Karnataka Caste Census Submitted Before Polls, Irks Lingayats, Vokkaligas

A socio-economic survey report, submitted today, has set off a political row in Karnataka, even though its contents are yet to be made public. The survey, ordered by the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2017, has upset the politically dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga castes, who now want it to be shredded.

The 2017 socio economic survey report was submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today by Jaiprakash Hegde. The Chairman of the OBC Commission walked into Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru at 2.45 pm today -- the last day of his tenure -- and met Mr Siddaramaiah briefly, before addressing the media.

"We have submitted the report. The CM said he will table it in the next Cabinet and decide," he said. The Chief Minister concurred, refusing to comment any further.

Sources said the findings could challenge the dominance of the Lingayat sect and the Other Backward Caste Vokkaliga community as the largest voting blocks in the state.

According to sources and reports published over the last few years, the survey puts Scheduled Castes as the most populous, followed by Muslims. Lingayats come next, followed by Vokkaligas and then other castes.

The report, therefore, has faced stiff opposition. A backlash from the Lingayat and Vokkaliga groups, which claimed the report as unscientific, has made publishing the caste data fraught with risk.

Even state Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who belongs to the Vokkaliga caste, had expressed his opposition earlier. The BJP, dominated by Lingayat leaders, is also on the same page.

Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, BJP MLA from Karnataka, said, "This survey is not scientific. This has displeased the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. We will oppose this. We will request the Congress government to redo this survey by going door-to-door and then we will accept it."

In face of criticism from Lingayat and Vokkaliga leaders of the Congress as well, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has suggested that the report be discussed in the cabinet first. Legal advice and the opinion of experts would be taken if there are anomalies, he promised.

HK Patil, Karnataka's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said, "I have no comments to make either on the report or on the comments made by our colleagues. Everything depends on whether we accept it or not. We may receive it. We may take some time to study it. Anything might happen."

During the survey, 54 questions were asked to 5,90,00,000 people from 1,30,00,000 families. The survey was first ordered in 2014 by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Rs 169 crore was spent on the project.

Though the report was ready in 2017, it was not accepted due to technical glitches, and successive Chief Ministers delayed accepting it.

The caste census in Karnataka is a delicate and tricky issue. With Vokkaligas and Lingayats raising a banner of revolt, it is not sure if the Congress government would be willing to publish it ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

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"One Chai, Please": Bill Gates Enjoys Tea Made By Dolly Chaiwala

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a philanthropist, is currently on a visit to India, and his various excursions have created considerable attention and discussion on the internet.

In a recently shared video on social media, Bill Gates was captured relishing a cup of chai from a renowned tea stall in India. The footage shows Mr Gates engaging with Dolly Chaiwalla, a celebrated tea vendor and a familiar presence on social media, while enjoying a cup of chai prepared by him.

Watch the video here:

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The video opens with Mr Gates placing an order for "one chai" with Chaiwalla. Chaiwalla then prepares the tea in his signature style, using a special cart. The final shot shows Gates enjoying the piping hot tea from a glass.

The video concludes with Mr Gates taking a sip of the hot beverage from a glass and posing for a photo with Dolly Chaiwalla, accompanied by the text "Looking forward to many chai pe charcha," which translates to "looking forward to many conversations over chai." This suggests Gates may be looking forward to further interactions and discussions during his visit to India.

The video has garnered significant attention online, with many surprised and delighted to see Mr Gates embracing the local culture and enjoying a cup of chai from a popular street vendor.

The video has garnered approximately 4 million views on social media, accompanied by nearly 300,000 likes on Instagram.

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Bridge Too Far? Meant To Be Linked, 2 Mumbai Flyovers Have A 6-Foot Gap

Aligning and linking two important flyovers has proven to be a bridge too far for the Mumbai civic body, which is now facing ridicule for leaving a vertical gap of nearly six feet between them. The misstep has also sparked a political row, with the opposition asking the government whether it expects Mumbaikars to make a long jump in their vehicles to reach the other flyover. 

One arm of the all-important Gokhale Bridge, which connects Andheri East and West was thrown open to vehicular traffic on Monday evening, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) calling it an architectural marvel and claiming that it was built over the "country's busiest railway tracks" without disrupting local and long-distance train services. The BMC is currently run by an administrator, who reports to the state government. 

A portion of the bridge had collapsed in 2018, killing two people, and it was demolished in 2022 to be reconstructed. Before it was taken apart, the bridge linked to the Barfiwala Flyover, which is used by traffic from the area to head towards Juhu and then proceed to key suburbs like Bandra. 

When news of the Gohale Bridge being opened surfaced, commuters welcomed the possibility of their travel time being cut short again. The joy gave way to shock, however, when it turned out that the Barfiwala Flyover was not joined because of the height difference and the bridge would not serve the purpose that a majority of vehicles used it for. 

Attacking the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde - who had split the Shiv Sena in 2022 and led to the toppling of the Uddhav Thackeray government - Shiv Sena (Udhhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray said the height difference was a result of a corrupt regime and that the ministers had inaugurated a "half ready, embarrassingly delayed bridge".

Shocking what the @mybmc under the BJP sponsored khoke sarkar and the corrupt administrator has fallen to.

Yes truly first in India, probably the world that the 2 bridges that were to be joined have a difference of 6 ft in height between the 2!

The guardian ministers have… https://t.co/o7rChOLvQW

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) February 27, 2024

"Yes truly first in India, probably the world that the 2 bridges that were to be joined have a difference of 6 ft in height between the 2!" the former minister posted on X. 

Team Uddhav leader Anand Dubey pointed out that the Gokhale Bridge had been shut for nearly 16 months, since November 2022, and was still misaligned. 

"Is there no coordination between the BMC, the railways and the contractor? There is a height difference of 1.5 meters between the bridges. What does the government want? Do they expect Mumbaikars to make a long jump and reach the flyover? The state government is not only careless, but has also cheated Mumbaikars," he alleged.

'Railway Directive'

The Shinde faction of the Sena has, however, claimed that the misalignment occurred because of the Railways' new policy, which necessitated raising the Gokhale Bridge by an additional 1.5 meters because it was being built over railway tracks.

"During the construction of the bridge, due to the new policy of the Railways, the height of the bridge had to be increased by 1.5 meters. When the bridge was first constructed, its design was prepared along with the Barfiwala Flyover. But because the height of the bridge was increased, the flyover is now below it. We will seek help from the IIT and the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) and construct a ramp if necessary," said Team Shinde leader and local MLA Amit Satam.

Sena Spokesperson Krishna Hegde said, "By December this year, all the improvements will be completed and the bridge will be completely opened."

