THE Centre on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it views the new privacy policy of WhatsApp as a violation of the Indian Information Technology (IT) law and rules, and sought directions to the social media platform to make it clear whether it was confirming to the same...

ARMY personnel trekked for 24 hours to provide relief to a nomadic Bakarwal family stranded in snow in the 11,000 feet high Naginsur ridge in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said on Monday. Bashir Ahmed along with his wife, three children and a herd of animals was on way to Navapanchchi in Marwah Valley from Kathua as part of the bi-annual migration in search of greener pastures when they were caught in snow with shortage of food, the spokesman said...

AN INDIAN Institute of Science (IISc) study has identified a set of molecular biomarkers that can be used in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial and viral infections. These biomarkers are different messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules found in the blood; differences in their levels can detect and predict with high probability if an infection is viral or bacterial, Bengaluru-based IISc said. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a grim testimony to the damage an infectious disease can cause to human ..

A VERY severe cyclonic storm with winds gusting up to 185 km per hour began making landfall on the Gujarat coast on Monday night, after dumping heavy rains on Mumbai, forcing the evacuation of over 1.5 lakh people in Gujarat and leaving two barges with 410 people on board adrift in the Arabian Sea. Tropical storm ‘Tauktae’ (pronounced as Tau’Te) which had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lies close to the Gujarat coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. “The landfall process ..

EXPRESSING concern over agitation by TMC workers outside the CBI office here and elsewhere in West Bengal after the arrest of two Ministers and others in the Narada sting case, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday alleged that there is “total lawlessness and anarchy” in the State and the police and administration are in “silence” mode. The Governor urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contain the “explosive situation” and asked her to weigh the “repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constituti..

WOMEN in the villages of Varanasi and Kushinagar have now deified the Coronavirus and have started worshipping ‘Corona Mai’ to lessen her fury and save people from dying. The women, on Sunday, lined up to offer prayers to ‘Corona Mai’ in Kushinagar district. In Varanasi, women are coming together in groups on the Ghats to offer prayers and appease the Corona Mai. Surili Devi of Kushinagar said that they would offer prayers for 21 days to appease the Corona Mai and were confident that the pandemic ..

MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday appealed to doctors who serve as family physicians to join the State’s fight against COVID-19 and advise their patients under home isolation about the right treatment protocols. During a virtual interaction with private medical practitioners and members of the State COVID-19 task force, Thackeray said patients trust their family doctors more than anyone else...

A PLEA has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction for a CBI or NIA probe, supervised by the top court, into the alleged killing of three under-trial prisoners in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district jail. The plea filed by Supreme Court lawyer Anoop Prakash Awasthi has also sought fixing accountability and taking appropriate action against those found responsible. Direction for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into all extra-judicial ..

WEST Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has warned the State’s newly-elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) Government to “not force me to use my constitutional powers”, sparking a fresh artillery exchange with the ruling party. “He forgot his constitutional position by calling for a change in the State. His appeal was rejected, so old man is now obviously frustrated,” said Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, while reacting to the Governor’s warning. Governor Dhankhar has been touring ‘violence-hit areas’ ..

CONGRESS leader and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Satav died on Sunday, days after recovering from the coronavirus infection, hospital sources said. Satav (46) was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Pune after testing coronavirus positive last month and was on ventilator support. After recovering from COVID-19, he was diagnosed with Cytomegalovirus infection and his condition became critical. “He had recovered from COVID-19. He was taking some immunosuppressant drugs as he was suffering from ..

AMID the second wave of COVID-19, AIIMS Delhi Director Randeep Guleria on Saturday said that the country is preparing to ramp up the vaccination drive as more vaccines shall be available in India in the next two months. While briefing the nation jointly on the vaccination plan ahead along with Medanta Chairman Naresh Tehran, Dr Guleria stated that the elderly should be vaccinated at the earliest, looking at their comorbidities and their high mortality rate. “Vaccines will be available in large amount ..

PROFILES of humaneness in the time of COVID, Himanshu and Twinkle Kalia spend their days between helping the ill get a fighting chance at life and ensuring dignity in death for those who don’t make it. As the second COVID-19 wave ravages large parts of India -- including the national capital that has seen thousands scramble for oxygen, hospital beds and crematorium spots -- the Kalias, Delhi’s ‘ambulance couple,’ ferry the ill to hospital, fetch medicines, arrange funerals and sometimes step in to ..

