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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was feeling trapped after getting a caste survey conducted under pressure from the Mahagathbandhan partners and the BJP “provided him with a way out”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed on Tuesday. Mr Gandhi made the remark at a rally in Bihar's Purnea district, berating the JD(U) president who returned to the BJP-led NDA two days ago, dealing a severe blow to the opposition bloc INDIA of which he was regarded as one of the architects. "We do not need Nitish Kumar," asserted Mr Gandhi, adding that people should keep in mind that he makes a volte-face whenever he faces pressure. "You (people) need to understand that Nitish Kumar was feeling trapped after the Congress and RJD (Mahagathbandhan's largest constituent) ensured that a caste survey was held. The BJP provided him with a way out," he said at a rally as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Mr Gandhi, who addressed his first rally in Bihar since the 2020 assembly p

The practice of mentioning caste or religion of litigants in court cases must be shunned, the Supreme Court has said while directing its registry and all other courts to stop it immediately. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah directed all high courts to ensure that the caste or religion of a litigant does not appear in the memo of parties in any petition filed before High Courts or subordinate courts under their jurisdiction. "We see no reason for mentioning the caste/religion of any litigant either before this Court or the courts below. Such a practice is to be shunned and must be ceased forthwith. "It is therefore deemed appropriate to pass a general order directing that henceforth the caste or religion of parties shall not be mentioned in the memo of parties of a petition/proceeding filed before this Court, irrespective of whether any such details have been furnished before the courts below," the bench said. The Supreme Court passed the order

A fatwa has allegedly been issued against All India Imam Organization chief Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi after he attended the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla at Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The Imam said the fatwa was issued on Sunday but that he had been receiving threat calls since the Ram Temple event. "As a chief Imam, I received the invitation from Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra. I contemplated for two days and then decided to go to Ayodhya for harmony and for the country. The fatwa was issued yesterday but I had been receiving threat calls since the evening of January 22," Ilyasi told ANI on Monday. The Islamic cleric also claimed that he has been facing protests and receiving threatening calls since he visited the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. "I have recorded a few calls wherein the callers gave me life threats...Those who love me, love the nation will support me. Those who hate me for attending the ceremony should perhaps go to Pakistan

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have detected water molecules in the atmosphere of a small,blazing-hot exoplanet 97 light-years from Earth. The planet, named GJ 9827d , is approximately twice Earth's diameter and could be an example of potential planets with water-rich atmospheres elsewhere in our galaxy. "This would be the first time that we can directly show through atmospheric detection, that these planets with water-rich atmospheres can exist around other stars," said team member Bjorn Benneke of the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at Universite de Montreal. "This is an important step toward determining the prevalence and diversity of atmospheres on rocky planets." "Water on a planet this small is a landmark discovery," added co-principal investigator Laura Kreidberg of Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. "It pushes closer than ever to characterizing truly Earth-like worlds." Wat

The Allahabad High Court has said even if a husband has no income from a job he is duty-bound to provide maintenance to his wife as he can earn about Rs 300-400 a day as an unskilled labourer. A bench of justice Renu Agrawal of the Lucknow bench of the High Court made the observations while dismissing a revision petition of the man against a family court order asking him to pay Rs 2,000 monthly as maintenance to his estranged wife. Justice Agrawal directed the principal judge of the trial court to take all recourse against the husband for the recovery of the maintenance already awarded in favour of the wife. The husband had filed the revision petition before the high court on February 21, 2023, challenging the order of the Family Court, Number 2, which had asked him to pay the maintenance under section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). According to the case details, the couple got married in 2015. The wife lodged an FIR against the husband and in-laws over dowry demand,

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has stated that businessman Amit Katyal, in connivance with RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav, hatched a conspiracy to incorporate a company in ROC Delhi and buy land parcels situated in Bihar from prospective job seekers. ED said that Amit Katyal hatched this conspiracy when Lalu Prasad Yadav was holding the Railways Ministry portfolio at the Centre. Advocate Manish Jain appeared for the Enforcement Directorate and submitted before the Court that Amit Katyal knowingly aided and assisted Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members in the process or activity connected with the proceeds of crime--by way of the acquisition of the proceeds of crime, concealing the proceeds of crime and then projecting the proceeds of crime as untainted. "In doing so, he concealed the proceeds of crime from their true origin. While doing so, he knowingly and consciously projected the receipt of Proceeds of Crime as a legitimate transaction by keeping the shareholding o

