Author: Indmedia

The lawsuit alleges that Meta designed and monetised Facebook & Instagram to encourage compulsive use among young people (representative image) Meta is facing a landmark legal challenge in the US that could have far-reaching implications for how Facebook and Instagram are designed and operated, after 29 states accused the company of deliberately creating products that exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of children and teenagers.The jury trial began this week in federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to last six to eight weeks. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are leading the case on behalf of the 29 states.The 233-page…

Trades unions are warning Andy Burnham that Labour’s policy on cutting zero-hours contracts risks failing to live up to the party’s manifesto.Union leaders are seeking reassurances from the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, amid what the TUC has condemned as “scaremongering” from business groups.The unions were alarmed by limitations on who will qualify for new guaranteed hours contracts, mooted in Labour’s recent consultation document on the policy.Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of shop workers’ union Usdaw, said: “The right to a contract that guarantees the hours you normally work is a matter of basic fairness and security. It must be applied…

BJP launches Gen Z outreach push, names Nitin Nabin, Smriti Irani, Vinod Tawde to key team NEW DELHI: With political parties stepping up efforts to connect with the country’s young voters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a dedicated team to lead its proposed Gen Z outreach programme.The team includes BJP national president Nitin Nabin, national general secretaries Smriti Irani and Vinod Tawde, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi, among other leaders, according to a top party source, quoted by news agency ANI.News agency ANI reported, “BJP national president Nitin Nabin, national general secretaries Smriti Irani and Vinod Tawde, Gujarat minister…

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that retired police dogs will no longer be put up for adoption to third parties. MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that retired police dogs will no longer be put up for adoption to third parties as part of a major welfare policy shift for the state’s canine unit.Instead, the dogs will remain within the police department alongside their long-time handlers, with all ongoing living and medical expenses fully funded by the Home Department.Fadnavis said a dog that has served the police force for 10 years should not be made to suffer…

YouTuber Ajeet Bharti (Image Credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, who was among those at a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding changes to India’s reservation system, said the government should issue a white paper on reservations and hold talks with protesters.”Our biggest demand is that the government should come up with a white paper stating that the reservations you’ve given to people for 80 years.” Bharti said.”I come from Bihar. Research how dire the situation of the Musahar community is. Their children aren’t getting reservations. Why? Because those caste groups don’t even have leaders…”He said the protesters were also…

Hyderabad: A day after suspending 14 students belonging to the ABVP and NSUI over the last week’s campus clash, the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) on Friday said the suspension would continue until an inquiry into the matter is completed. The university suspended seven students each from the NSUI and the ABVP. The suspended students include 10 UG students, one PG student and three PhD scholars.An EFLU official said the university would constitute an inquiry commission headed by a senior professor to examine the incident and the allegations raised by both student groups. “The students were suspended and there…

Ahmedabad: The city on Friday received 1mm of rain with several areas experiencing light rain in the early afternoon hours.The city’s maximum temperature at 31°C was 1.6 degrees below normal, whereas at 26.6°C, the minimum temperature was 1.3 degrees above normal. Relative humidity (RH) remained higher than 70%.According to IMD bulletin, a low-pressure area is forming over Madhya Pradesh whereas there is also an upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Madhya Pradesh. The forecast indicates no major rainfall over the region for the next few days and chances of sporadic light to moderate showers.A total of 38 talukas received 17mm…

The clash took place at the COEP hostel in Shivajinagar on Friday evening. Police were called to the spot and detained several people involved in the incident. PUNE: Tensions flared between ABVP workers and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) members outside the hostel gate of COEP Technological University ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ event in Pune.The clash took place at the COEP hostel in Shivajinagar on Friday evening. Police were called to the spot and detained several people involved in the incident.Pune DCP Hasan Gauhar said on Friday night, “We received information about a…

Punjab Bandh: Peaceful Protest, Highways Witness Traffic DisruptionPunjab observed a state-wide bandh on Friday from 7 am to 2 pm, called by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, a coalition of Sikh organisations demanding the release of Sikh prisoners, referred to as Bandi Singhs.In Mohali, the bandh remained peaceful, with major markets including Phase 7 and surrounding areas remaining closed. The impact was also visible on major highways and toll plazas, where protesters blocked the Azizpur Toll Plaza and disrupted movement on the Ludhiana and Amritsar highways.Heavy traffic congestion was witnessed along the affected highway stretches as the bandh brought vehicular movement…

Lucknow: A day after the shooting that killed Divya Mishra and her sister-in-law Sheeba, the two families offered contrasting versions of the events and the state of Divya’s marriage to Manas Bajpayee, who police say later died by suicide.Divya’s cousins, including Mayank Dixit, said the marriage was arranged in 2017. They alleged that around two years later, Divya and her family began noticing what they described as Manas’s “psychotic behaviour”, and that the situation deteriorated to the point where Divya sought separation.Manas’s relatives rejected those claims. His maternal uncle, Awadhesh Shukla, called the allegations baseless and described Manas as “very…