Banned SIMI chief, 10 others get life terms in sedition case

Manglauru, Jun 1: The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala, marking the commencement of the four-month long rainfall season, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.

"The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala," IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

The four-month monsoon season from June to September accounts for 75 per cent of rainfall in the country.

Private forecaster Skymet Weather on May 30 had declared arrival of monsoon, but the IMD had differed, saying conditions were not ripe then for such an announcement.

Orange alert

Meanwhile, coastal Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, which is receiving sporadic rains for past couple of days, is on orange alert.

Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh declared the orange alert following IMD’s prediction of heavy rainfall in the region.

Belagavi, Feb 10: In comments that raised eyebrows, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP and who took oath as minister last week, said his brother Satish has a bright future. The two siblings have rarely seen eye-to-eye — at least in public — in recent times.

He also trained his gun on Congress leader DK Shivakumar, sarcastically thanking the Congress MLA for his meteoric rise. “Had Shivakumar not stood against me, I would not have emerged as a tall leader in the state. I must thank him,” Ramesh said.

The Gokak MLA said Satish of the Congress, the most politically-savvy of the five Jarkiholi siblings, would reach “the top” in his political career. However, he advised him “to inculcate patience and adopt strategies”. “He should make his moves at the right time as timing is very important in politics,” Ramesh said.

He also urged Satish to keep his supporters happy. “Many of his followers are disappointed with his leadership because he does not extend a helping hand to his own people. In the present political climate, people do not endorse a leader who only talks about Buddha and Basava,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh took a dig at Lakan, the youngest sibling, saying, “Lakan speaks ill about me most of the time. He does not understand much. But we brothers are one when it comes to family. We are united when it comes to family matters, but when it comes to politics, we are at loggerheads.”

Mangaluru, Jan 2: The Muslim Central Committee of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has dropped its plan to stage a massive protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens on January 4 at Mangaluru’s Nehru Maidan.

Addressing a press conference here today, committee chief K S Mohammed Masood made this announcement.

“All the 28 organisations that had decided to stage protest under the leadership of the Muslim Central Committee, have unanimously agreed to temporarily cancel the protest plan after the city police refused permission for the event,” he said.

Mr Masood requested the people, especially the youth, not to lose patience. “No one should head to Nehru Maidan on January 4 as Muslim leaders have unanimously decided to cancel the protest,” he urged.

S M Rasheed Haji, Y Abdulla Kunhi, Umar UH, Ibrahim Kodichal, B M Mumtaz Ali, Khasim H K, Mansoor Ahmed Azad and Asif Deals were present in the press meet.