Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
Rude surprise awaited two Trinamul Congress heavy-weight leaders – Firhad Hakim and Madan Mitra – on Sunday morning when officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) simultaneously raided the residences of duo in connection with the municipal bodies recruitment scam.
The search and seizure operations alongside examinations of both the leaders were taking place at the properties of Hakim in Chetla and Mitra in Bhowanipore amid tight security cover of CRPF personnel at both premises.
Setting aside their differences, top Israeli leaders have discussed the possibility of forming an emergency national unity government to deal with the complex situation after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants that has left at least 300 Israelis dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz spoke on Saturday and discussed the possibility of joining Netanyahu's government because of the emergency created by Saturday's infiltration and rocket attacks from Gaza, Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
Thirty-two bodies, including those of nine Armymen, have been recovered so far from the slush and debris of the flash flood in the Teesta river that devastated Sikkim, while the search continued for the over 100 people who are still missing, officials said on Sunday.
The flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday, has affected 41,870 people. So far, 2,563 people have been rescued from different areas of the state, most of which have been cut off from the rest of the country, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).
Two persons, including a CRPF personnel, were injured in a hand grenade explosion near the residence of Manipur minister Khemchand Yumnam in Imphal West district, police said on Sunday.
The incident happened at Yumnam Leikai around 10 pm on Saturday, they said. Two persons, who were on a motorcycle, hurled the grenade, which fell a few metres away from the main gate of the minister's residence, they added.
Appearing for class 10 and 12 board exams twice a year will not be mandatory for students and the option is being introduced to reduce stress caused by the fear of single opportunity, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said.
In an interview to PTI, Pradhan said the issue of 'dummy schools' cannot be ignored and the time has come to have a serious discussion about it. "The students will have the option of appearing for the (class 10 and 12 board) exams twice a year just like engineering entrance exam JEE. They can choose the best score... but it will be completely optional, no compulsion.
Petrol and diesel prices are unlikely to be increased despite firming raw material costs because of upcoming general elections next year, Moody's Investors Service said.
Three state-owned fuel retailers -- Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) -- which control roughly 90 per cent of the market, have kept petrol and diesel prices on freeze for a record 18 months in a row.
ISRO on Sunday said it has performed a trajectory correction manoeuvre (TCM) on Aditya L1 spacecraft, the country's maiden solar mission.
The Indian space agency also said the spacecraft was healthy. "The Spacecraft is healthy and on its way to Sun-Earth L1. A Trajectory Correction Maneuvre (TCM), originally provisioned, was performed on October 6, 2023, for about 16 s," ISRO said on 'X'.
Amid the current India-Canada diplomatic standoff, a leading university here has sought to reassure the student community and underscored its commitment to supporting its wellbeing, while noting that India’s suspension of visa processing will hinder face-to-face connection.
"We know that many members of the University of Toronto community are watching relations between the governments of Canada and India with concern. The situation is evolving rapidly, causing uncertainty and stress, and we do not yet have answers to many of the pressing questions it raises,” Vice-President International, University of Toronto, Professor Joseph Wong told PTI in a statement here.
An Egyptian policeman opened fire on Israeli tourists in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing at least two Israelis and one Egyptian, according to Egypt's Interior Ministry.
Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, quoted an unidentified security official as saying that another person was wounded in the attack, which took place at the Pompey's Pillar site in Alexandria. Security forces quickly cordoned off the site of the attack. An amateur video circulating on social media showed at least three ambulances apparently taking the victims to hospitals, while onlookers were seen watching behind a police barrier.
Death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan rises to 2,000, said a Taliban spokesman, in one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades.
A powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country's national disaster authority said.