Commuters, however, aren't convinced. "We had to endure long traffic jams because the bridge had been shut. It used to take five minutes to get from Andheri East to West but the duration went up to nearly an hour when the bridge was demolished. Now that the bridge has finally been constructed, they have made such a big mistake. Even if they construct a ramp, can it be done without closing off the bridge again," asked a local resident.

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Kajol, KJo, Sunny Deol, Ira-Nupur At Laapataa Ladies Screening

On Monday night,  the makers of Laapataa Ladies hosted a special screening in Mumbai and it was a starry one. Kajol, Sunny Deol, Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ali Fazal, Tillotama Shome turned up to attend the screening in style. Kiran Rao, the director of Laapataa Ladies, came to the screening with ex-husband Aamir Khan, who is also the producer of the film. Aamir and Kiron posed with Laapataa Ladies actor Ravi Kishan on the red carpet.  Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan arrived at the screening with husband Nupur Shikhare. Ira chose a pretty pink saree for the occasion. Sunny Deol, who will feature in Aamir Khan's production Lahore 1947, posed with director Rajkumar Santoshi on the red carpet. Ali Fazal is also a part of the film Lahore 1947 and he also posed for the shutterbugs on the red carpet. Take a look:

Director Ashutosh Gowariker, who worked with Aamir Khan in Lagaan, attended the screening. Director R Balki, Kabir Khan and his wife Mini Mathur also attended the screening. Karan Johar, Anand L Rai also marked their presence at the screening.

Here's a couple picure of Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao at the screening.

Here's a group picture of Aamir-Kiran with the cast of Laapataa Ladies - Sparsh Shrivastav, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel.

Laapataa Ladies is based on an award-winning story by Biplab Goswami. The screenplay and dialogue are written by Sneha Desai, while Divyanidhi Sharma has taken care of the additional dialogues. Laapataa Ladies had a screening at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year.

Sharing the trailer, Kiran Rao wrote in the caption, "Ghunghat uth chuke hain. #LaapataaLadies trailer is out!" Take a look:

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Kiran Rao made her directorial debut with Dhobi Ghat. The film released in 2011. The film starred Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra. Laapataa Ladies will release in theatres on March 1.

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Congress 3, BJP 1: Rajya Sabha Election Results Out For Karnataka

The ruling Congress in Karnataka won three seats and the BJP one in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka on Tuesday, which were marred by cross-voting in a setback to the saffron party.

Ajay Maken, G C Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain, all from the Congress, and Narayansa K Bhandage of the BJP got elected to the Upper House in the polls in which elected MLAs were the voters.

Five candidates, including D Kupendra Reddy of the JD(S) who lost the election, were in the fray for the four seats.

According to official sources, the value of each MLA's vote is 100 and the number of votes sufficient to secure the election of a candidate is 4,441.

Maken, Hussain and Bhandage got 4,700 votes each and Chandrashekhar 4,500. Reddy got only 3,600 votes and therefore did not make the cut.

BJP MLA S T Somashekar voted for Mr Maken, while another party legislator A Shivaram Hebbar abstained.

The BJP said it was exploring the possibility of taking legal action them and lodging a complaint with the Speaker U T Khader seeking their disqualification from the assembly for violating the whip issued to them to vote in favour of the party candidate.

"We have got the information that Somashekar has done cross-voting. I consulted with advocate Vivek Reddy who is our state legal cell president and a high court lawyer. We will ask the Speaker to initiate action (of disqualification) against him (Somashekar) and explore the possibilities to take steps in accordance with the law," Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly R Ashoka said.

Mr Somashekar had earlier quit the Congress and joined the BJP. He served as a minister in the previous BJP government and was made the Mysuru district in-charge minister back then.

In recent months, Mr Somashekar and Mr Hebbar had distanced themselves from the BJP and increasingly began identifying with the Congress.

The BJP (66 MLAs) and the JD(S) (19 MLAs) combined had fielded Kupendra Reddy though they did not have the requisite votes to get him elected. 

The NDA partners said they were expecting "conscience votes", apparently from the rival Congress camp, in favour of Mr Reddy.

The Congress has 134 members in the assembly. There are also four others members, including two independents.

Mr Somashekar said he heard the "voice of his conscience" and voted in favour of the Congress, "which built schools and carried out developmental works in his constituency". Hebbar too said he abstained from voting adhering to his conscience.

"This is not 'atma sakshi' (conscience) but 'atma droha' (self betrayal)," BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said, commenting on Somashekar's and Hebbar's actions.

The BJP and JD(S) workers staged a demonstration in Bengaluru against Mr Somashekar. Raising slogans, they burnt his effigy.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, ridiculed the BJP and the JD(S) saying, "'Conscience vote seekers' have become 'conscience vote givers'." "I don't know about cross-voting. I haven't seen the votes of others and independents. Ask the BJP, who spoke about conscience votes," Mr Shivakumar quipped.

Asked if there is legal support for those who have cast conscience votes to Congress candidates, he said, "Let's talk about it when it happens. I am not aware of any complaint filed with the Speaker regarding cross-voting.

"Mr Somashekar has cast his vote as per his conscience. It's a vote against the unholy BJP-JD(S) alliance. The general public, graduates, and teachers have rejected the alliance. Let's see what the legislators think." Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier hit out at the JD(S), alleging that the party had sought to lure and threaten its MLAs.

"JDS needs 45 votes (for their candidate) to win. Do they have that many votes? Even though they don't have enough votes, they still fielded the candidate and are luring our MLAs. Do they have a conscience?" the chief minister asked.

"An FIR has been lodged regarding the threat to us," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah lashed out at the JD(S), saying, "When JD(S) does not have 'atma' (soul), how can it have 'atma sakshi' (conscience)? They call themselves Janata Dal (Secular) but whom did they join with?". He was referring to the JD(S) forming an alliance with the BJP.

Former chief minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy said the FIR against Kupendra Reddy and his aides was registered at Vidhana Soudha police station.

Mr Kumaraswamy said the complainant MLA did not say that he was lured, but that some other MLAs were "approached".

"Melukote MLA Darshan Puttannaiah of Karnataka Sarvodaya Paksha too had said that it's true that his vote was sought but no one had lured him," the JD(S) state chief claimed.

Mr Kumaraswamy said the BJP and JD(S) had decided to field Kupendra Reddy on the basis of the votes of the 19 JD(S) MLAs and the additional BJP votes after its first preferential votes.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Congress 3, BJP 1: Rajya Sabha Election Results Out For Karnataka

The ruling Congress in Karnataka won three seats and the BJP one in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka on Tuesday, which were marred by cross-voting in a setback to the saffron party.

Ajay Maken, G C Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain, all from the Congress, and Narayansa K Bhandage of the BJP got elected to the Upper House in the polls in which elected MLAs were the voters.

