• Friday, March 29, 2024

Results for "Uttar Pradesh"

Police step in as Indian brothers transform car into ‘helicopter’

INDIAN police seized a DIY car project from two enterprising brothers who had modified their small Suzuki hatchback to resemble a helicopter, an effort to make money by renting it out to wedding parties. Ishwardin and Parmeshwardin Prajapati spent nearly $3,000 (£2,380) to attach small rotor blades to the roof…

India’s water crisis worsens as reservoir levels slide

India's main reservoirs have hit their lowest March levels in five years, government data showed, indicating a possible squeeze on drinking water and power availability this summer in most parts of the country. In major centres such as India's 'Silicon Valley' Bengaluru, home to IT majors like Google, Infosys, and…

‘It was like a fairytale in real life,’ says Indian…

In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire was not the only film that made all Indians proud by winning eight trophies at the 81st Academy Awards ceremony, the winner in the documentary (short) category Smile Pinki, which depicted the story of a five-year-old Indian schoolgirl Pinki Sonkar who received corrective surgery for cleft…

Three Indians among winners of Diana Award

A New Delhi-based innovator whose low-cost electric invention helps overcome power cuts, a mental health campaigner from Haryana and a student from Dubai who helps to empower girls across the developing world are the Indian winners of the Diana Legacy Awards this year. Uday Bhatia, founder of Uday Electric, Manasi…

Several Indian helpers in Russian army discharged: India

Several Indians who worked as support staff to the Russian army were discharged following India's demand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday. It said India remains committed, as a matter of "top priority", to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals…

Buddha’s relics flown to Thailand from India for Makha Bucha…

A 26-day exhibition has been held in Thailand's Bangkok where a display of sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples which are transported from India on the occasion of Makha Bucha day. Thousands of worshippers are paying a visit to this sacred relic housed at the Pagoda within the…

Sonia Gandhi steps down from frontline politics

SONIA GANDHI, one of the most prominent leaders of India’s main opposition Congress party, will not contest the upcoming elections, citing her increasing age and depleting health, according to a letter she has written to her constituency. She will continue to have a significant role in Indian politics though, as…

Delhi tense as farmers threaten to march again

Two key border points between Delhi and Haryana state remain closed for traffic as farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation entered the third day on Thursday. Multiple layers of concrete blocks and metal spikes have been put in place at Delhi’s Singhu and Tikri borders with Haryana as well as at the…

Indian state’s ban on polygamy evokes mixed reactions

SHAYARA BANO heaved a sigh of relief last Wednesday (7) at the enactment of a law banning polygamy in her Indian state, the culmination of a years-long effort, including her own case before the nation’s Supreme Court. “I can now say that my battle against age-old Islamic rules on marriage…

Indian police use tear gas against protesting farmers near New…

Indian security forces deployed tear gas on Tuesday (13) to halt the advance of thousands of farmers who, after unsuccessful negotiations with the government were marching towards New Delhi to demand minimum prices for their crops. Local broadcasters showed thick clouds of tear gas fired to disperse protesters near Ambala,…

India’s voter count reaches nearly 970 million

India’s Election Commission announced on Friday (9) that nearly 970 million Indians are eligible to vote in this year's Lok Sabha elections. It also said over 20 million young electors in the age group of 18 to 29 years have been added to the voters' list. There has been a…

India awards top honour to former prime ministers, green revolution…

THE decision to award India's Bharat Ratna to former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Charan Singh and green revolution pioneer M S Swaminathan has taken the number of recipients of the country’s highest civilian award to 53, five of them within 2024, maximum in a year so far.…

India takes the divine path to boost tourism

INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi last month inaugurated one of the holiest Hindu temples and his government has been spending millions of dollars to develop many others, boosting tourism and his appeal among the majority community ahead of elections. Apart from a $6 billion (£4.7bn) makeover of the northern city…

Indian state to enact divisive uniform personal laws

AN INDIAN state where prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power is set to introduce contentious common personal laws that will apply across religions this month, a template other state officials said they will look to follow. Currently, India’s Hindus, Muslims, Christians and large tribal populations…

Indian embassy staffer in Moscow arrested for spying for Pakistan

A Lucknow court on Monday (5) sent an Indian embassy staffer arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI to judicial custody till February 7. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday (4) said it arrested Satendra Siwal, a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in the…

Boney Kapoor-backed firm wins bid to develop Film City near…

Bayview Projects, backed by filmmaker Boney Kapoor and real estate developer Bhutani Group, on Tuesday bagged a contract to develop the International Film City near the upcoming Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, according to officials. The financial bid for the greenfield project was opened on Tuesday afternoon by the…

UK and India pledge ‘futuristic relationship’ on Republic Day

THE UK and Indian governments are striving to establish a modern relationship, Alex Chalk, the lord chancellor and justice secretary, said last Friday (26). He was speaking at the Guildhall in the City of London where the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, hosted a reception to mark the 75th anniversary…

Survey reveals Gyanvapi mosque built over Hindu temple, claim petitioners

THE Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found that a 17th century mosque in one of Hinduism's holiest cities was built after destroying a Hindu temple that existed there, a lawyer for Hindu petitioners said, a possible new flashpoint in a decades-long dispute. Muslim lawyers in the legal case being…

Lakshmi Persaud leaves behind shining legacy

PSYCHIATRISTS have developed a reputation for seeking to blame patients’ mums for psychological problems during therapy. So, what then of the psychiatrist’s own mother? In fact, it was she who encouraged me to consider psychiatry, then a deeply unpopular speciality, while I was at medical school. Our beloved mum, Dr…

Big B to Sachin Tendulkar, celebrities join Pran Pratistha ceremony…

Film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Kangana Ranaut, Tiger Shroff and Asha Bhosale among others are at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Complex in Ayodhya for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. Cricket legends Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, and Venkatesh Prasad are…

What are the contentious events behind India’s Ayodhya temple?

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi led a ceremony on Monday (22) to consecrate a grand new temple to the Hindu god-king Ram, delivering on a campaign promise his political party made more than three decades ago. The construction, begun in 2020, had been a contentious issue as the temple stands…

Modi leads consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple Monday (22) that embodies the triumph of his muscular Hindu nationalist politics, galvanising loyalists in an unofficial start to his re-election campaign this year. Modi, in flowing golden-coloured traditional dress, unveiled the black stone idol to the deity Ram in the heart…

Nearly 25 per cent teenagers from rural India cannot read…

According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released on Wednesday (17) over 86.8 per cent of adolescents aged 14-18 in rural India are enrolled in educational institutions, but a quarter of them struggle to read fluently at a Class-2 level in their regional languages. The report also said…

42 per cent teenagers in rural India struggle with basic…

As many as forty-two per cent of children in the age group of 14 to 18 years in rural India struggle with reading easy sentences in English, while more than half of them face challenges with simple division problems, said the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 which was…

Big B buys plot in Ayodhya ahead of Ram Mandir…

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has purchased a plot in a 7-star enclave in Ayodhya, ahead of the opening ceremony of the much-anticipated Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh. The 81-year-old has bought the property in The Sarayu, a 7-star mixed-use enclave by Mumbai-based developer The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), a leading…

Over 150 armed CISF commandos to secure Ayodhya airport

Official sources have confirmed that the centre has approved a security deployment exceeding 150 CISF personnel for the Ayodhya airport, in anticipation of the upcoming consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22. The "Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham" is the country's 68th civil airport terminal to come under…

Saree with images of Lord Ram to be sent to…

A specially crafted saree from Surat, a renowned textile centre in Gujarat, is set to be dispatched for the upcoming Ram temple idol consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. The saree, with pictures of Lord Ram and the Ayodhya temple printed on it, is meant for Lord Ram's wife…

Ajay Devgn returns to headline ‘Raid 2’

Well-known Hindi film actor Ajay Devgn is officially returning to headline the sequel to his 2018 hit Raid, the makers announced on Saturday. Titled Raid 2, the movie is being directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, who also helmed the first part that saw Devgn playing the role of IRS officer…

Subhash Ghai to attend Ram Temple inauguration

Director Subash Ghai who has been invited to the grand opening ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya said his heart is filled with immense happiness. He expressed his happiness and gratitude, stating, “Being part of this historic inauguration fills my heart with immense happiness. The construction of the Shri…

US-based Indian activist applauds initiative allowing diaspora contributions to Ram…

As preparations unfold for the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a notable Indian community activist in New York has expressed appreciation for measures that enable diaspora members to contribute to the temple's development. Social activist Prem Bhandari had earlier appealed to prime minister Narendra Modi to allow members…

Assam bus-truck collision kills 12 as dense fog grips India

A head-on collision between a truck and a bus claimed the lives of at least 12 people, leaving 38 others injured in Assam's Golaghat district on Wednesday (3). The collision occurred amidst dense fog that blanketed sections of eastern, northern, and central India, severely limiting visibility. Delhi experienced a bone-chilling…

Rajinikanth invited to attend Ram Temple consecration ceremony

BJP leader Arjunamurthy on behalf of the Ayodhya, Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra invited megastar Rajinikanth for the ‘Ayodhya Kumbabhishek’ event on January 22. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Arjunamurthy shared a couple of pictures which he captioned in Tamil. He wrote, “Today's event was the best experience of my life!…

National strike in India averted with government pledge

A strike across India involving bus, truck and tanker drivers was called off after two days following assurance from the government that new laws for hit-and-run accidents will not be implemented until further talks with union representatives. Petrol and diesel supplies were hit across parts of the country after the…

Final preparations in full swing for Ayodhya temple opening

LESS THAN a month before a grand Hindu temple opens, India's northern town of Ayodhya is buzzing with activity as finishing touches are put on a project seen as the centrepiece of prime minister Narendra Modi's re-election campaign. Once a sleepy temple town in the most populous state of Uttar…

Ranbir, Alia, Prabhas, Yash invited for Ram temple consecration ceremony

Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol, Prabhas, and Yash are among several film personalities who have been invited to the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on January 22. According to producer Mahaveer Jain's sources, Tiger Shroff and Ayushmann Khurrana are also expected…

Ayodhya sees tourism boom ahead of temple opening

WORKERS in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya are finalizing a $6 billion (£4.7bn) infrastructure facelift ahead of the opening of a grand Hindu temple that is igniting an economic boom - which some of city’s poor and its Muslim community say is passing them by. City officials expect about…

Muslims fearful as Ayodhya temple opening approaches

LIKE many other Muslims, Indian tailor Safi Mohammad plans to send his wife and two sons away before thousands of pilgrims arrive at his hometown of Ayodhya next month for the inauguration of one of Hinduism's most sacred temples. The temple, built on a site Hindus believe to be the…

Study shows stagnation in ending child marriage in India: 1…

In India, one in five girls and approximately one in six boys are married, as per a study published in 'The Lancet Global Health' journal. The research highlights stagnation in the progress aimed at completely eradicating the practice of child marriage in recent years. Between 2016 and 2021, the practice…

Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan among 7,000 invited for…

The Ram Temple Trust has extended invitations to 7,000 individuals, among them cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Hindi movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and prominent industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, sources…

6th International Short Film Festival on Cultural Tourism begins

The sixth edition of the International Short Film Festival on Cultural Tourism kickstarted in Varanasi on Friday. The festival is being organised with the tourism department of the Uttar Pradesh Government as its partner. Over 94 films from 44 countries will be screened at the festival. The films will aim…

Indian students rush to secure UK visas before dependents ban

THERE is a surge in Indian students accelerating visa applications to bring their dependents to the UK ahead of the government-imposed ban in January, The Telegraph reported. Education agents are capitalising on this trend, charging inflated prices to secure spots at UK universities before the impending Home Office deadline, which…

Indian state bans Halal-certified products

AUTHORITIES in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh have banned the distribution and sale of Halal-certified products, including dairy, garments and medicines saying it was illegal. Bakery products, sugar, edible oil and other products which were labelled as 'Halal-certified' by the companies manufacturing them would be banned from distribution…

Sunak, Jaishankar celebrate Diwali at Downing Street

PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty on Sunday (12) hosted Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his wife Kyoko Jaishankar for Diwali tea at Downing Street. “Delighted to call on prime minister @RishiSunak on #Diwali Day. Conveyed the best wishes of PM @narendramodi. India and UK…

Kangana Ranaut visits Somnath, Dwarkadhish temples

Actress Kangana Ranaut offered prayers at Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga and Dwarkadhish temple in Gujarat. She took to Instagram to share glimpses of her visit on Friday. She captioned the post in Hindi, "Today had darshan of Baba Somnath ji, and also went to Ram temple of Somnath with the help…

Globally SDGs way off-track, India’s progress holds significant impact on…

UNICEF chief Catherine M. Russell has emphasised that globally, two-thirds of child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are off-track, and India's progress is crucial in achieving these goals. In an interview with PTI, Russell highlighted that India's large population and scale make its potential for progress particularly significant on the global…

The Train Katha

I feel I’ve just been in an Indiana Jones’s movie and the swashbuckling leader was Pujya Morari Bapu (Bapu), donning his black shawl and with the Ramayan in hand. For three weeks of my life, I wasn’t fully aware of what was about to come – travelling through the depths…

WHO calls for national hypertension programmes to control BP in…

A recent report by WHO reveals that approximately 4 out of every 5 individuals with hypertension receive inadequate treatment. The report on the dire consequences of hypertension suggests that if countries scaled up treatment coverage, approximately 76 million hypertension-related deaths could be prevented between now and 2050. The improved coverage…

Bopanna secures victory in farewell match as India advances to…

Rohan Bopanna concluded his Davis Cup career with a comfortable straight-sets victory alongside Yuki Bhambri. Sumit Nagal too secured a win in the reverse singles match as India progressed to the World Group I playoffs with a 4-1 victory against Morocco in, Lucknow, the capital city of India’s Uttar Pradesh…

Kashmiri saffron, Banarasi silk stole among curated gifts for G20…

Leaders from various countries, including heads of state, who participated in the G20 Summit held in Delhi, were presented with a carefully curated assortment of handcrafted artifacts and products that reflect India's vibrant cultural heritage, officials announced on Tuesday (12). They said a number of these gifts were painstakingly created…

Indian school shut after row over teacher’s instruction to slap…

Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have taken the step of closing a private school following an incident where a teacher instructed her students to slap a Muslim classmate. Neha Public School in Khubbapur village was subjected to closure by officials who cited its failure to meet the…

Javed Akhtar, Prakash Raj condemn Muzaffarnagar slap incident

Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, and actors Renuka Shahane and Prakash Raj have called for strict action against a teacher in Uttar Pradesh who allegedly asked her students to slap a boy from a minority community. A video showing the school teacher in Muzaffarnagar asking her students to slap the Muslim…

69th National Film Awards to be announced in Delhi today

The 69th National Film Awards will be announced on Thursday during a press conference by the Jury at the National Media Center, New Delhi. Many names are going around and the official announcement is awaited. This year Alia Bhatt and Kangana Ranaut’s names are doing the rounds on social media…

Special screenings at Indian schools to watch moon landing

EXCITEMENT rose in India on Tuesday (22) on the eve of a much-anticipated moon landing, with prayers held for its success, schools marshalling students to watch a live telecast of the event and space enthusiasts organising parties to celebrate. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was scheduled to…

India’s anticipation grows as moon landing nears

Excitement rose in India on Tuesday (22) on the eve of a much-anticipated moon landing, with prayers held for its success, schools marshalling students to watch a live telecast of the event and space enthusiasts organising parties to celebrate. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to…

Rajinikanth reacts to backlash for touching Adityanath’s feet

Superstar Rajinikanth recently faced backlash for touching Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi's feet during his visit to the BJP leader’s residence in Lucknow. On Monday night, the Jailer star arrived back in Chennai and briefly interacted with media persons who were stationed outside the airport. On being asked about…

Rajinikanth offers prayers at Hanuman Garhi Temple in Ayodhya

Legendary actor Rajinikanth, who arrived in Ayodhya, offered prayers to Lord Hanuman yesterday. He wore a white kurta for his visit. The actor's sacred visit comes at a time when his film Jailer is performing well at the box office. Earlier, Rajinikanth met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at…

MY TOP 10 Hip Hop Moments by Panther

INDIA being a hotbed for hip hop talent in recent years has been demonstrated by huge talents like Panther. The rapper from Uttar Pradesh has caught the attention of music fans with popular songs like Dard-E-Dil, explosive live performances and cool collaborations. Eastern Eye found out more about the rising…

Manoj Bajpayee to star in and produce ‘Bhaiyaaji’

Actor Manoj Bajpayee is set to headline the action-drama feature Bhaiyaaji and will also serve as a producer on the project. The upcoming film marks the second collaboration between the actor, director Apoorv Singh Karki, and producer Vinod Bhanushali after their critically-acclaimed film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, which had…

Court allows survey of disputed mosque in India’s Varanasi

AN Indian court has allowed a “detailed scientific survey” to determine if a 17th-century mosque was built upon a temple in Varanasi.The Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition challenging a lower court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the Gyanvapi mosque.Many Hindus believe the mosque, located…

Stories of forgotten Indian labourers will be told again

CAMBRIDGE University has set up the first ever fellowship to conduct research on indentured Indians, who were shipped out to the Caribbean, Fiji, South Africa and many other places to work on plantations in harsh conditions. But the tale of forgotten indentured Indians, a third of whom were lone women,…

Women will bear the brunt of extreme heat: Research

WOMEN will bear the brunt of extreme heat as more frequent heatwaves on a warming planet pose a growing threat to their work, earnings and lives, researchers have warned. The impacts of rising heat are disproportionately dangerous and costly to women - be it at home or on the job…

Anurag Thakur to inaugurate 11th Jagran Film Festival

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will inaugurate the 11th edition of Jagran Film Festival in Delhi, the organisers announced Friday. The four-day film gala will be held in the national capital from August 3 to August 6 at Siri Fort Auditorium. It will screen over 55 films…

