New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) A total of 224 cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) — a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes — have been reported from 11 states in 2025, the government informed the Parliament on Friday.In a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, shared the number of recorded cases of encephalitis — inflammation of the brain, often due to bacterial or viral infection — in the country during the last five years.C…

Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) Veteran actress Lillete Dubey took to social media to mark National Handloom Day, sharing her deep-rooted love for handlooms. In a recent post on Instagram, the ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ actress reminisced about her college days in Delhi when she first fell in love with sarees from across India. Calling herself a lifelong handloom enthusiast, the actress paid a heartfelt tribute to the country’s weavers and celebrated the timeless beauty of India’s textile heritage. Lillete poste…

Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) In the upcoming episode of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ season 3, host Kapil Sharma celebrates Raksha Bandhan with a special guest lineup featuring sibling duos Shilpa and Shamita Shetty and Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem. The episode promises laughter and light-hearted banter as the stars share fun family moments, playful secrets, and engage in witty exchanges with Kapil. In a new promo, Shilpa brings full-on matchmaker vibes as she appears with her sister Shamita, dete…

Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey has opened up about the unpredictable weather conditions that have tested the cast and crew during the shoot of “Special Ops 2.” In an interview with IANS, the director revealed that the team has had to constantly adapt to changing weather, making last-minute decisions to shuffle schedules and switch locations — all while racing against time to stay on track. Pandey also spoke about dealing with sudden rain and shifting schedules, saying that th…

Jerusalem, Aug 8 (IANS) Opposition leaders have criticised Israel cabinet’s approval of plan to occupy Gaza City, terming it a “disaster that will lead to many more disasters” and that will result in the deaths of Israeli hostages and soldiers. Opposition leader Yair Lapid termed cabinet’s decision “a disaster that will lead to more disasters.” He stated that Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “dragged” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

Seoul, Aug 8 (IANS) The unification ministry of South Korea said on Friday that it is discussing joint cooperation measures between Seoul and Washington aimed at ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula, which will be presented during a scheduled summit between the South Korean and the US presidents. “In preparation for the South Korea-US summit, the ministry is closely consulting with relevant bodies (on bilateral cooperation) for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of inter-Korean t…

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday issued a stern warning to the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating, “If you (ECI) attack the ‘One Man, One Vote’ right enshrined in the Indian Constitution, we will attack you.”Addressing a massive gathering at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, organised to protest alleged election fraud, LoP Rahul Gandhi said, “This is the voice of Hindustan.”He added that the Election Commission had demanded hi…

Washington, Aug 8 (IANS) Former US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and senior foreign policy expert, Christopher Padilla, has warned that the ongoing trade tensions could pose a risk of long-term damage to the India-US relationship.”I’m concerned that for the sake of short-term issues, we’re putting this relationship at risk,” Padilla told IANS.He also feared that “there will be a long memory” of US actions in India, potentially leading to “a questioning of whether the United …

Aizawl, Aug 8 (IANS) The biometric enrolment of refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Mizoram is underway in all 11 districts of the state, officials said on Friday.A senior official of the Mizoram Home Department admitted that the biometric enrolment process has been progressing slowly, but they are trying to accelerate the process.“Serchhip district administration in central Mizoram first launched the biometric enrolment drive for the refugees on July 30 and subsequently other districts in…

Patna, Aug 8 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a 12-year-old boy died and his father sustained severe burns after being allegedly set on fire in their home at Kachora village in Bihar’s Katihar district.The deceased has been identified as Sunil Kumar Mandal.Sunil’s father, 45-year-old Ram Kalyan Mandal, is battling for his life in Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur’s burn ward.According to police, both the man and his son were sleeping on the veranda of their house on Thursday…