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday asserted that the presence of opposition leaders at the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya could have relegated them to a supporting role in a programme which, he claimed, belonged to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Supporting the Congress leadership's decision to skip the January 22 event, Mr Tharoor expressed willingness to visit the temple after the general elections are over when all the political focus on the shrine dies down. "The Congress' position is very very clear. The Congress party members are free to have their own religion and religious beliefs, and everyone's religion is respected by the party. So I go to temples to pray, and not to political events," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said. "This particular event (consecration of Ram temple) was essentially going to relegate the opposition invitees to a kind of supporting role for a prime ministerial starring spectacle. I did not think that Congress needed to

England's spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel revealed that left-arm spinner Jack Leach aggravated his knee injury during the second day of the first Test against India on Friday here in Hyderabad. Leach who is the most experienced spinner among the four injured his knee while trying to save a boundary on day one. He aggravated his injury on the morning of the second day. As a result, Leach just bowled 16 overs out of 87, bowling at most four overs in a spell and also leaving the field to receive treatment. "He banged his knee last night, the first dive down at fine leg. Then he banged it again today and it's giving him a little gyp, to be honest. You noticed in the outfield he was a little sluggish trying to get to balls, but he stuck at it and I thought he actually bowled really, really well considering," Jeetan said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. "It must be pretty serious, or serious for him anyway, because the reality is he wouldn't shirk that responsibilit

A jury in New York ordered former US president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump on Friday to pay $83.3 million to compensate the writer E. Jean Carroll whom he was found to have sexually assaulted and defamed. The civil order, which prompted an audible gasp in the federal court, far exceeds the more than $10 million in damages for defamation that Carroll had sought. Trump lashed out almost immediately calling the verdict "ridiculous" in a statement and promising to appeal. The jury reached its decision after slightly less than three hours of deliberations. Trump had been in court earlier, storming out at one point to subsequently return for closing arguments. He was not in court when the level of compensatory and punitive damages were read out by a court clerk. Following the verdict, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba spoke only to thank court staff. A juror exchanged a smile with Carroll as the nine men and women left the courtroom after the judge encouraged them to protect

West Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday gave the Centre a seven-day ultimatum to clear all dues failing which the party would launch a massive protest. Ms Banerjee made these remarks during a programme at Raj Bhavan to celebrate the 75th Republic Day. Ms Banerjee said, "If the central government does not clear the funds, then we (TMC) will initiate a massive protest." According to West Bengal government's figures, the Centre owes the state Rs 9,330 crore under the PMAY, Rs 6,900 crore under MGNREGA, Rs 830 crore under National Health Mission, Rs 770 crore under PM Gram Sadak Yojna, Rs 350 crore under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Rs 175 crore for mid Day Meals, as well as money under other schemes. Ms Banerjee had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20, and discussed the issue of pending central funds. After the meeting, she said PM Modi proposed that officials from state and Centre can sit together and clear the issues. Earlier this week,

Based on the twin themes of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Bharat - Loktantra Ki Matruka', this year's parade will see the participation of 13,000 special guests. For the first time ever, the parade will be heralded by over 100 women artists playing Indian musical instruments. The parade would start with the music of Sankh, Naadswaram, Nagada, etc. to be played by these women artists. It will also see the first participation of an all-women tri-service contingent marching down the Kartavya Path. Women pilots will also enthral the audience during the flypast, representing "Nari Shakti". The contingents of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will also consist of only women personnel. The Republic Day parade will start at 10,30 am and run for a duration of 90 minutes. The ceremony will start with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the National War Memorial. Kartavya Path will be witness to a march past by a combined band and marching contingent of the