India’s rice export ban: Why it matters to global trade

INDIA has prohibited the export of non-basmati white rice with immediate effect, according to a government notice on July 20, after a late start to seasonal monsoon rains hurt the crop and raised fears of a production shortfall. Here are some facts explaining why India is crucial to the global…

British zoos lead efforts to save Asian wildlife

A GROWING number of endangered animals from India – including elephants, lions and tigers – are being saved by zoos in Britain. London Zoo now houses dozens of species from south Asia, such as the gaur, blackbuck, red panda, greater flamingo, greater one-horned rhino and Kerala frog. The site in…

Father of Indian woman who travelled to Pakistan says she…

The father of a married Indian woman, Anju (34), who travelled to a remote village in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to meet her Facebook friend, Nasrulla (29), has said that she is "mentally disturbed and eccentric." However, he firmly denied any involvement in an affair. He expressed concern that it…

Love knows no boundaries: Indian woman travels to Pakistan to…

A 34-year-old married Indian woman named Anju travelled to Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to meet her 29-year-old Facebook friend, Nasrulla, whom she had befriended and for whom she developed romantic feelings, police said on Sunday (23). Anju, who hails from Kailor village in Uttar Pradesh and resides in Alwar…

India’s anti-terrorist squad quizzes Pakistani citizen Seema, Indian partner for…

Seema Haider, a Pakistani citizen who had entered India illegally in May and has been residing with her partner in the country, was apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday (18). The agency conducted a second day of questioning, lasting for over nine hours. Accompanying her…

Pakistan woman, Indian lover she crossed border to meet go…

The cross-border love story between Seema Haider and Sachin Meena, aided by the PUBG mobile game, has taken a new twist as the couple has been reported as 'missing' for the past 24 hours, with no communication to their families. The Indian media extensively covered their unusual love story, which…

Indian man hires bouncers to stop people haggling over high…

A vegetable vendor in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi was taken into custody after a man deployed two bouncers on Sunday (09) at his shop, to prevent buyers from getting aggressive over high tomato prices. The shopkeeper, Raj Narayan, has been arrested and Ajay Fauji, a Samajwadi Party (SP) worker who organised…

At least 29 killed in monsoon floods in India

Days of intense monsoon rains across northern India have left at least 29 people dead, rendering many areas inaccessible with bridges smashed and roads blocked, officials said Monday. Television footage showed flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain, washing away vehicles, demolishing buildings and ripping down bridges in the…

Pakistani woman falls for Indian man over PUBG, crosses border…

A Pakistani woman named Seema illegally entered India after developing a relationship with a man named Sachin through the gaming app PUBG. Seema, in her late 20s, crossed the border with her four children through Nepal and entered Uttar Pradesh before reaching Greater Noida. She and Sachin started living together…

Indian firm allegedly used toxic industrial-grade ingredient in cough syrup

The Indian manufacturer of cough syrups, which Uzbekistan accused of poisoning 19 children last year, allegedly utilised a toxic industrial-grade ingredient instead of the authorised pharmaceutical variant, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The sources disclosed that Marion Biotech, the company in question, procured the ingredient, propylene glycol…

Makers of ‘The Kerala Story’ announce next film ‘Bastar’

Director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Shah, the duo behind The Kerala Story, on Monday announced their next project Bastar. According to the makers, Bastar, based on a "true incident", will hit the screens on April 5, 2024. Shah's Sunshine Pictures, the banner behind the upcoming movie, shared the announcement…

Son constructs £500,000 Taj Mahal replica as tribute to his…

An Indian rice merchant, Amrudeen Sheikh Dawood, has constructed a magnificent replica of the Taj Mahal as a tribute to his late mother. Dawood, aged 49, spent over £500,000 on the two-year project to honour the memory of his mother, Jailani Biwi at Ammaiyappa, who raised him and his brother…

India wrestlers’ protest: Minor victim’s family ‘living in intense fear’

OLYMPIC medallist Sakshi Malik last Saturday (18) said the wrestler, a minor who had accused outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual harassment had changed her statement because “her family was threatened”. Delhi police charged the country’s wrestling federation…

Strange weather patterns to hit India’s mango supply

UNUSUAL weather patterns, including unexpected rainfall, strong winds, hailstorms, and a mild May, have resulted in a bleak outlook for India's mango production, reported The Times. The absence of typical scorching heat in northern India during May has led to approximately 40 per cent of this year's crop being harmed,…

Lessons from train disasters in India

There are no words adequate to reflect the horror of last week’s train disaster in India, in which nearly 300 people were killed and 1,200 injured. The crash in Odisha involving the Bengaluru- Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar- Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred around 7pm…

Prabhas prays at Tirumala temple ahead of ‘Adipurush’ event

Indian superstar Prabhas, who is gearing up for his upcoming mythological drama Adipurush, paid a special visit to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams on Tuesday along with the team to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara ahead of the event in Tirupati. Pictures from his visit went viral on social media. In…

India’s deadliest rail accidents

AT LEAST 250 people were killed and 900 injured when two passenger trains collided in Odisha on Friday (2). It is one of India's worst rail accidents in years. Here are details of some of the deadliest rail accidents in India in recent decades: June 1981: At least 800 people…

Sara Ali Khan responds to being trolled for temple visit

Bollywood star Sara Ali Khan, who faced trolling by a section on social media for her visit to Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, has said her "belief" is her "personal matter" and she will continue to visit shrines of all faiths without worrying about what others say. Sara, the daughter of actors…

India asks protesting wrestlers to wait for police probe outcome

India’s sports minister has urged wrestling champions who have staged protests accusing their federation chief of sexual harassment to await the outcome of investigations into the allegations before deciding their next course of action. Minister Anurag Thakur said the national capital's police is investigating the case, following directions from the…

Cops always make for great cinematic characters: Randeep Hooda

In his latest outing Inspector Avinash, Randeep Hooda once again plays a police officer and the actor says people in uniform always make for "great cinematic characters". Based on the life of Uttar Pradesh cop Avinash Mishra, the crime thriller series revolves around the titular character who is on a…

The Indian Kurta: An Epitome of Versatility and Tradition for…

The adaptability of traditional clothing is demonstrated by the Indian kurta, a garment with origins in the long and interesting history of the Indian subcontinent.  In addition to securing its position in Indian closets, its beautiful simplicity and broad appeal have made it a global fashion hit. With its ability…

UK chef Jake Dryan’s Instagram series explores India’s regional cuisines

Indian flavours have gained immense popularity, to the extent that foreign food bloggers now share these enticing tastes on Instagram. Among them, a British food blogger has taken it upon himself to explore the diverse regional cuisines of India. Going by the name @plantfuture on Instagram, Jake Dryan has devoted…

The Kerala Story inches closer to £10 million mark in…

The controversial Indian film The Kerala Story (2023) has taken the domestic box office by storm by pocketing a whopping £8 million within a week of its theatrical release. The film is likely to enter the much coveted £10 million club by Saturday. Starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani,…

Yogi Adityanath meets makers of The Kerala Story

Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday met the team of the recently released film The Kerala Story in Lucknow. He greeted actor Adah Sharma, director Sudipto Sen, and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah. During the meeting, the team discussed the film with CM Yogi…

Trailer for Prabhas and Kriti Sanon’s Adipurush out

The trailer of Adipurush released on Tuesday afternoon. Actor Prabhas treated fans to the trailer of the upcoming mythological pan-India film and shared the poster of his look as Lord Rama. He captioned the post, "Hari Anant, Hari Katha Ananta. Jai Shri Ram. #AdipurushTrailer out now! #Adipurush in cinemas worldwide…

People calling for ban on The Kerala Story as wrong…

Those who want to ban The Kerala Story are as "wrong" as those who didn't want Aamir Khan-starrer Laal Singh Chaddha to be released, said veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Monday amid the row around the Sudipto Sen-directorial that hit the screens last week. Her comments come a day after…

Punjab police arrest Amritpal accomplice Joga Singh

A key aide of radical preacher Amritpal Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police for allegedly providing shelter and other assistance to the absconding Khalistan sympathizer in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit. According to Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav, Joga Singh, a resident of Ludhiana and the in-charge…

Atiq Ahmed, brother shot dead live on TV while in…

A former lawmaker in India's parliament, convicted of kidnapping, was shot dead along with his brother while police were escorting them for a medical check-up in a slaying caught on live television on Saturday (15). The dramatic footage of the men being killed was shared across broadcast channels and social…

Adipurush director Om Raut meets Yogi Adityanath

Filmmaker Om Raut, who is gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated film Adipurush, recently met Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. Taking to Instagram, Raut dropped a picture from his meeting with Yogi Adityanath. In the image, he is seen presenting the CM with a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji…

India likely to get ‘below normal’ monsoon rains this year:…

India is likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 with an increasing likelihood of El-Nino, which typically brings dry weather to Asia, private weather forecasting agency Skymet said on Monday (10). "Likelihood of El Nino is increasing and its probability to become a dominant category during the monsoon…

Makers of Adipurush unveil new poster of Devdatta Nage as…

On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, the makers of Adipurush shared a new poster from the film. The poster features actor Devdatta Nage as Lord Hanuman. In the image, we can see Devdatta sitting in a meditative pose. In the backdrop, we glimpse the film's lead actor Prabhas, who plays…

Rahul Gandhi’s conviction: India’s opposition shows signs of unity against…

India's fragmented opposition is setting aside differences to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time in years, potentially posing a significant threat to his dominance in the 2024 national elections - if they can maintain their unity. In response to Rahul Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties have come…

Vaani Kapoor to make digital debut with YRF Entertainment’s Mandala…

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui actor Vaani Kapoor is foraying into the digital space with YRF Entertainment's new series Mandala Murders, the makers announced on Thursday. Billed as a gritty crime thriller, the show is directed by Gopi Puthran of Mardaani 2 fame. Mandala Murders also features Vaibhav Raj Gupta, known for…

Indian pharma company’s licence cancelled over Uzbek kids’ death

India has cancelled the manufacturing licence of Noida-based pharmaceutical firm Marion Biotech, according to officials. Marion Biotech's cough syrup Dok-1 was linked with the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan. The incident which occurred last December prompted India’s federal and Uttar Pradesh state drug authorities to launch a probe into…

Trump fails to disclose gifts worth $47k from Indian leaders

According to a report by a partisan Democratic Congressional committee, Donald Trump did not disclose foreign leaders' gifts worth $250,000 to the First Family, including $47,000 worth of gifts from Indian leaders such as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, then-President of India Ram Nath Kovind, and Uttar Pradesh chief minister…

Oxford debate: Varun Gandhi declines invitation to criticise Modi

Indian MP Varun Gandhi, a member of prime minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has reportedly turned down an invitation by the Oxford Union to speak at a debate on “whether India is on the right path” under Modi. Varun is the grandson of the late former Indian…

Hilsa fish absent for almost 50 years may make comeback…

Due to the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal, Hilsa fish virtually disappeared from the dining tables of Prayagraj and other Uttar Pradesh cities. But now, there is a possibility that fish connoisseurs could enjoy fresh Hilsa once again. About 30,000 rare Hilsa fish, collected from the lower portion of the…

Dhannipur mosque construction receives final approval from Ayodhya Development Authority

The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) on Friday (04) granted the final approval for the construction of Dhannipur mosque in compliance with the Supreme Court's verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case. The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated five acres of land for the construction of a mosque, hospital, research institute,…

World Bank signs $1 billion loan to bolster India’s health…

The Government of India and the World Bank signed an agreement today (05) to provide complementary loans worth $500 million each, totalling $1 billion, to bolster the development of India's health sector. The funding will be utilised to support the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), India's flagship programme…

SRK’s wife Gauri Khan in legal trouble as FIR registered…

Gauri Khan, a well-known interior designer and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's wife, has found herself in legal trouble as an FIR has been registered against her in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. The FIR, which has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 409 (criminal breach of trust), was…

Labourer’s daughter, 15, scores India cricket payday

CRICKETER Sonam Yadav could not afford sports shoes when she was younger but now the 15-year-old is set to play in India's Women's Premier League and says the money will transform life for her family. Sonam was the youngest player drafted for the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament when…

Gujarat police arrest two traffickers in connection with Brijkumar Yadav’s…

THE Gujarat Police have arrested two agents for human trafficking, two months after an Indian national died while scaling the border wall in an attempt to enter the US illegally from Mexico. A case has been registered against seven persons, one from Ahmedabad and others from Gandhinagar, and two of…

Intriguing tale of a Pakistani girl who crossed two countries…

The intriguing story of how a "shy" teenage Pakistani girl travelled on her own to Bengaluru to meet and marry an Indian man was revealed by her uncle who said she sold her jewellery and borrowed money from friends to buy air tickets to Dubai and onwards to Kathmandu from…

India, Nepal agree to boost economic and development ties

India and Nepal agreed on Monday to further bolster their economic and development cooperation as Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra met his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal and reviewed the wide-ranging bilateral partnership. Foreign Secretary Kwatra arrived here on a two-day official visit to hold talks with the country's top…

Actors today are more focussed on getting their body language…

Suniel Shetty believes rather than the stunts, actors today are more focussed on getting their body language right in their quest to earn the title of an action hero. In the 90s, Shetty carved out a niche for himself as an action star with movies such as “Balwaan”, “Waqt Hamara…

ASER education report 2022, largest citizen-led rural survey, released

Ajay Piramal, chairman of the Piramal Group and Pratham Education Foundation, on January 18 released the 17th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 in New Delhi, India. ASER is an annual survey which aims to give reliable estimates of children’s enrolment and basic learning levels for each district and…

WHO calls for action to protect children from contaminated medicines…

In the wake of fatalities among children linked to cough syrups and medicines made by manufacturers based in India and Indonesia, the WHO has issued an "urgent call to action” to countries to detect and respond to incidents of falsified medical products and protect children from contaminated medicines. The World…

Will get married when right girl comes along, bar ‘very…

Viewed as India’s most eligible bachelor by some, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says he’ll get married when the right girl comes along and part of the problem is that his parents' “really lovely marriage” has set the bar very high. In a free-wheeling, light-hearted chat on food and travel platform…

Mob is out of control now: Kashyap on PM Modi…

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advice to his party workers to stop commenting on movies comes late as the "mob is out of control now". According to party sources, in his address at the BJP national executive on Monday, PM Modi had suggested party workers…

‘PM Modi must speak up, heads should roll’, says Opposition…

The Congress Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break his "silence" on the sexual exploitation allegations against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and asked why resignations of those involved have not come in till now. The opposition party's attack came after…

Nepal plane crash: Search continues for last missing person

The search for the last missing person in the Nepal plane crash resumed on Wednesday after rescuers on Tuesday pulled out one more body from the crash site where a Yeti Airlines aircraft carrying 72 people, including five Indians, had plunged in a river gorge in the resort city of…

India set to overtake China as world’s most populous nation

India is expected to overtake China as the world's most populous country this year even though its population growth has been slowing down, United Nations says. Following are some key points about India's demography, according to government data: - India estimates its population at 1.38 billion, compared to China's 1.4…

Nepal plane crash: Death toll rises to 71 as authorities…

Nepalese authorities on Tuesday started handing over to family members the bodies of those killed, two days after Yeti Airlines' aircraft with 72 people, including five Indians, crashed in the resort city of Pokhara, as the death toll rose to 71. As two more bodies were recovered from the accident…

Modi flags off world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’…

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (13) flagged off the world's longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas, which will cover 3,200 km across 27 river systems in five states in India and Bangladesh in 51 days. MV Ganga Vilas is the first-ever cruise vessel to be made in India and…

Mansion seized from Gupta family in South Africa up for…

A huge mansion in the elite Cape Town suburb of Constantia that was seized from the Gupta family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, is now being offered for sale with a price tag of $1.1 million. The property is part of assets worth $301m that were seized by the National Prosecuting…

Suniel Shetty urges UP CM Yogi Adityanath to help in…

Suniel Shetty recently met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and urged him to help the industry get rid of the 'Boycott Bollywood' trend. On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met members of the Bollywood fraternity in Mumbai, Suniel Shetty, Subhash Ghai, Jackie Shroff, Rajkumar Santoshi, Manmohan Shetty,…

Yogi Adityanath says UP safe for investors, interacts with Bollywood…

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday pitched his state as a safe investment destination and also interacted with prominent Bollywood personalities during his visit to Mumbai, where Maharashtra's Opposition parties targeted him over his roadshow. Adityanath assured industrialists of a strong law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh,…

Indian leaders condole death of Modi’s mother, recall her simplicity,…

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and leaders cutting across the political spectrum on Friday condoled the death of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben, recalling her simple and compassionate life that was an inspiration for all. Hiraben, Hiraba to many, passed away at an Ahmedabad hospital on Friday…

Vivek Agnihotri and Anupam Kher react to Israeli filmmaker Nadav…

A day after Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid termed his film a "propaganda", "The Kashmir Files" director Vivek Agnihotri in a cryptic social media post said truth is the most dangerous thing as it can make people lie. Agnihotri's reaction comes after veteran actor Anupam Kher, who starred in "The Kashmir…

Rats ate over 1102 pounds of confiscated marijuana, says India…

The Uttar Pradesh's police in northeastern India in a report submitted to a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) court stated that rats ate over 1102 pounds of confiscated marijuana stored in the warehouses of Shergarh and Highway police station. The statement by the police was made after…

Nawazuddin Siddiqui on working with more than 80 real-life transgender…

Multiple award-winning Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddique is presently in news for his upcoming film Haddi, where he plays the central character of a transgender woman. Today, the actor took to social media to drop a couple of pictures of himself from the sets of the noir revenge drama. In the…

‘Uunchai is the story of friendship, adventure and reaching one’s…

The latest offering from Rajshri, one of the most respected film production houses in India, promises to warm our hearts this winter by taking us to the Himalayas. Uunchai is the story of friendship, adventure, and reaching one’s own heights in the course of life. The story tackles many aspects…