AN IMPROVISED explosive device (IED) weighing 10 kg was recovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday, with police claiming to have foiled a plan by the militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed to carry out an attack. The IED was recovered following inputs that militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed was planning to carry out the attack, an official said. Few suspects were questioned and an IED weighing 10 kg has been recovered in Pulwama, the official said, adding that a major attack had been ..

TORRENTIAL rains accompanied by fierce winds and high tidal waves wreaked havoc and claimed two lives in Kerala, as it lashed the State since Friday night forcing the Government to shift hundreds of families to relief camps, sources said on Saturday. The southernmost district, Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in the northern tip, witnessed widespread uprooting of trees, water-logging and disruption of power supply since Friday night. The Central Water Commission (CWC) issued flood warning to the ..

THE overall COVID-19 situation in the country is stabilising and the Government will work towards ensuring further stabilisation, NITI Aayog member V K Paul said on Saturday. At a press conference on Saturday, top health officials said 10 States account for 85 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in the country. The Union Health Ministry said 11 States have over one lakh active COVID-19 cases, 17 have less than 50,000 cases while eight have active cases between 50,000 and one lakh. It also said ..

IN A historic development for Jammu and Kashmir, two senior officers of the Union Territory—and both alumni of Sainik School Nagrota—have been promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal in the Indian Air Force (IAF). This is only for the second time that someone from J&K has risen to this senior rank and for the first time that two Air Commodores from the UT have simultaneously become Air Vice Marshal. ..

THE Centre has moved the Supreme Court seeking review of the May 5 majority verdict which held that 102nd Constitution amendment took away the power of State Governments to declare Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) for grant of quota in jobs and admissions. ..

INDIA’S daily COVID-19 recoveries have outnumbered the daily new cases, taking the total recoveries to over two crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. This is the third time in the last four days that recoveries have outnumbered daily cases. ..

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of remaining “silent when there was bloodshed” during alleged post-poll violence in the State. ..

The development comes exactly three-and-half-years after Nirav Modi, several of his family members, his maternal uncle Mehul C Choksi and others were accused of perpetrating a stunning fraud of around Rs 14,000 crore in the Punjab National Bank (PNB). Even before PNB admitted to the fraud and lodged a formal police complaint in January 2018, it emerged that Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others had already fled the country as the Central Bureau of Investigation and ED launched their independent probes...

THE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, after receiving complaints about several bodies found floating in the Ganga river in the two States. “It (NHRC) has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of both the States and the Secretary, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, on Thursday calling for action taken report within four weeks,” its statement noted...

THE Maharashtra Cyber Police have busted an online fraud of illegal sales of fake Remdesivir and Tocilizumab drugs filled with plain water that targeted gullible customers desperate for treatment of COVID-19, an official said here on Thursday. On Wednesday, a leading pharmaceutical company had approached the Cyber Police Cell to file a case after it received many complaints that its distributors had sold these drugs by soliciting customers online or through social media. The complainants had stated ..

A plateauing in daily new COVID-19 cases and a slight decline in positivity rate have been recorded in the country over the past three days, the Government said on Thursday, but added 10 States still have a positivity rate of 25 per cent or more. According to the Government, number of districts with week-on week rise in COVID tests, yet decline in positivity rate has increased from 125 in April 22-28 to 338 between May 6 and 12...

Even as West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar went ahead with his proposed visit to Cooch Behar villages to see for himself the plight of the victims of post-election violence, Trinamool Congress workers tried to block his convoy, thus adding substance to allegations that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is hell bent upon continuing with her politics challenging the federal spirit. Unmindful of the resistance, Governor Dhankhar completed his day’s agenda and found himself confronted by wailing ..

ARMY chief General M M Naravane visited forward areas of the Jammu division and reviewedsecuritysituationalong theLoCandinthehinterlandduringhistwo-dayvisittotheregion, a defence spokesperson said on Wednesday. General Naravane arrived at the headquarters of the Nagrota-based 16-corps (WhiteKnightCorps)onTuesday and visited the forward areas including Aknoor, Rajouri and Naushera in the Jammu region, the spokesman said...

