Shashank Subramanyam
| Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B

The 16th edition of Bharat Gandharva Yatra, organised by the Bharatiya Samagana Sabha, is set to be held from February 19 to February 23, 2025, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Vyalikaval, Bengaluru. 

This event will showcase a week-long celebration of Indian classical music, featuring some of the most renowned artistes in the industry. This year’s festival promises a diverse and rich lineup of performances, with celebrated musicians from various genres taking the stage.

Ranjani and Gayatri
| Photo Credit:
RAGU R

Among the performers are stalwarts such as Ranjani-Gayatri, Sandeep Narayan, the Trishur Brothers, Sai Vignesh, Arya Ambekar, Sooryagayathri, Lakshmi Nagaraj, Indu Nagaraj, Sumanth Manjunath, Shadaj Godkhindi, Ganga Sasidaran, and Arya Banik. 

These artistes will deliver an array of classical music performances, captivating audiences with their mastery and artistry. 

In addition to the musical performances, the Sabha will honour the legendary flautist Shashank Subramanyam with 13th Samagana Mathanga National Award on February 23, 2025. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the world of Indian classical music.

Israel carried out fresh air strikes on Gaza on Thursday and accused Hamas of backtracking on parts of a fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal ahead of an expected vote by its cabinet.

The truce, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire Updates

But the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Hamas had “reneged on parts of the agreement reached… in an effort to extort last-minute concessions”.

It also said that the Israeli cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, “will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement”.

Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said there was “no basis” for Israel’s accusations.

In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israel pounded several areas of the territory after the deal was announced, killing at least 75 people and wounding hundreds more.

The agreement followed months of fruitless negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza’s history and, if finalised, would pause hostilities one day before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Netanyahu spoke with both US President Joe Biden and Trump on Wednesday, the Israeli leader’s office said, thanking them for their help securing the agreement but also cautioning that “final details” were still being worked on.

The war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

During the attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, Palestinian militants also took 251 people hostage, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

Mixed feelings

In Israel and Gaza, there were celebrations welcoming the truce deal, but also anguish.

Saeed Alloush, who lives in north Gaza, said he and his loved ones were “waiting for the truce and were happy”, until overnight strikes killed his relatives.

“It was the happiest night since October 7” until “we received the news of the martyrdom of 40 people from the Alloush family”, he said.

In Tel Aviv, pensioner Simon Patya said he felt “great joy” that some hostages would return alive, but also “great sorrow for those who are returning in bags, and that will be a very strong blow, morally”.

Two far-right party leaders in Netanyahu’s cabinet have publicly opposed the agreement.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was a “dangerous deal”, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called it “disastrous”.

Israeli media said the government’s ratification of the agreement may be delayed, in part, by disagreements within the ruling coalition.

The deal followed intensified efforts from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani announced on Wednesday that the “two belligerents in the Gaza Strip have reached a deal”.

“We hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” he said, adding that the three mediators would monitor its implementation.

During an initial 42-day ceasefire, 33 hostages would be released, the Qatari prime minister said, including women, “children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded”.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their residences”, he said.

Aid needed

Announcing the deal from the White House, Mr. Biden said he was “deeply satisfied this day has come”, calling the negotiations some of the “toughest” of his career.

He added that the second phase of the agreement, if finalised, would bring a “permanent end to the war”.

Envoys from both Trump’s incoming administration and Biden’s outgoing one had been present at the latest negotiations, with a senior Biden official saying the unlikely pairing had been a decisive factor in reaching the deal.

Mr. Trump on social media hailed the “EPIC ceasefire agreement”.

Biden said the deal would “surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also underscored the “importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza.

Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News cited a security source as saying coordination was “underway” to reopen the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt to allow in aid.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to take effect later this month, welcomed the ceasefire deal.

“What’s needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

A file image of security forces in Chhattisgarh‘s Bijapur district
| Photo Credit: PTI

In the biggest anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh since the beginning of the year, at least a dozen Maoists were gunned down by the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur on Thursday (January 16, 2024), said the police. 

