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Indian Railways’ Central Railway (CR) zone will operate mega block on its suburban sections for carrying out various engineering and maintenance work today on Sunday. However, Special services will run between Panvel and Kurla (Platform No.8) during the block period. Harbour line passengers are permitted to travel via Main Line and Western Railway from 10 am to 6 pm during block period. “These maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety,” a CR release said. The Western Railway will also carry out a Jumbo Block of three hours for maintenance work of tracks, signaling and overhead equipment. Indian Railways have requested passengers to bear with the administration for the inconvenience caused. WHAT AND WHEN: Mega block on Sunday, May 8 from 11.05 am to 4.05 pm WHERE: Matunga - Mulund Up and Dn fast lines THE IMPACT: Dn fast services leaving Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai from 10.25 am to 3.39 pm will be diverted on Dn slow line at Matu

Last year, Australian scientists Christopher Helgon and Stephan Jackson found two rare gliding squirrels in the Himalayas. According to them, the gliding squirrels of this species were found in the Himalayas after 130 years. For much of the 20th century, it was thought to be extinct, until it was rediscovered in 1994 in northern Pakistan. According to Helgon, one was a Tibetan flying squirrel, while the other one was Unani. The tails of both the flying squirrels were covered with thick fur. They were like a wolf’s tail. The scientists said that the height of the mountains where these squirrels are found are nearly 5,000m. As such squirrels live far from human settlements, they cannot be seen easily. The discovery of the two rare flying squirrels might be one good news at a time when they are fighting a battle for survival. They are hunted across the world for their fur. Ergo they are on the verge of extinction. Raccoons, coyotes, foxes, owls, snakes, cats and dogs easily hunt the fl

Marking the day that’s a dedication to mothers across the world, Google has released a special Gif Doodle with four slides on Mothers’ Day 2022. Google is celebrating the day by illustrating several small ways in which a mother nurtures her child. In the first slide, the child is shown holding mom’s finger, the second one shows them reading braille, the third slide shows them washing hands under a tap, and the last one shows them plant a sapling.           Mother’s Day is celebrated every year to honour and recognise the love of all the mothers. On this day, children hails their mother for everything she does assiduously. In India, Mother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday of May every year. Different countries celebrate Mother’s Day on different dates. UK citizens celebrate the Mother’s Day on the fourth Sunday of March commemorating the memory of Mother Church on Christian Mothering Sunday. In Greece, it is marked on 2 February, linking the day with Eastern Orthodox

Punjab National Bank (PNB) will close the online applications for the recruitment of Specialist Officers today, 7 May. Those interested and eligible can apply for the vacancies on PNB’s official website: pnbindia.in. The recruitment aims to fill a total of 145 vacancies out of which 100 are for Manager (Credit), five for Senior Manager (Treasury), and 40 vacancies are for the position of Manager (Risk). Applicants who successfully submit their application forms will called for an online exam which will be conducted on 12 June across the country. What is the Eligibility Criteria? It is to be noted that for the position of Manager, the candidate should be between 25 and 35 years. For the post of Senior Manager, the applicant should be between 25 and 37 years. Educational Qualifications: The applicant should be a Chartered Accountant (CA) from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India or a Cost Management Accountant- CMA (ICWA) from Institute of Cost Accountants of India or a gradu

Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) has started the online application process for the recruitment of Assistant Professor posts today, 7 May. The commission has invited eligible aspirants for the posts of  Assistant Professor in Kokborok, Group-A Gazetted, Govt. (General) Degree Colleges, Tripura. Interested candidates can register online to apply for the vacancies on the official website of the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) which is tpsc.tripura.gov.in  from today. The application window will remain open till 8 June up to 5:00 PM IST. TPSC is running an online recruitment drive to fill up a total of 22 vacancies. For more queries, aspirants are advised to go through the official notification available on the website of TPSC. Read the notification bulletin here . Age Limit: The maximum age limit of the candidate should be 40 years as of June 8 2022. Educational Qualifications: The aspirants should possess a Master's degree with at least 55 percent marks, or th

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that a low-pressure region is emerging above South Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The low pressure is likely to develop into a depression today, 7 May, over the southeast Bay of Bengal. The agency has predicted that the depression will turn into a cyclonic storm, which is expected to reach to the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha shores by 10 May. The storm will cause heavy rainfall in the east coast states. Heavy rainfall is expected to happen at isolated places over coastal Odisha on 10 May. Telangana is likely to witness light to moderate rainfall in the next 3-4 days with thunderstorms and lightning. According to experts, a wind speed of 30-40 km/h is predicted for some districts in the state. After that, the temperature is expected to increase by 2-3 degrees Celsius. What are the predictions for the coming days? Squally wind speeds of 55-65 kmph are expected to reach to 75 kmph over Southeast and adjoining East-central Bay of Beng