Priyanka Chopra says films didn’t feel like her reality when…

Actor, producer and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she has a bigger dream every day, refusing to be daunted as she climbs the ladder of success, step by step. Priyanka, who grew up in the Uttar Pradesh town of Bareilly and has made a global name for herself, said her…

Priyanka Chopra jets off to LA after a brief stay…

After her brief stint in India, Priyanka Chopra is off to Los Angeles. Priyanka shared a photo of herself on her Instagram story revealing that she is flying back to Los Angeles. Priyanka was in India to promote her haircare brand alongside a visit to some rural areas in Uttar…

Priyanka Chopra shares emotional post after wrapping her India visit:…

Priyanka Chopra recently made her first visit to India from the US to promote her hair care brand. She visited her home country after a long gap of 3 years and took to her Instagram handle to share with fans her hectic Mumbai schedule for a day. On Sunday, she…

Meet these two Indians who are among finalists for Prince…

Afloral waste project which converts flowers dispersed into the river Ganga into sustainable leather called Fleather and a greenhouse-in-a-box solution for small farmers are among this year’s finalists from India for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, dubbed the Eco Oscars. Phool and Kheyti are among 15 worldwide projects in the running…

Indian Americans celebrate Chhath Puja in several states across US

Hundreds of Indian Americans gathered at river banks, lakes and makeshift water bodies across the United States to worship the Sun God as they celebrated the popular Hindu festival of Chhath Puja on Sunday. Several states across the US, including California, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, North Carolina and…

Indian student stabbed 11 times in Australia in alleged racial…

The Indian mission in Australia is providing consular assistance to a 28-year-old student from the north-western city of Agra who was stabbed multiple times in Sydney and is under "serious but stable" condition after undergoing surgery at a local hospital. "The Indian Consulate in Sydney has provided consular assistance to…

Delhi cab driver arrested for masturbating in front of 23-year-old…

A cab driver was arrested for allegedly playing with himself in front of a UK-based woman and her friend while ferrying them to a hotel in south Delhi, police said on Sunday, adding the duo left the country after the incident. The accused, Maakhan Lal, a native of Lalganj district…

‘I wore green jersey to tease Pakistan cricket fans’, says…

An Indian cricket fan from Uttar Pradesh who received death threats for wearing a Pakistan jersey during the India-Pakistan in Dubai has said that he wore it as the Indian the jersey was sold out by the time he reached the stadium. Sanyam Jaiswal, 42, had travelled all the way…

Mandeep Kaur’s death: Indian consulate in NYC expresses grief, extends…

The Indian Consulate in New York City has expressed grief over the death of Mandeep Kaur, an Indian-origin who committed suicide and said that it will render all kinds of assistance required. This comes after Kaur, who was tortured at the hands of her husband, allegedly committed suicide on August…

No showering of petals on Muslims, they bulldoze our houses:…

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi hit out at the BJP on Wednesday over the showering of flower petals on Kanwariyas in Uttar Pradesh, saying this warmth is not for Muslims, whose houses are bulldozed. Talking to reporters in the Parliament complex, the Hyderabad MP said all communities should be treated equally.…

South Africa submits formal extradition for two Gupta brothers from…

The South African government on Monday said it has submitted a formal extradition application to the United Arab Emirates for Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta of the wealthy India-born brothers of the Gupta family.The two brothers, along with their elder brother Ajay, have been in self-exile in Dubai since the…

Ajay Devgn and Suriya share Best Actor at India’s 68th…

The winners of India’s 68th National Film Awards were announced on July 22, 2022, in New Delhi. Established in 1954, the prestigious National Film Awards are administered by the Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals. What made the 68th National Film Awards special was the fact that the ceremony…

Meet India’s mango man, father of 300 varieties

Every day, Indian octogenarian Kaleem Ullah Khan wakes at dawn, prays, then ambles about a mile to his 120-year-old mango tree, which he has coaxed into producing more than 300 varieties of the beloved fruit over the years. His footsteps quicken as he draws nearer and his eyes light up…

Gujarat: Fake T20 cricket league to take bets from Russian…

Police have busted a gang conducting a fake T20 cricket tournament here in Gujarat to take bets from Russian bookies by live-streaming the matches and arrested four of its members, an official said on Monday. To create an impression of an Indian Premier League (IPL)-like major tournament, key accused Shoeb…

For the first time in India’s history, no Muslim MP…

India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been left with no Muslim parliamentarians following the exit of union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. His resignation followed the expiry of his term as a member of the Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of Parliament. Naqvi, who headed…

Twitter deletes Leena Manimekalai’s ‘Kaali’ poster tweet portraying a Hindu…

Microblogging site Twitter has removed the controversial July 2 tweet of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai. Leena had released the poster of the film Kaali via a tweet which led to outrage in India. The poster of her film depicted a woman dressed in a costume portraying the goddess and smoking. Reacting…

Kali is meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess: TMC’s Mahua Moitra; views personal,…

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday stirred a controversy by saying that she has every right as an individual to imagine Goddess Kali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess, as every person has the right to worship God and goddess in his or her own way. While the BJP…

Kaali poster showing Goddess smoking draws New Delhi’s ire; India…

The Indian High Commission in Canada on Monday urged the Canadian authorities to withdraw the ‘disrespectful depiction of Hindu Gods’ in the poster of Kaali, a film showcased as part of the 'Under the Tent' project at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The poster that was tweeted last Saturday…

From Gulabi Meenakari to Kashmiri carpet: Here’s what PM Modi…

For foreign dignitaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often chosen gifts that showcase India's rich cultural and artistic traditions, and it was no different this time as he picked a variety of products for the heads of governments at the G7 Summit. It was distinct artistic products identified with different…

India will have its first hypersonic missile in five-six years:…

India-Russia defence Joint Venture BrahMos Aerospace is capable of making hypersonic missiles and will be able to have its first such missile in five to six years, BrahMos Aerospace informed on Monday."BrahMos Aerospace is capable of making hypersonic missiles. In five to six years, we will be able to have…

Remarks on Prophet: Protests erupt across India after Friday prayers;…

Protests broke out in some states on Friday including outside Delhi's Jama Masjid over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad by two now-suspended BJP functionaries with demonstrators in Jharkhand injuring a few policemen while authorities in Jammu imposed a curfew in a few areas and parts of Kashmir observed a…

Prophet remark row: Indian Central agencies ‘seriously’ looking into Al-Qaeda…

Central agencies are "seriously" looking into the threat letter sent by terror outfit Al-Qaeda regarding suicide attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to "fight for the honour of the Prophet", said top agency sources.Alerts have been issued across Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat through law enforcement agencies…

Gupta brothers accused of large-scale corruption in South Africa, arrested…

The South African government has announced that the UAE has arrested Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta, the two of the three wealthy India-born brothers of the Gupta family, who were at the centre of political corruption under former president Jacob Zuma.The two brothers were arrested in Dubai and it remains…

‘Religious intolerance only on TV’: Sadhguru says no major riots…

Founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said that there is a "lot of heat" in television studios, which is being exaggerated to suggest that there is rising religious intolerance in the country while underlining that the last one decade has been free of major communal violence. In an exclusive…

Kanpur violence: 3 FIRs registered, 500 booked over violence after…

The Uttar Pradesh Police Saturday booked 500 people for rioting and violence in Kanpur that left 40 injured, official said, as an uneasy calm prevailed in the affected areas this morning. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and order) Anand Prakash Tiwari said 18 people have been arrested so far over…

Owaisi ridicules RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on Gyanvapi issue

ALLEGING that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh participated in the demolition of Babri Masjid "disrespecting" the Supreme Court and later defended the action saying it was necessary for "historic reasons", AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned if the RSS would follow a similar method in the Gyanavapi issue. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's…

I’m in favour of strong Oppn, people misunderstand my views…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said he favours a strong opposition in the country but slammed dynastic politics, saying it kills talent. He also said his statements on dynastic politics are often misunderstood by people, and added his criticism of "pariwarvad" was not aimed at any party or individual. "I…

Akshay Kumar’s historical war drama Samrat Prithviraj banned in Kuwait,…

The much-anticipated Bollywood film Samrat Prithviraj, which opens in cinemas on June 3, has been banned in Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. The high-profile historical war drama stars superstar Akshay Kumar in the lead role. Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar makes her silver screen debut with the film. Directed by Chandra…

Samrat Prithviraj declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who attended a special screening of the period action drama Samrat Prithviraj with his cabinet colleagues, on Thursday declared the movie tax-free in the state. The screening of the movie was held at Lok Bhawan here, and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, female lead Manushi…

‘India is neither Thackeray’s nor Modi-Shah’s, it belongs to…’: Asaduddin…

THE All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has said that "India belongs to Dravidians and Adivasis", and not to him, or Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP head Sharad Pawar and prime minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a rally in Bhiwandi town here in Maharashtra on Saturday (28) evening, the…

Inspired by ‘Fast and Furious’ movie, 3 men steal over…

Inspired by Hollywood flick 'The Fast and the Furious' three men stole over 40 luxury cars using hi-tech tools, including scanners and GPS jammer, police said on Friday after arresting them.The accused have been identified as Manish Rao (42) and Jagdeep Sharma (43), both residents of Uttam Nagar here, and…

Disputes may test India’s communal harmony

FRESH bouts of legal battles over places of worship in India have raised concerns that they could potentially turn religious flashpoints in the Hindu-majority country.The disputes over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and another structure in Mathura – both in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh – are decades old.…

Supreme Court revokes ban on large prayer gatherings at Gyanvapi…

INDIA's Supreme Court overturned a local order to ban large Muslim prayer gatherings in a high-profile mosque in north India after a survey team said it found relics of the Hindu god Shiva and other Hindu symbols there. The top court on Tuesday (17) in an interim order stated Muslims'…

South Asia pummelled by heatwave that hits 50C in Pakistan

South Asia was in the grip of an extreme heatwave on Friday, with parts of Pakistan reaching a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius as officials warned of acute water shortages and a health threat. Swathes of Pakistan and neighbouring India have been smothered by high temperatures since April in extreme…

Supreme Court suspends India’s British-era sedition law

INDIA's Supreme Court on Wednesday (11) suspended a colonial-era sedition law that activists say is often used by prime minister Narendra Modi's government to target free speech and dissent. Modi's critics say that the law, which was once used by Britain to target independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, has been abused…

Policeman arrested in India for raping alleged gang-rape victim

AN Indian police officer has been arrested after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl who went to his station to report she had been gang-raped. The alleged incident is the latest to spotlight the high levels of sexual violence in the world's largest democracy, where a woman is raped…

Heatwave in India pushes power demand to record high

INDIA'S electricity demand touched a record high in April as its northern states reeled under the hottest pre-summer months in decades, with a surge in the use of air conditioning triggering the worst power crisis in more than six years.Power demand grew 13.2 per cent to 135.4 billion kilowatt hours…

India’s poll strategist says Congress can bounce back without him

INDIA’S most sought-after election strategist said the Congress - the country’s oldest political party - is “capable of reviving itself” without his help.Prashant Kishor’s comment came in a television interview days after he turned down a “generous offer” to join the party and “take responsibility” for the next parliamentary elections…

India reels under heatwave as mercury touches 44 degrees in…

AMID a punishing heatwave building up in large parts of India, Delhi saw a jump of two to three degrees Celsius in the maximum temperature at most places on Wednesday (27).Extreme heat continued to scorch large swathes of south Asia this week, offering no reprieve after the hottest March on…

India court bails students held for celebrating Pakistan cricket win

An Indian court granted bail Wednesday to three students jailed for celebrating India's defeat to arch-rival Pakistan in a T20 World Cup cricket match last year, their lawyer said. The students were arrested in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in October and charged with sedition just days after…

Oscar spotlight shines on India’s rural women journalists

An all-women team of smartphone-toting, low-caste reporters who chronicle India's hardscrabble heartland may give the cinema-mad country its first Oscar-winning film, after their own story became a critically lauded documentary. The journalists of Khabar Lahariya (Waves of News) have built a huge following across Uttar Pradesh, a northern state with…

Hardline Hindu groups demand wider India ban on hijab

HARDLINE Hindu groups are demanding restrictions on wearing the hijab in classrooms in more Indian states after a court upheld a ban on the traditional Islamic head-scarf in Karnataka state, worrying Muslim students who had protested against the ban. The Karnataka High Court decision on Tuesday (15), backing the southern…

Narendra Modi praises Anupam Kher’s The Kashmir Files

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, a film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s. He said the film is "bringing the truth in its correct form" and history has to be presented in…

India’s opposition Congress leader ready for ‘any sacrifice’

INDIA’S opposition Congress has unanimously decided that Sonia Gandhi should continue as its president till organisational polls after she expressed readiness to "make any and every sacrifice" in the party's interest.The Congress suffered heavy losses in the recently held elections in five states, including in Punjab where the party was…

India’s ruling party leads in disinformation race, say experts

TOP officials of India's ruling Hindu nationalist party and an army of its supporters bombarded voters with disinformation as key states went to the polls, specialists say. The five state votes held over several weeks starting February 10 set the stage for the next general election in 2024, and the…

Hindi novel makes to International Booker Prize longlist

AUTHOR Geetanjali Shree's novel ‘Tomb of Sand' is among 13 books from across the world longlisted for the International Booker Prize, the first Hindi language work of fiction to make the cut for the prestigious literary prize, unveiled in London on Thursday (10).Shree's book, translated into English by Daisy Rockwell…

Modi’s party retains Indian mega-state; AAP sweeps Punjab

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi's party won India's most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday (10) of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won or was…

Modi’s party predicted to win key Indian state

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party was set for a resounding victory but a reduced majority at elections in the country's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, exit polls forecast Monday. Exit polls are not always reliable in India, but an average of four indicated that the Bharatiya Janata…

India likely to raise fuel prices soon

INDIA will raise petrol and diesel prices soon for the first time in more than four months as global crude prices soar after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, three government officials said, amid growing concern about inflation. Asia's third-largest economy, which imports 80 per cent of its oil needs, faces retail…

Akhilesh Yadav claims his party will beat BJP in Uttar…

A regional Indian party has claimed it will unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in provincial elections in Uttar Pradesh state, the most crucial test for Modi before a general election in two years. The Hindu nationalist BJP has maintained it will retain power in the bellwether…

Interpol issues red notices against South Africa’s two Gupta brothers

INTERPOL has issued red notices against Atul and Rajesh Gupta - two of the three Indian-origin Gupta brothers - who fled South Africa with their families amid investigations into their alleged role in corruption. However, Interpol has declined a request from the South African government to issue red notices against…

Modi says evacuating Indian students from Ukraine top priority

Prime minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis on Sunday (27) and asserted that ensuring the safety of Indian students and evacuating them is the government's top priority, official sources said. It was also decided at the meeting to further enhance cooperation with the neighbouring countries…

I tell my family I’m fine, but I’m not: Indian…

INDIAN students in Ukraine have spoken of their despair as they hope to make their way out of the country following the military attack by Russia. It is estimated that some 16,000 Indians are currently stuck in Ukraine; New Delhi is making arrangements to evacuate them from the border regions…

India arrests ‘doctor’ conman who married 18 women

Bibhu Prakash Swain believed in soulmates and true love, or so he told at least 18 women he allegedly married and conned across India before his arrest -- weeks before his next two weddings. The diminutive 67-year-old scoured marriage websites posing as a 51-year-old doctor and persuaded professors, lawyers, medics…

India’s hijab dispute reaches its most populous state

A dispute over restrictions on the wearing of the hijab by female students in a southern Indian state has now reached India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, with a group of youngsters asking a college to ban the head covering. Authorities closed colleges in Karnataka in India's south last…

Meta vows to combat abuses as Indian states head for…

FACEBOOK’S parent Meta on Thursday (10) outlined its resolve to curb hate speech, harmful content and misinformation on its platforms as five Indian states go to polls.The social media giant said it will activate its Elections Operations Centre to watch out for potential abuses that could emerge across its platforms.Meta,…

India’s biggest state holds election in key test of Modi’s…

INDIA's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh began voting on Thursday (10) in the first of a series of local elections that will be a key test of the popularity of prime minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party. With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping…

Yogi Adityanath seeking re-election touts record on jobs, crime

HINDU hardliner Yogi Adityanath, who is seeking re-election as chief minister of India's most populous state, touted his record on fighting crime and putting law and order above religion and caste in a rare interview with Western media. The 49-year-old monk from prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party…

India seeing Covid vaccination fraud, say health workers

IN a shocking development, frontline health workers engaged in India’s Covid vaccination drive have said that people are being officially certified as double vaccinated even when they have not completed the course of two jabs in order to meet government targets. According to a report by The Guardian, the workers…

Mobs burn Indian train carriages in rail jobs protest

Angry mobs in eastern India set fire to train carriages on Wednesday in protests over access to railway jobs that have seen police violently disperse crowds with tear gas and baton charges. Bihar state has been on edge since the start of the week over claims by young job applicants…

Britain returns stolen 10-century idol to India

AN Indian idol dating to the 10th century, which was illegally removed from a village temple in Uttar Pradesh more than 40 years ago and which was recently found in a garden in England, was returned to India on the occasion of Makar Sankranti (14). India’s High Commissioner to the…

Hundreds of thousands gather for holy dip in India, defying…

HUNDREDS of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered on the banks of India's Ganges river on Friday (14) for a holy bath despite a 30-fold rise in coronavirus cases in the past month. Hindus believe a bath in the holy river on the Jan. 14 Makarsankranti festival washes away sins. A…

Elections in India’s five states from Feb 10-Mar 7

UTTAR PRADESH, India's most populous state and a key battleground for prime minister Narendra Modi and opposition groups, will hold elections in seven phases starting from Feb. 10, chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra said on Saturday (8). The outcome of the election in the northern state, currently ruled by Modi's…

