Indian expat on visit visa in Dubai helps catch robber, recover booty

Austrian police authorities have arrested the director of a Palestinian news agency based in the Gaza Strip, which is aligned with the Hamas resistance movement, following spurious allegations and intense pressure from the Tel Aviv regime’s officials.

Gaza Now News Network wrote in a post published on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that “the occupying Israeli regime is trying hard to prosecute anyone connected to the Palestinian media as part of attempts to silence the voice of wounded Gaza and stop disclosure of the Palestinian nation’s sufferings and the massacres being committed against women, children and the elderly.”

It added, “The latest of such attempts was the prosecution of Palestinian-born journalist Mustafa Ayyash. Austrian police stormed his house, tampered with his personal belongings, confiscated electronic devices, arrested him and his wife, and took him for interrogation.”

Gaza Now noted that the Austrian police hacked its WhatsApp account, which is followed by 300,000 users, and closed it down. They also shut the news network’s Facebook pages and accounts, which are followed by some eight million users.

It underscored that Israeli officials threaten Ayyash from time to time with prosecution and assassination, and hamper the activities of the news network on social media platforms.

This comes as the Israeli military had earlier targeted Ayyash's family and killed scores of his relatives in a series of airstrikes in late November ahead of a temporary ceasefire.

The Permanent Observer of Palestine at the United Nations Salah Abdel-Shafi and Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh mourned the death of his family.

Back on March 27, US and UK authorities unveiled sanctions against two people and three companies related to Gaza Now over alleged fundraising efforts “in support of Hamas.”

The Treasury Department said in a statement that Gaza Now, whose popular Telegram channel has more than 1.8 million followers, and its founder started fundraising for Hamas after the movement’s Operation al-Aqsa Storm against Israel on October 7.

The US also slapped sanctions against Aozma Sultana, the director of two companies that allegedly gave “thousands of dollars to Gaza Now and advertised Gaza Now as a partner during a joint fundraiser shortly after the large-scale surprise attack.”

Separately, the UK Treasury announced a full asset freeze against two individuals suspected of providing financial support for Gaza Now.

“All funds and economic resources in the UK belonging to or controlled by Sultana and Ayyash have been frozen,” they added.

Bengaluru, Apr 12: The two men who allegedly plotted and executed the blast that rocked Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru last month have been arrested from Kanthi in Bengal's East Midnapore district, the National Investigation Agency said Friday morning. 

Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha were caught after a joint operation by central intelligence agencies and police from Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana, and Kerala, and are en route to Kolkata, the anti-terror agency said in a statement.

The available evidence indicates Shazeb planted the explosive device, placed inside a backpack, at the popular eatery. Taha was responsible for planning the attack and for their disappearance.

These are the second and third arrests in this case; last month Muzammil Shareef, who extended logistical support to the Shazeb and Taha, was taken into custody.

Residents of Karnataka's Shivamogga district, Shazeb and Taha were traced to Kanthi after officials conducted searches at 18 locations across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and even Uttar Pradesh.

The blast at Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1 injured 10 people, customers and staff.

Fortunately there were no deaths; the bag containing the explosives was placed in a relatively less crowded area and against a large pillar that absorbed the brunt of the explosion.

After the blast, the NIA released photos and videos of the accused, as seen on CCTV cameras across Bengaluru. In one such clip, the accused - wearing a face mask - was seen boarding a bus.

The agency had declared a reward of ₹ 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of each accused. The agency had also questioned their acquaintances, including college and school friends.

The Rameshwaram Cafe, which suffered extensive damage after the blast, reopened eight days later, with enhanced security measures including metal detectors.

BJP’s reaction

The Karnataka BJP on Friday attacked the Siddaramaiah government after the arrest of two men by the NIA in the Bengaluru cafe blast case, saying that the terrorists were 'brothers' of the Congress.

Taking to social media, Karnataka BJP stated, “National Investigation Agency (NIA) detains ‘Brothers’ of Congress in Rameshwaram Blast case. Ever since Jihadi Tipu Sultan’s admirers came to power in Karnataka, terrorists have got a free ride.”

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s ‘Ease of Doing Terror’ Policies have prompted ISIS to now set up its shop in Karnataka. The only guarantee that CM Siddaramaiah has fulfilled is converting prosperous Karnataka into a terror hub,” the BJP stated.

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued a series of animated shorts in Kannada advising people of appropriate measures to take during extreme temperatures to keep oneself safe.

 “Karnataka has not seen such extreme temperatures and heat waves in the recent past. So, we wanted to ensure a wider reach for safety measures, therefore we decided to issue them in a reader-friendly format,” said an official from KSNDMC.

Meteorological Centre Bengaluru, Indian Meteorological Department, had issued a five-day heat wave warning, lasting till April orange alert, for parts of Karnataka.

“In places like Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Tumkur, Mandya, Gadag, Davangere and Chitradurga, the temperature is likely to touch 40 degrees Celsius tomorrow,” said C P Patil, director of the centre.

On April 25, these places recorded a maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius.

Orange alert would mean increased likelihood of heat illness symptoms in people who are exposed to sun for a prolonged period of time as well as those who do heavy manual work.

According to Patil, coastal Karnataka will also have very hot and humid weather conditions, making it very uncomfortable for people there.

“It’s best for children and old people to avoid exposure to heat in coastal areas too,” added Patil.

In places where heat wave is predicted, people are advised to avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 12 noon and 3pm.

“When they go out, it is best to use protective goggles, an umbrella or a hat. Also aerated drinks must be avoided since they cause dehydration. Best to drink water as much as possible, even if you don’t feel thirsty,” said M Rajavel, head of LACD, Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru.

People are also advised not to leave the children or pets inside parked vehicles.

The maximum and minimum temperatures of Bengaluru are very likely to be around 37 degree Celsius and 23 degree Celsius respectively for the next 48 hours, said Patil.

Hassan recorded the highest jump from its normal minimum temperature. It recorded 22.6 degrees Celsius, about 2.8 degrees more than usual.

According to IMD, on April 29 light rain is also very likely in isolated places over Bidar, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Vijayapura, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru, Mandya and Chitradurga districts.

On April 30, light rain is predicted again for Bidar, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Vijayapura, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Chikkamagaluru, Tumkur, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban and Kodagu districts.

Incidentally, KSNDMC has also issued a series of animated advisory for lightning safety.

“We also update temperature every 15 minutes in our X handle in coordination with IMD,” added the KSNDMC official.