Mayor errs, uses 'communalism' in oath-taking

 Fri, 28 February 2025
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23:53

Ramzan to begin from Sunday in India

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Ramzan will begin on Sunday in India as the crescent moon marking the start of the fasting month was not sighted anywhere in the country on Friday. Shahi Imam of Chandni Chowk's Fatehpuri Mosque Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said Delhi-NCR was cloudy since morning, due to which the moon was...
23:24

Over 500 services of Maha to be available through WhatsApp

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In a push towards digital governance, the Maharashtra government on Friday announced that more than 500 services from its 'Aaple Sarkar' portal will now be available through WhatsApp. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement during the inauguration of `Mumbai Tech Week 2025'...
22:56

Mayor errs, uses 'communalism' in oath-taking

Newly-elected Bilaspur mayor Puja Vidhani/Image courtesy Instagram
Newly-elected Bilaspur mayor Puja Vidhani/Image courtesy Instagram
Newly-elected mayor Puja Vidhani of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh committed a faux pas on Friday by uttering sampradayikta (communalism) instead of samprabhuta (sovereignty) while taking oath of office following which she was sworn in for a second time. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and...
22:50

Trump greets Zelenskyy at White House, says "He's all dressed up today!"

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United States President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Washington DC on Friday.His visit comes at a time when the US is pursuing a rare earth material deal with Ukraine, and the US President has been actively talking about ending the Russia-...
22:40

4 bird-flu cases detected in MP: Union health ministry

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Four cases of the highly-pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in three pet cats and a bird have been detected in Madhya Pradesh, the Union health ministry said on Friday.It added that necessary public-health measures were instituted after the avian influenza or bird-flu cases were notified on...
22:38

Tripura: BSF jawan, Bangladeshi national injured during smuggling attempt

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A Border Security Force jawan and a Bangladeshi national were injured on Friday when the personnel of the Indian border guarding force tried to stop a smuggling attempt along the border between the two countries in Tripura. Around 7:30 pm, 20-25 Bangladeshi nationals intruded into the Indian...
22:29

Ramzan to begin in Saudi Arabia on Saturday

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Ramzan will begin in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as the crescent moon announcing the beginning of the Muslim holy month was sighted on Friday evening, authorities in Dubai have announced. The Holy Mosque's X account, representing Saudi Arabia's holy mosques in Mecca and Madinah said, The...
21:46

Flipkart shuts down ANS Commerce, lays off staffers

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E-commerce major Flipkart has shut down its arm ANS Commerce and laid off its entire workforce, according to a source. Founded in 2017, the firm was providing all support including marketing tools, warehousing, etc to entities that wanted to sell their product online. It was acquired by...
21:32

AIADMK will take part in all-party meet on delimitation: Palaniswami

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami
The principal opposition AIADMK will participate in the all-political party meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu government on March 5 and convey its stance on the subject, its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami informed on Friday. Two representatives from the AIADMK would take part in...
21:23

Sufi tradition has carved unique identity for itself in India: Modi

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Asserting that the culture and civilisation of a country get their voice from its songs and music, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the Sufi tradition has carved a unique identity for itself in India. Modi also greeted people on the upcoming month of Ramzan. Speaking at the...
20:46

Pune bus rape accused in police custody till Mar 12

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A court on Friday sent a 37-year-old man accused of raping a woman inside an empty parked state transport bus at Swargate depot in Pune city to police custody till March 12. The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, was nabbed from a paddy field following an extensive search operation carried out...
20:39

10 injured in bomb blast in Pakistan's Balochistan

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A bomb blast in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Friday injured ten people including a security official, according to officials. The explosion took place on a main road in Quetta near a convoy of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, Gawalmandi deputy superintendent of police Anwar Ali told...
20:21

Police tracked Pune rape case accused using different tech: Fadnavis

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The man accused of raping a woman inside a parked state transport bus at Swargate terminus in Pune city four days ago was tracked and nabbed by police using different technologies, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, did not...
19:51

Economy rebounds to 6.2% in Q3, lower than last year

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
The Indian economy grew by 6.2 percent in the December quarter, recovering sequentially from seven-quarter lows, but the expansion came in lower than last year and at a time when it faces growing headwinds from the threat of a US tariff war. The 6.2 percent growth in gross domestic product...
19:39