India’s Covid cases multiply, vulnerable groups given boosters

INDIA began administering booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine to frontline workers and vulnerable elderly people on Monday (10), with the fast-spreading Omicron variant fuelling an almost eight-fold rise in daily infections since the start of the year. India reported 179,723 new cases on Monday (10), most of them in the…

Omicron surge: India cancels election rallies

ELECTION rallies were cancelled in India's heartland Thursday (6) as authorities fret over a sudden Covid surge, driven by the Omicron variant, which has seen confirmed infections nearly triple in two days. Teeming crowds have thronged campaign events for next month's poll in Uttar Pradesh -- the country's most populous…

Zuma allowed Gupta family to ‘plunder South Africa’s resources’

SOUTH AFRICA’S former president Jacob Zuma allowed an Indian business family to plunder state resources and influence policy decisions, an investigation has found. The first report of the South African Commission of Inquiry into State Capture highlighted Zuma’s influence in supporting the now-defunct newspaper The New Age (TNA) amid what was described as "systemic…

Indian tax officials seize £26m in cash from perfume tycoon

INDIAN tax officials have seized nearly £26 million in banknotes stashed in buildings belonging to a perfume tycoon in Uttar Pradesh, The Times reported.  The haul recovered from the businessman also included 23kg of gold, 250kg of silver and drums of sandalwood oil worth £750,000. The businessman was identified as…

Modi lays foundation stone for India’s sports university

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (2) laid the foundation stone for a sports university in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Major Dhyan Chand Sports University will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages on the outskirts of the Sardhana town of Meerut district at an estimated cost…

Indian tax authorities seize $30m in cash ahead of state…

Indian tax officials have seized more than $30 million in cash and gold in raids on suspected tax evaders this week including a record haul of 1.94 billion rupees ($26 million) and 23 kg of gold ahead of assembly elections in five states. The raids triggered a flurry of accusations…

Indian court urges delay in state elections as Omicron spreads

AN Indian court urged prime minister Narendra Modi's government to suspend political rallies and election campaigns in poll-bound states amid the rising number of Omicron cases, a variant of Covid-19. Judges of the Allahabad High Court in the country's most populous Uttar Pradesh (UP) state said on Thursday (23) the…

Facing backlash, Indian education board drops sexist exam passage

INDIA'S Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday (13) removed a controversial comprehension passage and the accompanying quotations from the English examination paper of Standard 10 and decided to award full marks for it to the students. The board took the decision following an outrage over it allegedly promoting…

Indian farmers end year-long mass protests against Modi reforms

Indian farmers formally ended year-long mass protests on Thursday (9) after prime minister Narendra Modi abandoned his push for agricultural reforms, defusing one of the biggest challenges faced by his government. Thousands of people have been camped on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi since last year to campaign…

India parliament votes to scrap farm reform laws

INDIA'S parliament voted on Monday (29) to scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, after a surprise U-turn by prime minister Narendra Modi. Thousands of farmers have been camped out on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi since last year - one of…

Winners applauded for their hard work and enterprise

What the success stories of Asian Business Awards winners have in common Business of the Year Award: Bestway Group One of Britain’s most successful companies, Bestway was founded by Sir Anwar Pervez and his school friends. The group today operates the UK’s second largest wholesale chain and the Well Pharmacy…

Fears grow over dengue outbreak in India

THOUSANDS of people in India’s capital and hundreds of thousands across the nation are currently battling dengue fever, The Telegraph reported. As a result, beds hastily converted for Covid-19 earlier this year are now being repurposed for dengue, the report added. In India’s ongoing outbreak, which first erupted in late…

Modi repeals farm laws after mass protests by farmers

INDIA will scrap three agricultural reform laws that sparked almost a year of huge protests by farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (19) in a stunning and rare U-turn by his government. Thousands of farmers have been camped out on the borders of the capital New Delhi since…

India’s top court orders ‘work from home’ over pollution in…

INDIA'S Supreme Court told authorities on Monday (15) to shut offices in the capital and nearby cities, allowing millions to work from home as officials seek ways to reduce hazardous air pollution that led to the closure of schools. Its action came after city authorities in New Delhi, which has…

India’s Samajwadi Party launches a perfume to woo voters

A left-wing Indian opposition party has launched a perfume with what it calls the "fragrance of brotherhood, love and socialism" that will "end hatred". The product was unveiled by the Samajwadi Party in the hopes of wooing voters in elections in early 2022 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.…

India’s latest Zika outbreak sees surge of nearly 100 cases

AT LEAST 89 people, including 17 children, have tested positive for the Zika virus in a surge of cases in the Indian city of Kanpur, its health department said on Monday (8). First discovered in 1947, the mosquito-borne virus Zika virus reached epidemic proportions in Brazil in 2015, when thousands…

‘Digital tools will play key role in India’s climate prediction’

THE demand for weather prediction will increase from various sectors in the future and artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a key role in this transition, the head of India’s premier weather agency has said. Dr M Mohapatra is the director-general of meteorology at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).…

Students, teacher arrested in India for celebrating Pakistan cricket win

INDIAN police have arrested three Muslim students and a teacher for celebrating the Pakistan cricket team's crushing victory over arch-rivals India at the Twenty20 World Cup, officials said on Thursday (28). The students, originally from Kashmir, were taken into custody on Wednesday (27) in the northern city of Agra for…

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel concludes Parmarth Niketan Ashram visit

ANANDIBEN Patel, the governor of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday (17) concluded her three-day visit to Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand. The visit coincided with Navratri, the nine-day Hindu festival that celebrates the divine feminine energy. Patel observed Navami and…

Special online event held to appeal for hand hygiene

INDIAN political, faith and community leaders took part in a special online appeal for hand hygiene and health to mark Global Handwashing Day Friday (15). Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel joined His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (HH Pujya Muniji), the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance’s faith leaders and Unicef’s India’s…

Shadab Siddiqui: I want to direct Amitabh Bachchan and Salman…

Filmmaker Shadab Siddiqui had never dreamt of becoming a part of showbiz. He was working as a carpenter when he met a fellow from the industry who worked in the production department in films. A brief encounter with him led Siddiqui to quit carpentry and enter the industry as a…

Police arrest Indian minister’s son accused of killing farmers

ASHISH MISHRA, son of junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni, has been arrested on accusations he ran over and killed four protesting farmers last week, a senior police official said. The farmers, killed on Oct. 3 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, were part of India's longest-running agricultural protest,…

Indian farmers step up protests after eight killed in clashes

FARMERS in India have vowed to intensify their months-long protest against laws aimed at liberalising agriculture as tension flared a day after eight people were killed in clashes between growers and ruling party supporters. Four of the eight were killed when a car linked to a senior ruling party official…

Indian seer found dead in UP math, disciple arrested

MAHANT Narendra Giri, president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the largest grouping of sadhus in India, was found dead on Monday (20) at Baghambari Math in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The police said a seven-page ‘suicide note’ was found in which the…

Swara Bhasker’s Jahaan Chaar Yaar wraps up filming

Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Meher Vij, and Pooja Chopra have finished shooting for their upcoming film Jahaan Chaar Yaar. The film was being shot in Goa, where it went on floors earlier this year. The team wrapped up production on Sunday night. Filming had paused in the wake of the…

India gives record 22m Covid shots for Modi’s birthday

INDIA on Friday (17) made a record 22 million coronavirus jabs in a day as part of a special vaccination drive for the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Authorities set up special vaccination centres in stadiums, shopping malls, clinics and other venues as it sought to boost the lagging…

Delhi authorities ban firecrackers ahead of Diwali

TO curb air pollution levels, Delhi authorities have ordered a ban on the storage, use and sale of firecrackers in the Indian capital ahead of the Diwali festival. India is among the most polluted countries in the world, and air quality in Delhi and neighbouring northern states normally begins to deteriorate…

What led to Vijay Rupani’s exit as Gujarat chief minister?

AS Bhupendra Patel took charge as the chief minister of Gujarat from Vijay Rupani, there was speculation as to what led to the change of guard in the western Indian state. The perceived “mismanagement” of Covid-19 by the Rupani government and his differences with other leaders of the ruling Bharatiya…

New Modi book defines India’s ‘ethnic democracy’

THE author of a new book on Narendra Modi has warned that India's transformation to an “ethnic democracy”, in which religious minorities are relegated to second class citizenship, may reach the “point of no return”. Christophe Jaffrelot, a Frenchman who is professor of politics and sociology at King’s college London, has…

India restricts religious festivals as new Covid wave starts in…

INDIAN authorities are restricting major religious festivals that start this week and attract huge crowds, warning that a new Covid-19 wave had already begun in the financial capital Mumbai. State governments across the country of 1.3 billion people, which saw a devastating coronavirus surge in April-May, are clamping down on…

Young Indian women write to Modi to raise age for…

Facing pressure from their own families to marry before completing education, several young women in India have started writing letters to prime minister Narendra Modi to raise the marriage age for girls to 21 from 18, as it is in case of the country's men. One such woman is Sonam…

Modi unveils coin to honour ISKCON founder’s 125th anniversary

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (1) released a Rs 125 commemorative coin to honour Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on his 125th birth anniversary. Modi, who unveiled the coin through a video conference, praised Srila Prabhupada’s effort…

Kerala’s Covid-19 lessons for India and Modi’s government

Vilified by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's party for its high COVID-19 cases, Kerala's apparent poor record may actually hold crucial lessons for the country in containing the outbreak as authorities brace for a possible third wave of infections. The opposition-ruled, densely populated southern state is currently reporting the most…

Indian woman, who self-immolated accusing MP of rape, dies

THE death of a 24-year-old woman, who had set herself ablaze last week in Indian capital New Delhi after alleging harassment by police and law at the behest of a parliamentarian she had accused of raping her, has brought the focus back on the country’s treatment of its girls. On…

S.Africa’s Ramaphosa says he chose to ‘remain but resist’ as…

SOUTH AFRICAN president Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday (11) said he chose to "remain but resist" rather than resign as deputy president when allegations about widespread corruption surfaced under his predecessor Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa, who served as deputy president from May 2014 to February 2018, has made the fight against corruption…

ANC divisions reason why no action was taken against Gupta…

SOUTH African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday (12) conceded for the first time that rifts within the country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) stopped appropriate action from being taken against the influential Gupta family from India for its alleged involvement in a huge state capture. While appearing before the State…

Pratik Gandhi and Khushali Kumar to star in an untitled…

Pratik Gandhi, who shot to overnight fame with the runaway success of his SonyLIV streaming show Scam 1992: The Hansal Mehta Story (2020), has added a new exciting project to his resume. The young actor has signed on to topline producers Bhushan Kumar, Shaailesh R Singh and Hansal Mehta’s next…

Protests as low-caste girl raped, killed in India’s capital

The alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old, low-caste girl sparked a third day of protests in India's capital on Tuesday (3), in the latest case to spotlight the country's high levels of sexual violence. Hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets in New Delhi, holding banners reading "give…

Narendra Modi faces backlash over income tax raids against India…

THE Narendra Modi government came under fierce criticism on Thursday (22) after India’s tax authorities conducted raids against a popular newspaper and television channel that have been critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. While there was no official remark on…

EXCLUSIVE: Indian retailers plan e-commerce venture to take on Amazon…

THE Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents 40,000 trade organizations in the country, will launch an e-commerce portal for customers, its national secretary told Eastern Eye. In an exclusive interview, Sumit Agarwal revealed around 100,000 traders in the country have already registered and 10,000 of them have created…

Experts warn against Uttar Pradesh’s population control draft law

INDIA’S most populous state, Uttar Pradesh announced a draft law for population control on Saturday (10), as per which those having more than two children will be devoid of any special concessions or benefits. It proposes denying government jobs, promotions, subsidies and the right to contest local elections to anyone…

Narendra Modi cabinet expansion today, to have more youth, women

ALL eyes were set on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (7) over an impending cabinet reshuffle in his government. This will be the first reshuffle since Modi took oath as the prime minister for the second time in 2019 and the final decision was expected to come around…

Modi, Imran Khan feature in advocacy group’s ‘Predators Gallery’

FOUR top south Asian leaders including Narendra Modi and Imran Khan have been accused of being "predators" who are “cracking down on press freedom”. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a global free media advocacy group, has featured the duo in their 2021 "Press freedom predators gallery – old tyrants, two women…

India court asks lawyers to not appear in virtual hearings…

INDIA'S legal sector has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic like every other field and most courts in the country have been functioning virtually since March 2020 when a long lockdown was imposed by its government throughout the nation to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. But the virtual…

Severe heatwave in Delhi as temperature hits a nine-year high

TENS of millions of people in India were suffering Friday (2) under a severe heatwave that has pushed the temperature to a nine-year high in Delhi as monsoon rains run behind schedule. Heatwaves have killed over 6,500 people in the world's second-most populous nation since 2010, and scientists say climate change…

India’s Covid crisis reveals signs of internal dissent against Modi

MORE THAN a dozen ground and mid-level members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have said that they are disillusioned with the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the country.  Besides, six state lawmakers in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, have written letters criticising the…

Meet America’s only Hindu female priest officiating same-sex weddings

A HINDU female priest living in the US, who offers nuptials and other religious services to LGBTQ people, has described how she is one of a kind and has officiated over a dozen same-sex couple weddings. Sushma Dwivedi juggles her role as a priest with her other job, as the…

More corpses wash up on the banks of India’s Ganges

MORE corpses are washing up on the banks of the Ganges in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, as rains swell the river and expose bodies buried in shallow graves during the peak of the country's latest wave of coronavirus infections. Videos and pictures in May of bodies drifting…

Police summon Twitter’s India head over assault video

Indian police have summoned Twitter's top local executive over a viral video on the site of a Muslim man being assaulted, with authorities accusing the US social media giant of stoking sectarian tensions. The order comes as a battle rages between foreign tech giants and the Indian government over new…

Boatman in India praised for rescuing baby girl floating in…

A boatman in India has been praised after he rescued a baby girl found floating in a wooden box in the Ganges river. The infant was found in a wooden box decorated with images of Hindu deities. Police said the box had a birth horoscope card which had the time and…

Exclusive: We hope Mayawati gives us tickets for 2022 UP…

POLITICAL developments in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which will go to Assembly elections next year, saw a dramatic turn on Tuesday (15) when a number of suspended lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. Speculation was rife following the meeting…

Taj Mahal to reopen on June 16 as India’s coronavirus…

TAJ Mahal, one of the world’s top tourist attractions located in India, will reopen on Wednesday (16), more than two months after it was shut owing to the deadly surge in Covid-19 infections that swept the country. Cases and deaths rose exponentially in the world’s second most populous nation in…

Farmer protest will hurt BJP in UP polls, love jihad…

RASHTRIYA Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary on Sunday (13) said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) alleged “apathy” towards protesting farmers will make it pay in next year’s key Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He said "artificial" issues like love jihad and cow terror will not save the saffron…

BAPS Charities join relief efforts during Covid second wave in…

A leading charity has joined efforts in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and alleviating the suffering in India during the second wave. BAPS Charities, through its global network and partner hospitals, has so far supported the treatment of over 3,800 victims to full recovery from Covid-19 in the country, a statement…

Exclusive: Our alliance with BSP is more a social coalition…

THE Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has recently joined hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and both parties described the move as “historic”. This is not the first time that the two outfits have come together to fight an election. In the 1996 Lok…

The Family Man 2: Uttar Pradesh police joins the meme…

When a movie or a web series is released, some scenes or characters become memes and start trending on social media. The Family Man season two released on 4th June 2021, and while viewers are praising the series, it has also attracted memes on social media. Chellam Sir, a character…

Indian states ease lockdown restrictions as cases fall

SOME of India's states are easing lockdown restrictions as coronavirus infections subside, with the world's second most-populous nation on Saturday (5) logging its lowest daily case count in nearly two months. India saw 120,529 new coronavirus infections emerge over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,380. The country's…

India’s Covid-19 death toll reaches 335,102

INDIA on Wednesday (2) reported a daily rise in new coronavirus infections of 132,788 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,207. The South Asian nation's tally of infections now stands at 28.3 million, while the death toll has reached 335,102, health ministry data showed. The daily…

India’s frontline doctors ‘fearful for their lives’

LOW PAY, 24-hour shifts and severe shortages of staff and protective gear have left many doctors on the frontlines of India's brutal pandemic surge near breaking point and fearful for their lives. Coronavirus infections have killed at least 165,000 people in the vast South Asian nation -- home to some…

Daily Covid-19 deaths in India fall below 3,000

INDIA reported on Tuesday (1) its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus infections since April 8 at 127,510 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 2,795. The new Covid-19 cases is the lowest in 54 days, while the daily positivity rate dropped to 6.62 per cent. The…

India reports lowest daily Covid-19 cases in 50 days

INDIA reported on Monday (31) its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus infections since April 11 at 152,734 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,128. The South Asian nation's tally of infections now stands at 28 million, while the death toll has reached 329,100, health ministry…

India reports lowest daily rise in new Covid-19 infections in…

INDIA recorded a single-day rise of 1,65,553 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in 46 days, taking the country's infection tally to 2,78,94,800, according to union health ministry data on Sunday (30). The daily positivity declined to 8.02 per cent, remaining below the 10 per cent mark for the sixth consecutive…

India reports lowest daily Covid-19 infections in 44 days

THE single day rise in coronavirus infections in India fell below the two-lakh mark for the second time this month. The total tally of Covid-19 cases in the country has climbed to 2,75,55,457 out of which 2,48,93,410 patients have recuperated, according to the union health ministry data on Friday (28).…

Thousands of teachers forced into poll duty in India suffer…

MORE than 1,600 teachers in India died from Covid-19 weeks after their polling duty between April and May. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools in India remained closed, therefore hundreds of thousands of government teachers were asked to monitor polling booths as some states across the country held elections. A letter to…

Covid-19: India’s daily positivity falls amid improved recovery rate

INDIA'S recovery rate went up to 90 per cent while daily Covid-19 infections of 2,11,298 took the total tally to 2,73,69,093, according to the union health ministry data on Thursday (27). The death toll due to Covid rose to 3,15,235 with 3,847 new fatalities being reported in a span of…