In a clear example of California's homelessness crisis, authorities found caves along the Tuolumne River where people had been living. These 20-foot-deep underground dwellings, reached by makeshift stairs, were filled with makeshift furniture and personal belongings, revealing the desperate measures some take for shelter. Located near Modesto, the caves were cleared over the weekend by police and volunteers from local homeless outreach organizations. Authorities expressed concern about safety risks from unstable structures and potential flooding from the nearby river. "This particular area has been plagued by vagrancy and illegal camps, which have raised concerns due to the fact that these camps were actually caves dug into the riverbanks," the Modesto Police Department said in a statement. "During the operation on Saturday, a total of 7,600 lbs of trash, as well as two truckloads and a trailer of garbage, were successfully removed from the area," the police

The government today announced the prestigious Padma Awards on the eve of the 75th Republic Day celebrations. The Padma Vibhushan has been awarded to Vyjayantimala Bali, Konidela Chiranjeevi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Bindeshwar Pathak (posthumous), and Padma Subrahmanyam. BJP leader Ram Naik, singer Usha Uthup and actor Vijaykanth (posthumous) are among the 17 who have been awarded the Padma Bhushan. The first woman judge of the Supreme Court Chief Justice M Fathima Beevi (posthumous), actor Mithun Chakraborty, and Bombay Samachar owner Hormusji N Cama are also among the Padma Bhushan awardees. Young Liu, the CEO of Taiwan's Foxconn, has also been honoured with Padma Bhushan. from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/9kR3p4H

Donald Trump and Joe Biden attacked each other on Wednesday as they prepared for a likely general election rematch in November after Trump's win in New Hampshire's Republican presidential primary made his White House nomination increasingly likely, although his last remaining rival Nikki Haley vowed to stay in the race. Former Republican President Trump's back-to-back wins in nominating contests put him on an almost certain path toward a general election contest with Democratic President Biden. Both turned their fire on each other after Trump's New Hampshire victory over Haley on Tuesday night. Biden's reelection campaign issued a statement saying it is "now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee," and repeated warnings that the former president is a threat to democracy. Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to repeat unfounded allegations that Biden and his Justice Department were engaged in political persecution, followi

Manish Tripathi who designed the outfit adorned by the Ram Lalla idol in the newly constructed temple in Ayodhya said a divine connection with the deity helped him achieve the task. Explaining about the material and design of the outfit, Mr Tripathi told PTI, "We got a pitambari (yellow) cloth prepared for the lord in Kashi (Varanasi)," He added that along with silk, gold and silver wires were used in preparation of the clothing material. "The embroidery done on the outfit has Vaishnavite symbols," the designer said. Asked about the challenges faced in the conceptualisation and making of the outfit, Mr Tripathi said, "The biggest challenge was prepare a cloth which suits the grandeur of a prince and a god. I prayed to god to show me the way and he showed me signs and gave wisdom so that I could prepare apt clothing for him." The young designer, who was born and brought up in Lucknow, said it was also a challenge for him to live up to the imagination an

Six-time World Champion and 2012 Olympic medallist Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom on Wednesday announced her retirement from boxing. Mary Kom hung her boxing gloves as the International Boxing Association's (IBA) rules allow male and female boxers to fight in elite-level competition only till the age of 40. During an event, Mary, 41, admitted that she still has the hunger to compete at the elite level, but she has to bring curtains down on her career because of the age limit. "I have the hunger still but unfortunately because of the age limit it is over I cannot compete in any competition. I want to play more but I am being forced to quit (due to the age limit). I have to retire. I have achieved everything in my life," Mary said during an event. Mary is the first female boxer in boxing history to have captured six world titles. The five-time Asian champion was the first female boxer from India to take home a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. The experienced pugilist wo

Hundreds of central and state security forces have taken up defensive positions around the Kangla Fort in the heart of Manipur's capital Imphal, 24 hours before the start of a public meeting called by a valley-based village defence group inside the fort, the seat of power of the erstwhile Manipur kingdom. The group, Arambai Tenggol (AT), has invited all MLAs to the meeting, where the leaders are expected to clear their position about the violence in Manipur. The group's call for the public meeting was prompted by the killings of four woodcutters, a village defence volunteer, and two police commandos by suspected insurgents in the past two weeks. A special three-member team of the Home Ministry came to Imphal on Monday night and held talks with the AT ; they met again on Tuesday. The team headed by the adviser on northeast affairs to the Home Ministry AK Mishra met the AT leaders at the Imphal home of Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba. The other two members of the Home Minis