Fire erupts in Mumbai high-rise; none hurt, over 50 people rescued

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More than 50 people stranded on the upper floors of a 57-storey residential building were rescued after a fire broke out in the high-rise in south Mumbai's Byculla area on Friday morning, officials said. There was no report of casualty in the blaze that erupted around 10.45 am on the 42nd...
19:17

Rupee falls 28 paise to close at 87.46 against US dollar

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The rupee depreciated 28 paise to close at 87.46 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, as the strength of the American currency and a negative trend in domestic equities dented investor sentiments. Forex traders said the ongoing uncertainty surrounding tariff imposition by the US...
19:05

Cong top brass discuss strategy with Kerala party leaders

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Top brass of the Congress along with party leaders from Kerala on Friday held a brainstorming session to discuss a strategy and the way forward ahead of next year's assembly elections, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asserting that the people will defeat the oppressive and communal fronts in...
18:39

18 fishermen rescued from burning trawler near Mumbai

An Indian Coast Guard vessel during the rescue operation off Alibag in Maharashtra/ANI Photo
An Indian Coast Guard vessel during the rescue operation off Alibag in Maharashtra/ANI Photo
As many as 18 fishermen were rescued in a multi-agency operation carried out after a fire broke out on board their trawler near the coast of Alibag in Maharashtra's Raigad district in the early hours of Friday, the police said. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) separately said 14 fishermen were...
18:21

BSE Sensex top losers today

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Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled nearly 2 percent on Friday, mirroring deep losses in global markets as the latest announcement of additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese products rattled investors. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 1,414.33 points or 1.90 percent to settle...
17:52

3k Bangladeshis got birth certificates in Latur fraudulently: Somaiya

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Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya on Friday claimed 3,056 Bangladeshis have been issued birth certificates through fraudulent means in Latur. Talking to reporters after meeting the collector in Latur, the former Lok Sabha MP said the district administration has assured...
17:22

Trump tariffs: India's exports to US may fall by $7bn!

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Ind-Ra on Friday said India's exports to the US may decline by USD 2 billion to USD 7 billion in FY26 if the reciprocal tariffs being contemplated by the US is put into place. India's exports to the US rose by 5.57 per cent to USD 59.93 billion during April-December this fiscal. On the other...
17:16

Bloodbath on D-Street: Sensex, Nifty tank nearly 2%

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Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled nearly 2 per cent on Friday, mirroring deep losses in global markets after the latest announcement of additional 10 per cent tariff on Chinese products rattled investors.The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 1,414.33 points or 1.90 per cent to settle...
16:56

A single lemon sold for Rs 13,000 at TN temple auction

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A single lemon used in rituals at a temple in a village in this district, was auctioned for Rs 13,000, temple authorities said on Friday. As part of the annual Maha Shivaratri festival, the Pazhamthinni Karuppa Eswaran temple in Vilakkethi village conducted a midnight public auction on Wednesday,...
16:37

SC gives relief to Isha Foundation, says no coercive steps against it

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In a relief to Isha Foundation, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with a Madras High Court order quashing notices of the TN pollution body over the alleged violation of environmental norms and ordered no against against its yoga and meditation centre. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and...
16:14

Chamoli avalanche: 16 out of 57 workers rescued

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that 16 out of 57 road construction workers, who got trapped under snow in an avalanche that hit near Mana village in Chamoli district today, have been rescued and efforts are on to save the remaining people. 57 of the BRO workers...
16:05

Chamoli avalanche: 16 workers rescued

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Representational image
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that 16 out of 57 road construction workers, who got trapped under snow in an avalanche that hit near Mana village in Chamoli district today, have been rescued and efforts are on to save the remaining people. 57 of the BRO workers...
15:50

Clint Eastwood pays homage to Hackman

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Clint Eastwood shares this picture saying, Extremely saddened by the passing of Gene Hackman, He will be deeply missed...The deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa are under investigation by authorities after their bodies were found in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday.
15:42

Strong earthquake leaves Kathmandu shaken and stirred

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At least four people were injured in Kathmandu and elsewhere due to a strong earthquake in the neighbouring Sindhupalchowk district early Friday morning. The quake measuring 6.1 magnitude was recorded at 2.51 am with its epicentre at Bhairabkunda, Sindhupalchowk district, 65 km east of...
15:11

Revealed! Why Javed Akhtar settled case against Kangana

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Subhash K Jha speaks to Javed Akhtar minutes after Kangana Ranaut announced a truce in the defamation case. Javed Akhtar said, She has given a letter of regret and an apology. She has unconditionally withdrawn all her words and committed that she will never repeat them again. She has...
15:01

