M Karunanidhi, DMK patriarch and five-time former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, died at 94 on Tuesday after battling for life at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. Admitted to the hospital on July 18, the Tamil Nadu strongman, popularly known as Kalaignar, breathed his last at 6.10 pm on August 7, according to a press release by Kauvery Hospital. Confirming that the political stalwart was no more, Kauvery Hospital released a […]

As many as 21 public sector banks and three major private sector lenders collected a whopping Rs 5,000 crore from customers for non-maintenance of minimum balance in their accounts in 2017-18, according to banking data. India’s largest lender State Bank of India, which suffered a staggering net loss of Rs 6,547 crore during 2017-18, led the pack in penalising its customers for not maintaining minimum account balance. The government-owned SBI, […]

There has been a massive surge in customer grievances lately relating to unauthorised transactions resulting in debits to their accounts or cards. Several bank customers have reported that cash amount from their account were withdrawn, speculating that it could be a malicious attempt were fraudsters stole the ATM pins and other data by fitting skimming devices and preparing clones of the ATM cards (though not verified independently). A Delhi-based couple […]

Imran Khan on Monday said that he will take oath as Pakistan’s Prime Minister on August 11, according to a media report. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), led by 65-year-old Khan, has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly (NA) after the July 25 elections, but it is still short of numbers to form the government on its own. His party had announced that it is trying to […]

Every year during the season of the bloom, travel agencies see a huge growth in the holiday bookings to the hill station Munnar, as travellers gather to witness the magnetism of the rare blooming of ‘Neelakurinji’ flowers. Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be clad in purplish blue neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) which bursts into flower once in 12 years. Thousands of visitors flock to Munnar […]

With almost 6 million RTI applications filed every year, India’s Right to Information Act is the world’s most extensively used transparency legislation. However, the government’s proposed amendments to the RTI Act threaten the very foundations of this empowering law. In April 2017 the government put out a set of Draft Rules proposing amendments to the RTI Act. They include permitting the withdrawal of appeals based on a written communication by […]

The Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 has been submitted by the Justice BN Srikrishna committee on Data protection after nearly a year of consultations. The Committee has submitted the draft bill and its report on Data Protection to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) on Friday. The committee has suggested measures to be taken when it comes to protecting personal information of Indian citizens, the role and duties […]

In a proud moment for the country, two Indians have joined the list of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay award winners. To the uninitiated, this is an annual prize given to those who have displayed integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism to further the cause of democracy. In some circles, this award is also known as the Asian version of the Nobel Peace Prize. The two […]

The SSC is inviting online application form for recruitment to 54,593 vacant posts of Constable (General Duty) from today, July 24, 2018.The Staff Selection Commission, which earlier issued a notification for recruitment to 54,593 vacancies for Constable (GD) in BSF, CISF, ITBP, CRPF etc, is inviting applications from the eligible candidates from Tuesday, July 24, 2018. The process for submitting the online application form for recruitment to 54,593 vacant posts […]

A little more than a year ago, things were looking rosy for Cuban entrepreneurs in the burgeoning tourism hubs of Havana, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad. Those with culinary training were opening ambitious paladars and employing large numbers of locals to chop, sauté, wash, and bus tables. Classic car owners were polishing their 1954 Chevys and leveraging them to start tour companies. And artists—fashion designers, jewellers, painters, sculptors—were taking commissions from art […]