Carried out ten days after the IED blast in Bijapur that left eight security personnel dead, the operation was reported in the South Bastar region. This region spread across Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts is considered a stronghold of the Maoists but many new security camps have come up there in the past one year. 

A senior police officer said that the encounter broke out around 9 a.m. when a joint team of security personnel was out after receiving a tip off about the presence of Maoists in the forested area. The team comprising contingents from District Reserve Guard (DRG) from three districts, five battalions of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action – an elite jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force) and 229th battalion of CRPF had intermittent exchange of fire with the outlaws till the evening. 

The forces did not suffer any casualty till latest reports, said the officer. 

There has been an upsurge in the anti-Maoist operations since the end of 2023. Last year, 219 alleged Maoists were gunned down with 38 Maoists being killed in a single encounter in the Abujhmad forests last October. The latest encounter takes the 2025 tally to 26. Earlier, five Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur on January 6 while three were killed in Sukma three days later.

Two personnel injured in IED blast 

Earlier on Thursday, two commandos of CoBRA were injured when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Maoists went off in Basaguda area of Bijapur. The injured duo – Mridul Barman and Mohd. Ishaq of CoBRA 206th battalion – was part of a team that was out on an area domination operation. Both are said to be out of danger and had been referred to Raipur for further treatment. 

The 2025 Nuclear-Free Future Awards will honour S.P. Udayakumar, a key figure in resistance to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district, alongside individuals from Brazil, Navajo Nation, the United States, and Zimbabwe, for their efforts toward a nuclear-free world.

Founded in 1998 by Claus Biegert, the Nuclear-Free Future Awards celebrate those working to rid the world of nuclear weapons, power, and uranium mining, with laureates chosen by an international jury of peers. Mr. Udayakumar, who will receive the Resistance Award, spearheaded the 2011 grassroots movement that opposed the construction of the plant in Tamil Nadu, India. His continued advocacy highlights the dangers of nuclear energy, particularly to vulnerable communities, an official release says.

In addition to Mr. Udayakumar, Márcia Gomes de Oliveira and Norbert Suchanek from Brazil will receive the Education Award for founding the International Uranium Film Festival, which has showcased over 300 films on nuclear issues worldwide. The Solution Award will go to Edwick Madzimure of Zimbabwe, recognised for her advocacy on behalf of women impacted by militarism and nuclear weapons. Honorary Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given to anti-nuclear activist Joanna Macy and the late Klee Benally, a Navajo activist who worked to address the environmental and health effects of uranium mining on Native American communities.

The awards ceremony will take place on March 4 at The Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York City. It coincides with the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations.

A 13-year-old Assamese girl who had left her rented home in the city and was tracked to Visakhapatnam in August last year has left for her Assam to reunite with her family.

The girl who had been living at the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare’s Balika Mandiram here after being brought back to Thiruvananthapuram by the police from Andhra Pradesh had refused to go with her parents initially, though they had wanted her to return to Assam with them.

She had been living at the child welfare council at Thycaud and had been admitted to school to continue her education. Though the girl was happy at the council in the company of other friends and the caretakers, she recently expressed to council general secretary G.L. Arun Gopi the desire to return to her parents in Assam.

As institutionalisation is considered the last resort, district child welfare committee chairperson Shaniba Beegam issued an order for the girl to be transferred to Assam to be reunited with her family.

The girl was given an emotional send-off by the other children at the council, caretakers, and council office-bearers. Mr. Arun Gopi gave her a present from the council. Ms. Shaniba Beegam was present on the occasion.

The girl will reach Assam by air on Friday.

With an aim to attract ₹1 lakh crore investments to Telangana from the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual conference in Davos, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his team left from New Delhi on Thursday night.

Their first halt would at Singapore for three days and later the team will move to Davos in Switzerland where the annual conference from January 20 to 22 attracts industry heads, investors and top businessmen from across the world.

The Chief Minister is confident that his team would be selling Telangana as the dream destination to the top investors and will touch ₹1 lakh crore figure. He will project the incentives being provided by the State government to the IT, AI, pharma, and manufacturing sectors and also the recently announced Clean and Green Energy Policy to sell Telangana as the destination.