Maha CM's office receives bomb threat from Pak number

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Mumbai Traffic Police on Friday received a message from a Pakistani number, threatening to attack Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, officials said.According to Mumbai Police, the person introduced himself as Malik Shahbaz Humayun Raza.Mumbai Traffic Police received a WhatsApp message...
14:48

Rs 65L debt likely reason behind Kerala mass murder

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Financial liabilities is suspected to be the motive behind the gruesome mass murder at Venjaramoodu near Thiruvananthapuram recently, where a 23 year-old man killed five persons including his brother and girlfriend, police said on Friday. With mounting financial burden, the family was on the...
14:28

Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani to become parents soon

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Actor-couple Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani on Friday announced that they are expecting. The couple shared the news in a joint post on Instagram where they shared a photo of pair of baby socks (see alongside). The greatest gift of our lives... Coming soon, Advani, 33, wrote in the...
14:26

Crying about market crash? Modi's measures will...

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The sell-off in Indian stocks is primarily technical in nature and reflects multiple compressions rather than any drastic macro issue, according to a recent report of 'Greed & Fear' by Jefferies. The sell-off is more painful as compared with the nifty benchmark index, because of the much...
14:09

In Delhi, Ursula von der Leyen, EU commissioners take 'Hydrogen Bus'

Team India meets Team EU
Team India meets Team EU
European Commission Commissioners on Friday arrived at the Hyderabad House venue in the national capital onboard a bus powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, which was developed and operated in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The EU Commission...
14:09

In Delhi, Ursula von der Leyen, EU commissioners take 'Hydrogen Bus'

Team India meets Team EU
Team India meets Team EU
European Commission Commissioners on Friday arrived at the Hyderabad House venue in the national capital onboard a bus powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, which was developed and operated in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The EU Commission...
13:57

Massive avalanche near India-China border, 57 trapped

Image only for representation
Image only for representation
A massive avalanche struck near the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in the border area of Mana, Uttarakhand, trapping 57 workers engaged in road construction, police officials said on Wednesday.IG Nilesh Anand Bharne, spokesperson for the Police Headquarters, told ANI that rescue operations...
13:49

Bird flu detected in 3 Karnataka districts

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After cases of bird flu were detected in Ballari, Chikkaballapur and Raichur districts of Karnataka, the health department has stepped up its surveillance across the state, officials said on Friday. Cases of bird flu (H5N1 avian influenza), among poultry birds have been reported in Manvi...
13:26

Kangana, Javed Akhtar resolve defamation case

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Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar have mutually sorted their ongoing defamation case, as per the Dhakaad actor's new post. The lyricist had filed a case against her.Sharing a rare, happy picture of herself with Javed Akhtar, Kangana updated fans that they are likely to collaborate...
13:00

Coast Guard rescues 18 crew from boat on fire

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A fishing boat belonging to a man called Rakesh Gan caught fire 6-7 nautical miles from the coast in Raigad district in Akshi, Alibaug, around 3-4 am. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy rescued all 18 crew members from the boat safely: Raigad SP
12:56

SC junks plea that 200 died in Delhi rly stn stampede

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The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea that sought directions to be given to authorities on crowd management, claiming that over 200 people had died in a recent stampede at the New Delhi railway station. Is there any proof that 200 have died? a bench of Justices B R Gavai...
12:49

TN Guv wades into language row

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Wading into the language row in Tamil Nadu, state Governor RN Ravi on Friday said the rigid two language policy of the state government has deprived youth in the southern parts of TN of opportunities, making it a neglected backyard and said this was unfair. The ruling DMK hit out at Ravi...
12:47

Minor fire in Mumbai high-rise

The Salsette Building No. 27
The Salsette Building No. 27
A fire broke out at Salsette Building No. 27, near New Grade Insta Mill on B A Road in Byculla East on Friday. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) declared a Level-I call at 10:45 am. According to officials, the fire is confined within the building, and further details are awaited. Following...
12:37

Trump to meet 'very brave' Zelensky today

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington DC, where he arrived late last night, reports the BBC.Zelensky is hoping to gain some kind of security guarantees that would underpin any peace deal that may be negotiated with Russia. He is also...
12:34

'Excise policy caused revenue loss of Rs 2,000 crore'

