Construction on Central Yoga institute stuck for 8 years

Construction on Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy near Bhubaneswar in Orissa has been stuck for several years due to opposition from villagers surrounding the project, the AYUSH ministry said today. The institute, which would carry out research in Yoga and naturopathy as well as have a 100-bed attached hospital, was announced in eight years […]

India says WhatsApp giving ‘good response’ on monitoring proposal

Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s minister for law and information technology, said the government has got ‘good response’ from WhatsApp for its proposal to install a monitoring mechanism on the platform. The government has been pushing WhatsApp to put up a monitoring mechanism that would send out alerts when messages on any one subject starts going […]

6:30 PM Bulletin: Karunanidhi’s health declines

The latest health bulletin from Kauvery Hospital in Chennai at 6:30 PM today has said that there has been a further deterioration in Tamil politician Karunanidhi’s health. “There has been a decline in the medical condition of Kalaignar Dr M Karunanidhi, DMK President and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” read the bulletin signed by […]

FULL TEXT: Assocham calls move to block FB, WhatsApp “excessive, unnecessary”

Assocham, one of India’s prominent associations of industries, has expressed concern at the government’s proposal to put in place a mechanism to block apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. The government has, in a confidential letter sent to internet service providers, asked them to suggest ways in which such apps can be blocked at India’s […]

1,104 people die during clinical trials in India in 3 years

A total of 1,104 people have died during clinical trials of various drugs and procedures in India in the last three years, according to the ministry of health and family welfare. However, not everyone who died during clinical trials are found to have died from the procedure through subsequent examinations. Only the patients who are […]

Bhima Jewellers pulls ads from Mathrubhumi over Meesa novel

Bhima Jewellers, one of the biggest gold retailing firms in Kerala, seems to have pulled its advertisements from Mathrubhumi due to ‘controversies’ over the printing of a novel by the publication group. “We give importance to public sentiments and wish to stay away from controversies of any kind. We have noted your concerns and have […]

UIDAI Helpline: No, your phone has not been hacked!

Telecom operators and the Unique Identification Authority of India have denied having anything to do with the ‘mysterious’ addition of the UIDAI’s former helpline to the contact lists of Android phone users in India. That leaves only three candidates — Google, which makes Android, handset makers and any of the popular apps that has been […]

Non-BJP parties likely to jointly ask EC for paper ballot in 2019

An array of politicial parties, including BJP allies Shiv Sena and BJD, are likely to write to the Election Commission to ask for the next general election to be conducted using ballot paper, media reported. The parties include opposition outfits like the Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Janata Dal, […]

Supreme Court refuses to ban novel ‘Meesha’, seeks translation

The Supreme Court has refused to stay the sale of ‘Meesa’ (The Moustache), a Malayalam novel that has been in the news for offending certain organisations in Kerala, pending further deliberations. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based Malayali N Radhakrishnan, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked for a translation of […]

Bharti Airtel to be ‘careful’ about content investments, prefer tie-ups

Reliance Jio’s delays in ‘going pay’ with its content suite seems to be giving rivals like Bharti Airtel pause for thought as far as their content plans are concerned. Jio unveiled a large suite of content applications when it launched its telecom service two years ago, prompting rivals like Airtel and Idea Cellular to draw […]

23 GW of solar parks sanctioned in India, Gujarat No.1

Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are emerging as the top destinations for large, utility scale solar projects in India, according to numbers from the Minister of New and Renewable Energy. According to data for Government of India’s “Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects” scheme, Gujarat ranked as the state with the highest number […]

Indian govt demands greater access from WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter

India’s Information Technology Department today unveiled a new plan of action to combat fake news that would require foreign social media firms like Facebook, Twitter and Google to establish offices in India and actively help in flagging and tracking down people who post troublesome messages online. Ravi Shankar Prasad also said WhatsApp, in particular, has […]

Commission on OBC sub-categorization to report next week

The ministry of social justice and empowerment said that a committee looking into the need for sub-categorization of OBC groups is expected to submit its report by 31 July. The committee, comprising four members headed by retired Supreme Court Justice G Rohini, was formed in October last year. Minister Krishna Pal Gurjar said the committee […]

Govt faces questions over the ‘trolling’ of Sushma Swaraj in LS

Trinamool Congress MP Prasun Banerjee today raised the issue of the recent ‘trolling’ of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament. Over the last several days, Swaraj has come under attack on social media after she took disciplinary action against an official of the Lucknow Regional Passport Office for allegedly denying passports to a Hindu-Muslim […]