CATEGORIES

Women priests ordained without Vatican nod

ON a barge on Rome's River Tiber, a stone's throw from the Vatican, Loan Rocher was “ordained” in a secret ceremony in defiance of the Catholic Church's ban on women deacons and priests.

German parliament backs tougher rules for migrants

THE German parliament on Friday voted to tighten rules for asylum seekers as Berlin takes a tougher line on immigration after recent electoral gains for the far right.

Raut, Patole fight in Maha MVA slugfest over 26 seats

DIFFERENCES among opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance partners, particularly between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), surfaced on Friday over \"disputed\" seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Saini makes dialysis free in Haryana

IN his first cabinet meeting as the chief minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini on Friday announced that free dialysis services will be provided to chronic kidney patients in all government hospitals across the state.

Omar resolution on statehood, PDP asks why silent on Art 370

KEEPING its word, the Omar Abdullah-led government passed a resolution on restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in its first cabinet meeting, sources said, but there has been no official word yet.

BJP to contest 68 seats as NDA seals deal for J'khand

THE BJP-led NDA has reached consensus over seat-sharing in Jharkhand. The All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest 10 seats, JD(U) 2 and the Chirag Paswan-led LJP one, leaving the BJP to contest the remaining 68 seats, according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the BJP's co-election in-charge for Jharkhand.

Migrant worker from Bihar shot dead by terrorists in Shopian

IN the first targeted killing after the government assumed power in Jammu and Kashmir, a migrant worker from Bihar was shot dead by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Friday.

Amritpal's name figures in Sikh activist's murder

NAME of Khadoor Sahib MP and pro-Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, currently in Central Jail in Dibrugarh, Assam, has figured in the recent killing of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh.

Jr docs' ultimatum to Didi: 'Fulfil our demands in 4 days or face cease-work'

THE junior doctors protesting in West Bengal have given an ultimatum to the state government: Unless it fulfils their demands by Monday or Tuesday, both senior and junior doctors of private and government hospitals will go on cease-work.

Small biz at higher risk of climate change: Study

A new study of the World Bank has revealed that India's smaller business firms and poor households experience higher levels of climate change-induced extreme heat and flood than better-off ones.

"'Ottawa should have given Nijjar security'

AMID a high-voltage diplomatic row between India and Canada, officials in Intelligence agencies and security establishments here have raised a question mark on the authorities of the North American country for not providing adequate security to Khalistani separatist Hardeep Nijjar, who had several rounds of meetings with Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) before he was killed.

Parliamentary oversight of intel agencies an idea whose time has come: MP

AFTER a former RAW official was charged in the US over the plot to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Congress leader and former Union minister Manish Tewari said that India would not have been in the embarrassing position if Intelligence agencies were brought under Parliamentary oversight.

No stay on trial against Ram Rahim in sacrilege case

THE Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for trial of the 2015 sacrilege cases involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

India's pleas for Nijjar death cert overlooked

OTTAWA has been putting pressure on New Delhi on the killing of former chief of banned terror outfit Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but it has refused to share his death certificate with Indian agencies probing his alleged role in criminal cases against him in India.

MHA asks states to implement bail provisions for undertrial prisoners

IN a move to reduce overcrowding in jails and give relief to undertrial prisoners, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states and Union Territories to implement Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which allows bail to inmates who have served considerable periods of detention, officials said on Friday.

PM's 2nd visit to Russia this yr, to attend BRICS Summit

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia from October 22-23 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

COMPANIES BANK ON FED RATE CUT, FESTIVE Q3 SPEND

THE Q2 earnings season has just begun, but analysts expect a rather muted quarter as key sectors like banking, IT and FMCG may turn in moderate revenue growth.

REMEMBERING ONE OF INDIA'S GREATEST CORPORATE LEADERS

Humility, simplicity, responsibility to the nation and to the less fortunate, and capacity to listen and act are the lessons that Ratan Tata left behind for generations to follow

IT'S RAINING DIVINE SIGNALS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

UST how much bizarre climate change news can one handle in a week? This has been a strange week on that count. As this was being written, Bengaluru, Chennai, and huge parts of Tamil Nadu were reeling under record-breaking rains, making some apartment folk park their cars on flyovers and ride boats, Venice-like.

Don't play vindictive politics: Naidu

Chief Ministers urges party MLAs not to repeat 'mistakes' committed by Opposition

Hindi-speaking psychiatrist wanted to examine Kerala train arson case accused

THE prison department is in desperate search of a Hindi-speaking psychiatrist/ psychologist to examine the mental status of New Delhi resident Shahrukh Saifi, who torched a coach of Alappuzha-Kannur Express at Elathur, claiming three lives in April last year.

Guv terms ADM's death as 'tragic', to seek report from state govt if needed

AFTER the removal of P P Divya from the post of the president of the Kannur district panchayat the focus is now on the alleged 'conspiracy' behind the whole episode that led to the death of the Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu. Demands have been raised from different corners to probe the role of District Collector Arun K Vijayan, who was present at the farewell meeting where Divya reprimanded the ADM.

Campaign launched to make contraceptives accessible as OTC drugs

THE Contraception Action Network in collaboration with Jhatkaa.org has launched an online campaign demanding the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) make clear regulations on emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) and ensure their continued over-the-counter (OTC) access.

2% tax on e-delivery of goods to help gig workers

LABOUR Minister Santosh Lad said on Friday that the state government proposes to impose a cess on every transaction of aggregator platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo and Ola, and a welfare fund will be created for gig workers.

ED raids MUDA office over site allotment scam in Mysuru

IN a significant development, sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the MUDA office and its Mysuru taluk office here on Friday morning.

Vegetable prices skyrocket as Kartik month begins, people blame it on polls

AS the holy month of Kartik - when most households in Odisha shun non-vegetarian food - sets in, the sky-high prices of vegetables are bringing unbearable pain to the people.

After Shivaji, JNU plans to open centres on Cholas, Borphukan

JAWAHARLAL Nehru University is willing to set up centres dedicated to Assamese warrior Lachit Borphukan and the Chola dynasty if the money comes its way, having already set up a Centre of Excellence in the name of Maratha leader Shivaji Maharaj, varsity Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit said on Friday.

PFI used funds in 2020 Delhi riots, alleges ED

THE Enforcement Directorate on Friday said the proscribed outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) was using funds for their continuous unlawful activities, which included inciting violence and fomenting trouble that led to the Delhi riots.

Woman, son die in Shahdara house fire, rescue 'delayed'

TWO members of a family—a 42-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son—were killed while four others sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a residential building in the Farsh Bazar area of Delhi's Shahdara on Friday.

Guard accuses AIIMS security officer of sexual harassment, caste slur

A woman guard at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here has accused the hospital's top security personnel of sexual harassment and hurling casteist slurs.