Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

India seeks divine intervention to deter serial spitters

India has sought divine intervention to rid its government buildings of the scourge of spitting- wall tiles imprinted with the images of gods.

Officials in Uttar Pradesh state have installed tiles with images of Hindu gods and goddesses in "vulnerable" corners of government buildings where reddish brown sprays from chewing tobacco mixtures are a common sight.


Few public spaces are spared from spitting in India. Those chewing the hugely popular handmade paan mixtures of tobacco and betal nut are serial offenders, leaving a pungent stain on any surface coated with the residue.

In Shahjahanpur district, roughly 225 kilometres from the capital Lucknow, officials fed up with the mess have turned to the gods for inspiration.

"We got CCTV cameras installed, and also deployed staff to check spitting, but it was of no use," district official TK Shibu told The Press Trust of India.

"So as an experiment, we are trialling these tiles of gods and goddesses."

The move comes shortly after the state's new leader Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand Hindu priest, announced a ban on chewing tobacco in government premises after encountering a spit-stained office in Lucknow last week.

Similar efforts have been rolled out, with mixed success, to deter public urination in India, with the images of gods often seen on walls and corners across its cities.

More For You

Pakistan flag

Singh, the JUI-F nominee, hails from the Malik Deen Khel tribe in Bara, Khyber district.

Getty Images

Sikh leader from Pakistan’s Khyber district elected to KPK assembly

A SIKH religious leader, Gurpal Singh, has been elected unopposed to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly on a seat reserved for minorities and allocated to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), the provincial election commission announced on Thursday.

Singh, the JUI-F nominee, hails from the Malik Deen Khel tribe in Bara, Khyber district.

Keep ReadingShow less
travel disruption UK weather

Yellow warnings remain across England and Scotland throughout the weekend

iStock

Severe thunderstorms to bring flooding and travel disruption across England

Highlights

  • An amber thunderstorm warning is in place for parts of south-east and eastern England from 04:00 to 11:00 on Saturday
  • Rainfall could reach up to 100mm in a few hours, risking flash flooding and widespread disruption
  • Frequent lightning, large hail, and gusty winds are expected, affecting travel and infrastructure
  • Yellow warnings remain across England and Scotland throughout the weekend
  • Soil dryness from recent heatwaves increases risk of surface runoff and flooding
  • Hosepipe bans remain unaffected due to limited groundwater recharge

Met Office issues amber warning ahead of torrential rain and storms

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for thunderstorms on Saturday morning, covering parts of south-east and eastern England. The warning is in effect from 04:00 to 11:00, with accompanying yellow alerts stretching across much of England and Scotland.

The warning highlights the potential for torrential rainfall, with 20–40mm expected in just an hour and isolated areas seeing up to 100mm within a few hours—more than a month’s worth of rain. This is likely to result in flash flooding, transport delays, and other significant disruption.

Keep ReadingShow less
Prithvi

The Prithvi-II missile has a range of around 350 kms and can carry a payload of up to 500 kgs.

DRDO and Doordarshan

India test-fires nuclear-capable missiles; Akash Prime tested in Ladakh

INDIA on Thursday successfully test-fired nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles Prithvi-II and Agni-I from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.

The launches were carried out by the Strategic Forces Command and demonstrated India's strategic deterrence capability, the defence ministry said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marco Rubio

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a 'front and proxy' of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. (Photo: Getty Images)

US designates Kashmir attack group TRF as terrorist outfit

THE UNITED STATES on Thursday designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group blamed for the April attack in Kashmir, as a terrorist organisation. The attack had triggered the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diane Abbott

Diane Abbott has been suspended again by Labour after repeating comments about different forms of racism in a radio interview.

Getty Images

Labour suspends Diane Abbott again over race comments

THE LABOUR PARTY has suspended Diane Abbott, the UK’s longest-serving female MP, after she repeated remarks on racism that had previously led to her suspension.

Abbott, a prominent figure in British left-wing politics and the first Black woman elected to parliament, was initially suspended by Labour in 2023 after she said the prejudice faced by Jewish people was similar to, but not the same as, racism.

Keep ReadingShow less