Indian farmers observe ‘black day’ to mark six months of…

INDIAN farmers agitating at three Delhi border points observed 'black day' on Wednesday (26) to mark the completion of six months of their protest against three new agriculture laws. They raised black flags, shouted anti-government slogans, burnt effigies and took out protest marches at the three border points -Singhu, Ghazipur…

India’s daily Covid-19 cases drop, but fatalities still remain high

THE daily rise in coronavirus cases in India remained below the three lakh-mark for the sixth consecutive day, with 2.57 lakh new cases recorded in a single day, the union health ministry said on Saturday (22). With the fresh cases, India's tally of Covid-19 cases climbed to 2,62,89,290. The death…

India reports 259,551 new coronavirus infections; total deaths near 300,000

INDIA reported on Friday (21) 259,551 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 4,209. The South Asian nation's infection tally stands at 26.03 million, with a death toll of 291,331, health ministry data showed. New Covid-19 cases remained below 300,000-mark for the fifth consecutive day…

India losing 20 doctors per day to Covid-19 in second…

ABOUT 270 medical professionals have died in India since the deadly second wave of pandemic hit the country, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said on Tuesday (18). On average, 20 doctors are dying due to Covid-19 in the second wave in the country. The data released by the IMA, India’s…

India conducts record single-day tests as daily Covid-19 cases drop

MORE than 20.55 lakh Covid-19 tests were conducted in a span of 24 hours, the highest-ever conducted in a single day in India, while the daily positivity rate stands at 13.44 per cent, the union health ministry said on Thursday (20). Cumulatively, 20,55,010 tests were conducted on Wednesday (19) in…

Ranveer Hooda reveals what makes his cop character in Inspector…

By: Mohnish Singh Actor Randeep Hooda, who can be currently seen in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai (2021), is now looking forward to his much-awaited streaming show Inspector Avinash. While Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai starred him as a drug lord, Inspector Avinash sees him in the role of a…

India’s Covid tally passes 25 million; deaths rise by a…

India's total Covid-19 caseload surged past 25 million on Tuesday (18) as a powerful cyclone complicated the health crisis in one of the states where the disease is spreading most quickly. Covid-19 tests were administered to 200,000 people evacuated from coastal districts of the western state of Gujarat before the…

Government document confirms bodies of Covid-19 victims among those dumped…

BODIES of Covid-19 victims have been found dumped in some Indian rivers, a state government said in a letter seen by Reuters, the first official acknowledgement of an alarming practice it said may stem from poverty and fear of the disease in villages. Images of corpses drifting down the Ganges…

India’s PM Modi says ‘feeling’ peoples pain as nation battles…

AVOIDING any public comments for weeks on India’s devastating conronavirus wave, prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday in his televised address said, he feels the pain of all Indians battling with the pandemic. The government has been throbbed by criticism of its handling of the virus. The country of 1.3…

India’s coronavirus cases tally surpasses 24 million

INDIA'S tally of coronavirus infections climbed past 24 million on Friday (14), amid reports that the highly transmissible variant first detected in the South Asian nation was spreading across the globe. The Indian B.1.617 variant has spread to Canada and the United States, said Jairo Mendez, an infectious diseases expert…

India reports more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths for second straight…

INDIA recorded more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths for a second straight day on Thursday (13), while infections stayed below 400,000 for a fourth day, though the virus has become rampant in rural areas where cases can go unreported due to a lack of testing. Experts remain unsure when numbers will…

Laawaris: 20 fun facts about the cult classic

BACHCHAN STARRER MARKS 40TH ANNIVERSARY by DHARMESH PATEL THIS month marks the 40th anniversary of classic Bollywood film Laawaris, which was originally released on May 22, 1981. The action-drama starring Amitabh Bachchan was a huge blockbuster that ran in cinemas for many months and has since become a cult classic,…

India installs net across Ganges to catch bodies of suspected…

AUTHORITIES in northern India said they have installed a net across the Ganges river after the bodies of dozens of suspected Covid-19 victims washed up. The discovery of 71 corpses in Bihar state stoked fears that the virus was raging unseen in India's vast rural hinterland where two-thirds of its…

India’s Covid-19 deaths cross quarter million as virus hits countryside

INDIA'S coronavirus deaths crossed a quarter million on Wednesday (12) in the deadliest 24 hours since the outbreak of the pandemic, as the contagion rampaged through the countryside, overwhelming a fragile rural healthcare system. Boosted by highly infectious variants, the second wave erupted in February to inundate hospitals and medical…

Bharat Biotech starts direct supply of Covaxin vaccine to 14…

BHARAT BIOTECH has commenced direct supply of its Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' to 14 states, including Delhi and Maharashtra, with effect from May 1, according to the company's joint managing director, Suchitra Ella. The Hyderabad-based firm has started supplying its Covid-19 treatment vaccine to the states based on the allocations received…

Former union minister Ajit Singh dies of Covid-19

FORMER union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Ajit Singh died aged 82 at a Gurgaon hospital on Thursday (6) morning battling Covid-19, his family said. Singh, a prominent farmer leader and son of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 20, the…

412,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths as Covid spreads in…

INDIA reported a record 412,262 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday (6) and a record 3,980 daily death toll, as a second wave of infections swamps the health system and spreads from cities into the vast countryside. Covid-19 infections in the world's second most populous nation have surged past 21 million,…

Sonakshi Sinha’s digital project Bulbul Tarang to be based on…

By: Mohnish Singh While her maiden streaming show Fallen is yet to premiere, Sonakshi Sinha has signed on to topline two more digital projects. Buzz has it that the Dabangg (2010) actress plays a pivotal part in the high-profile web series Heera Mandi, backed by eminent filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.…

India gets support from across the globe

THE first emergency medical supplies trickled into Covid-stricken India on Tuesday (27) as part of a global campaign to staunch a catastrophic wave in the latest pandemic hotspot, with the US also pledging to export millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. India's infection and death rates are growing exponentially, overwhelming hospitals,…

India reports 352,991 new Covid-19 infections; Bengaluru enters lockdown

New infections at record for fifth day Neighbouring Bangladesh closes border for 14 days Tech hub of Bengaluru faces lockdown from Tuesday  INDIA's new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday (26). The southern state of Karnataka, home to the tech city of Bengaluru, ordered…

India’s daily Covid death toll hits new record as shortages…

INDIA's daily coronavirus death toll passed a new record Saturday (24) as the government battled to get oxygen supplies to hospitals overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of new daily cases. Queues of Covid-19 patients and their fearful relatives are building up outside hospitals in major cities across India, the…

Why India is facing an oxygen crisis as COVID cases…

By air, by train and by road, India is scrambling to move large quantities of medical oxygen to hospitals in its capital New Delhi and other areas hit hard by a record surge of COVID-19. ARE HOSPITALS RUNNING OUT OF OXYGEN? The main problem is that medical oxygen is not…

Record infections overwhelm India’s hospitals

Delhi hospitals issued desperate appeals for oxygen on Friday and 13 Covid-19 patients died in a fire, as India's healthcare system buckles under a new wave of infections. The surge, blamed on a new virus variant and recent "super spreader" public events, brought 330,000 new infections -- a world record…

India posts global record of 315,000 daily Covid cases; oxygen…

INDIA recorded the world's highest daily tally of 314,835 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday (22) as a second wave of the pandemic raised new fears about the ability of crumbling health services to cope. The health ministry data on Thursday is the most of any country since the pandemic began,…

For India’s poor, lockdown policing adds to pandemic hardships

Poor Indians are bearing the brunt of "pandemic policing" as the country struggles to contain a deadly second wave of COVID-19 cases by imposing stricter curfew rules and curbs on movement, rights advocates said. Hawkers, slum dwellers, food couriers and migrant workers are most likely to fall foul of lockdown…

India suffers worst day for COVID-19 deaths, hospitals overwhelmed

India, the country currently being hit hardest by the pandemic, on Tuesday (20) reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections. The health ministry said 1,761 people had died in the past day, bringing India's toll…

Top seer at India religious mega-festival dies from Covid-19

A Hindu seer has died from coronavirus and 80 other holy men have tested positive after attending a vast Indian religious festival where millions of pilgrims have been ignoring Covid-19 advice despite a national surge in infections. The announcement from authorities in Haridwar, Uttarakhand state, came as India recorded more…

Musician Baluji Shrivastav reveals the challenges vision-impaired artists face

AN INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Indian musician has spoken about the difficulties faced by visually impaired artists, revealing his own struggles after he lost his sight when he was an infant. Award-winning performer Baluji Shrivastav has released 12 albums during his extensive career and has become known as one of the world’s…

Andre Agassi’s technology firm to invest $50 million in India

Tennis legend Andre Agassi-led education technology firm Square Panda will invest $50 million in India over a period of three years to strengthen early child education for five million primary school children. The company has already rolled out early learning project ''Aarambh'' in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh and now…

Restrictions on Holi celebrations as Covid-19 cases pass 12m in…

INDIAN authorities clamped down on one of the country's biggest Hindu festivals on Monday (29) as the country passed 12 million coronavirus cases with financial hub Mumbai recording its highest-ever rise in daily infections. Public celebrations to mark Holi -- a popular festival where people smear colour on each other…

Former RBI deputy governor K C Chakrabarty, 68, dies

FORMER deputy governor of India's central bank KC Chakrabarty, 68, passed away on Friday (26) morning due to a heart attack. He was deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from June 2009 to April 2014, resigning three months before his term concluded. He is known for his…

India homes 32 of the 40 most-polluted cities in the…

A New report has revealed that 32 of the 40 most-polluted cities in the world last year are in India. The report, compiled by the Swiss air-monitoring group IQAir, said that New Delhi is the most-polluted capital. The western Chinese desert city of Hotan, blighted by dust storms, was the…

YouTube star Lilly Singh wears ‘I stand with farmers’ mask…

By Sattwik Biswal INDO-CANADIAN YouTube star Lilly Singh extended her support to the farmers' agitation in India by wearing a "I stand with farmers" mask at the red carpet of 2021 Grammy Awards. The 32-year-old tweeted an image and wrote that the red carpet of Grammy Awards gives her an…

Akshay Kumar to fly to Ayodhya to give mahurat shot…

By: Mohnish Singh Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who recently wrapped up Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment’s Bachchan Pandey, is moving on to shoot his next film, titled Ram Setu. Also starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha in lead roles, the high-profile project is being directed by Abhishek Sharma, while well-known writer-director Dr.…

Farmers’ issue ‘absolutely, totally’ a matter for India: Lord Tariq…

India as a democracy has guaranteed the right to protest throughout and the farmers’ protests over agricultural reforms is an issue that is “absolutely and totally” a matter for the government of India, UK minister Lord Tariq Ahmad said on Friday (12) ahead of his visit to New Delhi. A…

Indian American hotel owners shot in the US

INDIAN AMERICAN hotel owners were shot during an argument with a guest at their New Eastern Inn in Elkton, Maryland, in the US last week. Usha and Dilip Patel, both 59, were shot last Friday (5) in the lobby following an argument with a guest, possibly over payment, reports said.…

Roohi movie review: A decent horror-comedy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCtuoLygv0k By Murtuza Iqbal Horror-comedy is surely a tough genre. It's not easy to make the audience laugh as well as scare them at the same time. But, the 2018 release Stree was a perfect horror-comedy. The movie ended with a cliffhanger and we all have been waiting for Stree…

Indian high commission condemns ‘one-sided’ debate in UK parliament on…

THE high commission of India in London has condemned false assertions in a 'distinctly one-sided discussion' among a group of British parliamentarians on Monday (8) on the issue of peaceful protests and press freedoms in India. The high commission pointed out that foreign media, including British media, had been present…

UK says farmers’ protest is something for India to resolve…

THE new British high commissioner to India Alex Ellis on Friday (5) said that the farmers' protest is India's 'internal issue' and it is for it to resolve. "I think the foreign secretary (Dominic Raab) said it when he was in India 'your politics is our politics'. In other words,…

Indian farmers to block a major expressway to mark the…

INDIAN farmers who have been protesting for months against deregulation of produce markets plan to block a major expressway outside New Delhi on Saturday (6), the 100th day of their campaign, they said. Tens of thousands have been camped outside Delhi since December, demanding prime minister Narendra Modi repeal three…

India’s Supreme Court says favours controls on video streaming services

India's top court on Thursday said it favoured a screening mechanism for online video streaming services, dominated in the country by Amazon and Netflix and which currently are aired freely. The US streaming platforms have faced complaints from lawmakers belonging to prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationlist party and others…

Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Meher Vij & Pooja Chopra to…

By: Mohnish Singh Shikha Talsania, Swara Bhasker, Pooja Chopra, and Meher Vij are set to star in the upcoming Hindi film Jahaan Chaar Yaar, which revolves around four housewives who are stuck in lackluster marriages and embark on a journey to become more daring and break the monotony of life.…

Parmarth Niketan’s Pujya Swamiji gives funds for Ayodhya Ram Mandir

A LEADING Indian spiritual leader, His Holiness (HH) Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (HH Pujya Muniji), gave a cheque of Rs 5,100,000 (around  £50,000) towards the rebuilding of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, north India. During his meeting last week with the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state Yogi Adityanath, HH…

India plans new social media controls after Twitter face-off

Chafing from a dispute with Twitter, India plans to oblige social media companies to erase contentious content fast and assist investigations, according to a draft regulation. New Delhi's planned "Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code" - a copy of which was seen by Reuters - come as various nations…

Akanksha Puri is all praises for her Inspector Avinash co-star…

By: Mohnish Singh Akanksha Puri, who shot to fame with Sony Entertainment Television’s successful mythological show Vighnaharta Ganesh, is set to take a plunge into the digital world with Jio Studios’ upcoming streaming show Inspector Avinash. Set in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Inspector Avinash is inspired by the…

Locked-out Indians vent over vaccine exports to Saudi

India's decision to export millions of coronavirus vaccine doses to Saudi Arabia has rankled its vast expat community, locked out by the kingdom's months-long flight ban that sparked tense diplomatic wrangling. The plight of Indian workers, who make up the kingdom's biggest expatriate community, underscores the turmoil caused by tightening…

Murder or suicide? BBC film examines Jiah Khan’s death

By Amit Roy THE apparent suicide of the 25-year-old British Indian actress, Jiah Khan, in Mumbai in 2013 was analysed in a harrowing three-part BBC Two documentary, Death in Bollywood, last week. Did she really hang herself with a dupat­ta from a ceiling fan in the spare bedroom of her…

The Good Girls: True-crime book investigates Badaun rape-murder allegations

by LAUREN CODLING THE author behind a true-crime book focusing on the alleged murders of two teenagers in India has revealed her motivations for covering the story, claiming she was “compelled” to understand the level of violent crimes against women in the country. The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing explores…

Legendary classical musician Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan dies at 89

Renowned Indian classical musician Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan passed away at the age of 89 on Sunday (17( afternoon at his residence in Mumbai, his family said. Khan's daughter-in-law Namrata Gupta Khan said the veteran breathed his last at 12.37pm at his Bandra home. "He was fine in the morning...…

Indian state bans Islamic schools, drawing criticism

An Indian state ruled by prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP party on Wednesday (30) passed a law abolishing all Islamic schools, saying they provided sub-standard education. Opposition politicians criticised the move and said it reflected the government's anti-Muslim attitude in the Hindu-majority country. More than 700 of the schools, known as…

The BJP’s next mission: eradicating ‘love jihad’ in India

In India's most populous state, the Hindu nationalist BJP government is on a mission against "love jihad", the conspiracy theory that Muslims are luring Hindu brides with the aim of conversion and eventually national domination. While interfaith marriage remains rare in the Hindu-majority nation, this zealous drive in Uttar Pradesh…

Birthday Special: Top 10 famous songs of Govinda

Murtuza Iqbal Govinda has been in the industry for more than three decades. The actor ruled the big screen in the 90s and early 2000. He is known for his amazing comic timing and fantastic dance moves. Today, as the veteran actor celebrates his 57th birthday, let’s look at the…

Randeep Hooda announces web-series debut with Jio Studios’ Inspector Avinash

By: Mohnish Singh Talented actor Randeep Hooda, who was most recently seen in American action thriller Extraction (2020) alongside Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth, is set to make his web-series debut with Jio Studios’ Inspector Avinash. As the title aptly suggests, Inspector Avinash is a cop thriller based on real-life events…

Indian state makes ‘forced’ religious conversions by marriage a criminal…

An Indian state has criminalised 'forced' religious conversions by marriage, a first of its kind move in the country. India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh this week has approved a decree  laying out prison terms for anyone compelling others to convert their faith or luring them into these conversions through marriage.…

Janhvi Kapoor to headline Hindi remake of Malayalam film Helen?