RENOWNED religious personality Swami Tapasyananda SaraswathiofKeralahasbecome the first-ever South Indian to be namedastheChiefVedicAcharya oftheSanyasiMahasabha,based in Ahmedabad, an official said here on Wednesday. Swami Tapasyananda’s appointment to the prestigious position was made by Swami Jagadananda Saraswati, the Spiritual Head of the 6,000-strong Sanyasi Mahasabha, said his official spokesperson in Mumbai...

A CLOUDBURST hit Devprayag in Tehri district of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, razing two municipal buildings to the ground and damaging several shops. It also damaged pedestrian bridges,waterpipelinesandelectricity supply lines, an official said. The cloudburst occurred over the Shanta river, causing inundation of areas along its banks with a huge amount of slush containing boulders, SHO of the Devprayag police station Mahipal Singh Rawat said. Two municipality buildings, including the multi-purpose Nagar ..

THE B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus which was first identified in India last year has been found in 44 countries, says the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has classified it as a ‘variant of concern’. The UN body routinely assesses if variants of SARS-CoV-2 result in changes in transmissibility and severity, or if they lead to changes in public health and social measures’ implementation by national health authorities...

WEST Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will undertake on Thursday his proposed visit to areas affected by unprecedented post-election violence even as the rulingTrinamool Congress (TMC) criticised him for such a step which it described as“unbecoming of Governor”. Unmindful of the criticism, Governor Dhankhar has also planned visit to camps of West Bengal people who fled to the neighbouring Assam to escape from the mob fury back home in their respective places. Dhankhar will travel to Assam on Friday ..

THE Government on Monday ruled out the possibility of free foodgrains distribution to migrants saying there is no panic situation and no complete national lockdown unlike last year. However, the Government has started distributing additional free grains again under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for two months -- May and June -- to 80 crore ration cardholders. The Government said there is no impact on prices of foodgrains in the open market due to free grains distribution under ..

DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Centre and the State Governments are doing everything possible to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, while asserting that only those who perform commit mistakes. The Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow visited a 255-bed COVID hospital built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at the Haj House here. Speaking to reporters, Singh said, “The speed displayed by the Uttar Pradesh Government in tackling the COVID cases should be praised. Mistakes can be committed ..

THE total active COVID-19 cases in the country dipped to 37,15,221 on Tuesday with a net decline of 30,016 cases being recorded in a span of 24 hours for the first time after 61 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The total active cases now comprise 16.16 pc of the country’s total coronavirus infections. A total of 3,29,942 infections were reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll climbed to 2,49,992 with 3,876 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed...

WEST Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Tuesday, received a cold response from the State Government when communicated to the administration that he would visit areas affected by post-poll violence in Cooch Behar district on Thursday. “Governor... will be leaving Kolkata by BSF Helicopter on May 13 to visit post poll unprecedented violence affected areas @MamataOfficial #Sitalkuchi and other places in Coochbehar to connect with sufferers,” he tweeted. Dhankhar had said on Monday that he would go ..

GOA Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said 26 COVID-19 patients died at the State-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the early hours and sought an investigation by the High Court to find out the exact cause. He said these fatalities occurred between 2 am and 6 am “which is a fact”, but remained evasive about the cause. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who visited GMCH, said the gap between the “availability of medical oxygen and its supply to COVID-19 wards in the GMCH might have ..

WHATSAPP will not delete any account for not accepting its new privacy update, but users not agreeing to the controversial terms after “several weeks” will not be able to access their chat list, and eventually, will not be able to answer incoming phone or video calls over the app. Last week, the Facebook-owned company had said users not accepting its privacy policy update by its May 15 deadline will not face deletion or lose functionality of their accounts on the said date...

A FAKE COVID-19 vaccine registration SMS that “maliciously” gains entry into a users’ Android phone leading to compromise of individual contact list is in circulation, the federal cyber security agency has alerted. The harmful SMS has been identified by at least five variants. “It has been reported that a fake SMS message is in circulation that falsely claims to offer an app to let users register for COVID-19 vaccine in India.” “The SMS carries a link that installs the malicious app on Android-based ..

NORTH East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma was on Monday sworn-in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam by Governor Jagadish Mukhi at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here. Sarma, clad in traditional ‘pat silk’ dhoti and kurta with a muga ‘gamosa’ draped around his neck, took the oath of office and secrecy in Assamese. Along with him, 13 other legislators were also sworn-in as Ministers amid strict COVID-19 protocols. The newly sworn-in Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ..

