Death Toll In Gaza Strip Rises To 31,341: Palestinian Ministry

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Death toll in the Gaza Strip in Israel's military offensive has risen to 31,341, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Gaza, Mar 14: Death toll in the Gaza Strip in Israel's military offensive has risen to 31,341, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Thursday.

During the past 24 hours, 69 Palestinians were killed and 110 others wounded in the coastal enclave, pushing the total death toll to 31,341 and injuries to 73,134 since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023, it said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some victims remained trapped under rubble due to heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defence and ambulance crews, it said.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023.

(IANS)

Iran President Raisi's death: India declares one day state mourning on Tuesday

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, May 20: India on Monday declared one day of state mourning on May 21 as a mark of respect to Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and the country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

"On the day of mourning (Tuesday), the National Flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where the National Flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day," read a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Raisi and Abdollahian were among nine people who died after their helicopter crashed in Iran's mountainous north-west region while they were returning from the Azerbaijan border after flagging off joint projects in the region.

(IANS)

56.68 pc turnout in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls till 5 pm, West Bengal leads with 73 pc voting

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, May 20: The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 49 parliamentary constituencies saw a cumulative voter turnout of 56.68 per cent till 5 pm, as per the data shared by the Election Commission.

According to the poll body, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (73 per cent), followed by Ladakh (67.15 per cent), Jharkhand (61.90 per cent), Odisha (60.55 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (55.80 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (54.21 per cent), Bihar (52.35 per cent) and Maharashtra (48.66 per cent).

Mumbai continued to disappoint with voter turnout failing to cross 50 per cent till 5 pm. Mumbai North recorded a turnout of 46.91 per cent; Mumbai North Central saw a turnout of 47.32 per cent, Mumbai North East saw a turnout of 48.67 per cent per cent, Mumbai North West recorded a turnout of 49.79 per cent. Mumbai South had the lowest turnout in the city with 44.22 per cent recorded till 5 pm. Mumbai South Central saw a turnout of 48.26 per cent.

As per the ECI, over 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5409 third-gender electors, will decide the fate of 695 candidates in the fifth phase of voting. The fifth phase is witnessing key contests in various constituencies.

Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya are looking for electoral success.

The eight states/UTs polling in phase 5 are Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Cities like Mumbai, Thane, and Lucknow are polling in this phase, which has in the past suffered from urban apathy in voting. Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

In a bid to create a peaceful atmosphere for the electors, a total of 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams are keeping surveillance round the clock across the 94,732 polling stations.

A total of 216 international border check posts and 565 inter-state border check posts are keeping a strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Strict surveillance has been kept on sea and air routes, the ECI said.

(ANI)

"Thank you Puri, bow in gratitude to this iconic place": PM Modi

by Utkalika Mohanty

Puri, May 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to the holy city of Puri hours after holding a roadshow and said the heat did not deter the crowds from coming and blessing us.

PM Modi also appreciated the divinity and culture of the holy city and said each of these blessings inspires us to work harder for the people.

Thank you Puri. I bow in gratitude to this iconic place, associated with divinity and culture. The roadshow this morning was spectacular. The heat didn’t deter the crowds from coming and blessing us. Each of these blessings are cherished and inspire us to work harder for the… pic.twitter.com/FVEzalTpbQ — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 20, 2024

PM Modi also shared some pictures of the roadshow held in Puri today on his official social media account.

"Thank you, Puri. I bow in gratitude to this iconic place, associated with divinity and culture. The roadshow this morning was spectacular. The heat didn't deter the crowds from coming and blessing us. Each of these blessings is cherished and inspires us to work harder for the people," PM Modi posted on X, (formerly Twitter).

Urging people to vote amid the scorching heat, PM Modi pointed out a wheel-chaired youth at a rally and said this affection makes him work even harder to fulfil people's dreams.

"It's very satisfying to see people from all walks of life come to bless me at the rallies across India. At Dhenkanal, one of the attendees was young Anshuman Mohapatra from Angul. Despite his health challenges and the scorching heat, he came to the rally. This affection is humbling and makes me work even harder to fulfil people's dreams," PM Modi added.