Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian politician toilet video goes viral

AN Indian ruling party politician has been left red-faced after a video of him urinating in public went viral on World Toilet Day, despite government efforts to stop people relieving themselves in the open.

Ram Shinde, a minister for water conservation in the western state of Maharashtra, was filmed answering the call of nature in a field by the side of a road Saturday.


The clip spread online the following day. November 19 marks the United Nations' official World Toilet Day, which aims to raise awareness about the health risks caused by a lack of lavatories.

Shinde, a member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, defended his actions with an excuse familiar to many, effectively saying: "When you've got to go, you've got to go".

"I have been travelling continuously for the last one month reviewing the Jalyukta Shivar scheme," he told an international news source, referring to drought-prone Maharashtra's water conservation programme.

"Continuous travelling in high temperatures and dust made me ill. I was suffering from fever and when I couldn't find a toilet while travelling, I had to relieve myself in the open."

India is notorious for its lack of toilets. Some 70 percent of Indian households do not have them while around 600 million people, nearly half the population, defecate in the open, according to UNICEF.

Three years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to build toilets for everyone by 2019.

The government has so far helped install more than 50 million lavatories across the country of 1.25 billion people and has been encouraging citizens to break old habits and use them.

International news outlets said the incident occurred on a stretch of road between the cities of Barshi and Solapur in the south west of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the state capital.

(AFP)

More For You

Asian Green politician claims party purges gender-critical voices

Dr Pallavi Devulapalli (Photo: X/@doctorpallavi)

Asian Green politician claims party purges gender-critical voices

A FORMER Green Party health spokesperson has accused the party of shifting away from its core values and trying to silence members with gender-critical views.

Dr Pallavi Devulapalli, a general practitioner and local councillor in King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, was expelled from the Green Party this month. She claimed her removal was linked to her views on transgender rights, not to a rule violation as stated by the party. “They didn’t come out and say it was about gender. So they expelled me on a technicality,” she was quoted as saying.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sadiq Khan pushes ahead with Oxford Street pedestrian plan
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan pushes ahead with Oxford Street pedestrian plan

LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that Oxford Street will be pedestrianised “as quickly as possible” following strong backing in a public consultation. The move comes as part of wider efforts to revive the West End’s shopping appeal.

The consultation, which gathered over 6,600 responses from businesses, residents and organisations, showed two-thirds support for the mayor’s proposal to ban most traffic from a 0.7-mile stretch of Oxford Street, the Guardian reported. The plan includes space for outdoor cafés, events and improved public areas.

Keep ReadingShow less
MIT-Anantha_Chandrakasan

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. (Photo credit: MIT)

MIT

Prof Chandrakasan becomes MIT's first Indian-American provost

PROF ANANTHA CHANDRAKASAN has been appointed as the new provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), becoming the first Indian-American to take on the role. Currently serving as MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering, Chandrakasan will assume his new position on July 1.

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. She said he brings an exceptional record of innovation and leadership to the position.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

The flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Air India)

Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

AIR INDIA’s flight from Ahmedabad to London, operating under a new code following the June 12 crash, was cancelled on Tuesday (17) due to the unavailability of an aircraft. The airline cited airspace restrictions and precautionary checks as the cause.

The service, now listed as flight AI-159, replaced the earlier AI-171 flight which crashed shortly after take-off last Thursday (12), killing 270 people, including 29 on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 passengers and crew on board, with only one survivor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference at Westminster Highlights Religious Persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

A high-profile conference on religious freedom in Bangladesh and Baluchistan was held at Portcullis House, Westminster, organised by the Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF), hosted by Bob Blackman MP (Harrow East), and supported by APPG leaders on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), including Richard James Shannon MP and Julie Jones on 9 June 2025.

Chairing the conference, Mr Blackman condemned the ongoing persecution of minorities in both regions, describing the situation as dire and deteriorating.

Keep ReadingShow less