New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) More than 25 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers (till July) to promote the balanced use of fertilisers and support better soil management across the country, according to the latest government data.By February 2025, a total of Rs 1,706.18 crore has been provided to states and Union Territories to support the Soil Health Card scheme.Further advancing its impact, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India has also carried out soil mapping on a large scale….

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) In a significant achievement for consumer grievance redressal, 10 states, along with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), recorded a disposal rate of over 100 per cent in July — indicating that the number of cases resolved exceeded the number of cases filed during this period, an official statement said on Sunday.Moreover, over two lakh users, including NRIs, have registered on the e-Jagriti platform since its launch (till August 6), and 85,531 c…

Jammu, Aug 17 (IANS) At least four people were killed and many others injured after a cloudburst hit Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district during the night intervening Saturday and Sunday, said officials here, adding that a rescue operation is now underway in the affected area.Minister of State (PMO), Dr Jintendra Singh, said on X, “Spoken to SSP Kathua Sh Shobhit Saxena after receiving information about a cloud burst in the Janglote area. 4 Casualties reported. In addition, damage has occurre…

Gurugram, Aug 17 (IANS) Unidentified attackers opened fire outside the residence of controversial YouTuber Elvish Yadav in Haryana’s Gurugram early Sunday morning, triggering panic in the upscale locality.Police said the firing took place between 5.30 and 6 a.m. when three bike-borne assailants sprayed more than two dozen bullets at Yadav’s house before fleeing. The bullets struck the ground and the first floors of the residence.Bigg Boss OTT winner Yadav, who lives on the second and third floor…

London, Aug 17 (IANS) James McAtee has left Manchester City to sign for Nottingham Forest on five-year deal. The move ended an 11-year association with his boyhood club for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, having first joined Man City academy at Under-11 level.McAtee has scored seven times in 34 appearances for his boyhood Club, Manchester City. He enjoyed two successful spells on loan at Sheffield United from 2022, playing 75 times for the Blades, scoring 14 times and registering eight ass…

Mumbai, Aug 17 (IANS) Hema Malini reflected on doing action sequences as Basanti in Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ as the iconic movie completed 50 years of release on Friday.During an exclusive interaction with IANS, Hema Malini was asked, “You performed stunts in the film. How did you manage that?”Speaking to IANS, the actress and politician revealed they she has done stunts in many of her films.”Fight sequences used to be created in the films especially for me — ‘If Hema Malini is there in the film…

Riga, Aug 17 (IANS) The heads of government of the Baltic and Nordic countries issued a joint statement, stressing that only Ukraine can decide its own future and reaffirming their “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity”. No decisions on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decisions on Europe without Europe, declared the eight leaders of Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, and Sweden on Saturday in the joint statement.They un…

Khartoum, Aug 17 (IANS) At least 31 people were killed, including seven children and a pregnant woman, and 13 others were injured in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of El Fasher, western Sudan, according to volunteer groups.The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer group, said in a statement on Saturday that the RSF conducted a “heinous crime” by “deliberately targeting” the Abu Shouk displacement camp with artillery shelling.The ongoing siege of El Fasher has c…

Istanbul, Aug 17 (IANS) A forest fire that erupted in Turkey’s northwestern province of Canakkale has forced the evacuation of five villages, authorities said.Canakkale Governor Omer Toraman said on social media platform X that 11 planes and 10 helicopters, along with ground crews, have been deployed to battle the blaze.The villages were evacuated as a precaution, as the fire spread rapidly due to strong winds, Toraman said.According to weather reports, winds in the region are blowing at around …

Seoul, Aug 17 (IANS) Special prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee were deliberating over the charges to press against her after securing a luxury necklace she allegedly accepted in exchange for a personnel appointment favour, legal sources said on Sunday.Last week, special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team said Seohee Construction officials submitted the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and confessed to gifting the item to Kim right after…