Security has been tightened in and around Manipur capital Imphal after Arambai Tenggol asked all ministers and MLAs from the valley districts for a meeting at Kangla Fort on Wednesday. Arambai Tenggol, an organisation of around 50,000 people engaged in guarding villages in the valley areas of the state, has asked all ministers and MLAs from the valley districts to come for discussions, the details of which have not been specified, an official said, adding "there are intel reports that they (Arambai Tenggol) are planning to enter Kangla fort with arms before the meeting." According to the officials, a large number of security forces including CRPF, Assam Rifles, Army and state police have been deployed near the fort as a precautionary measure. Kangla Fort served as the royal seat of Manipur kingdom till 1891. Earlier too, Arambai Tenggol had asked all legislators to attend a meeting at Kangla Fort, the official said. The development comes a day after a three-member Union

Tamil Nadu is set to revolutionise the Jallikattu festival, the traditional bull-taming sport, by introducing cricket's famous Indian Premier League (IPL) like matches at a new state-of-the-art stadium in Madurai's Alanganallur, which is renowned for this traditional sporting event. The stadium will be inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin tomorrow. The initiative to have IPL-like league matches aims to give a "boost" to the traditional festival and put it on India's tourism map. The new Jallikattu stadium, is spread across 66.8 acres, and has seating capacity of 5,000 and a dedicated museum showcasing the Jallikattu bulls and the significance of the sport. The new stadium will have emergency response measures such as a hospital for bull tamers and veterinary center for bulls. The ancient sport of valour has an infamous history of injuring, maiming and even killing hundreds of people including spectators besides acts of cruelty against the animal like intoxi

He has been impeached twice, tried to thwart the peaceful transfer of power after losing the 2020 presidential election, faces scores of charges in multiple criminal cases, and his critics warn he is plotting to rule as an autocrat. Yet, Donald Trump could still return to the White House. Trump leads his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by nearly 40 percentage points according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll of Republican voters, a remarkable comeback for a one-term president who three years ago appeared vanquished and humiliated. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the criminal cases against him and says they are politically motivated. Trump is also moving closer to clinching the Republican nomination, after a resounding win on Jan. 15 in Iowa, the first Republican nominating state. That led one of his few remaining rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to quit the race, leaving just former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, to battle Trump. Here ar

Canada will temporarily cap new international student permits by one-third this year compared to 2023, the country's immigration minister announced Monday. The measure is aimed in part at easing soaring demand for housing and social services, with the number of international students set to triple from a decade ago. Under the cap approximately 364,000 international students are expected to receive study permits this year, or a 35 percent net decrease from 2023. The 2025 limit will be assessed at the end of the year. The cap is meant to "improve program integrity, set international students up for success, (and) to maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada," Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a news conference in Montreal. "It would be a disserve to welcome international students in Canada knowing not all of them are getting the resources they need to succeed and having them return home disillusioned and disappointed in Canada's educatio

Legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar on Saturday lauded star India batter Virat Kohli for completing 50 ODI centuries, saying that he is the best batter of modern era and wished that he would get a century of centuries. Shoaib is in UAE for International League T20 season two, a league with which he is associated as a brand ambassador and commentator. Speaking exclusively to ANI, Akhtar also said that had Virat played in his era, he could have faced difficulties but still would have scored the runs he has scored so far. "Back then, Sachin was playing with one ball, which would reverse swing against some of the best bowlers in the world. There was only one circle. Today, Sachin would have made a lot of runs. He is the greatest ever...Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara etc. Wasim Akram and Shane Warne too," he said. "Virat would have been competitive (in our era). He could have faced difficulties but he would have scored the runs he has scored now. We would have faced a similar