By: Mohnish Singh Janhvi Kapoor, who received rave reviews for her excellent performance in Dharma Productions’ biographical drama Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020), is reportedly set to star in the official Hindi remake of the successful Malayalam film Helen (2019). According to reports, Janhvi Kapoor’s father, Boney Kapoor, has…

Modi’s BJP likely to emerge as the winner in Bihar…

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) is likely to make gains in Bihar assembly elections. The fight in Bihar is down to two coalitions led by regional rivals - one of them is the incumbent Janata Dal (United) or JD-U, the BJP's partner. The alliance, led by Chief…

India,Pakistan to clash over basmati rice

PAKISTAN has said that it  will 'vehemently' oppose India's application to the EU for sole geographical indication (GI) status for its homegrown long-grain aromatic basmati rice as it will 'adversely affect Pakistani exporters'. GI status is used to mark a product out to consumers as having “qualities, reputation or characteristics…

Satyameva Jayate 2 rolls in Lucknow

By: Mohnish Singh The makers of Satyameva Jayate 2 have commenced the first shooting schedule of their upcoming film in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The movie is a sequel to the 2018 vigilant actioner Satyamev Jayate and stars John Abraham and Divya Khosla Kumar as central characters. Milap Zaveri wields…

Makers of Chhalaang drop new poster ahead of trailer release

The makers of Chhalaang on Friday shared a brand-new poster of their upcoming film ahead of its trailer launch on Saturday. Starring Rajkummar Rao and Nushrat Bharucha in central characters, the movie is set to premiere on 13th November on leading streaming media platform Amazon Prime Video. Unveiling the new…

Rapes show double struggle of low-caste women in India

The victim of India's latest alleged gang rape faced the double discrimination of being born female and low caste, says her family, fearing she will get no justice in death either. They say it would all have been different if the 19-year-old victim of a brutal attack came from an…

Street vendor to IPL – the cricketing fairy tale of…

Teenage batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal sold street food and lived in tents to pursue his cricket dream, and now he is playing with top stars in the Indian Premier League. The 18-year-old left-hand batsman scored 400 runs in six one-day matches for India at this year's Under-19 World Cup, but it…

Nawazuddin Siddiqui cannot wait to get back on the sets

Award-winning Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is currently seen in Netflix’s Serious Men (2020), is waiting to resume work after staying at home for more than six months due to the ongoing pandemic. However, he is not in a desperate hurry to face cameras as everybody’s safety comes first for…

India police book hundreds over ‘foreign involvement’ in gang-rape protests

Indian police on Tuesday (6) accused foreign human rights groups and Muslim organisations of inciting caste tensions after widespread protests against their handling of a gang-rape and murder of a young Dalit woman. The assault last month of an "untouchable" Dalit teenager has sparked outrage across the country against rampant…

India gang-rape victim’s family get protection over reprisal fears

A court in India has ordered police to protect the family of a woman allegedly gang-raped and killed by four high-caste men, as her brother said they feared reprisals over the accusations. The 19-year-old woman was attacked in mid-September and died this week, sparking outrage and shining the spotlight again…

Police ban mass gatherings in Indian village after clashes erupted…

INDIAN POLICE imposed emergency laws on Thursday(1) in a village barring gatherings of more than five people after clashes erupted following the cremation of the gang-rape victim. The 19-year-old victim died from her injuries on Tuesday(29), having been attacked and gang-raped on September 14 in a field near her home…

Kangana Ranaut reacts to Hathras gangrape victim’s death

The death of a 19-year-old young girl in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after a brutal gangrape has shaken the entire country. Several celebrities from different realms of life have condemned the horrific incident which has brought back the chilling memories of the Nirbhaya gangrape of 2012. National Film…

Indian rape victim dies weeks after assault, hundreds protest at…

A woman from the lowest rung of India's caste system died on Tuesday (29) weeks after authorities said she was raped by a group of men, triggering protests in New Delhi with hundreds gathering at the hospital where her body lay. Her case was the latest in a string of…

Indian farmers block roads, railways as protests mount over farm…

Thousands of farmers in India blocked roads and railway tracks on Friday (25) in a protest against new legislation that they say could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers. Prime minister Narendra Modi's government has…

Indian man accused of slashing pregnant wife’s stomach ‘to check…

A man has been arrested in northern India after slashing his pregnant wife's stomach with a sickle, leaving her critically ill and causing the death of their unborn baby boy, police and her relatives said. The woman was in intensive care in a hospital in the capital, New Delhi, said…

Some Indian hospitals scramble for oxygen as coronavirus cases top…

INDIA's coronavirus infections surged past 5 million on Wednesday(16), piling pressure on hospitals grappling with unreliable supplies of oxygen that they need to treat tens of thousands of critical patients. In the big states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, that are also some of the worst-affected by the virus,…

Women grieve stillborn babies as Covid-19 hits maternity care in…

MANTASHA BANO was 28-weeks pregnant when her cries of sudden, unbearable pain prompted neighbours to call an ambulance in the rural Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It never came, and Bano's baby was stillborn. Medical workers in the northern state have reported a marked increase in stillbirths as the coronavirus…

Taj Mahal to reopen even as virus rages in India

INDIA's top tourist attraction the Taj Mahal is set to reopen more than six months after it was shut, officials said Tuesday (8), even as the vast nation battles soaring coronavirus infections. India, home to 1.3 million people, on Monday(7) overtook Brazil to become the world's second most-infected nation with…

On India’s COVID-19 frontline, female health workers push for fair…

Rushing from one home to another in a village in western India, health worker Ashwini Mhaske cannot afford to take a breather. Working to keep COVID-19 at bay while caring for mothers and babies, Mhaske races between households to meet job targets and earn bonuses for a average monthly wage…

BJP’s Varun Gandhi says Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders are his…

INDIAN politician and BJP MP Varun Gandhi described himself as a 'centre-left thinking person' in his new book and claimed that his writings prove the 'consistently progressive liberal record' of himself. In his recently launched book- India, Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders-Gandhi reveals that he is…

Prince Charles lauds BAPS community service as he marks Neasden…

PRINCE CHARLES has lauded the Hindu community and BAPS volunteers for supporting the needy and the most vulnerable during the pandemic in a special video message to mark the 25th anniversary of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London. Starting off with "namaste" and "Jai Swaminarayan", the Prince of Wales…

Back to the paddy fields. COVID smashes Indian middle-class dreams

Until late March, Ashish Kumar was helping to make plastic boxes for Ferrero Rocher praline chocolates and the plastic spoons tucked inside Kinder Joy eggs to scoop out the milky sweet cream inside. With a diploma in plastic mould technology, the 20-year-old had a foot on his chosen career ladder.…

Rural health crisis in India as the country may become…

INDIA’s government grapples with the Covid-19 outbreak that threatens to become the world’s most severe, reports The Times. India is the third-worst-hit country for Covid-19 cases, and catching up quickly with the US and Brazil in first and second place. Over 50,000 Indians have died since the outbreak began —…

Anees Bazmee holds off plans to resume Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2…

Filmmaker Anees Bazmee has confirmed that the entire team of his forthcoming directorial Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has decided against resuming shoot amid the rising cases of Coronavirus. The team, which had to put the shoot on hold after India went into complete lockdown in the month of March, was looking…

Quite a kahani from Kavita Jindal  

  By Amit Roy THERE will be more to say by and by about Kavita A Jindal’s debut novel, Manual For a Decent Life, which was published in February this year (Brighthorse Books; £14.65 from Amazon). Maybe I have led too sheltered a life, but I have to admit I…

Modi urges most-populous Indian states to ‘defeat corona’ by ramping…

INDIA'S ability to rein in a surging coronavirus outbreak hinges on its 10 most populous states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday (11), urging regional leaders to ramp up testing and contact tracing. India has more than 2.2 million confirmed coronavirus infections, the third highest tally after the US and…

Brutal heat, ‘pure’ cricket: stars owe debt to IPL’s no-frills…

Long before anyone had dreamed of the IPL's glitz and glamour, a provincial cricket tournament played in India's searing summer heat brought some of the country's greatest cricketers to national prominence. The annual Sheesh Mahal tournament in Lucknow ended after 59 years in 2010, just as the Indian Premier League…

Virus rages in smalltown India, and so does stigma

Sarthak Anand says his neighbours treated him like a "criminal" when he got coronavirus, a common experience in India's vast hinterland where the pandemic -- and stigmatisation -- are now raging. "Even though I have recovered fully, no one wants to come near me," Anand, a government employee, told AFP…

Ram temple will symbolise ‘spirit of social harmony, people’s zeal’,…

INDIAN PRESIDENT Ram Nath Kovind said on Wednesday (5) that laying of the foundation stone of Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya defines India's spirit of social harmony and people's zeal. He said it will be a testimony to ideals of 'Ram Rajya' and a symbol of modern India "Felicitations…

India’s long Ayodhya dispute as temple construction starts

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (5) started the construction for a Hindu temple on a site in northern India where a 16th century mosque was demolished by supporters of his Hindu nationalist party in 1992. The events in Ayodhya sparked communal riots in several parts of India. About…

Modi fulfils long-standing promise, launches construction of Ayodhya Ram temple

INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off the construction of a Lord Ram temple in the north Indian city of Ayodhya on a spot where a mosque was demolished nearly three decades ago. The event fulfils a long-standing promise by Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, and marks the…

Modi enjoys twin triumphs for India’s Hindu nationalists

NARENDRA MODI will on Wednesday (5) lay the foundation for a temple at a flashpoint holy site exactly a year after imposing direct rule on Muslim-majority Kashmir -- twin triumphs for his Hindu nationalist government. The site of Ayodhya and divided Kashmir have been two of the most divisive communal…

India awaits opening of controversial Ayodhya temple

AS Hindus prepare to celebrate the groundbreaking of a long-awaited temple at a ground in northern India, Muslims say they have no firm plans yet to build a new mosque at an alternative site they were granted to replace the one torn down by Hindu hard-liners decades ago. Wednesday's (5)…

Narendra Modi set to visit temple site despite minister having…

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will attend a foundation-laying ceremony for a Hindu temple on Wednesday (5), organisers said, even though his interior minister has contracted COVID-19. Amit Shah, who is Modi's top lieutenant as well as India's interior minister, was admitted to a private hospital near Delhi on Sunday,…

Indian politician Amar Singh, who died on Saturday, cremated in…

INDIAN politician and former Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh was cremated at the Chhatarpur crematorium in New Delhi in the presence of family members and relatives on Monday (3). The 64-year-old 'kingmaker' politician died in a Singapore hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments, on Saturday (1). Daughters…

India’s fugitive ‘Dr Death’, accused of dozens of murders, arrested

An Indian traditional-medicine doctor jailed for life for murdering truck drivers and feeding their remains to crocodiles has been caught after jumping parole while on release for good behaviour, Indian police said. Devendra Kumar Sharma, 62, was arrested by Delhi police in the capital late Tuesday. In January he failed…

India’s greatest movie turns 60

REMARKABLE STORY OF THE MUGHAL-E-AZAM MASTERPIECE AND ITS INCREDIBLE LEGACY by ASJAD NAZIR THIS week marks the 60th anniversary of Bollywood’s greatest film K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam, which smashed box office records and set new benchmarks when it released to great fanfare on August 5, 1960. The K Asif directed epic…

Indian firms struggle to lure migrant workers back

Spurning free air tickets, accommodation and higher pay, millions of migrant workers who fled India's cities when coronavirus hit are too scared to return, with grim implications for the already crumbling economy. Migrant labourers form the backbone of Asia's third-biggest economy toiling in every sector from making consumer goods and…

Kailash Budhwar: Tributes paid to first Indian head of BBC’s…

By Amit Roy KAILASH NATH BUDHWAR, a broad­caster, writer, director and presenter who died last Saturday (11) at North­wick Park Hospital in Harrow, aged 88, was head of Hindi and Tamil at the BBC from 1979-1992, the first Indian to be appointed to the post. In those days, when the…

India reports record 32,695 new Covid-19 cases in a day

INDIA's total coronavirus cases reached 968,876 on Thursday (16) with a record 32,695 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll went up to 24,915, including 606 fatalities in a day. As many as 20,783 patients were cured on Wednesday (15), taking the recovery rate to 63.25…

Indian IT hub Bangalore locks down again

INDIA's IT hub Bangalore will go back into lockdown Tuesday (14) as the number of coronavirus cases in the country surged towards a million with about 500 people dying daily. After imposing one of the world's strictest lockdowns in late March, India has been steadily easing rules to lessen the…

Indian gangster accused of killing eight policemen shot dead

INDIAN police shot dead on Friday (10) a man who had been accused of ordering the killing of eight policemen when he tried to flee from officers who had taken him into custody after he surrendered, officials said. Vikas Dubey, who was on the run for over a week after…

Diamond city of India sees exodus of workers due to…

THOUSANDS of workers at the famed diamond units of Surat in Gujarat are leaving the city as the pandemic has left them in penury. Over 600,000 people were employed in more than 9,000 stone-cutting and polishing units in Surat, known worldwide for its $24 billion diamond industry. With the national…

India puts back Taj Mahal reopening citing COVID-19 risks

India has withdrawn a planned reopening of the Taj Mahal, citing the risk of new coronavirus infections spreading in the northern city of Agra from visitors flocking to see the 17th century monument to love. Local authorities issued a new advisory late on Sunday ordering an extension of lockdown curbs…

Alia Bhatt starrer Sadak 2 lands into legal trouble

A few days ago, during an Insta live chat Alia Bhatt announced that her film Sadak 2 will be releasing on Disney+ Hotstar soon. The movie is directed by Mahesh Bhatt and also stars Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, and Aditya Roy Kapur. After announcing the film on the Insta live,…

India reports 507 Covid-19 deaths in a day; its highest…

INDIA reported the highest single-day Covid-19 deaths at 507 on Wednesday (1) and fresh cases stand at 18,653. The total number of cases in the country jumped to 585,493 with 17,400 deaths. Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu accounting for over 70 per cent of the fatalities, according to the health ministry.  For…

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 to resume production in September

After a hiatus of almost three months in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Bollywood is gearing up to resume production in a couple of days. The much-awaited Hindi film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which is a sequel to the superhit 2007 horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa, still has 35 days of the…

India making significant efforts towards eliminating human trafficking, says US…

India made significant efforts towards the elimination of human trafficking in 2019, but did not fully meet the minimum standards, according to a US report. As such India remained on Tier 2 of the Congressional-mandated 2020 Trafficking in Persons report of the state department. Pakistan has been downgraded to the…

India’s Covid-19 death toll crosses 15,000; new record in single-day…

INDIA reported 17,296 Covid-19 cases on Friday (26), the country's highest single-day tally so far. With this India's tally jumped to 490,401, and the death toll climbed to 15,301 with 407 new fatalities. India registered over 14,000 cases for the seventh day in a row and witnessed a surge of 299,866…

India’s Covid-19 recovery rate improves to 57.42 per cent; total…

INDIA reported 16,922 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday (25), its highest single-day tally so far. With this, the total cases in the country climbed to 473,105. A total of 271,696 patients have been cured so far of coronavirus in India. The recovery rate in the country is 57.42 per cent…

India’s Covid-19 cases reach 456,183; nearly 16,000 new cases in…

INDIA reported nearly 16,000 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this the total tally surged to 456,183 on Wednesday (24). A total of 10,495 Covid-19 patients have recovered in a day, the health ministry said. The country reported 15,968 positive cases and 465 deaths in the last…

Dozens of girls at India abuse shelter contract Covid-19

DOZENS of girls from a state-run shelter for runaways and victims of sexual abuse -- including seven who are pregnant -- have tested positive for coronavirus, Indian officials said, raising fears about its spread in institutional homes. A probe was launched after almost 60 out of 171 vulnerable girls contracted…

India’s Covid-19 tally at 425,282; death toll at 13,699

INDIA's Covid-19 cases reached 425,282 on Monday (22) with 14,821 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll rose to 13,699 with 445 new fatalities, according to the health ministry. The country crossed the 400,000-mark on Sunday (21) eight days after recording 300,000 Covid-19 cases and has…

India’s Covid-19 cases near 400,000; reports 14,516 cases in a…

INDIA on Saturday (20) saw another record spike of 14,516 new Covid-19 cases in a single-day, pushing the tally to 3,95,048, while the death toll rose to 12,948 with 375 new fatalities, according to the health ministry. The number of recoveries continued to surge with 213,830 patients cured so far,…

India reports highest single day tally of 13,586 Covid-19 cases

INDIA saw another record spike of 13,586 new Covid-19 cases in a single-day on Friday (19), pushing the tally to 380,532, while the death toll rose to 12,573 with 336 new fatalities, according to the health ministry. The number of recoveries crossed the 200,000-mark and stands at 204,710, while there…

India’s reports 366,946 Covid-19 cases; 12,881 new cases in a…

INDIA registered 12,881 new Covid-19 cases as on Thursday (18), the highest single day tally so far. With this, the total cases jumped to 366,946 and the death toll reached 12,237, the health ministry said. At least 334 people succumbed to death in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu…

Germany advises citizens to consider leaving India as Covid-19 toll…

INDIA's official coronavirus death toll leapt by more than 2,000 to reach 11,903 on Wednesday (17) as Germany advised its nationals to consider leaving the country because of growing health risks. Mumbai revised its toll up by 862 to 3,165 because of unspecified accounting "discrepancies" while New Delhi saw a…

India records biggest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases at 11,458

INDIA reported its biggest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases on Saturday (13), adding 11,458 confirmed infections and taking total count to 308,993,, according to data from the health ministry. The death toll rose to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities, it said. The country has 145,779 active cases while 154,329 people…

Southall road honouring general who crushed India’s 1857 uprising set…

THE Ealing Council has said it will launch a statutory consultation over renaming a road in Southall -- known as "Little Punjab" -- after the founder of Sikh faith, Guru Nanak. The proposal to rename a section of Havelock Road as "Guru Nanak Road" came to the fore as Sadiq…

India reports 357 Covid-19 deaths in a day; highest so…

THE death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 8,102 and the number of cases climbed to 286,579 in India after the country registered the highest single-day spike of 357 fatalities and 9,996 cases on Thursday (11). According to the health ministry, the number of recoveries remained more than the active…

Big B on how Gulabo Sitabo character tested his capability

by ASJAD NAZIR IN HIS younger days, Amitabh Bachchan became the biggest commercial Bollywood star in history, but in his latter years, he has perhaps become the most versatile and delivered a range of roles never seen before by contemporaries. The 77-year-old’s roles range from playing a 12-year-old with progeria…

India’s Covid-19 cases jump to 276,583

INDIA's Covid-19 cases climbed to 276,583 on Wednesday (10) with 9,985 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The country registered  279 fatalities in a day. The death toll now stands at 7,745, the health ministry said. India is the fifth worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic after the…

India becomes the fifth worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic…

THE death toll due to the Covid-19 pandemic in India rose to 7,135 and the number of cases climbed to 256,611, after it registered 206 fatalities and a record single-day spike of 9,983 cases till Monday (8), the health ministry said. Now, India is the fifth worst-hit nation by the…