Industry department officials said last year ₹40,000 crore investments were attracted of which ₹30,000 crore works have been grounded. Figures of the jobs created through these investments would come out once the grounded projects are completed, an official said.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy achieved the highest figure of ₹40,000 crore in his first visit to Davos last year. During the BRS government the highest investment attracted was ₹20,000 crore in the year 2023, he said, arguing that this time they would break all the records.

The CM’s delegation consists of IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu; Principal Secretary in the CMO, Seshadri; IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan apart from officials Ajit Reddy and Vishnuvardhan Reddy will explore the business opportunities in Singapore during their three-day stay.

The team will visit the Singapore Institute of Technical Education and study the courses offered for skill development and they will be replicated in the Young India Skill University in Telangana. Chief Minister will also visit the riverfront in Singapore in view of the government’s prestigious Musi river revival project.

The global economy is slowing down, making it harder for labour markets to recover fully since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, according to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) report, World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025, released in Geneva on Thursday.

Pointing to the relatively high growth rates in Southern Asia, the ILO report said they are driven by India’s growth performance. “India’s growth underpins GDP growth performance in Southern Asia, a sub-region whose GDP is expected to have grown by 6.2% in 2024 and to grow by 5.8% in 2025. India has one of the fastest growth rates in the world, 6.9% in 2024 and forecast to be 6.4% in 2025. India’s growth is driven by monetary policy easing, strong domestic demand, and public investment,” the report said citing studies of global agencies such as the International Monitory Fund.

In 2024, the report said, global employment grew in line with the labour force, keeping the unemployment rate steady at 5%. “However, youth unemployment showed little improvement, remaining high at 12.6%. Informal work and working poverty returned to pre-pandemic levels, and low-income countries faced the most difficulties in creating decent jobs,” it said.

Geopolitical tensions, the rising costs of climate change and unresolved debt issues are the challenges before the recovery and the reasons for putting labour markets under pressure. “Economic growth stood at 3.2% in 2024, down from 3.3 and 3.6% in 2023 and 2022, respectively. A similar level of growth is expected in 2025, although a gradual deceleration is expected to set in over the medium term,” the report said. The inflation, the report said, has decreased, but it remains high, reducing the value of wages.

“Real wages have only increased in some advanced economies, and most countries are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic and inflation,” the report said.

The labour force participation rates have dropped in low-income countries while increasing in high-income nations, mainly among older workers and women, the report pointed out. “However, gender gaps remain wide, with fewer women in the workforce, limiting progress in living standards,” it said. “There have been significant increases in the labour force participation rate in Southern Asia, driven by increases in female participation, particularly in India,” it said.

The global jobs gap – the estimated number of people who want to work but do not have a job – reached 402 million in 2024. “This includes 186 million unemployed people, 137 million who are temporarily unavailable to work, and 79 million discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs,” the report said.

The ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo said decent work and productive employment are essential for achieving social justice and the Sustainable Development Goals. “To avoid exacerbating already strained social cohesion, escalating climate impacts, and surging debt, we must act now to tackle labour market challenges and create a fairer, more sustainable future,” he said.

The report urged member countries to boost productivity, invest in skills training, education and infrastructure to support economic growth and job creation. “Expand social protection: provide better access to social security and safe working conditions to reduce inequality. Use private funds effectively: low-income countries can harness remittances and diaspora funds to support local development,” it said.

BJP’s State president K. Annamalai on Thursday criticised the DMK government over an incident in Madurai district where the seat of District Collector M.S. Sangeetha was reportedly given to Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s son.

In a social media post, Mr. Annamalai charged that the incident was a case of “misuse of power”. He claimed that the District Collector was “removed from the stage” to accommodate Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s son and his friends.

The Deputy CM was in Madurai on Thursday to witness the jallikattu event at Avaniyapuram. Mr. Annamalai charged that it was an “insult” to the woman officer and further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu would teach the Deputy CM a lesson in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Three members of a family were murdered and another was seriously injured allegedly by their neighbour at Chendamangalam in North Paravur on Thursday around 6 p.m.

