The suspicious death of a BJP MLA in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district has widened the political divide in the region further with the BJP leadership blaming the Mamata Banerjee government directly for the suspected murder. Debendranath Ray, who won the 2016 Assembly elections from the reserved seat of Hemtabad on a ticket of the CPI(M), joined the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha election. He had, however, not resigned from the assembly as CPI(M) legislator. According to the local daily Anandabazar Patrika, Debendranath’s family has said that he was taken from his house at around 1 am on…
Author: Our Correspondent
The new coronavirus pandemic raging around the globe will worsen if countries fail to adhere to strict healthcare precautions, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday. “Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from the UN agency’s headquarters in Geneva. “If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go – it is going to get worse and worse and worse.” Global infections stand at 13 million, according to a Reuters tally, with…
With 28,701 new infections, the number of total coronavirus cases in the country is over 8.7 lakh. After 500 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the toll now stands at 23,174. While 3,01,609 cases in the country are active, 5,53,471 patients have already recovered. Several states reported their highest single-day spike on Sunday. Among them was Gujarat, where the tally rose by 879 to reach 41,897. West Bengal’s COVID-19 cases crossed the 30,000-mark with record 1,560 new cases reported from different parts of the state, according to a bulletin issued by the state health department. A new daily record…
The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its final verdict on the on right of management of the famous Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple. The controversy over the administration and management of the historic temple has been pending in the apex court for last nine years in the wake of charges of alleged financial irregularities. The decade-long legal battle is expected to decide whether or not members of the erstwhile Trvancore family retain their control over the temple. At present, the temple is managed by an independent body, which is supervised by the government. The SC may also decide on whether…
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s recent pictures with Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta and Congress spokesperson Shamsher Alam has sparked off a fresh debate. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is currently lodged at RIMS Hospital, has violated the jail manual by conducting a “darbar”. Posting a picture of Lalu Prasad Yadav on Facebook, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo alleged on Sunday that the veteran RJD leader was openly flouting jail manual. The photo showed Lalu Prasad Yadav using a mobile phone. “Openly violating jail manual. The darbar of former (Bihar)…
As per a report by the Wall Street Journal, ByteDance is looking at tweaking the corporate structure of TikTok as the app continues to face scrutiny in India, the US and now Australia. Senior executives are discussing options including creating a new management board for TikTok or establishing a headquarters for the app outside of China to distance the app’s operations from China, the report stated. “As we consider the best path forward, ByteDance is evaluating changes to the corporate structure of its TikTok business. We remain fully committed to protecting our users’ privacy and security as we build a…
Google is all set to host its annual, Google for India event. Set to be the sixth edition of Google’s biggest event for the country, this one is scheduled to be an online-only affair, where the company is expected to make some big India-centric product announcements. With the event delivered through a live stream, Alphabet and Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, is set to deliver the keynote address, with other key figures at the company, as well as, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications, Electronics and IT, Law & Justice also scheduled to be part of the event. “Over the last…
Shubham Mishra’s abuses and threats to stand-up comedian Agrima Joshua have incensed many and the issue was taken up by several celebrities too. Criticism is not new for artists. But when it comes in the form of abuses and rape threats, it turns into something far more sinister and shows the intolerance pervading Indian society. Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Agrima Joshua has been at the receiving end of rape threats and abuses for the past two days over a clip from a gig she hosted in 2019. In the video, Agrima speaks about Chhatrapati Shivaji’s upcoming statue in Maharashtra and some…
The incidents of violence at Shiv Vihar Tiraha in East Delhi’s Karawal Nagar, one of the hotspots of riots which occurred on 24-25 February, were pre-planned by local Muslims of the area, a chargesheet filed by Delhi Police claims. “Lots of rioters from Muslim community took their position on the roof of Rajdhani School and threw petrol bombs and stones on the persons and properties of other party from a specially affixed iron catapult,” reads the chargesheet. Investigations at Shiv Vihar area in Karawal Nagar, one of the worst-affected localities in the city prove that Delhi anti-Hindu riots were pre-planned.…
In yet another blow to the Congress, a party MLA in Madhya Pradesh joined the BJP, ahead of the state assembly bypolls on 24 seats. Pradyumna Singh Lodhi, a first-time legislator from the Bada Malahra seat, resigned from his Assembly membership after meeting with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uma Bharti. Sources say around six more Congress MLAs from the Bundelkhand region may join the BJP in the coming days. “Shri Pradyumna Singh Lodhi submitted his resignation on Saturday. I told him to think over it and not take decision in a haste. Today he again met me and…