Five candidates, including D Kupendra Reddy of the JD(S) who lost the election, were in the fray for the four seats.

According to official sources, the value of each MLA's vote is 100 and the number of votes sufficient to secure the election of a candidate is 4,441.

Maken, Hussain and Bhandage got 4,700 votes each and Chandrashekhar 4,500. Reddy got only 3,600 votes and therefore did not make the cut.

BJP MLA S T Somashekar voted for Mr Maken, while another party legislator A Shivaram Hebbar abstained.

The BJP said it was exploring the possibility of taking legal action them and lodging a complaint with the Speaker U T Khader seeking their disqualification from the assembly for violating the whip issued to them to vote in favour of the party candidate.

"We have got the information that Somashekar has done cross-voting. I consulted with advocate Vivek Reddy who is our state legal cell president and a high court lawyer. We will ask the Speaker to initiate action (of disqualification) against him (Somashekar) and explore the possibilities to take steps in accordance with the law," Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly R Ashoka said.

Mr Somashekar had earlier quit the Congress and joined the BJP. He served as a minister in the previous BJP government and was made the Mysuru district in-charge minister back then.

In recent months, Mr Somashekar and Mr Hebbar had distanced themselves from the BJP and increasingly began identifying with the Congress.

The BJP (66 MLAs) and the JD(S) (19 MLAs) combined had fielded Kupendra Reddy though they did not have the requisite votes to get him elected. 

The NDA partners said they were expecting "conscience votes", apparently from the rival Congress camp, in favour of Mr Reddy.

The Congress has 134 members in the assembly. There are also four others members, including two independents.

Mr Somashekar said he heard the "voice of his conscience" and voted in favour of the Congress, "which built schools and carried out developmental works in his constituency". Hebbar too said he abstained from voting adhering to his conscience.

"This is not 'atma sakshi' (conscience) but 'atma droha' (self betrayal)," BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said, commenting on Somashekar's and Hebbar's actions.

The BJP and JD(S) workers staged a demonstration in Bengaluru against Mr Somashekar. Raising slogans, they burnt his effigy.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, ridiculed the BJP and the JD(S) saying, "'Conscience vote seekers' have become 'conscience vote givers'." "I don't know about cross-voting. I haven't seen the votes of others and independents. Ask the BJP, who spoke about conscience votes," Mr Shivakumar quipped.

Asked if there is legal support for those who have cast conscience votes to Congress candidates, he said, "Let's talk about it when it happens. I am not aware of any complaint filed with the Speaker regarding cross-voting.

"Mr Somashekar has cast his vote as per his conscience. It's a vote against the unholy BJP-JD(S) alliance. The general public, graduates, and teachers have rejected the alliance. Let's see what the legislators think." Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier hit out at the JD(S), alleging that the party had sought to lure and threaten its MLAs.

"JDS needs 45 votes (for their candidate) to win. Do they have that many votes? Even though they don't have enough votes, they still fielded the candidate and are luring our MLAs. Do they have a conscience?" the chief minister asked.

"An FIR has been lodged regarding the threat to us," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah lashed out at the JD(S), saying, "When JD(S) does not have 'atma' (soul), how can it have 'atma sakshi' (conscience)? They call themselves Janata Dal (Secular) but whom did they join with?". He was referring to the JD(S) forming an alliance with the BJP.

Former chief minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy said the FIR against Kupendra Reddy and his aides was registered at Vidhana Soudha police station.

Mr Kumaraswamy said the complainant MLA did not say that he was lured, but that some other MLAs were "approached".

"Melukote MLA Darshan Puttannaiah of Karnataka Sarvodaya Paksha too had said that it's true that his vote was sought but no one had lured him," the JD(S) state chief claimed.

Mr Kumaraswamy said the BJP and JD(S) had decided to field Kupendra Reddy on the basis of the votes of the 19 JD(S) MLAs and the additional BJP votes after its first preferential votes.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Following Indian Supreme Court": Top Bangladesh Official To Chief Justice DY Chandrachud

Appreciating the live streaming of court proceedings, virtual hearing and use of technology at the Supreme Court of India, a top Bangladesh official told Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that they are closely following the Indian Supreme Court.

According to sources, Chief Justice Chandrachud was also told that Bangladesh wants to follow the Indian Supreme Court in these matters.

Chief Justice Chandrachud, speaking at the wo-day conference 'South Asian Constitutional Courts in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons from Bangladesh and India', said both India and Bangladesh share the tradition of constitutional and judicial systems largely aiming to ensure stability and both nations recognised their constitutions as "living documents".

Bangladesh's apex court judges took part in the conference, which drew many jurists, senior lawyers, and government leaders including Law Minister Anisul Huq.

"Our shared tradition aims to ensure stability, but when stability is desired, the stability must never be confused with stagnation," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

"We recognise our constitutions are living documents. The constitutions of Bangladesh and India proclaim that they are 'given to the people by the people themselves' as citizens of sovereign nations," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

Apart from Chief Justice Chandrachud, Supreme Court judges Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Dipankar Dutta were also present during the conference.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said the Indian and Bangladeshi court systems should encourage the enhanced practice of mediation for dispute resolution, discarding "adversarial litigations".

"Today, we need to ensure that we look into the needs of our society, ensure social growth and social progress by allowing our marginalised groups to come to the mainstream," said the Chief Justice, explaining how the judge's role in the post-colonial era was undergoing a change.

In her address, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has made the judiciary totally independent, separating it from the administration by allocating a separate budget for it.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/aCAhQId

"Following Indian Supreme Court": Top Bangladesh Official To Chief Justice DY Chandrachud

Appreciating the live streaming of court proceedings, virtual hearing and use of technology at the Supreme Court of India, a top Bangladesh official told Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that they are closely following the Indian Supreme Court.

According to sources, Chief Justice Chandrachud was also told that Bangladesh wants to follow the Indian Supreme Court in these matters.

Chief Justice Chandrachud, speaking at the wo-day conference 'South Asian Constitutional Courts in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons from Bangladesh and India', said both India and Bangladesh share the tradition of constitutional and judicial systems largely aiming to ensure stability and both nations recognised their constitutions as "living documents".

Bangladesh's apex court judges took part in the conference, which drew many jurists, senior lawyers, and government leaders including Law Minister Anisul Huq.

"Our shared tradition aims to ensure stability, but when stability is desired, the stability must never be confused with stagnation," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

"We recognise our constitutions are living documents. The constitutions of Bangladesh and India proclaim that they are 'given to the people by the people themselves' as citizens of sovereign nations," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

Apart from Chief Justice Chandrachud, Supreme Court judges Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Dipankar Dutta were also present during the conference.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said the Indian and Bangladeshi court systems should encourage the enhanced practice of mediation for dispute resolution, discarding "adversarial litigations".