India surpasses Italy to become sixth worst-hit nation by Covid-19

INDIA went past Italy to become the sixth worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic with the country registering a record single-day spike of 9,887 cases which pushed the nationwide tally to 236,657. India's death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 6,642 with a record increase of 294 deaths in the…

India’s single day Covid-19 tally nears 10,000

INDIA saw a record single-day jump of 9,851 Covid-19 cases and 273 deaths on Friday (5), pushing the nationwide infection tally to 2,26,770 and the death toll to 6,348, according to the health ministry. India stood seventh among the nations worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic after the US, Brazil,…

India reports over 9,300 new Covid-19 cases in a day…

THE Covid-19 cases in India saw a record single-day jump of 9,304 cases on Thursday (4) pushing the total tally to 2,16,919, while the death toll climbed to 6,075 with 260 new fatalities, according to the health ministry. India stood seventh among the nations worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic…

Bollywood star, Michelin chef come to the rescue of India’s…

It was past midnight on Sunday when tailor Faruk Mansoori, his last savings exhausted by the coronavirus lockdown, made up his mind to cycle from Mumbai to his village 1,500 kilometres away. In a last-ditch cry for help, his friend tweeted actor Sonu Sood after seeing pictures on Facebook of…

India’s Covid-19 tally stands at 207,615; death toll nears 6,000

INDIA registered a record jump of 8,909 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 207,615 on Wednesday (3), while the toll rose to 5,815 with 217 more deaths, the health ministry said. The number of active cases mounted to 101,497 and 100,302 people have recovered, while…

Nearly 200 migrant workers killed on India’s roads during coronavirus…

Nearly 200 migrant workers died in road accidents in India while returning to their village homes during the world's longest coronavirus lockdown, a charity said on Tuesday (2). Tens of thousands of people walked home from India's big cities after losing their jobs when one of the world's strictest lockdowns…

India’s Covid-19 cases reach 190,535

THE death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 5,394 and the number of cases climbed to 1,90,535 in India on Monday (1). The country reported record 230 deaths and 8,392 cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. India is now seventh among the nations worst hit by…

Taj Mahal damaged in deadly India thunderstorm

A deadly thunderstorm that rolled across parts of northern India damaged sections of the Taj Mahal complex, including the main gate and a railing running below its five lofty domes, officials said Sunday (31). One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, India's top tourist attraction has been shut…

India’s fabulous new funny girl

BREAKOUT STAR SALONI GAUR ON COMEDY AND HER SUCCESS by Asjad Nazir WHILE most of the entertainment industry has been sitting idly at home during the global lockdown, incredible heroes have emerged and one of the biggest has been young Indian sensation Saloni Gaur. The 20-year-old from Bulandsahar in Uttar…

India’s Covid-19 cases jump to 158,333

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,531 and the number of cases climbed to 1,58,333 in India on Thursday (28). The country reported 6,566 cases and 194 deaths in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said. The number of active COVID-19 cases stand at 86,110 while 67,691 people…

India wilts under heatwave as temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius

INDIA is wilting under a heatwave, with the temperature in places reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and the capital enduring its hottest May day in nearly two decades. The hot spell is projected to scorch northern India for several more days, the Meteorological Department said, "with severe heat…

India’s COVID-19 cases jump to 151,767

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,337 and the total number of cases climbed to 1,51,767 in India on Wednesday (27). The country has reported 170 deaths and 6,387 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at…

India to surpass Turkey, China in COVID-19 death toll soon

INIDA, the second largest populous country after China, reported 6,535 new COVID-19 cases and 146 fresh deaths in the last 24 hours. With this, the number of cases climbed to 1,45,380 and the death toll reached 4,167 on Tuesday (26). India now stands 10th in terms of number of infections…

India reports record 6,977 new COVID-19 cases in a day

INDIA registered biggest single day spike of COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day on Monday (25) with 6,977 new infections, reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country's tally to 1,38,845. The deadly virus has claimed 4,021 lives in the country, the health ministry said.  A total 154 deaths…

India reports record jump in COVID-19 cases; 137 deaths in…

THE COVID-19 cases in India saw the biggest spike for the second consecutive day on Saturday (23) with 6,654 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 125,101. With 137 fresh deaths, the toll rose to 3,720, the health ministry said. The active cases rose to 69,597,…

Ghoomketu movie review: This Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer fails to impress

Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Ghoomketu was announced in 2014. The film has been in the pipeline from the past six years and today, finally it has got a digital release on the OTT platform Zee5. The movie revolves around a writer named Ghoomketu (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). He is from Mahona, a small…

Spiritual side of Saqib Saleem

THE TALENTED ACTOR ON RAMADAN, HIS EID PLANS AND A UNITED BELIEF IN HUMANITY by MOHNISH SINGH BOLLYWOOD actor Saqib Saleem has always celebrated Eid with his family, but due to the coronavirus lockdown, he may not be able to do the same this year. The rising star is currently…

India reports over 5,000 COVID-19 cases in a day; death…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,435 and the number of cases to 1,12,359 in India on Thursday (21), registering an increase of 132 deaths and 5,609 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 63,624, while…

COVID-19: India reports highest single day tally of 5,611

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,303 and the number of cases climbed to 1,06,750 in India on Wednesday (20), registering an increase of 140 deaths and a record spike of 5,611 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19…

India’s COVID-19 cases over 100,000; death toll over 3,000

INDIA's COVID-19 cases touched 100,000 mark on Tuesday (19). It took 64 days for the country to reach this level from 100 cases. India reported its first infection on January 30 in the Southern state of Kerala. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,163 and the number of…

India registers record 5,242 COVID-19 cases in a day; total…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,029 and the number of cases to 96,169 in the country on Monday (18), registering an increase of 157 deaths and a record jump of 5,242 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19…

Nawazuddin Siddiqui quarantined for 14 days at his house in…

Nawazuddin Siddiqui traveled from Mumbai to his native place Budhana in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The actor had taken the travel pass and along with a few family members he traveled in a private car from Mumbai to UP. According to a report in IANS, Nawazuddin reached Budhana on 15th May…

India’s COVID-19 cases cross China’s tally

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 2,752 in India and the number of cases climbed to 85,940 on Saturday (16). The country reported 103 deaths and 3,970 cases in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry. The country now crossed China's tally in total number of infections.…

India’s COVID-19 cases near 82,000; soon will cross China’s tally

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 2,649 in India and the number of cases climbed to 81,970 on Friday (15), the health ministry said.  The country has reported 100 new deaths and 3,967 new cases due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours. India, second largest populous country…

Modi masterplan means little to Indian migrant workers

Narendra Modi's grand announcement of a $265-billion rescue package for India is little comfort to Manish Verma, one of millions left destitute and desperate 50 days into a crippling coronavirus lockdown. "I don't trust Modi. We don't understand such big figures," Verma told AFP, trudging out of New Delhi under…

India likely to surpass China in COVID-19 tally; total cases…

THE total number of COVID-19 cases in India has jumped by 3,722 in past 24 hours, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 78,003 on Thursday (14), said the health ministry. The country is likely to surpass China in total number of cases soon. The overall confirmed cases on…

India’s COVID-19 death toll nears 2,500; cases over 74,000

AS India is all set to enter into the fourth phase of its lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the number of infections has jumped to 74,281 on Wednesday (13), the health ministry said. The deadly virus has claimed 2,415 lives so far in the country.  India has…

India reports over 70,000 COVID-19 cases; over 3600 deaths in…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 2,293 and the number of cases climbed to 70,756 in the country on Tuesday (12). The country reported 3,604 new cases and 87 fresh deaths in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the…

India registers record jump of 4,213 COVID-19 cases in 24…

INDIA on Monday (11) registered a record 4,213 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours in the country. With this the number of cases jumped to 67,152. As many as 2,206 people have died of the disease, with 97 fresh fatalities in a day, the health ministry said. The number of…

India’s COVID-19 cases near 60,000 in 100 days

AS India enters the last week of its official lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the COVID-19, the country reported nearly 60,000 cases as on Saturday (9). India reported its first case of infection in the Southern state of Kerala on January 30. The death toll due to the…

COVID-19: Deaths near 2,000 in India

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,886 and the number of cases climbed to 56,342 in India on Friday (8). The country reported 3,390 new cases and 103 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 37,916. While…

Drastic increase in COVID-19 cases in India; 3,561 new cases…

INIDA registers drastic increase in COVID-19 cases in the country in the past few days. The death toll due to COVID-19 in the country rose to 1,783 while the number of cases climbed to 52,952 on Thursday (7), registering an increase of 89 deaths and 3,561 cases in a day,…

India’s COVID-19 cases near 50,000; 126 deaths in a day

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,694 and the number of cases climbed to 49,391 in India on Wednesday (6), registering an increase of 126 deaths and 2,958 cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said. This is the second continuous day that the country reports…

COVID-19: 46,433 cases; 1,568 dead in India

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,568 and the number of cases climbed to 46,433 in India on Tuesday (5), the health ministry said.  The number of active cases stood at 32,138, while 12,726 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. The total number of…

COVID-19: India’s cases cross 37,000, death toll at 1,218

INDIA has recorded 2,293 new COVID-19 cases and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry. With this the total number of cases now stand at 37,336, and the virus claimed 1,218 lives as on Saturday (2). Maharashtra continued to remain the most-affected Indian state with a…

India’s COVID-19 death toll rises to 1,147; cases 35,043

THE death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,147 with 72 more fatalities and the number of cases climbed to 35,043 in India on Friday (1), the health ministry said. The ongoing lockdown in the country is set to end on Sunday (3). The active COVID-19 cases…

India’s COVID-19 death toll reaches 1,074 as lockdown ends on…

INDIA is likely to extend the lockdown in hotspots as death toll due to novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,074 on Thursday (30). Only three days left to end the 40-day lockdown announced by the country to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The country reported 66 more fatalities in…

India registers highest single day COVID-19 death toll of 73;…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,007 and the number of cases climbed to 31,332 in India on Wednesday (29), according to the health ministry. The states have recorded over 1,897 cases in last 24 hours, highest number of fresh cases reported in a single day since the…

COVID-19: India’s death toll nears 800; 52 deaths in a…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 775 and the number of cases climbed to 24,506 in the country on Saturday (25), according to the health ministry. The number of active cases stood at 18,668 while 5,062 people were cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the ministry…

India reports over 23,000 COVID-19 cases; 32 deaths in 24…

INDIA's death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 718 and the number of cases to 23,077 on Friday (24), said the health ministry. A total of 32 deaths were reported since Thursday evening, of which 14 fatalities were from Maharashtra, nine from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh and two each from…

India’s COVID-19 death toll nears 700; total cases 21,393

INDIA's health ministry on Thursday (23) said that the country's total COVID-19 cases have jumped to 21,393 with 681 deaths. A total of 29 deaths were reported since Wednesday evening, of which 18 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, eight from Gujarat, two from Rajasthan and one from Delhi, the ministry…

India’s COVID-19 cases near 20,000; death toll 640

INDIA has reported 1,383 fresh COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths in a day across the country. The total number of cases in India has gone up to 19,984, according to the data from the ministry of health on Wednesday (22). The death toll risen to 640. Currently, there are 15,474…

COVID-19: India’s death toll nears 600, over 18,000 positive cases

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 590 in India and the number of cases climbed to 18,601 on Tuesday (21), according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 14,759 while 3,251 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the…

COVID-19: India reports 17,265 cases, 543 deaths

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 543 and the number of cases climbed to 17,265 in the country on Monday (20), according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 14, 175 while 2,546 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has…

India’s COVID-19 cases rise to 14,378; Gujarat reports over 1,000…

Gujarat in western India became the sixth state to cross the 1,000 mark in COVID-19 cases in the country. The number of coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat rose to 1,272 after 176 new cases were reported on Saturday (18), a health department official said.     Ahmedabad reported 142 new COVID-19…

COVID-19: India reports 17 deaths in a day, five states…

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 437 and the number of cases to 13,387 in India on Friday (17), according to the health ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 11,201, as many as 1,748 people have been cured and discharged, and one had migrated,…

India allows rural poor to work in virus lockdown

Millions of people in rural India will be allowed back to work next week despite a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the government said Wednesday, as it conceded the hardships of shutting its vital farming economy were too great. Restrictions on movement in the world's second-most populous nation of 1.3 billion people…

COVID-19: India’s death toll jumps to 414

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 414 in India on Thursday (16) and the number of cases stands at 12,380 , said health ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases is 10,477, as many as 1,488 people have been cured and discharged and one had migrated, it…

COVID-19: India’s death toll nears 400; over 11,000 cases

THE death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 377 while the number of cases climbed to 11,439 on Wednesday (15), according to the health ministry. As many as 24 deaths have been reported since Tuesday evening, of which 18 were reported from Maharashtra, two each from Delhi and…

Shah Rukh Khan provides 25,000 PPE kits to Maharashtra

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Monday (13) provided 25,000 PPE kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state. Rajesh Tope, minister of public health and family welfare of Maharashtra, said the actor's contribution will help the healthcare workers immensely.…

COVID-19: India’s total cases near 10,000

The death toll due to COVID-19 pandemic rose to 308 on Monday (13) in India after 35 new fatalities were reported, while the number of cases climbed to 9,152, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 7,987, as many as 856 people have been…

COVID-19 spreads faster in India; 33 deaths in 24 hours

THE death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 239 and the number of cases to 7,447 in India on Saturday (11), according to the health ministry. The 7,447 figure includes 71 foreign nationals.   The death toll on Friday evening was 206. While the number of active COVID-19 cases is 6,565,…

COVID-19 death toll in India climbs to 199; 6412 cases

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 199 in India and the number of cases stands at 6,412 on Friday (10), according to the health ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases is 5,709, as many as 503 people were cured and discharged and one had migrated, it…

COVID-19: India reports 17 deaths in a day; toll nears…

THE death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 166 in India and the number of cases stands at 5,734 on Thursday (9), according to the health ministry. As many as 17 new deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours across the country, the ministry said. The…

India asks TikTok, Facebook to remove users spreading coronavirus misinformation

India has told Facebook and Chinese video app TikTok to remove users found to be spreading misinformation about the coronavirus following concern about videos intended to mislead Muslims, according to a government source and a letter seen by Reuters. The move follows a report by Delhi-based digital analytics firm Voyager…

COVID-19: 5,194 cases, 149 dead in India

THE death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases to 5,194 in India on Wednesday (8), according to the health ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases is 4,643, as many as 401 people were cured and discharged and one had migrated,…

COVID-19: India’s death toll jumps to 109; total cases 4,067

INDIA’s health ministry on Monday (6) said that 109 people in the country have died of COVID-19 so far and there are 4,067 confirmed cases. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 3,666, as many as 291 people were cured and discharged, and one has migrated, it said. The…

COVID-19: India’s death toll touches 50; total cases 1,965

THE number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,965 in the country on Thursday (2) while the death toll rose to 50, according to the Union health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,764, of which 150 people were either cured or discharged and one migrated to another…

COVID-19 death toll rises to 29 in India, total number…

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,071 in India on Monday (30), while the death toll rose to 29, according to the union health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 942, while 99 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated, the ministry stated.…

India’s COVID-19 cases swiftly heading 1000; 19 dead

THE number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 873 in India on Saturday (28) with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Health Ministry. The two fresh deaths occurred in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Thus, deaths have so far been reported from Maharashtra (5), Gujarat (3), Karnataka (2), Madhya…

India to go under total virus lockdown, says prime minister…

India's 1.3 billion people will go under "total lockdown" for 21 days to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, prime minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday, sparking panic buying with shoppers clearing out shelves. "From 12 midnight today (1830 GMT Tuesday), the entire country will be in lockdown, total lockdown,"…

Indian police ‘punishes’ lockdown violators

POLICE officers in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh are making citizens who break its lockdown hold up signs reading "I am a friend of coronavirus" or "I am the enemy of society", before posting their pictures on Twitter. Social media was also going abuzz with videos of policemen caning people…

Most of India under lockdown as coronavirus cases spike

India reported two COVID-19 deaths on Monday, taking the death toll to nine, and the number of cases climbed to 468 after 95 people tested positive for coronavirus, the highest jump in one day, as Maharashtra and Punjab were put under statewide curfews, the rest of the country in lockdown…

India shuts all public transport to combat virus

In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, India has decided to suspend all inter-state buses, passenger trains and metro services across the country till March 31. However, goods trains are exempted. Besides, 80 districts where COVID-19 cases were reported have been completely locked down. These are in Uttar…

India’s COVID-19 cases spurt to 415; seven died

THE number of COVID-19 cases in India has increased to 415 on Monday (23) from 360 cases on Sunday evening, , the health ministry said. The figure includes 41 foreign nationals and seven deaths. In the wake of the alarming situation, Indian government on Monday asked state governments to strictly…

India reports another coronavirus death, railways suspend passenger services

India reported one more coronavirus death on Sunday (22), taking the death toll to five even as the railways announced suspension of all its passenger services from March 22 midnight to March 31 midnight to help check the spread of the virus. Bihar also reported its first death due to…

Kanika Kapoor tests positive for coronavirus; Indian politicians ‘in trouble’

WHEN Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor was tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday (20), it sent panic waves among Indian parliamentarians. At the latest count, four Indian politicians are already under self-isolation. Reports state that the number may go up and even the president of India likely to be quarantined. The…

Sanya Malhotra on her role in Shakuntala Devi

Sanya Malhotra was last seen in filmmaker Ritesh Batra’s Photograph (2019) opposite National Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It has been more than a year since she has not graced the silver screen. The Dangal (2016) actress will next be seen in an upcoming biopic, titled Shakuntala Devi. The film is…

India confirms 43 COVID-19 cases, including three-year-old kid

THE number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 43 on Monday (9) with four people, including a three-year-old child in Kerala who had returned from Italy, testing positive for the disease, Health Ministry officials said. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu reported one case each, officials said. The new data suggests the spread…

