Browsing: India

Banda/Lucknow: As you enter Banda, the heat hits you first. This isn’t summer — it’s survival.At over 48°C, the town having a population of 17,99,410 folds in by noon. Streets empty. Shops shut. Kids are locked indoors. Fans just swirl hot air. For days now, this Bundelkhand town has been hotter than Middle Eastern deserts. The air feels straight from a blast furnace. Metal burns. Tap water runs warm. Even nights offer no escape — the ground keeps radiating heat. The 49.2°C record from 2019 holds, but 47s and 48s are now common. By 11 am, life here retreats.To fight…

Central Board of Secondary Education CHANDIGARH: The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to make a third language compulsory for students of Classes 9 and 10 from the 2026-27 academic session has triggered concern among sections of parents in Chandigarh, who say the move could increase academic pressure and restrict students’ freedom to pursue foreign languages already being studied in schools.The revised policy, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, requires students to study three languages at the secondary level, with at least two being Indian languages. While the move has been pitched as an effort to promote…

Geriatrician invited to national care economy workshop. LUCKNOW: Recognizing his extensive contribution and experience in the field of geriatric medicine, palliative care, elderly rehabilitation and long-term care well-known geriatrician Dr Abhishek Shukla from the city has been specially invited to share his insights in a national-level workshop on ‘Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy’ organized by the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment at Dr Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC), New Delhi on May 22.Senior experts, policymakers, professionals and stakeholders from across the country will participate in deliberations focusing on strengthening the care economy sector in India. Dr Shukla, the founder…

Rajasthan celebrates its first-ever “Godawan Day” on May 21, honoring the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard. JAISALMER: The first-ever “Godawan Day” dedicated to the critically endangered Schedule-I wildlife species, the Great Indian Bustard (Godawan), will be celebrated in Jaisalmer on today May 21 in the presence of Rajasthan’s Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Sanjay Sharma. The Rajasthan Forest Department has started extensive preparations for the state-level event.On May 21, 1982, the Governor of Rajasthan had officially declared the Great Indian Bustard, locally known as “Godawan,” as the State Bird of Rajasthan. The decision was taken at a time…

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under its joint director (East) to probe allegations that aspects of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case were suppressed or “hushed up”.The court further instructed the SIT to submit a detailed status report of its investigation by June 25.The direction comes amid ongoing judicial scrutiny of the 2024 R G Kar case, in which a trainee doctor was raped and murdered on the hospital premises. The case originated from a crime that took place on August…

Small Cap Funds Are Not for Everyone — That Is Exactly the Point Most people who invest in mutual funds stay close to the familiar. Large caps feel safe, mid caps feel reasonable, and small caps feel like a gamble. That perception is not entirely wrong — small-cap funds do carry more volatility, more risk, and more uncertainty than what sits above them on the market cap ladder. But here is what that narrative consistently leaves out. The investors who built serious long-term wealth through mutual funds were not the ones who stayed comfortable. They were the ones who understood…

NEW DELHI: The X account of the viral satirical outfit, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has been withheld in India. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke confirmed the suspension, writing: “As expected Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India.” Soon after, the group launched another account titled “Cockroach is Back”, posting: “You thought you can get rid of us? Lol”.The digital-only political satire movement emerged after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant faced controversy over remarks made during a court hearing on May 15. Reports had suggested the CJI compared some unemployed youth and social media users to “cockroaches” and…

IIT Bombay’s 2024-25 placements saw a 3.5% dip in offers, yet average and median salaries surged by 10%. MUMBAI: IIT Bombay’s latest annual report containing placement details for 2024–25 shows that of the 2,469 students registered and 2,040 participating, the institute saw 1,422 accepted offers, marking a dip of 3.5% from the previous year. Yet, even as hiring volumes softened, average and median salaries rose. The average CTC rose to Rs 26.45 lakh, while the median increased to Rs 20 lakh, indicating a tightening of hiring volumes but improved pay benchmarks. Pre-placement offers remained steady at 260. International offers, however,…

CM C Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet to 33 ministers, with 23 new additions taking the oath. CHENNAI: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet with another 23 ministers taking oath as ministers at a function held at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. In total, there are 33 ministers and two more ministries such as the ministry of Adi Dravidar and Tribal welfare and ministry of minorities welfare remain vacant. They are likely to be filled by VCK and IUML MLAs. In the list of ministries, Chennai gets two more cabinet berths as R K Nagar MLA Marie Wilson became…

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said as reported by Iranian state media Press TV. Speaking in a televised interview, Baghaei confirmed that several rounds of communication have taken place between Tehran and Washington through Pakistani intermediaries, based on Iran’s 14-point peace proposal aimed at addressing the ongoing regional conflict. He said Iran has received the US response and is examining it, adding that the visit of Pakistan’s interior minister to Tehran is meant to support and facilitate these exchanges between the two sides.”At this stage, we are focused on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Baghaei said,…