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Saturday claimed that the Punjab police had barged into his home in large numbers and arrested him "as they do it with a terrorist". Speaking to ANI this morning, Bagga narrated the entire episode of his arrest. "I was not shown any warrant. When nearly eight people picked me up, I told them to let me tie my turban. They did not give me the chance to wear the turban and slippers. I was thrown into the vehicle. I was kidnapped by the Punjab police. The local police were also not informed. Nearly 50 policemen came as they do it with a terrorist," he said. "Nearly 10 police vehicles had come which could be seen in the CCTV footage. It is an attempt to give a message that whosoever speaks against Arvind Kejriwal would be the biggest terrorist and not spared," said Bagga. Earlier in April, Bagga had claimed that the Punjab police officials reached his home while he was in Lucknow to arrest him witho

AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi came down heavily on the Varanasi court's order directing a videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex on Saturday. In a tweet, Owaisi said that it "is opening the path for the bloodshed of Rath Yatra and anti-Muslim violence of the 1980s-1990s". Condemning the Varanasi court's order, Asaduddin Owaisi said in a tweet, "This order to survey Kashi's Gyanvapi Masjid* is an open violation of 1991 Places of Worship Act, which prohibits conversion of religious places." "[The] SC [Supreme Court] in Ayodhya judgement had said the Act protects 'secular features of Indian polity which is 1 of basic features of Constitution'," Asaduddin Owaisi said. Unfortunate that the Court* is blatantly defying the SC. By this order, the Court is opening the path for the bloodshed of Rath Yatra and anti-Muslim violence of 1980s-1990s. 2/2 — Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 7, 2022 Asaduddin Owaisi's statemen

The Kerala Lottery Department will declare the Karunya KR-548 results at 3 pm today, 7 May. The draw results will be published on the department's official website . The detailed results of the Karunya KR-548 lottery shall be available from 4 pm onwards. The Karunya KR-548 results will also be released in the Kerala Government Gazette for the convenience of lottery ticket holders. The lottery draw will be held at Gorky Bhavan, near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. What will the winners get and how is the prize money to be claimed? The first prize winner of the Karunya KR-548 lottery will take home an amount of Rs 80 lakh, whereas the second prize winner will get a prize of Rs 5 lakh. The third prize winner of the lottery will receive an amount of Rs 1 lakh. Winners need to know that a Kerala lottery tax deduction of 30 per cent and an agent lottery commission of 10 per cent are applicable to the prize amount won. It is to be noted that the lottery winners are required to

Price of domestic cooking gas has been hiked by Rs 50 per cylinder on Saturday, the second increase in two months. Now, a 14.2-kg non-subsidised cooking gas cylinder, also known as LPG, will now cost ₹ 999.50 in Delhi. The price of 14.2 kg Domestic LPG cylinder increased by Rs 50 with effect from today. The domestic cylinder will cost Rs 999.50/cylinder from today. — ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2022 The hike in cylinder prices has come at a time when people are already troubled by the rising prices of petrol and diesel in the country. Earlier this month, the prices of commercial LPG cylinders increased. On 1 May, the price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was increased by Rs 102.50, to Rs 2355.50, up from Rs 2253 before. Also, the price of a 5-kg LPG commercial cylinder was increased to Rs 655. Previously, the rate of 19-kg commercial LPG was increased by Rs 250 per cylinder to Rs 2,253 on 1 April. Further, the price of commercial LPG was hiked by Rs 105 on 1 March, 2022. The recent

At least seven people were killed in a fire that broke out at a residential building in the Vijay Nagar locality of Indore early on Saturday, police said. Nine people have been rescued so far, of which five have been hospitalised, Indore Police Commissioner Harinarayana Chari Mishra told ANI. The fire erupted in the building, located in Swarn Bagh colony in Indore, between 4 am to 5 am today morning, according to preliminary information. Madhya Pradesh | Five people charred to death after a fire broke out in a two-storey building in Indore. The Fire official says, "The fire might have started through a short circuit. It took us 3 hours to bring the fire under control. pic.twitter.com/FNDeDWgm1x — ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) May 7, 2022 A short circuit in the electric metre ignited the fire which engulfed the vehicles in the parking of the residential complex before taking an awful turn, Vijay Nagar police station inspector Tehzeeb Qazi told PTI . Five bodies wer

