Akshita Kapoor

[ad_1] MADURAI/T'PURAM: CPM politburo member Mariam Alexander Baby was appointed Sunday as the party's new general secretary, becoming only the second from Kerala to hold the position after the state's first CM EMS Namboodiripad. Baby, 71, succeeded the late Sitaram Yechury at CPM's 24th congress in Madurai.Former general secretary Prakash Karat, who briefly served as interim coordinator following Yechury's passing in Sept 2024, has been dropped from the politburo along with his wife Brinda Karat, Tripura ex-CM Manik Sarkar, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Subhashini Ali and G Ramakrishnan. But, sources said, the Karats and Manik Sarkar will serve as special invitees to the central committee in an advisory role.The party's central committee and congress approved the politburo's recommendation for Baby's appointment. But, his elevation faced resistance from the party's Bengal and Maharashtra units, which had proposed All India Kisan Sabha national […]

[ad_1] Brooklyn horror: Police shoot man after he stabs four girls at home (Picture credit: X) A 49-year-old man was shot by police on Sunday morning after he allegedly went on a violent rampage with a meat cleaver inside a Brooklyn apartment, slashing and stabbing four young girls before being confronted by officers.According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the victims — aged 16, 13, 11, and 8 — sustained serious injuries but are expected to survive. As per news agency AP, the attack was reported around 10:15 am (local time) when the 11-year-old girl, wounded and terrified, locked herself in a room and called 911, saying her uncle had stabbed her and her siblings.The 911 operator used location tracking to pinpoint the address on 84th Street in Bensonhurst. When officers arrived, an uninjured boy led them inside. […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: 'Make in India' is the mantra as global smartphone giants Apple and Samsung look to re-calibrate worldwide production to blunt the impact of Donald Trump's higher tariffs on China and Vietnam, when shipping to the US.Even though it is a logistical challenge with major customs and other regulatory efforts required, the issue is being addressed on an urgent basis to ensure that supplies to the US remain competitive.Also read: Flurry of exports as firms raced to beat Trump tariffsApple, the world's biggest electronics seller, has started to use production at India's factories to ship iPhones to the US, with plans to drastically cut down exports from China. The decision is being taken as Trump has announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian exports to the US, while it is 54% for China, including the 34% announced last […]

[ad_1] KOLKATA: A consumer forum cannot issue an arrest warrant like a criminal court. It can only issue detention orders like a civil court, Calcutta high court held in its recent order."Law does not authorise the forum to issue a warrant of arrest for enforcement of its order under the Code of Criminal Procedure," Justice Suvra Ghosh said Wednesday while quashing the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum's arrest warrant issued against a Hooghly automobile company branch manager.Justice Ghosh referred to a judgment of a coordinate bench of Calcutta high court according to which, in an execution application, the commission can issue a warrant for detention of the judgment debtor in civil prison as per the Code of Civil Procedure. According to Section 71 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, Justice Ghosh interpreted that an order granting performance of an agreement […]

[ad_1] VARANASI: Shakhas would welcome all those who respect the 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogan and 'bhagwa jhanda' (saffron flag). RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said this on Sunday morning at a shakha here while replying to a question whether Muslims could attend shakhas.On a four-day visit to Varanasi, Bhagwat attended a shakha at Lajpat Nagar Colony. He was taking questions from swayamsewaks after speaking on the need for forming a strong society by ending caste discrimination and dwelling on environmental, economic and other issues. One swayamsewak wanted to know whether Muslims could join shakhas, to which Bhagwat said, "All Indians are welcome at the shakhas. The only condition is that each one coming to join shakha should have no hesitation in chanting 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and must show respect for the saffron flag."Although Indians had different religious practices, their […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: At present, only Congress, among all national political parties, occupies two govt bungalows in Lutyen's Delhi while four others, including BJP, have one such accommodation each.Housing and urban affairs ministry, in a reply to TMC's Sougata Roy, informed Lok Sabha that six govt bungalows have been allotted to Election Commission-approved national political parties.As per the information, Congress has been allotted two bungalows at 24, Akbar Road and 5, Raisina Road (headquarters of Youth Congress) and these were allotted in 1990 and 1976, respectively.BJP occupies 9, Pandit Pant Marg bungalow allotted in 1999. Sources said the saffron party has vacated 11 Ashoka Road, which was its headquaters for years, and it has been allotted to party's Lok Sabha MP from Odisha, Baijayant Panda.Both Congress and BJP have built their spacious party headquarters outside the Lutyen's Bungalow Zone (LBZ) […]

[ad_1] KOLKATA: West Bengal governor, CV Ananda Bose, submitted to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover his opposition to CM Mamata Banerjee's recommendations for vice-chancellors of 17 state-run universities, based on the shortlisted panel of the SC-nominated Justice UU Lalit committee.These universities include Calcutta University and Jadavpur University.A statement posted on X by Raj Bhavan's media cell read: "HG (Governor) and Chancellor has appointed vice-chancellors in 19 universities. In the case of the remaining 17 universities, by employing due diligence, including background and antecedent review of the candidates and after obtaining reports from credible sources in the field, HG and Chancellor has raised valid reservations in a sealed cover, on the candidates preferred by the chief minister, for consideration in the Hon'ble Supreme Court."Raj Bhavan also claimed that SC was not aware of this development when it heard the […]

[ad_1] Is Luka Doncic playing tonight? (Image via Mark J. Terrill/ AP) Luka Doncic will suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with no injury designation ahead of his highly anticipated return to Dallas next week. Will Luka Doncic play tonight? Los Angeles Lakers injury report vs OKC Thunder (April 6, 2025)The Lakers’ latest injury report lists only Maxi Kleber (foot) as out, while LeBron James (groin) is probable. Luka Doncic, who has been managing minor ankle soreness in recent weeks, is fully available as Los Angeles continues integrating him.Sunday’s game against the Thunder marks the first meeting between the teams since the Lakers acquired Doncic. Oklahoma City will have Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso back in the lineup after both missed the previous matchup due to injury. The bigger storyline comes […]

[ad_1] SRINAGAR: A surge in mule accounts used to transfer illicit money has sparked a major crackdown in J&K, with police uncovering thousands of these fraudulent bank accounts, officials said.In 2025 alone, 7,200 mule accounts have been identified and police estimate the total number could reach 30,000, according to Srinagar SSP Imtiyaz Hussain. While the transaction volume is estimated to be in crores, the amount has not been disclosed yet.Police have arrested 21 people, including 19 from Srinagar, in connection with the scam, Hussain said Sunday.A mule account is a third-party bank account used to move money obtained through illegal means. Cybercriminals recruit people — often through social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram — to open these accounts, which remain active for just a day or two. During this time, illicit funds are deposited before the accounts are quickly […]

[ad_1] BAREILLY: Uttar Pradesh police inaugurated the Satyavrat police outpost - a two-storey 'hi-tech complex with several rooms to accommodate sufficient personnel' - exactly opposite Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal Sunday.The outpost, which took about 100 days to build, bears the famous verse from Bhagavad Gita - "Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata... (Whenever there is a decline in righteousness...)" - a part of the sermon given by Lord Krishna. In front of its main gate, it has a symbolic chariot, meticulously handcrafted from Rajasthani marble stones. There are also inscriptions from Ramayana.Significantly, some of the bricks thrown by protesters at police during last year's violence which left five people dead and many personnel hurt were used at the site. The violence had broken out during a court-directed survey of the Jama Masjid on Nov 24.The inauguration, on the […]