Delhi CM with Dy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly
Delhi CM with Dy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday expressed concern over the tabled CAG report on the excise policy, which revealed a revenue loss of around Rs 2,000 crore. He also discussed about the upcoming CAG report on 'Public Health Infrastructure & Management of Health Services'....
12:10

Gene Hackman, wife's deaths labeled 'suspicious'

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The deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa are under investigation by authorities after their bodies were found in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday. Although foul play is not currently suspected, investigators have labeled the deaths suspicious and have launched a...
11:45

Markets crash, investors poorer by Rs 7.46L cr

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Investors' wealth tumbled by Rs 7.46 lakh crore in morning trade on Friday, in-tandem with a sharp decline in the domestic equity market, with the benchmark Sensex plunging over 1,000 points following a bearish trend in global equities. Fresh tariff threats that ignited global trade war...
11:31

Family of comatose Indian student gets US visa

Neelam Shinde's father said they got the visa in 30 minutes
Neelam Shinde's father said they got the visa in 30 minutes
US Embassy grants visa to family of Neelam Shinde, who is admitted in a hospital there after suffering serious injuries in a road accident in California. Her father Tanhaji Shinde said: I received a phone call from her roommate on February 16. However, she didn't tell me about the...
10:58

Request for food, water helped cops nab Pune rape accused

Dattatray Gade in custody of Pune City Police.
Dattatray Gade in custody of Pune City Police.
A request for food and water from a house led to the arrest of a 37-year-old man on the run after allegedly raping a woman inside a bus at Swargate bus station in Pune, police said on Friday. The police used drones and sniffer dogs to track down the accused, Dattaray Ramdas Gade, who was...
10:35

If you can keep your head when... Tharoor quotes Kipling

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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor shares this splendid reading of Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If', read by actor and legend Michael Caine: Tharoor shares the video of the reading and writes, Not a fan of Kipling's imperialist delusions, but there's something about his poem that resonates with me...
10:20

Market mayhem: Sensex down over 800 points!

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Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tanked in early trade on Friday mirroring deep cuts in global markets after the latest announcement of additional 10 per cent tariff on Chinese products rattled investors.The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 871 points to 73,740 in early trade. The NSE...
10:17

History in Minutes: Who Betrayed Chandra Shekhar Azad?

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On the 94th anniversary of the revolutionary giant's martyrdom, Utkarsh Mishra/Rediff.com revisits the events of February 27, 1931. Read the story here. 
10:11

T'gana tunnel collapse: Railways help with plasma cutter

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South Central Railway has joined the rescue teams that are engaged in locating the eight persons who remain trapped in the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel for the past six days, with necessary equipment, a senior official said on Friday. Railways has the expertise in cutting heavy metals...
09:48

Canada vows 'strong response' to Trump's tariffs

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday issued a warning regarding the potential imposition of tariffs by the United States, stating that 'Canada will have an immediate and extremely strong response', CBC News reported.We will continue to do that work and do everything necessary to avoid...
09:25

Fire at Mahakumbh Nagar site, one injured

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Kunal Dutt, PTIA fire broke out at an enclosure located in Sector 4 of Mahakumbh Nagar in Prayagraj, officials said on Friday.According to the officials, the fire broke out late night on Thursday. At least one person with injuries was rescued and sent to a medical facility in an ambulance close...
08:39

Pune bus rape accused detained from Shirur

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A man who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a bus at Pune's Swargate bus station was detained in Shirur Tehsil on Friday, police said.The accused identified as Dattatray Gade was detained by Pune Police at around midnight from Pune's Shirur tehsil.The woman was raped allegedly by...
01:09

CR to carry out 2-day block to extend platforms at CSMT

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Central Railway on Thursday announced a two-day special mega block from Friday night to carry out extension of a platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to accommodate 24-coach trains. Many suburban and long distance will be affected by this work, an official said. The...
01:07

Man held for filming, sharing videos of women at Kumbh

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The police in Prayagraj have arrested a man for allegedly recording videos of women bathing and changing clothes during the Maha Kumbh and uploading them on YouTube, officials said Thursday. A senior police official said that during the interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that he...
00:34

Tuhin Kanta Pandey appointed as SEBI chief

Newly appointed SBI chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey/File image
Newly appointed SBI chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey/File image
The government on Thursday appointed finance and revenue secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).  Pandey would replace Madhabi Puri Buch, who completes her three-year tenure on Friday (February 28). The Appointments...