

Bhagamandala and surrounding areas received 21.5 cm rainfall. A stretch of the Karike road caved in, affecting movement of traffic. 

North Karnataka

Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Raichur in Kalyana Karnataka received heavy rains. Raichur and Yadgir recorded 16 mm rainfall.

It rained heavily in Haveri, Gadag, Uttara Kannada (U-K), Ballari and Vijayanagar districts.

A bridge connecting Akkur and Maradur villages across Varada river was washed away completely. 

It poured for the third consecutive day in Vijayanagar and Ballari districts, damaging houses.

Traffic came to a halt on the Adoni-Siraguppa road as the Raravi bridge was submerged. It rained for hours together in Hosapete. Sirsi and Mundgod in U-K district too recorded heavy rains.

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News Network
January 23,2026

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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News Network
January 31,2026

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A fresh cache of files related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contains documents that reference President Donald Trump and other high-profile figures including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson.

Here are key details about mentions of the celebrities, none of whom have been accused of wrongdoing:

Donald Trump

The files included an FBI-compiled list of sexual assault allegations related to President Donald Trump -- many of them involving anonymous callers and unverified tips.

The allegations -- some secondhand -- were sent to the FBI's National Threat Operations Center which receives information by phone and electronically.

The document suggests that investigators followed up on a number of the tips. Some were deemed to lack credibility.

Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

In a statement accompanying Friday's file dump, the Justice Department said: "Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false."

Bill Gates

In a draft email among the documents, Epstein alleged Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs.

In the mail, Epstein wrote that his relationship with Gates had ranged from "helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women."

Richard Branson

Files show friendly relations between the two billionaires.

In an email sent to Epstein on Sept 11, 2013, Branson wrote "It was really nice seeing you yesterday. The boys in Watersports can't stop speaking about it! Any time you're in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!"

Elon Musk

The files contain numerous mail exchanges between Epstein and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

In November 2012, Epstein sent Musk an email asking "how many people will you be for the heli to island."

"Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?" Musk replied.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

The disgraced former prince invited Epstein to visit him at Buckingham Palace in September 2010 while the financier was making a trip to London.

An email exchange shows Epstein contacting Andrew to ask: "What time would you like me... we will also need... private time."

Andrew replied: "we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy."

Howard Lutnick

Emails show that Epstein and businessman Lutnick -- currently Trump's commerce secretary -- made plans in December 2012 to lunch on Epstein's Caribbean island.

"We are heading towards you from St. Thomas" Lutnick's wife wrote to Epstein's secretary, asking where they should anchor.

Steve Tisch

Several mails suggested Epstein connected Steve Tisch, 76, producer of the movies "Forrest Gump" and "Risky Business" and the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, with multiple women.

In one exchange with Tisch, Epstein describes a woman as "russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun."

Zohran Mamdani's Mother, Filmmaker Mira Nair 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, attended an afterparty at convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell's house for her 2009 film "Amelia", reveals a new set of Epstein files.

An email dated October 21, 2009, sent by publicist Peggy Siegal to Jeffrey Epstein, also surfaced in documents. The email, sent in the early hours, right after Siegal left the gathering, gives an insight into the afterparty. 

The party was also attended by former President Bill Clinton and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

"Just left Ghislaine's townhouse...after party for film. Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos were there...Jean Pigoni, director Mira Nair....etc," the email read.

The email described the reaction of guests to Nair's film as "tepid."

"Film received tepid reaction although women like it much more...Hillary Swank and Gen: at stupid party in Bloomingdales cheap sportwear department....very weird. Studio went for free party from store and windows for a month....Going to be in Wall Street 2 tomorrow ....more to come. xoxo Peg," the email read.

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News Network
February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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