Uttara Kannada: Youth gored to death amid thousands of spectators at bull-taming event

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement hands over the bodies of four Israeli captives, killed in the regime's strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The handover, part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Tel Aviv regime, was carried out in Khan Yunis on Thursday, with Hamas saying that the move reflects its commitment to consolidate the ceasefire for long-term peace in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

According to the movement, all four captives, a mother and her two children and an elderly journalist, were killed in the Israeli airstrikes during the 15-month genocide war that killed at least 48,284 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in the small coastal territory.

"To the families of Bibas and Lifshitz: We would have preferred your sons to return to you alive, but your army and government leaders chose to kill them instead of bringing them back," Hamas said in a statement.

"They killed with them: 17,881 Palestinian children, in their criminal bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and we know that you know who is truly responsible for their departure. You were the victim of a leadership that does not care about its children."

Hamas said the Israeli army killed the captives by bombing their detention centers, and that the regime of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears full responsibility after repeatedly obstructing the exchange agreement. 

"The criminal Netanyahu is crying today over the bodies of his prisoners who returned to him in coffins, in a blatant attempt to evade responsibility for their killing in front of his audience."

Hamas said it did everything in its power to protect the prisoners and preserve their lives, "but the barbaric and continuous bombing by the occupation prevented them from being able to save all the prisoners".

On Saturday, Hamas said it would also release six more live captives in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners that include half of the women and children abducted by the occupying regime during the genocide.

The handover came just a day after the resistance movement announced that it is ready to release all Israeli captives in a single swap during the second phase of the Gaza truce deal.

"We emphasize that the exchange is the only way to return the prisoners alive to their families, and any attempt to bring them back by military force or return to war will only result in more losses among the prisoners," Hamas said in its Thursday statement. 

Israel and Hamas are currently in the process of implementing the first phase of the truce, which began on January 19. Since then, 19 Israeli captives have been released in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians.

After the completion of the first phase, 58 captives will remain in Gaza. The Israeli military says 34 of the remaining captives are dead.

Prior to Al-Aqsa Flood operation in October 2023, approximately 5,200 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons. According to Palestinian officials, that number has since increased to over 10,000.

The occupying entity failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing at least 48,284 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

The ceasefire is divided into three phases, each lasting 42 days. In the first phase, which is currently underway, 33 Israeli captives will be freed in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees held in the regime’s prisons.

Despite Hamas fully committing to the ceasefire deal, Israel has restricted the delivery of humanitarian aid, including shelters, and blocked the entry of heavy machinery into the besieged strip, hindering the clearance of rubble from destroyed infrastructure.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala assembly on Monday witnessed heated argument between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front over the increasing violence involving youths as well as the drug menace.

The chief minister blamed it on films that celebrate violence, competitiveness among youngsters and lapses in parenting as key reasons for the increasing violent tendency among the youngsters. He also stressed the need to carry out awareness campaigns and said that there would not be any compromise in enforcement.

Congress gave a notice for adjournment motion in the house in the wake of the back to back incidents of violence involving students, the latest being the death of a tenth standard student at Kozhikode the other day following an attack by five other students. Considering the gravity of the scenario, the government allowed a discussion on the matter.

The Chief Minister was agitated over Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who presented the notice for the motion, accusing the government of failing to curb the drug menace and also alleged of links of CPM's student outfits Students' Federation of India in brutal violence at campuses. Vijayan was also irked as Chennithala pin pointed the attack on him by repeatedly using 'Mr. chief minister'.

Vijayan said that the increasing criminal tendency among children was a global issue. "As the world becomes very competitive right from studies to jobs, the younger generations are becoming more restless. The competitiveness, which seems to be an outcome of globalization, was also causing enmity in young minds. With parents failing to spend adequate time with children, the children and getting addicted to digital devices," said Vijayan.

He also said that there were police reports that children were even getting attracted to goonda gangs after being influenced by films that celebrate violence. The sensor board needs to look into the matter. Web series and social media were also badly influencing children.

Listing out the number of drug peddling cases nabbed by the police and excise departments in the recent years, Vijayan said that there was no lapse in enforcement.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan extended the opposition's support to the government in fighting the menace.

After a dramatic confrontation between former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Russian officials and state media expressed satisfaction, viewing the exchange as a major political shift.

Following the heated meeting, which ended with Zelensky abruptly leaving, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised Trump's "restraint" for not physically assaulting the Ukrainian leader. "I think Zelensky's biggest lie was his claim that Kyiv was alone in 2022 without support," Zakharova wrote on Telegram. She further added, "How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint," criticizing Zelensky for "biting the hand that feeds him."

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's Security Council deputy head and former president, issued the most scathing remarks, calling Zelensky an "insolent pig" who had received "a proper slap down in the Oval Office." Medvedev declared, "For the first time, Trump told the cocaine clown the truth: the Kyiv regime is playing with World War III. And the ungrateful pig got a strong slap on the wrist from his masters. This is useful but not enough—we must stop military aid to the Nazi machine."

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a key Russian-American negotiator, described the exchange as "historic" and suggested it reflected a shift in US foreign policy. Meanwhile, Yevgeny Primakov, head of Russia's Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation, accused Zelensky of attempting to provoke violence in response to the confrontation. "The Kyiv regime thrives on bloody provocations," Primakov wrote on Telegram, speculating that Ukraine might stage an attack to blame Russia and regain Western sympathy.

Russian state media amplified these sentiments, with RT posting on X (formerly Twitter): "Zelensky sits with hands between legs as US President and VP hammer him."

While European leaders expressed support for Zelensky, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time Putin ally, sided with Trump. Orban praised the former US president’s stance, writing on X: "Strong men make peace, weak men make war." He commended Trump for "bravely standing for peace, even if it was difficult for many to digest."

The Oval Office clash highlighted growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Trump’s push for a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. During the meeting, Trump accused Zelensky of being "disrespectful" and warned, "You have no right to dictate how we should feel. You are gambling with World War III."

Trump further cautioned, "I have empowered you to be a tough guy. You either make a deal, or we're out. You don't have the cards." Vice President J.D. Vance also rebuked Zelensky, saying he had never acknowledged the extensive US aid provided to Kyiv.

The confrontation, witnessed by reporters, resulted in the abrupt cancellation of a scheduled press conference. Trump later criticized Zelensky on Truth Social, calling him "disrespectful" and unwilling to negotiate peace.

Before the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s willingness to engage in diplomatic talks with the US, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect. "We seek dialogue not only with the US but with all nations, based on mutual respect and benefit," Peskov stated, dismissing the notion that diplomacy should be dictated solely by strength, a criticism often directed at Trump’s foreign policy approach.