Latest posts
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UN maritime body, Oman to evacuate ships, 11,000 seafarers stranded in Strait of Hormuz
The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization on Tuesday announced a plan to evacuate all ships, and the more than 11,000 seafarers on them, stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the organisation said that the operation would be carried out “in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in…
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How does the depreciating rupee affect one’s personal savings and finances? A new book explains it
Have you ever heard someone say, “The rupee is falling against the dollar”? It might sound like financial jargon, but it actually has a very real impact on your day-to-day expenses – even if you’re not travelling abroad. Let’s break it down. Every country has its own currency. When countries trade with each other, they…
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Israel ‘deliberately targeted’, killed 20,000 Palestinian children since 2023: UN inquiry panel
The Israeli military has deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children to commit a genocide, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry said on Tuesday. The Israeli forces have killed more than 20,000 children and injured 44,000 since October 2023, the commission said. The panel, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to…
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Eggs removed from Bengal mid-day meals, says ISKCON, will be replaced with soya, paneer
Eggs will be removed from mid-day meals served in government and aided schools in Kolkata after the West Bengal government announced that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness would provide cooked food under the scheme, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. Radharaman Das, the Kolkata spokesperson of the Hindu religious organisation, said that the meals would…
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Artwork removed from London gallery after row about Winston Churchill’s role in Bengal famine
A video installation at London’s National Portrait Gallery has been withdrawn after a controversy erupted over claims about the role of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the Bengal famine in colonial India, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The 40-minute video by artist Helen Cammock, titled Persistence, had been on temporary display at the…
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How a Ritwik Ghatak restoration will make us see the master filmmaker in a new light
The birth centenary of Ritwik Ghatak (1925-1976) has been observed in several ways. His grandnephew Shamya Dasgupta brought out an anthology of essays about the acclaimed Bengali filmmaker, titled Unmechanical – Ritwik Ghatak In 50 Fragments. There have been screenings of Ghatak’s films, as well as public discussions about his legacy. The National Film Archive…
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43% rain deficit so far, kharif crops likely to be hit: Centre
India has recorded a 43% rainfall deficit so far this monsoon, raising concerns about how it will hurt the kharif crops, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday. To tackle the problem, the Union government has activated contingency plans for vulnerable districts and stepped up monitoring of the advance of monsoon, and crop…
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How India can keep cool as energy demands overheat its power grid
India’s energy challenge is increasingly becoming a cooling challenge. As extreme heat drives electricity demand from air conditioning and other cooling services, it is straining an already stressed grid. On May 21, for instance, peak demand exceeded the Central Electricity Authority’s 2026 projection of 270 gigawatt, with some regions in the country facing power cuts.…
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How was Urdu pushed out of public discourse? This book on India’s heartland traces the erasure
Language is more vital and organic to people than inanimate objects, and is a source of great culture in terms of prose, poetry and drama. It is essentially a liberating force in that it allows for the fullest expression of feelings, moods and thoughts. As literary critic George Steiner puts it, “No two languages, no…
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Mamata Banerjee ‘removed’ as TMC chief by rebel MLAs
Rebel West Bengal MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday “removed” Mamata Banerjee as the chairperson of the Trinamool Congress, The Indian Express reported. The rebel MLAs named party leader Arup Roy as the chief of what they described as the “real TMC”. “We have held a special session today [Monday] and delegates have elected…