"Today, we need to ensure that we look into the needs of our society, ensure social growth and social progress by allowing our marginalised groups to come to the mainstream," said the Chief Justice, explaining how the judge's role in the post-colonial era was undergoing a change.

In her address, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has made the judiciary totally independent, separating it from the administration by allocating a separate budget for it.

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"Helmet Pehen Le": Delhi Police's Road Safety Post Has Rohit Sharma Twist

Delhi Police is known for its amusing posts and witty responses to sensitise people about various issues. Their social media posts are always on point when it comes to relaying hard-hitting messages and cracking you up at the same time. On Sunday, Delhi Police yet again demonstrated their social media prowess by sharing a road safety with a twist. 

Amid the ongoing India vs England Test Series, Indian captain Rohit Sharma warned  Sarfaraz Khan to wear a helmet before fielding. The incident took place when he was requested by Rohit to stand beside batsman Shoaib Bashir. However, the young player forgot to put on a helmet. At that moment, the captain urged Sarfaraz to put on the gear and also stopped Ravichandran Ashwin from delivering the ball. "Aye bhai, zyada hero nahi banne ka idhar, helmet pehen le (Hey brother, don't try to be a hero. Wear a helmet)," Rohit Sharma was heard on the stump mic. This instantly went viral on social media and also caught the attention of the Delhi Police who used the same footage to urge people to wear helmets while driving a two-wheeler.

Two-wheeler par hero nahi banne ka!

Hamesha helmet pehenne ka!#INDvENG#INDvsENG#RohitSharma#RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/NsXB80tF56

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) February 25, 2024

"Two-wheeler par hero nahi banne ka! Hamesha helmet pehenne ka!" the police department wrote in the caption of the post on X.

Since being shared, the post has amassed over one lakh views and seven thousand likes.

"Good one," said a user.

A second user added, "Rohit Sharma should be the brand ambassador Delhi police"

"My Captain Spreading Awareness," remarked  a person.

"Absolute genius delhi police always convey there informative messages through unique way of currently happening..." commented an X user.

"Well done Skipper @ImRo45. Every traffic police should use this snippet to educate people to always wear helmets. Road accidents are worse than pandemics which kills more people. @MumbaiPolice," added a person.

A person wrote, "Rohit Sharma truly sounds like a policeman from Mumbai"

"Just Rohit Sharma casually dropping new gems, every single day of play," stated a user.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/IgCnWO7

"Helmet Pehen Le": Delhi Police's Road Safety Post Has Rohit Sharma Twist

Delhi Police is known for its amusing posts and witty responses to sensitise people about various issues. Their social media posts are always on point when it comes to relaying hard-hitting messages and cracking you up at the same time. On Sunday, Delhi Police yet again demonstrated their social media prowess by sharing a road safety with a twist. 

Amid the ongoing India vs England Test Series, Indian captain Rohit Sharma warned  Sarfaraz Khan to wear a helmet before fielding. The incident took place when he was requested by Rohit to stand beside batsman Shoaib Bashir. However, the young player forgot to put on a helmet. At that moment, the captain urged Sarfaraz to put on the gear and also stopped Ravichandran Ashwin from delivering the ball. "Aye bhai, zyada hero nahi banne ka idhar, helmet pehen le (Hey brother, don't try to be a hero. Wear a helmet)," Rohit Sharma was heard on the stump mic. This instantly went viral on social media and also caught the attention of the Delhi Police who used the same footage to urge people to wear helmets while driving a two-wheeler.

Two-wheeler par hero nahi banne ka!

Hamesha helmet pehenne ka!#INDvENG#INDvsENG#RohitSharma#RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/NsXB80tF56

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) February 25, 2024

"Two-wheeler par hero nahi banne ka! Hamesha helmet pehenne ka!" the police department wrote in the caption of the post on X.

Since being shared, the post has amassed over one lakh views and seven thousand likes.

"Good one," said a user.

A second user added, "Rohit Sharma should be the brand ambassador Delhi police"

"My Captain Spreading Awareness," remarked  a person.

"Absolute genius delhi police always convey there informative messages through unique way of currently happening..." commented an X user.

"Well done Skipper @ImRo45. Every traffic police should use this snippet to educate people to always wear helmets. Road accidents are worse than pandemics which kills more people. @MumbaiPolice," added a person.

A person wrote, "Rohit Sharma truly sounds like a policeman from Mumbai"

"Just Rohit Sharma casually dropping new gems, every single day of play," stated a user.

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Watch: On Gujarat Visit, PM Modi Holds Mega Roadshow In Jamnagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a massive roadshow from Jamnagar airport on Saturday night after arriving in Gujarat. A large number of people lined up on both sides of the illuminated road holding saffron flags, and chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' filled the air as the PM's cavalcade moved towards the Circuit House.

During the two-km journey, PM Modi greeted people from his vehicle by waving at them.

At one point, the prime minister came out of his vehicle to wave at the enthusiastic supporters which included women and children.

#WATCH | Gujarat: A large number of people gathered to see the roadshow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jamnagar. pic.twitter.com/oWtMhWWKDz

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024

The PM will halt at the Jamnagar Ccircuit House for the night. He is scheduled to attend two functions in the Devbhumi Dwarka and Rajkot districts in Saurashtra region on Sunday.

Earlier, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state BJP president CR Paatil, and other leaders received the prime minister at Jamnagar Air Force station upon his arrival.

The PM is scheduled to inaugurate Gujarat's first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot on February 25.

He will also inaugurate the four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka in Devbhumi Dwarka district.

As per a government release, the prime minister will arrive at Rajkot AIIMS on Sunday afternoon and address a rally at the Race Course ground in the city later in the evening.

He will take part in a kilometre-long road show from the old airport to the venue of the public rally, it stated.

During the function, the prime minister will also virtually inaugurate four other newly-built AIIMS, located in Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), and Kalyani (West Bengal).

PM Modi will also inaugurate and perform ground-breaking for projects of Rs 48,000 crore of different state and Central departments, such as NHAI, Railways, Energy and Petrochemicals, Road and Building, Ports and Health and Family Welfare.

Of these, projects of Rs 35,700 crore are for Gujarat, while the remaining are for other states.

The prime minister will launch key projects, including power generation projects in Kutch, ground-breaking for the new Mundra Panipat crude-oil pipeline project, a new cardiology hospital in Vadodara and doubling of the Rajkot-Surendranagar railway line, among others.

On Sunday morning, he will offer prayers at the Shri Beyt Dwarkadhish Mandir and then inaugurate the four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka island.