The nation remembers Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary, today 7 May. Born in 1861, Tagore's immense contributions as a poet, painter, author and dramatist remain a vital part of Indian art and culture even today. The day falls on the 25th day of the Bengali month of Boishakh or Ponchishe Boishakh. To celebrate the occasion, a number of cultural programmes and events including drama, dance and poetry competitions are held in schools, colleges and educational institutes. Rabindranath Tagore's achievements: Rabindranath Tagore got his first work his first published at the age of 16 years under the pseudonym Bhanusimha. Also known as Gurudev, Kabiguru and Biswakabi, he was the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry collection Gitanjali in 1913. Tagore’s works including Ghare Baire, Chokher Bali, Jogajog, Gora  and Monihara still hold relevance today. Many renowned filmmakers have made brought his works to life on screen includ

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti has told the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the UK that "Kindly don't patronise us," New Delhi "knows what to do" when the Dutch envoy said India should not have abstained in the UN General Assembly on Ukraine. On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Since January this year, India has abstained on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council that deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine. "Kindly don't patronise us, Ambassador. We know what to do," Tirumurti said in response to a tweet by Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Karel van Oosterom. In the tweet, the Dutch envoy said to Tirumu

New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged for a month at a stretch with no change in rates on Friday. Earlier both petrol and diesel rates were hiked by 80 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in two weeks to Rs 10 per litre. Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 105.41 per litre, while diesel rate is Rs 95.87 per litre to Rs 96.67, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel prices per litre stand at Rs 120.51 and Rs 104.77 respectively. Rates across the country and vary from state to state, depending upon the incidence of local taxation. In the last hike, the country saw the 14th increase in fuel prices since the ending of a four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision on 22 March. On the first four occasions, prices were increased by 80 paise a litre - the steepest single-day rise since the daily price revision was introduced in June 2017. On the following days, petrol price went up by 50 paise and 30 paise a

Surdas Jayanti will be celebrated on 6 May this year to honour the birth of great poet and musician Surdas. The saint was renowned for his poems and songs, which praise Lord Krishna. His faith and devotion towards lord Krishna, and his soulful poetry, earned him the epithet of Bhakt Kavi Surdas (Devotee and poet Surdas). While, there is no documented evidence about his actual birth date, but it is believed that the poet was born between 1478 and 1479 CE. Date and timing: This year, the Panchami Tithi of Surdas Jayanti wills begin from 10:00 am on 5 May and last till 12:32 pm on 6 May. What do we know about Surdas? The birthplace of the poet still remains a mystery. According to anecdotes, his family never accepted him because he was blind. Dejected by this, Surdas left his home and became the disciple of Sri Vallabhacharya. He came to know about Lord Krishna from the saint, who introduced him to the scriptures of the god. Surdas then became an ardent devotee and started crafting

Shankaracharya Jayanti is marked to celebrate the birth anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya, one of the most honoured spiritual gurus and philosophers of India. The occasion is celebrated on the Panchami Tithi in the Hindu month of Vaisakha which is the fifth day in the Hindu month. The Tithi falls during the the Shukla Paksha, or the waxing phase of the Moon. Significance Shankaracharya Jayanti is considered as one of the holiest and auspicious days in the Hindu calendar and the Sanatan Dharma as it is the birth anniversary of Adi Shankara. Also known as Jagathguru or Bhagavatpada Acharya, the philosopher remains famous for his concept of  Advaita Vedanata. He  encouraged the ideas of Aatma (soul), Parmatma (divine soul), Vairagya (renunciation) and Moksha (salvation). He contributed to the revival of Hinduism, when it was undergoing a decline.  He drew attention on different sacred writings like Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. Shankaracharya was also known for his re-evaluation of th

Ramanujacharya Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of famous South philosopher Ramanujacharya, who advocated bhakti or devotional worship of Lord Vishnu.  The date of Sri Ramanujacharya Jayanti is 6 May as per Drikpanchang . What is its significance? Ramanuja Acharya illustrated and defined the principles of the philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism. As a supporter of Vaishnavism, he wandered across the country to spread awareness about his philosophy, as well as about social equality. He also propagated the concept of "vasudhaiva kutumbakam" or the 'universe is one family'. He advocated the practice of Bhakti Yoga that emphasised on the importance of bhakti (devotion) in prayers. Bhakti is a spiritual practice within Hinduism that is centered on devotion to an individual God. The philosopher had also composed many famous writings and sermons. The nine most popular works of Ramanujacharya are known as Navratnas. How is the day celebrated? To celebrate the occasion, the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi at 11:30 am after completing his three-nation Europe visit. Immediately after arriving in India, the Prime Minister will attend office, government sources said. Later in the day, PM Modi is scheduled to hold 7-8 meetings and will also chair an important review meeting for preparedness of monsoon season and heatwave, sources added. Over the past few days, most parts of the country have reported all-time high temperatures under the impact of the torrid heatwave. Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for India on Thursday after concluding his three-day trip to Europe. His trip started from Germany, after which he went to Denmark and before leaving for India, he visited France. During his trip, he held a series of bilateral meetings to boost ties in a range of areas including trade, energy and green technology. MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "PM Narendra Modi's 3-day, 3-nation tour was immensely productive. -

