Firhad Hakim, a senior minister in West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), has defended his remarks on the Muslim population in the state and India, saying he is a diehard secular and patriotic Indian. Hakim's comments, made at a minority students' event, have sparked controversy with the BJP, Congress, and Hindu monks accusing him of promoting communalism and advocating for a Muslim majority. Hakim, however, clarified that his remarks were taken out of context and that he was merely advocating for the empowerment of the Muslim community. He also highlighted the need for greater representation of Muslims in the judiciary.
South Africa bounced back from two heavy defeats to beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the third and final One-Day International in Sharjah on Sunday.
Amid tight security, members of a judicial commission on Sunday visited the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal and other areas which witnessed violence over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque.
While Satya's pleasures are palpable -- among them the poetry of the coarse language, the mercifully rough-hewn texture, the oh-so-familiar underdog story -- these pleasures hit you at a completely different speed. The movie is charged with a sense of discovery, and every shot is a cornucopia of details existing independent of the main story. It's touching, notes Sreehari Nair.
Two days after being sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took oath as an MLA along with deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi boycotted the ceremony alleging EVM misuse.
Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, remains on high alert following violence that erupted on November 24 over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Police have deployed heavy security ahead of Friday prayers and a court hearing on the survey, which is expected to be tense. The violence, which left four people dead and several injured, stemmed from claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site of the mosque.
Abdullah said if the terrorists think they can establish Pakistani writ in Jammu and Kashmir by indulging in such acts, they are mistaken.
Zakir Hussain was the maestro of tabla, percussionist, composer and even actor -- a legend who was India's very own and yet belonged to the world. Hussain died from 'idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis', a lung disease, in a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73.
'If the government sincerely addressed the issue of missing persons, it would alleviate 80% of the grievances in Balochistan.' 'No matter how many development projects Islamabad announces for the region, the people will remain upset as long as their loved ones are missing.'
28-year-old Faruk Kabir tackles the subject of juvenile crime in his debut feature film.
Notwithstanding protests by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, he said the first session of the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is "short in duration but historic in terms of agenda".
England captain acknowledges and appreciates diverse culture in team
'No matter how dark it is around me, your smile makes it all better.'
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani gives us the box office verdict for the week.
"Allah ko pyaari ho gayi meri beti," said Ansaar, whose 11-day-old daughter was among the seven newborns killed in a blaze at a childcare hospital.
Prasidh recently underwent a surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon and is currently recovering.
While Jamaat cannot take part in the elections due to the ban imposed on it by the Union home ministry, it had shown interest in participating in the polls during the Lok Sabha elections if the ban were removed.
"Most Muslims were thinking that there was 99 per cent chance that the Ayodhya judgment will favour the waqf board. That's why we are feeling disappointed. This verdict is the most unexpected. We have no choice but to keep calm. What Allah does is, always, good for the community. As I said, there was more danger in store for us if we would have won the Ayodhya case."
It also cautioned that if the legislation is passed, the "two crutches" on which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is running at the Centre would not be able to escape responsibility.
Rammu Guru, the head priest of the temple, said, "Sai Baba was being worshiped without proper knowledge, which is forbidden according to scriptures."
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, the first elected government in the Union Territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated.
'PM Modi would have swept the elections in Kashmir after notebandi but then he scrapped Article 370 so all his good work went down the drain.'
'The blasts destroyed my family. Two of my sons are in jail and one is absconding.'
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto on Sunday threw his weight behind the struggling Shakib Al Hasan and said the country's greatest all-rounder is doing everything in his capacity to regain his form with the ball.
'When you watch Freedom At Midnight, I want you to feel like you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.'
The court dismissed a petition claiming oaths taken in the name of Allah were done so for publicity and were constitutionally invalid.
A person cannot take oath in the name of any particular God or deity but merely affirm in the name of God or his own conscience.
The complete list of players sold in the IPL 2025 Auction in Jeddah.
Shakib Al Hasan is a tremendous cricketer of international repute and hopefully Bangladesh cricket history would be kinder to him.
Muslim voters in the Old City in Lucknow know the decisive value of their votes, but are wary that their votes are divided, and that, they fear, will only help Narendra Modi. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com speaks to Muslim voters in the land of tehzeeb and gauges their apprehensions about a Modi sarkar.
In a condolence message sent to the families of the victims of the fire incident in Mangaf, the Emir expressed his sincere sorrow and deep sympathy to the families of the victims and wished a fast recovery to the injured.
'When I heard the tune for Abhi Na Jao I was bowled over.' 'Of course, I never knew it would be such a timeless rage.'
Pant made 18 in his first outing since that accident against Punjab Kings and Delhi succumbed to their second successive defeat on Thursday when inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals beat them by 12 runs.
'We wish Gulfisha gets bail before Eid, but whatever happens will be Allah's wish.'
Pakistan wanted to be constitutionally communal, India wanted to be secular but is communalising itself. All three nations share a penal code, but they have amended their laws to enable the State to specifically target minorities, points out Aakar Patel.
'Pray for others too and stand a better chance of having your prayers answered.'
'I always wanted to be a part of a platform like this which enables you to show your true personality to the world. But after entering the show, I realised this show is more suitable for people like Armaan Malik, who backbite and indulge in unnecessary arguments. I am not cut out for such things.'
The police officials stated that Mir, who retired as a senior superintendent of police in 2012, was shot inside the mosque located in the Gantmulla locality of Sheeri area.
After a meeting of its working committee in New Delhi, the board adopted a resolution which stated that the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on the maintenance of Muslim divorcee women is "against the Islamic law (Shariah)".
'I have faced 18 hours of darkness daily all my life.'