"The 2.32 km bridge, including 900 metres of central double span cable-stayed portion and a 2.45 km long approach road, was constructed at a cost of Rs 979 crore. The four-lane 27.20 metre wide bridge has 2.50 metre wide footpaths on each side," as per an official release.

The bridge, which was known as 'Signature Bridge', has been renamed as 'Sudarshan Setu' or Sudarshan Bridge.

Beyt Dwarka is an island near Okha port, which is nearly 30 km from Dwarka town, where the famous Dwarkadhish temple of Lord Krishna is situated.

At present, devotees visiting the temple at Beyt Dwarka can travel only during the day by boat, while the construction of the bridge will allow them to travel at all times, officials said.

The PM will also visit Dwarka town and offer prayers at Dwarkadhish temple before addressing a large gathering nearby.

From the venue, he will inaugurate or perform groundbreaking of several projects in Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Porbandar districts, according to the official release.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Watch: On Gujarat Visit, PM Modi Holds Mega Roadshow In Jamnagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a massive roadshow from Jamnagar airport on Saturday night after arriving in Gujarat. A large number of people lined up on both sides of the illuminated road holding saffron flags, and chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' filled the air as the PM's cavalcade moved towards the Circuit House.

During the two-km journey, PM Modi greeted people from his vehicle by waving at them.

At one point, the prime minister came out of his vehicle to wave at the enthusiastic supporters which included women and children.

#WATCH | Gujarat: A large number of people gathered to see the roadshow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jamnagar. pic.twitter.com/oWtMhWWKDz

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024

The PM will halt at the Jamnagar Ccircuit House for the night. He is scheduled to attend two functions in the Devbhumi Dwarka and Rajkot districts in Saurashtra region on Sunday.

Earlier, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state BJP president CR Paatil, and other leaders received the prime minister at Jamnagar Air Force station upon his arrival.

The PM is scheduled to inaugurate Gujarat's first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot on February 25.

He will also inaugurate the four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka in Devbhumi Dwarka district.

As per a government release, the prime minister will arrive at Rajkot AIIMS on Sunday afternoon and address a rally at the Race Course ground in the city later in the evening.

He will take part in a kilometre-long road show from the old airport to the venue of the public rally, it stated.

During the function, the prime minister will also virtually inaugurate four other newly-built AIIMS, located in Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), and Kalyani (West Bengal).

PM Modi will also inaugurate and perform ground-breaking for projects of Rs 48,000 crore of different state and Central departments, such as NHAI, Railways, Energy and Petrochemicals, Road and Building, Ports and Health and Family Welfare.

Of these, projects of Rs 35,700 crore are for Gujarat, while the remaining are for other states.

The prime minister will launch key projects, including power generation projects in Kutch, ground-breaking for the new Mundra Panipat crude-oil pipeline project, a new cardiology hospital in Vadodara and doubling of the Rajkot-Surendranagar railway line, among others.

On Sunday morning, he will offer prayers at the Shri Beyt Dwarkadhish Mandir and then inaugurate the four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka island.

"The 2.32 km bridge, including 900 metres of central double span cable-stayed portion and a 2.45 km long approach road, was constructed at a cost of Rs 979 crore. The four-lane 27.20 metre wide bridge has 2.50 metre wide footpaths on each side," as per an official release.

The bridge, which was known as 'Signature Bridge', has been renamed as 'Sudarshan Setu' or Sudarshan Bridge.

Beyt Dwarka is an island near Okha port, which is nearly 30 km from Dwarka town, where the famous Dwarkadhish temple of Lord Krishna is situated.

At present, devotees visiting the temple at Beyt Dwarka can travel only during the day by boat, while the construction of the bridge will allow them to travel at all times, officials said.

The PM will also visit Dwarka town and offer prayers at Dwarkadhish temple before addressing a large gathering nearby.

From the venue, he will inaugurate or perform groundbreaking of several projects in Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Porbandar districts, according to the official release.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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US Spaceship Odysseus On Moon "Alive And Well", Images Expected Soon

The first American spaceship on the Moon since Apollo is "alive and well" following a drama-packed touchdown, the company that built it said Friday as it worked to download data and images from the uncrewed robot.

Odysseus landed near the lunar south pole Thursday at 6:23 pm Eastern Time (2323 GMT), after a nail-biting final descent when ground teams had to switch to a backup guidance system and took several minutes to establish radio contact after the lander came to rest.

"Odysseus is alive and well," Intuitive Machines, which achieved the first lunar landing by a private company, posted on X on Friday morning. "Flight controllers are communicating and commanding the vehicle to download science data."

The Houston-based company's stock price soared by 40 percent in early trading before paring back to 20 percent. 

Engineers are working to learn the robot's precise coordinates in the Malapert A impact crater and its tilt, as the landing phase was carried out by the robot autonomously, using its instruments to navigate the Moon's terrain.

The company said Odysseus, which is the size of a large golf cart, is upright -- a relief after the Japanese space agency's SLIM lander, which touched down in January, ended up upside-down. 

Private enterprise

Intuitive Machines pledged to soon downlink the first images taken by the lander, while "EagleCam," a camera could also soon release pictures from an external perspective after the device was shot out of Odysseus in the final seconds of landing.

Odysseus is the first success for a new fleet of NASA-funded lunar landers designed to carry out science investigations that pave the way for the return of American astronauts to the Moon later this decade, under the Artemis program. 

NASA, along with international partners, are planning to develop long term habitats in the south pole, harvesting ice there for drinking water and for rocket fuel for eventual onward voyages to Mars.

A moonshot by another American company last month ended in failure, raising the stakes to demonstrate that private industry had what it took to repeat a feat last achieved by US space agency NASA during its manned Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Underscoring the technical challenges inherent in the task, Intuitive Machines' own navigation system failed and Odysseus instead flew the final leg of its trip using an experimental laser guidance system developed by NASA.

Confirmation of landing was supposed to come seconds after the milestone, but instead nearly 15 minutes passed as announcers mused whether the hexagon-shaped craft had come down "off angle."

Finally, the company's chief technology officer Tim Crain confirmed "our equipment is on the surface of the Moon and we are transmitting," as applause broke out in mission control.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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IPL's "Digital Rating 130 Million, PSL's Is...": Najam Sethi's Bold Claim

The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) ended on Saturday with Lahore Qalandars emerging as the winners. The Shaheen Afridi-led side defeated Multan Sultans by 1 run in a thrilling summit clash. Opting to bat first, the Qalandars posted a huge total of 200/6 in 20 overs with Abdullah Shafique smashing 65 off 40 balls and Shaheen playing a quick knock of 44* off just 15 balls. Later, the Sultans were restricted at 199/8 as the Qalandars lifted their second PSL title. As the thrilling T20 league of Pakistan is now over, the fans are gearing up for the 16th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), which will kick-start from March 31. 