The accused, identified as Rithu Jayan, 27, was arrested shortly after the incident. The deceased were identified as Venu, 65, his wife Usha, 62, and daughter-in-law Vinisha, 32. Venu’s son Jithin, 35, was critically injured and is undergoing treatment in a hospital. All were residents of Kizhakkumpuram ward in Chendamangalam panchayat.

According to the police, Rithu Jayan bludgeoned the victims on the head with an iron pipe. The accused was a history-sheeter. Reportedly, personal disputes between the accused and the victims led to the attack.

The accused reportedly told the police that Venu and his family had abused him and his mother and sister following which he went to their home and attacked them, though his intention was never to kill. He reportedly fled the scene soon after the incident only to be intercepted by the Vadakkekara sub inspector on finding him riding without helmet while also smoking. On being taken to the police station, he reportedly confessed to the alleged murders.

According to the police, Rithu Jayan had cases against him on charges of bike theft, stalking, and a clash. The last case was registered in 2022. He was put on rowdy list and was being checked on a weekly basis.

He had returned from Bengaluru, where he was a tile worker, two weeks ago. There were also reports that he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment. Though it was widely rumoured that he had allegedly committed the crime on drug-induced high, the police said he had been clean for the past many days.

Reportedly, the families of the accused and the victims had lodged complaints of defamation against each other. The charges against Rithu Jayan were non-cognisable and hence bailable, sources said.

Divya Unnikrishnan, Kizhakkumpuram ward member, said the accused was a known troublemaker with a history of drugs.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader and local MLA V.D. Satheesan, who dubbed the incident as unfortunate, said if drug abuse had triggered the crime, then it was a serious matter.

Grappling with an acute shortage of specialists, Karnataka’s Health Department will now hire them against sanctioned posts on a per day, per case basis and also at Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) rates. A government order (GO) to this effect was issued last week.

Currently, of the 2,877 sanctioned posts of specialists, 735 are vacant. Overall, of the 6,604 sanctioned posts of doctors (including specialists, general duty medical officers, chief medical officers, senior medical officers and dental officers), as many as 1,955 are vacant.

Unable to attract doctors through various existing mechanisms, the department has now decided to hire specialists through different methods apart from hiring them on a contractual basis for fixed monthly remuneration, Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), told The Hindu on Thursday.

Asserting that the department is taking all possible steps to fill the vacancies, including sending a proposal to the Centre for increasing the salaries of the contractual doctors, the principal secretary said a letter was written to the Union Additional Health Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission Aradhana Patnaik in September last year.

Attrition rates

“The shortage is primarily due to high attrition rates among specialists due to stagnant remuneration for the past seven years (no increments provided) coupled with the low base salary fixed for staff nurses and medical officers under the NHM in yearly approvals approved by the Union Health Ministry,” he said.

“We sought the ministry’s approval for a proposed hike in salary structure under NHM for various healthcare personnel. The salary structure was designed after careful consideration of the starting salaries in equivalent pay scales and prevailing market conditions,” he said.

He said the Union Ministry has communicated that the issue will be taken up during the supplementary Programme Implementation Plan (PIP) discussions likely to be held in January or February. “Meanwhile, we have decided to hire specialists on a per day, per case basis through AB-ArK funds for one year at a time,” he said.

Per day, per case basis

According to the GO, the rate to be paid to specialists per day would be arrived at by dividing the total monthly amount paid to a contract specialist by the number of working days in the month. They would be paid as per the number of days served by them, subject to the condition that they should serve for at least two days a week. The current per day rate is ₹ 3,930, the GO stated.

Specialists such as radiologists will be hired on a per radiography/CT/MRI scan basis. They will be given the liberty to either come in person and certify the scans or do the same through a teleradiology system, which is to be provided by them. The rates will be fixed through a local tender, subject to the indication of some ceiling rates by the Commissioner. 

Hiring at ABArK rates

Under the ABArK scheme, doctors performing a procedure are paid a certain incentive amount, which is a percentage of the total cost of the procedure. “The specialists for specialities like Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Anesthesia and Surgery, etc., can be offered such incentive amounts for their contractual services,” said the GO.