Author: Indmedia

Greater Noida residents protested against ground water extraction and food adulteration Noida: As private builders continue to overuse groundwater, Greater Noida residents from multiple sectors staged a protest outside the district administration’s office, making a call for conservation of natural resources on Friday.The protest was organised under the banner of a local social body, “Corruption-Free India,” and was led by its co-founder Praveen Bharatiya, along with RWA general secretary (Sector Delta 2) Alok Nagar. The protest also coincides with the organisation’s “August Kranti” campaign that targets govt departments, development authorities and corruption across Greater Noida.“Private builders in the Noida, Greater…

Bihar energy secretary Ajay Yadav at the 7th CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition in New Delhi on Friday Patna: Bihar has emerged as the country’s leader in smart metering with 92 lakh prepaid smart meters installed across the state, accounting for nearly 70% of all such meters in India, energy secretary Ajay Yadav said on Friday.Addressing the 7th CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition (IECE 2026) in New Delhi, Yadav said Bihar also accounts for about 30% of the country’s total smart meter installations, including both prepaid and postpaid connections.Highlighting the state’s power sector reforms, he said billing efficiency…

Sanskrit university cancels exam at Lalsot college over mass cheating Jaipur: Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University Friday cancelled the PGDCA examination conducted at MD PG College, Lalsot, Friday after a surprise inspection uncovered alleged mass cheating at the centre.University officials said the examination centre, operated by a private college, is likely to lose its affiliation from the next academic session, though formal action is yet to be initiated. The university has appointed Jagdish Prasad Sharma, acting principal of Govt Sanskrit College, Talabgaon, as Special Observer for the remaining examinations from Aug 8 to 11. He will supervise the examination process…

Members of the JSSC-JPSC Reforms Manch meet the ministerial delegation on Friday Ranchi: The Hemant Soren-led govt on Friday held its first formal talks with protesting civil services aspirants amid weeks of demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations, but the students said their agitation would continue until the govt announced concrete action.The meeting came hours after chief minister Hemant Soren reiterated that he wanted to hear from students from across Jharkhand as part of broader reforms in the state’s recruitment process. A four-member ministerial delegation comprising Sudivya Kumar, Chamra Linda, Deepika Pandey Singh and…

Govt plans cooking infra in schools Kolkata: Starting Saturday, the Bengal govt will begin serving eggs in mid-day meals at schools to supplement the Iskcon veg meals. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been asked to provide the eggs.Following an internal meeting on Friday, it was decided that though initially boiled eggs will be distributed by the SHGs, in the long run, the dept will procure eggs and distribute them to schools that will boil and serve them to their students.The school education dept will arrange LPG connections or induction cooktops so that schools can boil eggs on-site. The animal resources development…

The Pentagon has released a fresh batch of declassified UFO files, with never-before-seen footage, renderings, and documents chronicling the mysterious objects.Videos show a mysterious orb whizzing over a residential area in the Middle East, and footage of a black sphere hovering over the Pacific Ocean, seemingly vanishing for a moment before resurfacing.This latest release contains 41 files in total: over a dozen videos, three images, and a score of PDF documents. The oldest document is from 1953, and the most recent one is from this year.The US defence department uploaded the first tranche of 161 files to their website on…

A search has been launched for a child rapist who absconded while on escorted community leave in Perth city centre.Cliff Lyons Dobbie, who is a restricted patient, is described as a white male, about 5ft 3in (1.6m) tall and of stocky, muscular build.He has been detained in secure units since 1990 after he raped a 10-year-old girl in Glasgow.NHS Tayside said it is working with Police Scotland to trace a missing patient, and members of the public are urged not to approach him.Dobbie, who is bald with light blue eyes and a noticeable squint, was last seen wearing white trainers,…

One of the largest criminal networks smuggling drugs and people in the western Mediterranean has been dismantled, authorities have said.Europol said 78 people were arrested in Spain and Algeria in a bust of the network, that is also linked to other criminal activities including “violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering”.The group moved synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, then used the return journey to smuggle migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and island of Ibiza on “ghost speedboats”.Some of the items seized included 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5m (£4.2m), guns, more than €25,000 (£21,400)…

A Lumo spokesperson said: “We have been experiencing some issues with the reliability of some of our toilet facilities onboard our West Coast services.”They added that they were working closely with rail company Alstom, which refurbished the carriages used by Lumo, to “rectify the issue”.An Alstom spokesperson said: “We recognise that this falls short of the standard fare-paying passengers should expect, particularly on long-distance services.”Working closely with Lumo, we are reviewing the entire fleet position to reduce the risk of repeat failures, improve overnight servicing checks, and ensure toilet availability is restored and maintained wherever possible on the operator’s West…

Sarfaraz Khan’s place in India’s Test plans appears increasingly uncertain, with the middle-order batter slipping down the selection ladder despite his outstanding domestic record. The Mumbai batter boasts an exceptional first-class average of 64.73 from 62 matches, yet opportunities at the highest level have been limited. He has featured in only six Tests for India, with his most recent appearance coming in November 2024. Although Sarfaraz was included in India’s squad for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he did not get a single game during the series. Since then, he has struggled to force his way back into the senior side.…