CATEGORIES

$5 bn scam probe against Hasina over N-plant project

BANGLADESH launched a probe into the alleged $5 billion embezzlement connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant by ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, the anti-corruption commission said on Monday.

Almost all on US death row get life

PRESIDENT Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

College students locked up inside hostel for hours

AS many as 90 students of Government Polytechnic College in Saraikela were allegedly locked inside the hostel for at least two hours on the behest of the principal for failing to pay the contribution money for the fresher's party being charged forcefully by them.

Protests erupt after idol of Ambedkar vandalised

A statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was vandalized in Ahmedabad's Khokhra area on Monday morning, sparking outrage amid the ongoing controversy over a contentious statement by Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament about the Dalit icon.

Parbhani youth killed for being Dalit: Rahul

CONGRESS MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday met the family members of Somnath Suryawanshi, who allegedly died in police custody in Parbhani and alleged he was killed because he was a Dalit.

Snowfall in Himachal, severe cold alert issued

HIMACHAL Pradesh experienced its second light snowfall of the season on Monday, bringing joy to both locals and tourists.

UP plans crash course on RTI Act at Sangam during Mahakumbh 2025

INTRODUCING new features to the Mahakumbh, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to sensitise the visitors about the Right to Information on the sands of Sangam.

Three Khalistani terrorists killed in Pilibhit encounter

Three suspected Khalistani terrorists allegedly involved in the grenade attack in Gurdaspur were killed in an encounter with police in Pilibhit early on Monday.

SHOULD EVALUATE ONOE IN NATIONAL INTEREST

D P Chaudhary, former Union Minister of State for Law and now Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the Constitution (One hundred and twenty-ninth (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is hopeful that the JPC, with its erudite and experienced members, will come out with the report in the national interest, he said in a conversation with Rajesh Kumar Thakur. Excerpts:

Manipur govt announces to make 1,946 new police recruits peace messengers

THE Manipur govt will make an endeavour towards restoring peace in the ethnic violence-hit state by not disintegrating a team of 1,946 newly-inducted India Reserve Battalion personnel from Meitei, Kuki, Naga and other communities who were trained together in Assam.

200 Vande Bharat sleeper trains in line

THE Indian Railways is preparing to launch 200 Vande Bharat sleeper trains following the success of its chair car trains, which have reportedly received positive feedbacks in the regions they are running through.

Building young talent key for New India: Modi

Distributes over 71K appointment letters to new recruits in govt depts under Rozgar Mela

E-forensics platform to connect 117 labs: MHA

KEEPING in view the special importance given to forensic evidence after implementation of revamped criminal laws---Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bhartiya Sakshya Sanhita (BSS), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has developed and operationalised an e-Forensics IT platform, which is connected with 117 forensic science laboratories across the country, officials said on Monday.

PMO steps in, asks health ministry to act against misleading adverts

THE Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has directed the Health Ministry to take \"appropriate action\" to amend the draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954, which aimed to take stringent action against misleading advertisements, including Ayush medicines.

Army's equine, canine unit falls short on training, animal transport use: CAG

THE Indian Army's Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) fell short of achieving half of its training objectives and failed to fully utilise its Animal Transport (AT) Units, revealed a recent audit conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on the defence services.

RELIGION IN THE TIME OF UNCERTAINTIES

A few months ago, Elon Musk said 'woke' was a virus and he would not rest till he destroyed it. Apart from other motivations, he said he 'lost' his young son to the left as the progressive establishment wholeheartedly assisted the boy's irrevocable transition to become a girl.

INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR: ALGORITHM

Algorithms affect most parts of our lives today. With quantum computing set to be unleashed, the future looks loaded in favour of the abilities of instructions coded in machines

17 women achievers felicitated with Devi Awards

IT was an all-women show without any pink bows. The 30th edition of the Devi Awards instituted by The New Indian Express group, and the sixth in Delhi on December 23, was marked by nothing girly, no tears, no speeches, but the showcasing of solid and sustained body of work by women in the arts, economics, public service, and governance.

Kerala HC flays govt for dumping waste in TN

Secretary of the local self govt department directed to furnish report on agencies involved in collecting, disposing waste

Christmas crib vandalised at govt school in Kerala

A Christmas crib set up at Government Boys UP School at Thathamangalam in Palakkad was found vandalised by unidentified persons on Monday.

Kumki dung to keep wild jumbos at bay

AFTER trying out several methods, officials of the Gudalur forest division have started using the dung of kumkis, especially of animals that are in musth, to keep wild elephants from entering human habitations and farm lands in Cherampadi and Pandalur.

Sewage discharge from Malvai village polluting Sathurbagam

RESIDENTS of Sathurbagam village, near Lalgudi, complained that sewage from a neighbouring village is being discharged through their settlement, causing health issues.

Narthamalai, Kunrandarkovil tourism development in limbo

NARTHAMALAI and Kunrandarkovil, two historically significant sites under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), have been awaiting tourism development for nearly three years despite their immense archaeological and cultural value.

Potential of GI-tagged banana varieties untapped

THE National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Tiruchy hosted a banana festival and Kisan Divas on Monday to commemorate the birth anniversary of former prime minister Choudhary Charan Singh and honour farmers' contributions.

NHRC takes up electrocution of EB workers case suo motu

THE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the electrocution of two Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) workers while repairing power lines on Olaiyur Ring Road in KK Nagar, Tiruchy, on December 18.

One lorry carrying human excreta, 4 with food waste detained in Kumari

Police seized four vehicles loaded with food and fish wastes and a lorry loaded with human excreta from Kerala across Kanniyakumari on Monday.

Kerala finishes removal of waste dumped in Nellai border villages

A total of 30 truck-load of waste were taken back; TN local body officials disinfect the land

Kerala finishes removal of waste dumped in Nellai border villages

A total of 30 truck-load of waste were taken back; TN local body officials disinfect the land

3 students feared drowned in Cauvery

THREE school students were washed away in the Cauvery river at Ayyalamman Padithurai at Kudamurutti in Tiruchy on Monday.

Asset details of govt staff can not be shielded from public: HC

SETTING aside an order of the State Information Commission denying information on the assets and liabilities of a government officer, the Madras High Court has held that such details cannot be shielded from public scrutiny.