IPL is regarded as the richest and the most loved T20 league in the world, due to it's massive fan-following and nail-biting action. However, Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Najam Sethi has now come up with a shocking opinion regarding the two leagues and stated that PSL is a bigger success than IPL in terms of digital ratings. 

"Let's talk about digital. PSL was only at the half stage, so I asked about our digital rating. Najam Sethi show used to have a 0.5 rating on TV, whereas PSL is getting a rating of more than 11. So, it would be 18 or 20, when it completes," Sethi said in a press conference ahead of the PSL final. 

"Over 150 million people watched it digitally. It is not a small thing. At the same stage, IPL's digital rating was 130 million and PSL's is more than 150 million. So this is a great success for Pakistan", he added.

Talking about IPL, the first match of the cash-rich league will be played between the defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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"Made Me Watch Porn For Spiritual Growth": Ex Nuns On Renowned Priest

Two former nuns said Wednesday that a world-renowned artist priest made them take part in threesomes and watch porn so they would "grow spiritually".

Slovenian mosaic artist Marko Rupnik, 69, is accused of sexually and psychologically abusing at least 20 women for nearly 30 years at a religious community in Slovenia.

"He took me to pornographic theatres to help me 'grow spiritually'," Gloria Branciani, who was a member of the community until 1994, told journalists at a press conference in Rome.

"He said that I would not grow spiritually if I did not meet his sexual needs," she said, describing how he sexualised religious concepts.

"We had another nun have sex with us because he said it was like the Trinity," Branciani said, referring to the central Christian doctrine of three persons within one God.

Rupnik was briefly excommunicated in 2020 for absolving someone of having sexual relations with him, but was reinstated after he formally repented.

He was finally expelled from the Jesuit order -- of which Pope Francis is a member -- last June.

In October, Francis waived the statute of limitations on the offences, opening the way for potential disciplinary proceedings.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking site Bishop Accountability, which documents abuse within the Catholic Church, described Rupnik as a "powerful cleric who was protected at the highest levels of the Church and the Vatican."

The press conference comes five years after an unprecedented summit at the Vatican on sexual abuse in the Church, at the end of which Francis promised a "zero tolerance" approached.

"The Rupnik case shows that little has changed," said Barrett Doyle, who called for an independent investigation and the publication of its findings.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/yRCYTfK

"Made Me Watch Porn For Spiritual Growth": Ex Nuns On Renowned Priest

Two former nuns said Wednesday that a world-renowned artist priest made them take part in threesomes and watch porn so they would "grow spiritually".

Slovenian mosaic artist Marko Rupnik, 69, is accused of sexually and psychologically abusing at least 20 women for nearly 30 years at a religious community in Slovenia.

"He took me to pornographic theatres to help me 'grow spiritually'," Gloria Branciani, who was a member of the community until 1994, told journalists at a press conference in Rome.

"He said that I would not grow spiritually if I did not meet his sexual needs," she said, describing how he sexualised religious concepts.

"We had another nun have sex with us because he said it was like the Trinity," Branciani said, referring to the central Christian doctrine of three persons within one God.

Rupnik was briefly excommunicated in 2020 for absolving someone of having sexual relations with him, but was reinstated after he formally repented.

He was finally expelled from the Jesuit order -- of which Pope Francis is a member -- last June.

In October, Francis waived the statute of limitations on the offences, opening the way for potential disciplinary proceedings.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking site Bishop Accountability, which documents abuse within the Catholic Church, described Rupnik as a "powerful cleric who was protected at the highest levels of the Church and the Vatican."

The press conference comes five years after an unprecedented summit at the Vatican on sexual abuse in the Church, at the end of which Francis promised a "zero tolerance" approached.

"The Rupnik case shows that little has changed," said Barrett Doyle, who called for an independent investigation and the publication of its findings.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/yRCYTfK

What Vikrant's Dad Told Relatives When Brother Converted To Islam At 17

After the release of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 12th Fail, Vikrant Massey, who portrayed the real-life IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma, has garnered immense praise for his performance. In a recent interview with Unfiltered by Samdish Viran, Vikrant candidly shared the story of how his brother decided to change his religion and convert to Islam. The actor said, “My brother's name is Moeen, I am called Vikrant. You would wonder why the name Moeen. He converted to Islam, and my family let him change his religion. They said, ‘Beta, if you find satisfaction in this, go ahead.'” Vikrant added, “He converted at the age of 17, it is a big step. My mother is Sikhni, my father is a Church-going Christian, he goes to church twice a week. From a young age, I have seen a lot of arguments related to religion and spirituality.”

Vikrant Massey also spoke about how his relatives reacted to the news. He said, “My father was questioned by my extended relatives about how he could ‘allow' that [brother's conversion]. He said that was none of their business. ‘He is my son, he is only answerable to me and has all the rights to choose what he wants.' After seeing this, I went on my own quest, wondering what exactly is religion. It is man-made.”

In the same interview, Vikrant Massey also opened up about how he dropped a successful TV career to try his luck in Bollywood. He shared, “I earned a lot on TV. I bought my first house at the age of 24. But all that regressive content on TV was happening simultaneously and I felt like coming out of the world and trying my luck in cinema. I realised that though I became secure financially, it didn't help me sleep well. I had this realisation when I fulfilled all my financial responsibilities towards my parents and others.” 

“My parents were in shock when I told them I am going to restart over in films. I was making a lot of money. At the age of 24, I was earning ₹ 35 lakh per month, especially for someone who comes from a middle-class background. I quit TV at the time when I had a ₹ 35 lakh per month contract in my hand. I decided to do good work and find peace,” Vikrant Massey added.

Vikrant Massey won the Critics Award for Best Actor at the 69th Filmfare Awards for his performance in 12th Fail.

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"We're Open": S Jaishankar On India Mediating To End Russia-Ukraine War

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has indicated that India was open to considering playing the role of a mediator to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict if approached but noted that New Delhi does not believe it should initiate anything on its own.

In an interview with German economic daily Handelsblatt, he also said that following the Ukraine conflict, India's energy suppliers in the Middle East gave priority to supplying petroleum products to Europe that paid higher prices and New Delhi did not have any option but to procure Russian crude oil.

Mr Jaishankar asserted that just as India does not expect Europe to have a view of China that is identical to New Delhi's, Europe should understand that India cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one.

He said India has had a "stable" and "very friendly" relationship with Russia, and that Moscow never hurt New Delhi's interests.

"We, on the other hand, had a politically and militarily much more difficult relationship with China, for example," he said.

