Akshita Kapoor

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Urging Supreme Court to stay the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, the Muslim side claimed that the Union govt intended to expropriate waqf properties by de-recognising unregistered properties, including 'waqf by user', and by taking out ancient monuments such as Taj Mahal and Jama Masjid in Sambhal from the ambit of waqf.Leading a battery of senior advocates for the Muslim side, Kapil Sibal told a bench of CJI B R Gavai and Justice Augustine G Masih that the 2025 law was "framed and designed for wholesale capture of waqf properties through a legislative fiat, in a process that is non-judicial and purely executive".When the CJI said courts prima facie presume a law enacted by Parliament to be valid, Sibal said Waqf Amendment Act was discriminatory as it had singled out the Muslim community by mandating that a waqif […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: National Testing Agency has offered a retest for students who took the accountancy paper between May 13 and May 16 in the ongoing CUET-UG exams, after it was found that the exam paper included out-of-syllabus questions.The decision, disclosed in a public notice Monday, is the latest in a series of setbacks that have plagued this year's undergraduate entrance test.Acknowledging the discrepancy, NTA stated: "To achieve convergence between the notified syllabus and the design of the question paper, the accountancy paper will now include an option (to choose between questions from 'Unit V' or 'Optional to Unit V')", adding that this revised format would roll out from May 22.Fiasco latest in series of crises to have hit CUET-UG 2025T his move (to choose between questions) marks a deviation from the pattern introduced this year, where all questions in […]

[ad_1] HASSAN: "Heart Lamp," a collection of short stories penned by city based Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq, won the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025. This book was translated from Kannada to English by Madikeri-based translator Deepa Bhasthi.Banu Mushtaq, an advocate and journalist, established herself as a writer, storyteller, poet, novelist, and social activist.At a ceremony held at London's Tate Modern, Author Max Porter, who chaired the 2025 judging panel, revealed the victorious book - notably the first short story collection to receive this prestigious award. Max Porter said, "Heart Lamp is something genuinely new for English readers. A radical translation which ruffles language, to create new textures in a plurality of Englishes. It challenges and expands our understanding of translation."He emphasised that these vibrant and uplifting narratives emerge from Kannada, incorporating the remarkable socio-political depth of various languages and dialects. […]

[ad_1] BHOPAL: To repay a loan of Rs 20 lakh, a sarpanch in MP's Guna district allegedly struck a deal, 'leasing out' her panchayat to a local person with the condition that he would repay the loan.It was then 'handed over' to a third person through a notarised affidavit. When news of this reached the administration, the sarpanch, Laxmi Bai, was dismissed on May 9.Every panchayat is allocated a budget to carry out development works in its area with the sarpanch holding the purse strings. The bizarre notarised deal was inked in 2022 for Karod panchayat on the outskirts of Guna, around 220km from Bhopal, officials said.Following an investigation by the Guna subdivisional magistrate, district panchayat officials lodged a police complaint. Police filed an FIR against Ranveer Singh Kushwaha, a resident of the area who allegedly took over the panchayat […]

[ad_1] UDHAGAMANDALAM: M R Srinivasan, the nuclear scientist and former Atomic Energy Commission chairman who was instrumental in the development of India's nuclear power programme, died in Ooty on Tuesday. He was 95.Srinivasan had the distinction of working with Homi J Bhabha on the construction of India's first nuclear research reactor, Apsara, which went critical in Aug 1956. His career was marked by associations with the most hallowed names in India's atomic power programme, including Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Sethna and Dr Raja Ramanna.He was founder-chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. Under his leadership, 18 power units were developed.In 1987, Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan became secretary of department of atomic energy and chief of Atomic Energy Commission. The same year, he took charge of Nuclear Power Corporation of India. On Monday, Srinivasan was admitted to a private hospital in Ooty […]

[ad_1] Google's annual developer conference, the I/O 2025, arrived with its usual flurry of announcements, demos, and forward-looking promises. This year's I/O, held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, continued the company's all-in approach on artificial intelligence with significant updates across its product lineup. From an eye-popping $250/month Ultra subscription to Search reimagined with AI, Google delivered a smorgasbord of announcements that ranged from genuinely impressive to slightly concerning for your wallet. Let's do a run down of everything that Google announced at the I/O 2025.Gemini 2.5 models get even smarterBuild with Google Gemini 2.5Google's Gemini, the AI model powering many of the its services, received major upgrades across its lineup. The new Gemini 2.5 Pro now features an "enhanced reasoning mode" called Deep Think, which allows the model to consider multiple hypotheses before responding - particularly useful for […]

[ad_1] Jammu and Kashmir: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha SRINAGAR: J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha chaired Tuesday a Unified Headquarters meeting at Raj Bhawan to review Union territory’s security situation and preparations for the annual Amarnath Yatra, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq voiced concerns over widespread civilian arrests in crackdown against terrorism.Congratulating forces for Operation Sindoor, Sinha urged security agencies to intensify intelligence-led actions to neutralise terrorists and dismantle support networks.The meeting was attended by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, chief secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat, senior Army and IAF officers, intelligence heads, and CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Mandeep K Bhandari. Sinha directed all security arms to ensure safe conduct of the pilgrimage from July 3 to Aug 9.Former CM Mehbooba Mufti countered the narrative of military success, citing […]

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD: The Shehbaz Sharif govt in Pakistan promoted Tuesday army chief Syed Asim Munir from general to the five-star rank of Field Marshal in recognition of what it described as “exemplary leadership” while responding to India’s Operation Sindoor and bringing “great honour to our motherland”.For a country that has had four military rulers at different periods in its history, Field Marshal Munir is only the second Army chief to have been elevated to the apex rank, modelled on the British army’s structure. The first one, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, assumed the rank in 1959 while he was President, citing “requests” from Pakistani civil society.PM Shehbaz’s office announced that the cabinet unanimously decided to also continue the services of Air Chief Marshal Zahar Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his term ends.The statement also claimed that Pakistan downed five Indian jets and […]

[ad_1] Google, at I/O 2025, announced its premium AI subscription plan, Google AI Ultra, on May 20, 2025, for $249.99 (around Rs 21,380) per month, positioning it as a 'VIP pass' to the company's most powerful AI capabilities. First-time subscribers can receive 50% off for the first three months.The plan targets filmmakers, developers, and creative professionals demanding the highest level of access to Google's AI ecosystem, according to Shimrit Ben-Yair, Vice President of Google Photos and Google One.Google AI Ultra plan benefits for the subscribersGoogle AI Ultra subscribers will receive expanded access to the Gemini app with the highest usage limits for Deep Research and video generation through Veo 2, with early access to the upcoming Veo 3 model. In the coming weeks, subscribers will also gain access to a new enhanced reasoning mode called Deep Think in 2.5 Pro.The […]

[ad_1] LUCKNOW: Amrish Yadav, aged 32, a station master with Indian Railways in Uttar Pradesh, has achieved success in the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2024, securing All India Rank 72. He is among 143 candidates selected by the Union Public Service Commission.After attempting the civil service examination seven times and clearing the mains four times, Amrish has finally succeeded. Currently posted at Marahra railway station in Etah district, he is from the adjacent Kasganj district and is the fourth eldest of six siblings."Finally, all my hard work has paid. I'm happy with this feat, but I guess my parents, siblings, friends and colleagues are happier than me, as they have been immensely supportive in my journey," said Amrish who is fascinated with the introduction of Cheetah in fauna of India.Amrish comes from a family with a tradition of government service. […]