A rare late ninth century stone statue of Lord Shiva, which was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday. The stone Nataraj/Natesha murti, in “chatura pose with jatamakuta and trinetra” and almost four-feet-tall, is a rare depiction of Lord Shiva in the Prathihara style. It was stolen in February 1998 from Ghateshwar Temple in Baroli, Rajasthan. In 2003, it came to light that the statue had been smuggled out to the UK. “When this information was received in London, the UK authorities were contacted…
Author: Our Correspondent
President Ram Nath Kovind has gifted a bicycle to a budding young cyclist who works part-time as a dishwasher in Ghaziabad. The boy who hails from Bihar, studies in class 9 at Sarvodaya School in Delhi’s Anand Vihar. Riyaz belongs to Madhubani district of Bihar. His family members – his parents, two sisters and one brother – live in Madhubani, while Riyaz stays in a rented accommodation in Maharajpur, Ghaziabad. To supplement his father’s paltry income as a cook, the boy in his free time works in an eatery in Ghaziabad as a dishwasher. In a rare gesture of motivating…
Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday accused the Congress of preferring vote bank over the rights of the Muslim women in the country. “The Congress got an opportunity to rule in favour of the Muslim sisters in the 1980s. But votes were more important for the party than the lives of these women. The real battle was fought by women who approached the courts against the injustice. This day is not only meant for the Muslim women, but all women who want respect for their gender every day,” Irani said on the Muslim Women Rights Day.…
The Delhi High Court has put on hold the 4-year jail term given to former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitley in a corruption case related to a purported defence deal, a lawyer said. The high court has sought CBI’s response on Jaya Jaitley’s appeal challenging her conviction and sentence in the case. Earlier today, a Delhi court had sentenced Jaya Jaitley and two others to 4 years in prison for corruption in a 2000-01 case related to a purported defence deal. Special CBI judge Virender Bhat also gave a 4-year jail term to Jaya Jaitley’s former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal…
China’s territorial claims in Bhutan and the recent incursion into Indian land are indicative of their intentions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding that Beijing under Preisdent Xi Jinping was trying to find out whether other countries are going to push back. Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated last month following the Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead. China recently staked claim over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan…
Following a recent security assessment, it has been found that Turkey has been funding and supporting extremist Islamic organisations in Kerala and Kashmir, reported Hindustan Times. Turkey, led by Islamist leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has reportedly emerged as the epicentre of anti-India activities. As per the report, the expansionist Turkish government, seeking to establish its dominance in the Islamic world through its conservatism and ‘Ottoman traditions’ is now exerting its influence on South Asian Muslims. According to officials familiar with the security assessment, an extensive review was carried out to unearth the escalated anti-India activities that are perpetrated by Turkey…
India’s overall coronavirus tally has surged past the 16 lakh-mark with the number of recovered patients climbing to over 10 lakh. As per the Union health ministry, recovered Covid-19 patients in India is now 1.9 times the total active cases while the fatality rate has dropped to 2.21 per cent. Even as the cases continue to rise, the Centre has released guidelines for Unlock 3 — the third phase of gradual lifting of Covid-19-related restrictions in the county — allowing gyms and yoga centers to reopen. The Unlock 3 guidelines will come into force from August 1 and strict enforcement…
The visiting Bihar police team on Thursday started the method of scrutinising financial transactions and checking account details of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput as a part of their probe into his alleged suicide here last month, a Mumbai police official said. The Bihar police team, which arrived here on Wednesday, visited several places, including the residence of Rajput’s friend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is facing `abetment to suicide’ charge during a Patna FIR, but didn’t find her reception, said the Mumbai Crime Branch official. According to the official, the Bihar police started looking into financial transactions of Rajput, who…
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has become a father for the first time after he and his partner Natasa Santokiv welcomed a baby boy into their lives. Hardik took to social media on Thursday to share an adorable image of his newborn. In the photo that is being widely shared on social media platforms, Hardik Pandya can be seen holding his child’s little hand. “We are blessed with our baby boy,” Hardik Pandya wrote. Also Read: ‘Chota Hardik aaya hai’: Wishes pour in for first-time parents Hardik and Natasa Wishes have started pouring in for Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic as…
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for Shiksha, a Haryana-based wushu player, who was forced to figure as a farm labourer thanks to severe financial distress in times COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release issued by the sports ministry, the 22-year-old athlete, who has won 24 gold medals at the state Wushu Championship, was sanctioned the cash through the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons. Shiksha, who is additionally pursuing her BSc in sports science said she is grateful to the Sports Minister for his intervention. “I do not have words to thank…