Special Report

Kolkata, Nov 2 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded a Supreme Court monitored judicial probe into the recent bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, that killed over 130 people. "Accidents are not always in our control. But at the same time, it has to be seen that the right organisation is given the right task. I heard the government there (in Gujarat) did not provide sufficient assistance to the victims' families. The bridge at Morbi was allowed to be used by the public before its rennovation…

Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt inaugurated the 'MET & HTS 2022' international defence exhibition at the Bombay Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, officials said. The expo and global meet focuses on the latest technological advancements in the defence, transport, and energy sectors, materials and engineering, with emphasis on new materials and process developments, theories, and computational models. Materials, Engineering & Technologies (MET) is the most comprehensive business…

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday observed that there is no way that the state can prohibit an interfaith couple to marry while dealing with a plea of two inter-faith foreign nationals seeking registration of their marriage under Indian law. Justice Yashwant Varma was hearing the plea moved by the couple seeking to solemnise and register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 as they want to retain their faith. The woman is a Canadian citizen and Hindu by religion while the man is an…

Modinagar (Uttar Pradesh) Nov 2 (IANS) Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) bagged the winners team trophy in the senior women's category, while Maharashtra grabbed the winners team trophies in the Junior women's and youth girls category in Phase 2 of the Khelo India Women's Weightlifting tournament here on Wednesday. Multiple National records have been created during the tournament which ended here on Wednesday. The tournament took place across the Senior, Junior and Youth age categories. The tournament saw participation…

Chennai, Nov 2 (IANS) AIADMK state Organising Secretary D. Jayakumar on Wednesday said that the DMK government has failed in preventing inundation in north Chennai, with water logging has taken place even in Kolathur Assembly constituency, represented by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. Interacting with reporters at Pulianthope in Chennai where 47-year-old Shanthi died after the balcony of her house fell on her, he said that inundation has taken place in several other parts of Chennai including Mambalam, Guindy, Saidapet, and…

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has prepared a set of 50 questions which would be asked to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who was summoned by the agency on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to illegal mining and extortion in Jharkhand and Bihar, a source said. Soren has been called to join the investigation for Thursday. "He will have to appear at our Ranchi office by 11 a.m. We will question him in parts. We are ready with around 50 questions," the source said.…

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Air India on Wednesday announced that it has signed agreements to complete the acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding in AirAsia India (AAI) and to subsidiarise it under Air India. An operational review process is underway with a view to ultimately integrating AAI fully with Air India Express (AIXL). Consolidation of these two airlines, both of which operate as low-cost carriers, will be undertaken as part of the restructuring roadmap that is being envisioned for the Tata Group's airline business…

By Vishnu Makhijani

The Hindi crime audio thriller stars Pratik Gandhi, Saiyami Kher and Dayashankar Pandey in lead roles. The direction is by Siddhanta Pinto, the story by Aashu Patel and the screenplay writing by Heer Khant. Spotify’s podcast, Gangistan is a brave, never-told-before Hindi audio thriller about the a less-explored side of Mumbai’s underbelly. But amidst the clash of the gangsters and the grim of underworld, emerges an unlikely real hero of the story – Journalist Aashu Patel, on whose life the podcast is based.

Before crossing over the continent and making the UK her choice for an academic destination, Helly worked with the UNDP India and also with the Women Economic Forum in Mumbai. Helly says, “It was here that I shared the stage with the likes of Cherie Blair, Nita Ambani and this ignited a spark in me and I knew which path I wanted to tread.”

All BJP chief ministers and deputy CMs attended the ceremony which was broadcasted live from over 51,000 places nationwide. The inauguration ceremony has been named “Divya Kashi, Bhavya Kashi” (Divine Kashi, Grand Kashi). During his address to the nation, he said, Kashi is not a matter of mere words, it is a creation of sensations. Kashi is that - where awakening is life; Kashi is that - where death is also a festival; Kashi is that - where truth is the culture; Kashi is where love is tradition.

The annual four-day music festival got a go-ahead this May from the authorities for the year 2021 and it seems that the enthusiasm could not be contained. It is evident that the public is more than willing to leave the not-so-fond memories of social distancing and restrictions behind as the tickets for the big events are almost sold out. The tickets according to the organizers are going out fast. The tickets range from $150 upwards for general admission and go up to $8000 for platinum admission for certain performances.

There are sections within the Indian American community that have not just antipathy but even contempt towards Vice President Harris. Ironically, many of these voices are strongly aligned with the Hindu right and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even as someone at its helm, namely Prime Minister Modi, has taken a pragmatic and even an enthusiastic approach toward her.

By Mayank Chhaya Special to Hi India Chicago: Defying the notorious Chicago machine politics Lori Lightfoot has become the first African American woman and the first openly gay politician to have been elected of Mayor of this third largest American city. Lightfoot also has the distinction of being the first Chicago mayor in decades not born in Chicago. The 56-year-old former federal prosecutor and a corporate attorney was born in Massillon, Ohio. “We can and we will break this city’s cycle of corruption,” she said. “We…

As Schaumburg, with a population of 74,184 (2017), prepares to elect its first mayor in over three decades, the race is being watched keenly by its inhabitants, who include some 16.000 to 18,000 Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans and Bangladeshi Americans. Al Larson is retiring as mayor after serving for 32 years. It is a measure of how long that is when it is considered that the World Wide Web, which has transformed politics and his politicians practice it at every level, was invented only 30 years ago.

Chicago, Sep 13 (IANS) With his first three-year term as a Member of Parliament in New Zealand behind him, Mumbai-born Mahesh Bindra is biding his time for the next phase of his engagement in his adopted country's public life."With some luck I might get a second term, but irrespective of that I enjoy being part of politics in a democratically vibrant country," Bindra told IANS on the sidelines of the recently-concluded World Hindu Congress in Lombard near here where he was a special invitee. Travelling to New…