The soaring temperatures seem to have an impact on everyone, including the animals.  However, humans are not the only ones who love taking baths to beat the heat and this video of the elephants taking a mud bath surely proves us right. IFS officer Parveen Kaswan posted a video on his Twitter handle that shows an elephant herd standing in and around a water body filled with muddy waters. Throughout the video, the baby giants are seen enjoying themselves as they kill the heat with a splash! Have a look at the video here: Some fun. This is how they are killing the heat !! pic.twitter.com/rcChYfWChy — Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 2, 2022 The forest official also explained the phenomenon by replying to his own tweet. Kaswan wrote that elephants love to do wallowing as it keeps them cool. He further mentioned that the elephants don’t have sweat glands but have a high volume to surface area ratio due to which heat is generated. So heat dissipation in this way or by flap

India has reported 3,275 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of active cases to 19,719, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Thursday morning. The new infections reported on Thursday are marginally higher than 3,205 fresh cases logged on Wednesday. The daily COVID-19 positivity rate is now at 0.77 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate is at 0.78 per cent. The overall COVID-19 case tally has now risen to 4,30,91,393 (4 crore 30 lakh 91 thousand 3 hundred and 93). Of the new coronavirus cases reported in the country in the last 24 hours, Delhi alone logged 1,354 infections, with a positivity rate of 7.64 per cent and one fatality due to the disease. The national capital now has 5,853 active cases of COVID-19. Rajasthan reported 63 new cases and one death due to the virus in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh reported 34 new cases of coronavirus. In Tamil Nadu, seven districts, including Chennai, accounted for 37 new COVID-1

Historian Vikram Sampath had a win in the Delhi High Court on 4 May when the court asked Twitter to delete five purportedly defamatory tweets posted by historian Audrey Truschke. The latest direction by Justice Amit Bansal is part of the defamation case that Sampath initiated after academicians Audrey Truschke, Ananya Chakrabarti, and Rohit Chopra wrote a letter to the Royal Historical Society in London making serious allegations of plagiarism against him concerning his work on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Earlier in February too, the court had ordered the micro-blogging website to take down five tweets by Truschke against Sampath. Who is Audrey Truschke and why has Vikram Sampath filed a defamation case against her? We take a closer look at the matter and answer all questions. Who is Professor Audrey Truschke? Audrey Truschke may be one of most unpopular academicians in India today. An associate professor of South Asian History at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, she has been credi

A ban on a 500-year-old ritual in Mayiladuthurai near Tamil Nadu’s Trichy has snowballed into a political controversy. District authorities denied permission for a practice that involved carrying a seer of a mutt in a silver palanquin. The “Pattina Pravesam” ritual held by the Dharmapuram mutt was stopped by the police on 22 May following a protest call by K Veeramani, president of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) party, and J Balaji, revenue divisional officer of Mayiladuthura. They believed that the tradition of devotees carrying the mutt in a palanquin should not continue as it dented human dignity and was regressive. Veeramani called the ritual “a violation of human rights”. Meanwhile, rationalists in Tamil Nadu believed the practice should be abolished, reports The Indian Express . Pattina Pravesam, which means ‘entering a city,’ is a centuries-old ritual in which devotees carry a deity or a pontiff in a decorated palanquin. According to some, the original idea was to honour the pont

“Inviting all democratic and free speech, pro-TRUTH believers, media people, correspondents, reporters media activists and those with empathy for Kashmir Genocide victims tomm at 3.30 PM at Le MERIDIEN, New Delhi.” The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri was fuming on Twitter on Wednesday after he alleged that his free speech had been curbed by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia and the Press Club of India. An angry Agnihotri then said that all would be revealed on 5 May when he holds an “open house press conference” and answer the “toughest questions”. Confused about what happened? Here’s what we know about the situation and why the filmmaker has been up in arms against the two clubs. 'Ban' on Agnihotri On 3 May (Tuesday), the filmmaker, whose recent movie The Kashmir Files has grossed over Rs 300 crore worldwide and is among the most successful post-pandemic Hindi films, posted a video on Twitter, alleging that “the watchdogs of free speech and the messia