On India's continuing military cooperation with Russia notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar said it is going on "because many Western countries have long preferred to supply Pakistan and not India." Jaishankar said India is "deeply convinced, and are publicly committed to bringing the conflict to an end".

"Everyone is suffering from this conflict. I don't know exactly how it will end, we're not deep enough into the process to know," he said.

Asked if that isn't a reason why India could be a mediator, Mr Jaishankar said: "Theoretically, yes. We have already helped with very specific issues." "When Turkey negotiated the corridor through the Black Sea, for example. And we were very supportive of the inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant," he said.

"Wherever we can help, we are happy to do so. We are open when we are approached. However, we do not believe that we should initiate anything in this direction on our own," he added.

Turkey played a key role in activating the corridor to transport grain from Ukraine to various world markets as Russia had blocked it following the escalation of its conflict with Ukraine.

Mr Jaishankar also strongly justified India's procurement of Russian crude oil.

"When the fighting started in Ukraine, Europe shifted a large part of its energy procurement to the Middle East -- until then the main supplier for India and other countries," Mr Jaishankar said.

"What should we have done? In many cases, our Middle-East suppliers gave priority to Europe because Europe paid higher prices. Either we would have had no energy because everything would have gone to them. Or we would have ended up paying a lot more because you were paying more," he said.

In a certain way, we stabilised the energy market that way, he added.

His response came when asked about criticism in Europe against India that its procurement of Russian crude oil is detrimental to the effectiveness of the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

The external affairs minister argued that if no one had bought the crude oil from Russia and everyone had procured it from other countries, prices on the energy market would have shot up even further.

"Global inflation would have been much higher -- and that would have been a huge political issue in lower-income countries," he said.

"If Europe had wanted to maximize the damage at the time, it would have had to stop all economic relations with Russia completely. But it didn't," he said.

Mr Jaishankar said if Europe was so convinced and the principles were so important, why did it allow relations to end "gently"? "Why were there exceptions for pipeline gas, for individual countries and so on? That's what governments do, they manage politics with an eye on the consequences for their people," he said.

Asked if India would have liked support from Europe in the border conflict with China in 2020, Mr Jaishankar said "My point is: just as I do not expect Europe to have a view of China that is identical to mine, Europe should understand that I cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one." "Let us accept that there are natural differences in relationships," he said.

To a question on whether the Indo-Russian engagement is a burden on the India-Europe ties, Mr Jaishankar said everyone conducts a relationship based on their past experiences.

"If I look at the history of India post-independence, Russia has never hurt our interests. The relations of powers like Europe, the US, China or Japan with Russia, they have all seen ups and downs," he said.

"We have had a stable and always very friendly relationship with Russia. And our relationship with Russia today is based on this experience. For others, things were different, and conflicts may have shaped the relationship," he said.

Asked about India recently agreeing on more arms cooperation with Russia and whether the country is still the most important arms supplier for New Delhi, Mr Jaishankar said: "In terms of inventory, yes, because many Western countries have long preferred to supply Pakistan and not India." "But that has changed in the past 10 or 15 years with the US, for example, and our new purchases have diversified with the US, Russia, France and Israel as the main suppliers," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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''House Of Horrors'': Woman Slept Next To Her Brother's Corpse For 5 Years

An elderly Australian woman spent up to five years sleeping next to her brother's rotting dead body in a rat-infested house in Victoria, Metro reported. The woman, aged in her 70s, lived with the corpse in her public housing unit on Russell Street at Newtown in Geelong, which is considered an affluent suburb.

Police made the horrifying discovery after arresting the woman on December 29, 2022, on an unrelated matter. Forensic officers, clad in biohazard suits, had to navigate through heaps of rubbish, rats, deceased possums, and human waste to reach the remains, which had turned into a skeleton.

The woman is understood to have slept next to the corpse anywhere between two and five years. Notably, the man was last seen alive in 2018 by some of the residents living along the street.  

However, the woman was released without charges in connection to the case and his cause of death is still being investigated. The house has been vacant for over a year.

"It was a bloody skeleton they removed, not a body. How can someone be living with a dead body next door for five years and not a single person knows about it? They've tried to sweep this under the rug. We have been living next to a house of horrors,'' neighbour Nicole Stratton told the Geelong Advertiser. 

The woman was a Department of Families, Fairness and Housing tenant, prompting questions about how the body could lie undiscovered for so long. Locals said they had tried to make complaints about the smell to several government bodies for years, however, they did not pay heed.

The neighbours believe the "utter filth" inside the home helped hide the smell of the dead body.

"There was always a smell but we just thought it was the piles of rubbish. The blinds were always down and you could see the mould on the back of them,'' Ms Stratton added. 

“Several welfare checks had been conducted at the property since 2021 due to growing concerns regarding lack of contact, lack of access and the poor state of the property,” a spokesperson of the Australian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) said.

They added, ''This is a tragic incident. We send our sincerest condolences to the man's family and friends.''

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/ZRey0Ph

''House Of Horrors'': Woman Slept Next To Her Brother's Corpse For 5 Years

An elderly Australian woman spent up to five years sleeping next to her brother's rotting dead body in a rat-infested house in Victoria, Metro reported. The woman, aged in her 70s, lived with the corpse in her public housing unit on Russell Street at Newtown in Geelong, which is considered an affluent suburb.

Police made the horrifying discovery after arresting the woman on December 29, 2022, on an unrelated matter. Forensic officers, clad in biohazard suits, had to navigate through heaps of rubbish, rats, deceased possums, and human waste to reach the remains, which had turned into a skeleton.

The woman is understood to have slept next to the corpse anywhere between two and five years. Notably, the man was last seen alive in 2018 by some of the residents living along the street.  

However, the woman was released without charges in connection to the case and his cause of death is still being investigated. The house has been vacant for over a year.

"It was a bloody skeleton they removed, not a body. How can someone be living with a dead body next door for five years and not a single person knows about it? They've tried to sweep this under the rug. We have been living next to a house of horrors,'' neighbour Nicole Stratton told the Geelong Advertiser. 

The woman was a Department of Families, Fairness and Housing tenant, prompting questions about how the body could lie undiscovered for so long. Locals said they had tried to make complaints about the smell to several government bodies for years, however, they did not pay heed.

The neighbours believe the "utter filth" inside the home helped hide the smell of the dead body.

"There was always a smell but we just thought it was the piles of rubbish. The blinds were always down and you could see the mould on the back of them,'' Ms Stratton added. 

“Several welfare checks had been conducted at the property since 2021 due to growing concerns regarding lack of contact, lack of access and the poor state of the property,” a spokesperson of the Australian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) said.

