Kochi, Aug 11 (IANS) The local police at Kothamangalam in Kerala have taken into custody Ramees from Paravoor in connection with the suicide of 23-year-old Sona Eldhose, a Teacher’s Training Course student.The woman’s mother on Monday said that her daughter, Sona, was in love with Ramees for a while, and they were compelling her to change her religion.“She was locked up and beaten last week after she resisted their attempts to take her to Ponnani for converting her. They refused to heed her de…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) BJP leaders launched a sharp attack on the INDIA Bloc’s protest march to the Election Commission on Monday, dismissing it as a politically-motivated stunt and a march of despair by hopeless people.“This march of despair, by those who are hopeless, frustrated, and depressed, who have lost three consecutive-times, is nothing but a farcical march. The public will not accept this march of despair,” said BJP MP Dinesh Sharma, reacting to the INDIA Bloc’s demonstration a…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the conviction of activist Medha Patkar in the 2001 criminal defamation case filed against her by V.K. Saxena — the now Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh was dealing with a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar, challenging a Delhi High Court order that had maintained her conviction in the matter.However, in a bit of …

Jammu, Aug 11 (IANS) The operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district entered its second day on Monday as intermittent firing and loud explosions were reported overnight from the area.Officials said, “Intermittent firing and deafening sounds of explosions rattled a forest area in Kishtwar district as the operation to neutralise terrorists entered the second day on Monday. The terrorists are believed to be hiding inside a cave on a cliff at Bhagna forest in Dool area,…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Monday, backed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement on education and healthcare being out of reach for common citizens, saying his words amount to a direct indictment of the ruling BJP government.Reacting to Bhagwat’s comment made at a cancer hospital’s inauguration in Indore on Sunday, Chaturvedi said, “I support what he said, especially since he has effectively cornered his own government. Until they can ensure affordable he…

Kolkata, Aug 11 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the makers of the Bollywood film Kesari Chapter 2 for allegedly misrepresenting Bengali revolutionary Khudiram Bose as “Khudiram Singh”. The criticism came as she paid tributes to the freedom fighter on his death anniversary.In a social media post, Mamata Banerjee called the misrepresentation an “attack on the Bengali language” and an insult to those who laid down their lives for India’s freedom.”…

Guwahati, Aug 11 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday hailed the success of “Operation Falcon”, a major anti-poaching drive launched in 2024 to protect the iconic one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park. The operation, a joint initiative of the Assam Police and the Forest Department, deployed every available resource to track down and arrest poachers operating in and around the park.According to official data, the crackdown led to arrests across several district…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has announced a new agreement for joint development of Pakistan’s oil reserves, hailing it as a “significant beginning” to a long-term energy partnership. However, in the end, the US may find itself investing in a partnership that yields little energy, less loyalty, and a great deal of geopolitical turbulence, according to an article posted on ‘Directus’, an online platform based in Greece.The US foreign policy announcement, made via Trump…

Jaipur, Aug 11 (IANS) A national-level Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) program under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) will be organised on Monday in Jhunjhunu.In the presence of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the first installment of insurance claim amounts for Rabi season 2024-25 and Kharif season 2024, will be directly transferred into farmers’ bank accounts.During the programme, symbolic cheques will also…

Uttarkashi, Aug 11 (IANS) Six days after a devastating mudslide struck an Indian Army camp in Harsil in the aftermath of a cloudburst in Dharali, there is still no sign of the nine soldiers who went missing while engaged in search and rescue operations.The Indian Army has confirmed that the missing personnel include one Junior Commissioned Officer and one Non-Commissioned Officer.In a post on X, the Surya Command of the Indian Army stated, “One Junior Commissioned Officer, one Non Commissioned O…