UN relief agency’s at least 99 staff massacred by Israel in besieged Gaza

Bengaluru, Nov 28: The probe into the foeticide racket that recently came to light in Bengaluru has led to shocking revelations as the accused told the police that they had aborted 3,000 female foetuses so far. 

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand told reporters on Tuesday that the investigations have shown that the accused had carried out 3,000 abortions so far and in the last three months itself, 242 female foetuses were killed.

The accused had set a target of 1,000 abortions per year to make money as they charged anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per termination of pregnancy. The scam came to light when Byappanahalli police, on October 15, tried to stop a vehicle moving suspiciously. The vehicle’s driver did not stop and had to be chased by the police before being caught.

During interrogation the accused spilled the beans about the abortion racket. The police have arrested nine people till now, including two doctors and three lab technicians for their involvement in the nefarious activity.

Two of the arrested were also found to be involved in a kidnapping case, Commissioner Dayanand stated. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has stated that the investigation into the case will be completed soon and everything will come out in the open.

The probe also revealed that abortions were conducted at a jaggery production unit in Mandya district where the accused had set up a lab and related facilities. Mandya Assistant Commissioner Shivamurthy stated that the jaggery production unit has been seized as per the orders of the District Commissioner.

According to police sources, two doctors - Chandan Ballal and Tulasiram - were the prime movers of the foeticide racket. Dr Ballal, who ran Mata hospital in Mysuru, was arrested last Friday last from a farmhouse in KR Pet. Though most of the abortion deals were struck at Mata hospital, the procedures would be performed at an ayurveda hospital nearby. Dr Ballal’s wife Meena Ballal and receptionist are also among the nine arrested. 

The other arrested in the case are Shivalingegowda from Mysuru, Nayan Kumar and Naveen Kumar from Mandya district, and TM Veeresh of Davangere district. The police have also taken Sunanda, wife of Shivalingegowda, into custody. Another prime accused Dr Mallikarjun, and his associate Siddesh were absconding. 

In the competitive world of Indian engineering entrance exams, where lakhs aspire and only a few succeed, one extraordinary individual stands out. 

Satyam Kumar, the son of a farmer from Bihar, embarked on a journey that began at the tender age of 12 and culminated in an astonishing achievement – cracking the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) at just 13 years old.

A YOUNG RECORD-BREAKER

Back in 2013, Satyam Kumar made history when he secured the 670th rank in the IIT-JEE, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve this remarkable feat, breaking the record of Delhi's Sahal Kaushik who had achieved the feat at the age of 14 in 2010.

Satyam's journey was not without its share of challenges, but his unwavering determination and hard work were instrumental in his success. Born and raised in Bihar's Bhojpur district, Satyam set his sights on a brighter future through education.

Interestingly, this was Satyam's second time cracking the IIT exam at such a young age. He first cleared the exam in 2012, at the age of 12. But after achieving an all-India rank of 8,137, he decided to retake the IIT-JEE, aiming for a higher rank.

Satyam's journey continued as he pursued higher education. He completed his BTech-MTech Dual Degree in Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur in 2018, after which he set off for the University of Texas at Austin for his PhD.

He is currently specialised in brain-computer interfaces and working as a graduate research assistant. He worked on 3 projects in 2016 while at IIT: 'Electrooculogram based eye blink classification During EOG signal accuistion', 'Optimisation of electrode positions in Different Brain Computer Interfaces', and 'Imaginative Speech based Brain-Computer Interface'.

A BRIGHT CAREER AT APPLE

According to Satyam's LinkedIn profile, he embarked on a career journey that led him to prestigious institutions like ETH Zurich and Inria before landing a research internship at InterDigital Inc.

Most notably, he worked at Apple as a Machine Learning Intern until August 2023, highlighting his prowess in the tech industry.

THE YOUNG VISIONARY

In an interview with India Today in 2013, Satyam expressed his desire to make a significant impact in the world of technology, mentioning his aspiration to develop something akin to Facebook.

He also harbors ambitions of a future in bureaucracy and envisions teaching the children of his home district.

Satyam Kumar's remarkable journey is a testament to the power of determination and unwavering commitment. From a young boy with a dream to a professional excelling at Apple, his story continues to inspire the youth of India.

A four-day truce has taken effect in the besieged Gaza Strip after seven weeks of massacres committed by the Israeli regime against Palestinians.

The truce, negotiated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, took effect at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday, while Palestinians, who were sheltering for weeks at UNRWA schools and hospitals in southern Gaza, began leaving to go to their homes and check what has been left of them.

The truce agreement stipulates the release of Israeli criminals held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The prisoner swap will take place later in the day. The ceasefire took effect after a night of intense Israeli bombardment.

Aid trucks are supposed to enter Gaza in these four days, according to Al Jazeera.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in response to Tel Aviv's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 14,854 Palestinians, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women, have been killed and over 36,000 others injured in the Israeli strikes.

Some 207 health workers and 65 Palestinians were among those killed. That’s while 7,000 Palestinians are still missing.

According to the report, 60 percent of homes in Gaza have either been destroyed or damaged due to the aggression.