They added, ''This is a tragic incident. We send our sincerest condolences to the man's family and friends.''

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/ZRey0Ph

Explained: How The Dorito Theory Reveals Our Unhealthy Habits

When one opens a bag of chips, it becomes difficult to stop at one. A social media user has become popular with a new critique of the much-maligned modern phenomena, dubbed the "Dorito Theory." The user, Celeste Aria, spoke about the theory in a minute-and-a-half-long video on TikTok and explained the fascination with Doritos and other chips, as per a report in the New York Post. She said, "When you eat a Dorito and finish your bite, you're not fully satisfied "It's not the same as eating a steak or eating a really satiating food that's high in protein where after your bite, you really feel sort of that fullness and that warmth of satisfaction."

She continued: "Eating potato chips is addictive because the peak of experience is kind of when you're tasting it, and not after." It essentially means that the experiences that do not give an individual true satisfaction are maximally addictive. This can be applied to other areas of life as well.

Similarly, scrolling on social media applications or even things like excessive drinking or toxic relationships can be equally disappointing. She said giving a name to the problem allows her to more easily resist those compulsive behaviours. Social media use has frequently been compared to drug addiction, particularly when screen time negatively impacts everyday functioning, academic or professional performance, or even mental health, as per in the outlet. 

Not only this but spending too much time on social media applications has been connected to depression and negative body image. "We have seen an increase in anxiety, depression, and addiction, including digital addiction, among our youth since the start of COVID," Mental health expert Dr. Gregory Jantz said.

Alice Shepard, clinical psychologist and the owner of Mirielle Therapy Practice told USA Today, "Bad habits can be related to unfulfilling romantic relationships, friendships we should have let go of years ago, jobs that no longer work for us. These require thoughtful decisions and actions. Perhaps we want to return to the beginning when these situations felt good. Unfortunately, drugs, alcohol and excessive consumption of yummy but nutritionally empty foods won't solve our problems."

The theory can be seen as a way to identify one's problem areas. According to Rita McNamara, a lecturer in cross-cultural psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, "Our worst habits have that addictive drive to them. The difference between this kind of pleasure that drives addiction and true satisfaction is that addiction comes from chasing the peak experience, while satisfaction is a quiet beast. You actually can't chase satisfaction, it just arises. So there's nothing to get addicted to."

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Dangal Actor, 19, Died Of Rare Inflammatory Disease: Family

Actor Suhani Bhatnagar, who played young Babita Phogat in Aamir Khan-starrer wrestling drama 'Dangal', died in Delhi yesterday. Her family today revealed that she was suffering from Dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease that causes skin rash and muscle weakness.
The 19-year-old was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on February 7 and died on February 16 after medical complications.

The family said that the symptoms showed two months ago while she was diagnosed with the disease only ten days back.

"She developed a red spot on her hands about two months ago. We consulted with doctors in different hospitals but it couldn't be diagnosed, said Suhani's mother Puja Bhatnagar.

She was admitted to AIIMS after her health started deteriorating.

Suhani's father Sumit Bhatnagar said there was no improvement in her health and eventually her "lungs got damaged due to an infection and accumulation of excess fluid".

"She was put on the ventilator but there was no improvement," he said.

Her father claimed that there are only five to six people all over the world who have been diagnosed with the disease.

Dermatomyositis is a rare inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness and a distinctive skin rash. It can also affect other organ systems such as the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems.

The cremation of Suhani Bhatnagar, who was a resident of Faridabad, took place at the Ajronda cremation ground.

She had appeared in the 2016 biographical drama about a wrestler who mentors his two daughters to success. Zaira Wasim played young Geeta while Bhatnagar portrayed the role of Babita. The grown-up versions of the characters were played by Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra. Aamir Khan played the role of their father, Mahavir Phogat.

Aamir Khan's production house also condoled her death: "We are deeply saddened to hear about our Suhani passing away. Our heartfelt condolences to her mother Poojaji and the entire family. Such a talented young girl, such a team player, 'Dangal' would have been incomplete without Suhani".

Suhani had taken a break from acting to complete her studies.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/ZeOhJ9k

Russian Man Transforms An Abandoned Boeing 737 Plane Into A Luxury Villa

Industrialist Anand Mahindra, who is quite active on Twitter regularly posts about trending topics and engaging stories, for his 11 million followers. On Saturday, he shared a fascinating video of a man who turned a commercial plane into a villa. The man, identified as Russian entrepreneur Felix Demin, transformed an abandoned Boeing 737 airliner into a luxury private villa, complete with two bedrooms, an infinity pool with Indian Ocean views, and a terrace. The unique property is perched atop the mesmerising Nyang Nyang Cliffs in Bali, Indonesia.

"Some people are fortunate enough to be able to turn their fantasies into reality. And this chap doesn't seem to impose any constraints on his imagination! I'm trying to figure out whether I'd ever be interested in booking a stay here, but I'm a bit worried about jet lag post the experience," Mr Mahindra wrote on X. In the video, Mr Demin gave a virtual tour of the plane-turned-villa.

Inside, there's a living room with a bar, a sofa bed, and a glass portal, as well as two bedrooms with walk-in closets. The cockpit has been converted into a large bathroom, and he property also has sun loungers, an outdoor lounge area, and a fire pit.

Watch the video here:

Some people are fortunate enough to be able to turn their fantasies into reality.

And this chap doesn't seem to impose any constraints on his imagination!

I'm trying to figure out whether I'd ever be interested in booking a stay here but I'm a bit worried about jet lag post… pic.twitter.com/LhH2Rtn5Ht

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 17, 2024

Notably, the retired Boeing 737 was purchased by Mr Demin back in 2021 and transported to its remote location, CNN reported. It opened its doors in 2023, and quickly earned its place among the world's most prestigious luxury retreats.

X users were fascinated with the unique villa, and many said that they would love an opportunity to stay in it. Notably, this private jet villa is also available for rent.

Here are some other videos of the villa:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Виталия Лапина | Организатор свадеб и мероприятий Дубай Москва (@vitaliya_lapina)

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A post shared by FPV pilot • CG | AI artist • VFX (@eno_fpv)

One user said, ''This is a super rich life,'' while others called it ''awesome'' and ''amazing.''

Another commented, ''The fusion of fantasy and luxury always crafts the most unforgettable memories, doesn't it? The concept of adjusting your body clock might seem daunting at first, but the experience promises to transcend any temporary discomfort.''

A third said, ''Considering staying at a place that sparks your imagination! Jet lag can be a concern, but it might be worth it for such a unique experience. Maybe plan some extra time to adjust before getting back to reality.''

A fourth added, ''Only relaxation. And no turbulence.''

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Sp4DirY