A huge crowd has gathered at New York Times Square to celebrate the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Dhols and chants of Jai Shri Ram rang out loud at the iconic business hub as hundreds of Hindus participated in the festivities. NDTV's Namrata Brar reports. from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/PnM1ehx

All 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case surrendered at a Gujarat jail as the Supreme Court deadline ended today. The Supreme Court on January 8 asked the convicts, released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, to surrender before jail authorities by January 21. On Friday, the court refused to grant them more time. The convicts had cited reasons such as health issues, impending surgery, marriage in the family and harvest work and sought more time to surrender. The apex court noted that the reasons cited by applicants to seek postponement of surrender and report back to jail "have no merit". from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/Jl8HTOi

Barely hours away from the grand inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, enthusiastic devotees in Houston arranged an awe-inspiring and innovative Tesla car light show dedicated to Lord Ram. Over 100 Tesla car owners, calling themselves "Ramji ki Gilahariyan of Greater Houston", gathered at Shri Guruvayurappan Krishna Temple for the light show on Friday evening, attracting hundreds of Ram Bhakts and passersby in the neighbourhood. The Tesla show at Houston, America #JaiShreeRam #AyodhaRamMandir pic.twitter.com/REPmQSBZ1q — SINGH___Jee (@BADALSINGH20450) January 20, 2024 The cars had a giant-sized Ram Rath in the backdrop, with a life-size temple oil painting, and loud music of "Jai Sri Ram" giving the place a divine look and feel of being at the temple. Tesla Car drivers use a key feature wherein the headlights can be programmed to off and on at the same time. Soon after the beautiful light show, they assembled at the temple for aarti, joined by other bh

Ishita Dutta and Vatsal Sheth, who became parents to a baby boy Vaayu last year, shared pictures from his Annaprashan ceremony (Rice Ceremony) on Instagram. The couple celebrated the special occasion with friends and family. In the first picture shared, Ishita can be seen kissing her baby boy on his forehead. In a family picture, Ishita's sister Tanushree Dutta can be spotted. For the occasion, Vatsal Sheth wore a kurta while Ishita chose a saree. Sharing the pictures they wrote in the caption, "Happy 6 months my baby.Vaayu's Annaprashan ceremony. For those who don't know it's a Bengali traditional ceremony which also known as the rice ceremony where solid food is introduced to the baby by his mama for the first time..Off course the baby is too small to eat so we only touch the food to introduce him to flavours." Bobby Deol shared a bunch of heart emojis in the comments section. Take a look: View this post on Instagram

The new idol of Lord Ram was placed inside Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Thursday afternoon, days ahead of the grand consecration ceremony on January 22. The first photo of the idol - made in black stone - depicts the deity as a five-year-old child in a standing posture. The face of the 51-inch idol, sculpted by Mysuru-based artist Arun Yogiraj, was covered with a veil. Earlier today, the Ram Lalla idol was placed in the sanctum sanctorum amid the chanting of prayers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the January 22 'pran pratishtha' or consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, which is expected to be opened to the public the next day. "Pran Pratistha' means imbibing the idol with divine consciousness and is a must for every idol that is worshipped in a temple. The Prime Minister has urged the public not to visit Ayodhya on January 22 as "we would not like to cause any problems to Lord Ram", adding that everyone can come starting January

Given the heavy snowfall and significant traffic on the way to Davos this year, it became apparent that opting for the hour's helicopter flight from Geneva was a practical choice. As we prepared to board, I met our pilots, Hans and Michael, two youthful gentlemen seemingly in their twenties. The helicopter's journey through deep layers of thick clouds, flying past the breathtaking, snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps, was a moment of reflection. Trusting our safety to these two relatively young and unknown pilots and believing that they knew how to navigate the mountainous regions full of peaks and valleys covered in clouds resonated deeply with the overarching theme of the World Economic Forum 2024: Rebuilding Trust. If the first major theme at WEF 24 was about rebuilding trust, the second was about the rise of India. Let's start with defining trust. It is the fundamental element that significantly impacts societal operations. It facilitates smoother interactions and coo