Karnataka Lokayukta cracks down on disproportionate assets with raids across 8 districts

Israel has waged a systematic "thirst war" in the Gaza Strip, carrying out at least 112 attacks targeting water collection queues that have killed over 700 Palestinians - mostly children - since the war began.

Israeli forces have destroyed 720 wells and blocked fuel needed to run water and sewage infrastructure, the territory's government media office said Monday, resulting in severe water shortages, the collapse of essential services, and the outbreak and spread of disease, especially among children.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, including several sites in Gaza City, areas east of Jabalia camp in the northern enclave and other parts of the territory, resulting in several Palestinian casualties and injuries.

The Israeli army issued an urgent evacuation warning to all people living in dozens of Gaza City and Jabalia neighbourhoods.

More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Mangaluru, July 7: Two working professionals from Mangaluru have lost more than ₹10 lakh in separate incidents of online job fraud, raising alarm over the growing trend of cybercrime exploiting employment seekers.

Case 1: Part-Time Job Scam on WhatsApp & Telegram

A woman professional lost ₹6.5 lakh after falling for a so-called part-time work-from-home job. According to her complaint, she received a WhatsApp message on June 25 from someone claiming to be an HR assistant from the NSE Exchange. The job promised earnings between ₹5,000 and ₹20,000.

She was asked to join via a link and instructed to download the Telegram app, where further communication and tasks were assigned. After completing 30 initial tasks, she received small payments of ₹180 and ₹200 to gain her trust.

However, soon she was assigned "trade tasks" and told to deposit ₹800 to a bank account. Over the next three days (June 26–28), she was made to transfer larger amounts to multiple accounts via UPI and net banking. When no payments were refunded, she realized it was a scam and lodged a complaint with Mangaluru Rural Police.

Case 2: Fake International Hospital Job Offer

In another incident, a medical professional lost ₹4.2 lakh to fraudsters posing as recruiters for NMC Hospital in Dubai. The complainant received a call on June 6 from a woman named Sangeetha, followed by a detailed job offer via email.

A man named Vinay Singh then contacted the complainant and asked for multiple payments — ₹5,499 for registration, ₹25,960 for profile verification, and over ₹82,000 for a DHA licence. Over the next few days, further payments totaling several lakhs were demanded for NOC and other formalities.

Suspicion arose when the fraudsters asked for an additional ₹2.6 lakh. After consulting friends, the complainant discovered the job offer was fake and reported the fraud to Kankanady Town Police Station.

Authorities Urge Caution

Police have urged the public, especially job seekers, to be extremely cautious while responding to unsolicited job offers online, particularly those demanding advance payments or using unofficial platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram for communication.

Bengaluru, July 7: In a significant public health move, the Karnataka government has decided to classify sudden deaths among individuals under 45 years of age as a 'notifiable disease' — requiring mandatory reporting and autopsy — amid rising concerns and speculation linking such deaths to Covid-19 vaccines.

Announcing the decision on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government would begin systematically monitoring such cases to determine the actual causes. "If someone dies suddenly outside a hospital, it must be reported to the government, and an autopsy will be mandatory," he said.

The decision follows recommendations from an expert committee led by Dr. C.N. Ravindranath, Director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research. The panel was tasked with investigating the rise in sudden cardiovascular events, including possible links to Covid-19 vaccination.

The committee, however, found no direct link between vaccines and cardiac deaths among the youth. Dr. Ravindranath explained that while there was a 5–6% rise in cardiac deaths post-Covid, the causes were multifactorial — primarily lifestyle-related, with smoking accounting for over half of the cases.

Minister Rao also clarified that no mRNA vaccines, which have been associated with rare myocarditis cases abroad, were administered in India. He reiterated that Covid-19 vaccines saved lives, and panic over vaccine safety was unwarranted.

The government is expected to issue formal directions soon regarding the classification and mandatory autopsy procedures.