Indians celebrate Holi festival of colours despite virus fears

Thousands of Indians welcomed spring in a rainbow of colours Thursday, celebrating the annual festival of Holi even as prime minister Narendra Modi said he would stay away from festivities due to the coronavirus outbreak. The ancient Hindu festival of Holi, which heralds the end of winter and the victory…

Air pollution ‘pandemic’ shortens lives by 3 years: study

A 'pandemic' of air pollution shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average, and causes 8.8 million premature deaths annually, scientists said Tuesday. Eliminating the toxic cocktail of molecules and lung-clogging particles cast off by burning oil, gas and coal would restore a full year of life expectancy, they…

Janhvi Kapoor showers praises on Roohi Afzana co-star Rajkummar Rao

Starring Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles, Roohi Afzana is one of the most-awaited movies of 2020. The film, produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films, is a horror-comedy set in a small-town of Uttar Pradesh. While Rajkummar Rao has previously starred in a successful horror-comedy called Stree…

GSI quashes reports on India’s gold rush

THE Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Saturday (22) refuted reports on the discovery of gold deposits estimated to be about 3,000 tonnes in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. "Such data was not given by anybody from GSI.... GSI has not estimated such kind of vast resource of…

India discovers gold deposits of about 3,000 tonnes

INDIA has discovered at least 3,000 tonnes of gold deposits, worth about Rs 14 trillion, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The volume of ore estimated by the Geological Survey of India at two mining blocks in Sonbhadra ditrict is nearly five times India’s official gold reserve of 626 tonnes.…

Indian Railways ‘reserves’ seat for Lord Shiva

LORD SHIVA had a berth reserved for Him probably for the first time ever on a train, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Kashi Mahakal Express from Varanasi on Sunday (16). Railways authorities are mulling if they should make the reservation for the "Bhole Baba" a permanent feature of the…

India sets up independent trust to build Ram Temple

INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government’s decision to set up a temple trust to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday (February 5). The government has also decided to transfer the 67.703 acres of land to the trust. The trust will be called ‘Sri…

Police kill man holding 20 women and children hostage in…

Police shot dead a man holding around 20 women and children hostage at his house in northern India after a 10-hour standoff, state officials said on Friday (31). The hostages who were held at gunpoint were safe, principal secretary home Awanish Kumar Awasthi said after the raid at the house…

India police decommission historic British-era rifles

Police in northern India on Sunday (26) bid goodbye to the historic British-era bolt-action rifles after using them for one last salute during the annual Republic Day parade. The Lee-Enfield .303 rifle was the main firearm of British colonial military forces and, despite being designated "obsolete" around 25 years ago,…

Ajay Devgn thanks Yogi Adityanath for making Tanhaji tax-free in…

Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, and Kajol starrer Tanjahi: The Unsung Warrior has taken the box office by storm. The film has collected Rs 75.68 crore in four days and it is expected to do well at the box office in the coming days. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government declared…

Giant new rallies slam Indian government’s citizenship law

Tens of thousands of people protested across India on Friday (3) against a citizenship law passed by the Hindu nationalist government that critics say discriminates against Muslims. Some 30,000 marched in the southern city of Bangalore, more than 20,000 in Siliguri and thousands in Chennai, while big rallies were also…

Local community pledges savings to build first transgender school in…

After dropping out of school aged 12, transgender woman Guddi Kinnar resorted to dancing at weddings and other religious ceremonies to earn money, acutely aware that her lack of education was a major obstacle to obtaining a regular job. To ensure other youngsters don't end up in the same predicament,…

No place for violence, ‘revenge’ in India: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in Lucknow on Monday (30) hit out at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, saying there is no place for violence or "revenge" in the country. In a jibe at the chief minister days after he had said that those who had damaged public assets would…

Abhimanyu Dassani gets into the training mode for Nikamma

Abhimanyu Dassani, the son of former Bollywood actor Bhagyashree, made his acting debut with RSVP Movies’ Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Though the film did not leave the cash registers jingling, people appreciated Dasaani’s performance and hard work that he put into perfecting his character in it. After Mard Ko…

Internet Shutdowns: India’s mobile operators losing millions in lost revenue

INDIAN mobile operators are losing around Rs 24.5 million or £267391 in revenue every hour they are forced to suspend internet services on government orders to control protests against a new citizenship law, a top lobby group said on Friday (27). Countrywide protests have raged for three weeks after India's…

Thousands protest in rival demonstrations over new India law

Thousands protested in rival demonstrations in India on Friday (27) as tensions deepen over a citizenship law seen as anti-Muslim, with authorities deploying huge numbers of riot police in the country. Twenty-seven people have died in two weeks of at times violent demonstrations after Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi's…

Muslim fury grows after protest deaths in Indian neighbourhood

Zaheer Ahmed had just returned home from work in northern India last Friday afternoon and stepped out for a smoke before lunch. Minutes later, he was dead, shot in the head. His death, and the killing by gunfire of four other Muslim men the same afternoon in the mainly Muslim…

Don’t worry, Modi tells India’s Muslims

Prime minister Narendra Modi sought on Sunday (22) to reassure India's Muslims over a new citizenship law that has sparked deadly protests and put his Hindu nationalist government under pressure like never before. At least 25 people have died in almost two weeks of demonstrations and violence after Modi's government…

India death toll rises in clashes over citizenship law

Six more protesters died in India Friday in fresh clashes between police and demonstrators, taking the death toll to 15 in more than a week of unrest triggered by a citizenship law seen as anti-Muslim. The law -- which makes it easier for persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries to…

Indian court hands life term to ex-lawmaker for rape

A COURT sentenced a former lawmaker from India's ruling party to life imprisonment for raping a teenager, his lawyer said on Friday (20), the highest-ranking Indian politician to get such a significant jail term in recent years. Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in the northern state…

Delhi cuts mobiles as India protests rage nationwide

Indian authorities cut cellphone access in parts of Delhi on Thursday (19) and fresh violence erupted elsewhere, as thousands of protestors nationwide defied bans on assembly in growing anger at a new citizenship law seen as anti-Muslim. Police and demonstrators clashed in Uttar Pradesh state as security forces bundled demonstrators…

India court convicts former ruling lawmaker of teen rape

A former ruling party lawmaker was convicted on Monday (16) of raping a teenager in a high-profile case that underscored India's rampant sexual violence and the impunity enjoyed by the elite. Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a powerful four-time state legislator for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was found guilty of raping…

UP hangman ready to execute Nirbhaya convicts, his grandfather hanged…

The hangman at the Meerut prison on Friday (13) indicated that he is ready to carry out the execution in the Tihar Jail of the men convicted of raping and murdering Nirbhaya in 2012. Pawan Jallad, who is a third-generation hangman, said his grandfather had carried out the hanging of…

Mortal remains of 14 Indians to be flown from Sudan…

THE mortal remains of the 14 Indians identified so far after the horrific fire tragedy at a ceramics factory here last week will be sent to India from Tuesday (10), according to the Indian mission in Sudan. The Indian Embassy, citing reports, had earlier said that 18 Indians were among…

Indian police kill four men suspected of gang rape, murder

Indian police shot dead four men on Friday (6) who were suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad city, drawing applause from her family and hundreds of citizens outraged over sexual violence against women. The men had been in police custody and were shot dead near the…

As outrage mounts over rape in India, victim set ablaze…

A 23-year-old rape victim was set ablaze by a gang of men, including the alleged rapist, as she made her way to court in the northern India on Thursday, police said, stirring public outrage and shame over the scourge of crimes against women. During the past week, thousands of Indians…

Half of Indians forced to pay bribe last year

OVER half of Indians (51 per cent) paid bribe to government officials, including the police, in the country last year, latest data showed. The report has come when the government vows to create a system without corruption. Those who responded to the survey questionnaire said bribes were most commonly asked…

Economic insecurity of youths to shape India’s politics: Report

AMID a growth slowdown and unemployment issues, India's politics will be increasingly shaped by the economic insecurity of its vast youth population, the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a research note on Friday (22). The issue of unemployment and underemployment has been an unavoidable topic in India's politics and slower…

Leading Muslim groups to challenge India holy site court ruling

Two leading Muslim groups said on Sunday (17) they will file petitions in India's top court challenging its decision to award Hindus control of a bitterly disputed holy site that has sparked deadly inter-religious violence. The Supreme Court ruled on November 9 that the holy site in Ayodhya, where Hindu…

Ayodhya: Top court verdict expected tomorrow

CITIES and towns across India are on a state of alert ahead of a crucial Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya tomorrow (9). More than 5,000 paramilitary force members and police have been deployed in the northern town of Ayodhya, where an ancient mosque was razed in 1992 by hardline Hindus…

India deploys security, social media monitors ahead of divisive temple…

India has deployed thousands of additional security forces and roped in about 16,000 "digital volunteers" to sanitise social media of inflammatory posts ahead of a crucial Supreme Court verdict on a disputed religious site. Hindus and Muslims have for decades been bitterly divided over the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya,…

South Africa to start fresh attempt to seize Guptas’ money…

SOUTH AFRICAN authorities are to launch a fresh attempt to seize the billions of rands that Indian-origin Gupta brothers illegally took out of the country after allegedly acquiring it through irregular deals with state departments, a media report said. According to the report in Sunday Times, the Asset Forfeiture Unit…

India’s epic legal battle over religious site in Ayodhya

The end, perhaps, is now nigh in the epic legal dispute over a religious site that has sparked thousands of deaths, with India's top court wrapping up hearings on Wednesday. Judges are now expected to rule on the ownership of the area claimed by both Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya…

Man burying daughter finds newborn alive in Indian grave

A man digging a grave in northern India found a newborn girl buried alive, police said Monday (14), in the latest case to shine a spotlight on female infanticide in the country. Hitesh Sirohi had gone to bury his own daughter, who died a few minutes after birth on Wednesday,…

Ananya Panday is in love with Lucknow

Ananya Panday, who entered showbusiness with Dharma Productions’ college-caper Student of the Year 2 (2019), will be next seen in her second outing Pati Patni Aur Woh. The actress had signed the film even before the release of SOTY 2. The major part of the film has been shot in…

Uttar Pradesh student becomes British High Commissioner for a Day

AYESHA KHAN, a native of northern Indian city of Gorakhpur, won the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition and the chance to be the UK’s top diplomat to India. She spent the day overseeing the UK’s largest overseas network, chairing briefing sessions, networking with dignitaries, and meeting project beneficiaries. Khan,…

Al-Qaeda’s South Asian chief killed in Afghanistan

India-born Asim Umar, the chief of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), has been killed during a joint US-Afghan raid on a Taliban hideout in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Afghan officials said on Tuesday (8). Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had announced the formation of the AQIS to take the fight…

Extradited Indian man accused of rape and murder charged on…

An Indian man accused of rape and murder in the UK ten years ago has been charged with the crimes as he landed in London after being extradited from India, Scotland Yard said. Aman Vyas, 35, landed at Heathrow Airport on Friday (4) night and will appear before Uxbridge Magistrates'…

Over 1,600 die in India’s heaviest monsoon season

THE heaviest monsoon rains to lash India in 25 years have killed more than 1,600 people since June, government data showed on Tuesday (1), as authorities battled floods in two northern states and muddy waters swirled inside a major city. The monsoon, which typically lasts between June and September, has…

Deaths from heavy rains jump to nearly 140 in eastern…

THE death toll in eastern India from torrential late monsoon rains has risen to nearly 140, officials said Tuesday (1) as hospitals and schools were inundated with dirty rainwater. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the current monsoon has been the heaviest since 1994, classifying it "above normal", and…

Floods kill 113 in north India

HEAVY rains have killed at least 113 people in India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states over the past three days, officials said on Monday (30), as floodwaters swamped a major city, inundated hospital wards and forced the evacuation of inmates from a jail. India's monsoon season that begins in June…

At least 44 killed in India floods

AT LEAST 44 people were killed and thousands moved to relief camps because of flooding caused by torrential rains in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state, officials said Saturday (28). Densely populated regions on the banks of two main rivers in the state, which are overflowing because of incessant rainfall in…

Rampur to launch new Indian single malt in London

INDIAN company Radico Khaitan’s Rampur is launching a new expression, Rampur Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky, this weekend (September 28-29) at the Whisky Show in London. Available from October, Rampur Double Cask Single Malt is a handcrafted single malt whisky matured in hand-selected American Bourbon barrels, as well as…

India’s Karnataka becomes favourite state for foreign students

INDIA gets maximum foreign students from Nepal followed by Afghanistan while Karnataka is the favourite city for foreigners to pursue higher education in India, according to the data from country’s ministry of human resource development (HRD). The number of males is higher than that of female students from foreign countries…

India police arrest former BJP minister after rape claim

Indian police on Friday (20) arrested a former minister from prime minister Narendra Modi's party after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman. Swami Chinmayanand, 73, a former internal affairs minister, is the second senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party to face sex charges in recent months.…

Meera Deosthale talks about her new show Vidya

Popular television actress Meera Deosthale, who was last seen in Colors’ long-running show Udaan, is quite excited about her new show Vidya on the same channel. The television series, which premiered on 9th September, stars the actress in the role of an English teacher who does not know the language.…

Jimmy Sheirgill on starring in P se Pyaar F se…

Jimmy Sheirgill is surely one of the most underrated actors of Bollywood. He has been a part of many films where he has impressed us with his performance. He will next be seen on the big screen in a film titled P se Pyaar F se Farraar which is based…

Super fan of the week – Alia Bhatt

Crown princess of Bollywood Alia Bhatt has ruled the box office with successful films and conquered the hearts of fans around the world. One of her most dedicated admirers is super fan Khushi Agarwal from Uttar Pradesh in India. Eastern Eye caught up with Khushi to find out more. What first…

Super 30 becomes first film to get tax exemption in…

The Hrithik Roshan starrer Super 30 (2019) is unstoppable at the domestic box-office. Released on 12th July, 2019, the film is currently running in its fourth week, drawing audiences from every section of the society. After entering the coveted ₹ 100 crore club in ten days, Super 30 is now…

PepsiCo invests £61m in India’s Uttar Pradesh

PEPSICO India has announced its plan to invest Rs 5.14 billion (£61 million) over three years, to set up a greenfield snacks manufacturing plant in Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The new investment plan is in line with PepsiCo’s goal to double its snacks business in the country by…

Thousands flee disputed Kashmir region after alert; India says it…

Thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers began leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after a local government alert over possible militant attacks, and India said it killed at least five militants who were trying to attack its forces. Indian security officials said on Friday they had found evidence of…

India’s top court moves politician’s rape trial over intimidation fears

India's Supreme Court on Thursday (1) moved the rape trial of a powerful regional politician to the capital, New Delhi, to allay fears he could influence the outcome, a further embarrassment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case against Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a BJP legislator from northern Uttar…

Outrage mounts in India over rape case teen’s suspicious car…

Fresh protests erupted in India on Tuesday (30) amid growing public fury over a car crash that critically injured a teenager who accused a lawmaker from the ruling party of rape and harassment. Two of the 19-year-old's aunts were killed and her lawyer was badly injured when a truck collided…

Suspicions over car crash that hospitalised Indian teenager who accused…

An Indian teenager who accused a senior politician of rape is fighting for her life after being critically injured in a car crash that killed two relatives, raising suspicions of foul play. Her lawyer was also badly injured in the accident, which occurred in northern Uttar Pradesh state Sunday when…

Janhvi Kapoor to dive into digital world

Janhvi Kapoor has become one of the most sought-after actresses in Bollywood despite the fact that she has done only one film so far. The daughter of veteran actress Sridevi and filmmaker Boney Kapoor, Janhvi made her acting debut with Dharma Productions’ Dhadak (2018) alongside Ishaan Khatter. The movie turned…

Monsoon toll climbs 650 as rains unleash flood fury in…

SEVERE floods and lightning have claimed the lives of more than 650 people across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, officials said Monday (22) as the annual monsoon took its toll on the rainfed region. More than 10 million people in the South Asian countries have been affected by the deluge,…

Hrithik Roshan says Super 30’s success makes him feel what…

Hrithik Roshan starrer Super 30 is doing quite well at the box office. In its second weekend, the film collected Rs 23.75 crore and the till date total collection is around Rs 99 crore. The movie will enter the 100 crore club today and recently while talking to a daily,…

Dikshit: The affable politician who gave Delhi its modern look

SHEILA Dikshit was one of the tallest leaders of the Congress who had the distinction of being Delhi's longest serving chief minister and giving the national capital Delhi its modern look. A warm and affable politician, she was a loyalist of the Gandhi family. She was handpicked by Rajiv Gandhi…

Exclusive: “Thankful, humbled and honoured for the response that For…

Avantika Khattri plunged into Hindi films with the 2013 war-comedy War Chhod Na Yaar, also featuring Sharman Joshi and Soha Ali Khan in central characters. Though being in front of the camera always fascinated her, acting was not the only thing that she had on her mind when she entered…

Team Kargil Girl to head off to Georgia to shoot…

Janhvi Kapoor, who made her silver screen debut with Dharma Productions’ Dhadak in 2018, will be next seen in Kargil Girl, which again is a Dharma Productions’ film, produced by Karan Johar. Kargil Girl is a biopic on IAF officer Gunjan Saxena, the first woman combat aviator who entered the…

Sonakshi Sinha gives clarification on cheating allegations against her

Sonakshi Sinha is one actress who has a very clean image and she has always been away from controversies. But recently, the actress was in the news as the UP police visited her place. Well, last year, an event organiser had accused Sonakshi of not attending an event in Delhi…

TV star Namish Taneja had a close shave

Mumbai monsoon is wreaking havoc on everyone! With the city witnessing the heaviest rainfall in over ten years, the normal life has come to a halt. Heavy monsoon has claimed several lives so far with a number of incidents of accidents, wall collapse, and land caving being reported all across…