SEVERAL bodies, decomposed, bloated and suspected to be of people who succumbed to COVID 19, were on Monday found floating in the river Ganga in a Bihar district. Officials in Chausa block of Buxar, which borders Uttar Pradesh, rushed to the spot of the unseemly sight upon hearing the news. “We were alerted by the local chowkidar that many bodies have been spotted floating from upstream. We have so far recovered 15 of these. None of the deceased happens to be a resident of the district,” Chausa BDO ..

WITH the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the country and concerns being raised about a possible third wave, experts caution that the next wave could be less severe if people keep following COVID-appropriate behaviour and a large portion of the population is vaccinated. According to the Union Health Ministry data released on Sunday morning, India recorded 4,03,738 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the country’s cumulative tally to 2,22,96,414, while the death toll climbed ..

A NEW novel provides an insider’s view of everyday life and emotions in Kashmir through a number of love stories. “Life in the Clock Tower Valley” is the debut book of Press Trust of India (PTI) journalist Shakoor Rather. Published by Speaking Tiger, it talks about Kashmir’s pristine past, its grievous present and always-uncertain future. It also includes historical and political information about Valley as well as environmental issues that are seldom talked about. Besides talking about various aspects ..

THE Finance Ministry on Sunday said it has released Rs 8,923 crore to 25 States for providing grants to the rural local bodies for various prevention and mitigation measures needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, on Sunday released an amount of Rs 8,923.8 crore to 25 States for providing grants to the rural local bodies (RLBs). The grants are meant for all the three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions – village, block and district, an official ..

FORMER Rajya Sabha member and BJP candidate for the West Bengal Assembly polls, Swapan Dasgupta on Sunday lodged a formal police complaint against persecution of party workers in Tarakeswar constituency from where he contested the polls. He also attached a list of 260 victims of political violence and said that the list is not exhaustive but should provide you with an adequate starting point for necessary action. In a complaint lodged at Tarakeswar Police Station, Dasgupta said, “This is to bring ..

INDIA recorded 4,03,738 fresh COVID-19 cases in a day, which pushed the tally to 2,22,96,414, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll climbed to 2,42,362 with 4,092 daily deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 37,36,648, comprising 16.76 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 82.15 per cent...

NO FRESH COVID-19 cases have been detected in 180 districts in the country in the last seven days, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. In his virtual address at the 25th meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) to discuss the pandemic situation, the Minister said that as on date, 1.34 per cent of COVID-19 patients were in ICU, 0.39 per cent on ventilator support and 3.70 per cent on oxygen support. Vardhan, who chaired the meeting through video conference, said, “180 districts have ..

THE Income Tax Department has issued a notification allowing hospitals and nursing homes to accept cash payments of Rs 2 lakh and more for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which frames policy for the department, issued the notification on Friday. It said, hospitals, dispensaries, nursing homes, COVID care centres or similar other medical facilities providing COVID-19 treatment to patients are being “specified for the purpose of section 269ST of the Income ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on the COVID-19 situation in their States, Government sources said. Modi has been interacting with various Chief Ministers over telephone for the last couple of days to take stock of the pandemic situation in their States. In tweets, the office of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Modi expressed satisfaction over the declining infection rate in the ..

AN anti-COVID oral drug developed by the DRDO has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday. Clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence, it said. The approval to the drug has come at a time when India has been grappling with a record-breaking ..

A RECORD 4,187 COVID-19 fatalities in a day took India’s death toll to 2,38,270, while 4,01,078 new infections were reported during the period, pushing the tally of cases to 2,18,92,676, according to Union Health Ministry data on Saturday. Registering a steady increase, active cases have reached 37,23,446 which comprise 17.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 81.90 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed...

A CASE has been registered against over a dozen persons for uploading objectionable posts on social media about NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, city police said on Thursday. Some of the posts also contained objectionable comments about historical figures, police said...

BEIJING has expressed deep concerns over India’s new telecom policy that does not permit Chinese telecommunication companies to conduct 5G trials in the country, saying the move is not conducive to the innovation and development of related Indian industries. On Tuesday, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) granted approval to nearly a dozen companies to conduct a six-month trial for use and applications of 5G technology. The telecom service providers (TSPs) included Bharti Airtel, Reliance JioInfocom..