1. North K’taka Braves Summer Heat, Logs Over 67% Polling
The sweltering heat was no deterrent for the voters of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in north Karnataka to step out and exercise their franchise in the second and last phase of polling in the state. Even as the mercury hovered between 40 and 43 degrees Celsius, the districts registered 67% turnout.
Barring Kalaburagi, a key constituency from where Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun M Kharge is seeking a third term, polling in the rest of the constituencies was peaceful. In Kalaburagi, the police had to resort to lathi charge when Congress and BJP workers came to blows over BJP candidate Umesh V Jadhav entering the booth with the party flag fluttering atop his vehicle.
Similar to the technical problems faced in north India where the heat impacted the functioning of EVMs, glitches in 55 EVMs delayed voting process in Chincholi assembly constituency of Bidar Lok Sabha seat.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Lok Sabha Elections: Heavy Rainfall Affects Polling in Parts of Karnataka
Rain showers affected parts of Karnataka, including areas in Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts, where the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections was being held.
Widespread moderate rainfall along with spells of isolated heavy rains was reported in coastal and Malnad region of the state. The rain showers, which began late in the afternoon, led to polling getting halted in a few polling booths.
"In isolated places, there was heavy rain because thunderstorm activity is taking place all along the coastal and Malnad region. This will last for one or two hours at the most and it is expected to affect Udupi, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru," explained Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist working with Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
(Source: The News Minute)
3. 7 B’luru JD(S) Workers Among 10 Indians Dead in Sri Lanka Blasts
At least 10 Indians, including seven JD(S) workers from Karnataka who were on a visit to Sri Lanka, have been killed in the multiple blasts in the island nation, the state government said on Monday, 22 April.
A leisure trip to Sri Lanka proved fatal for the group of seven JD(S) workers when the blast took place very close to the dining table they were having breakfast at in Colombo’s Shangri-La hotel, one of the major targets of the deadliest terror strikes in Sri Lanka, family members said.
Earlier on 22 April, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy confirmed that five of seven JD(S) workers, who were touring Colombo, were killed in the series of bomb blasts in Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, 23 April, officials at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka confirmed that the two others from the group had also lost their lives.
(Source: The Quint)
4. Hoax Security Alarm Strands Over 150 Singapore-Bound Passengers in Bengaluru for 14 Hours
A false security alarm raised by one of the passengers left more than 150 people, scheduled to travel to Singapore, stranded at Bengaluru airport for around 14 hours on Tuesday.
Flight TR573, run by budget airline Scoot, was scheduled to depart for Singapore from Bengaluru at 1:20 am on Tuesday. The flight was delayed slightly and at 1:48 am, when the flight was just about to take off, a passenger reportedly raised an alarm, claiming he has spotted a gun in one cabin luggage. Officials at the Kempegowda International Airport confirmed the incident.
In a statement, the airport said, “A hoax security threat was made at 0148 hrs on April 23, 2019, relating to Scoot Airlines Flight TR573 (BLR – SIN). Standard security protocols and procedures were followed and no suspicious items found. A passenger was de-boarded from the flight by the CISF. The remaining passengers and baggage were also de-boarded and rescreened for security and immigration clearance.”
(Source: The News Minute)
5. RTE Applications Decline by 92% This Year
With the state government amending the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) rules, which prioritises government over private schools from the coming academic year, the Department of Public Instruction has received only 17,310 applications so far. This is a 92.7% drop from the 2018-19 academic year, which saw 2.38 lakh applications for seats under the RTE reservation quota.
At the same time, the number of seats under RTE quota has also reduced drastically.
Parents say they have not applied this year as private schools have been kept out of the ambit of the quota. Most neighbourhoods have government or aided schools in their vicinity. According to the recent amendment, a child can be admitted to a private school under the quota only if there are no government or aided schools in the locality.
(Source: The Hindu)
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