Author: Rahul M

BhubaneswarJul 8, 2025 09:52 IST First published on: Jul 7, 2025 at 20:26 IST Share The ruling BJP in Odisha has retained Manmohan Samal as the state unit president for another term as he was the lone party leader to file his nomination Monday for election to the post. Samal, 65, is thus set to be elected unopposed as the Odisha BJP chief, which would be declared by the party’s central observer Sanjay Jaiswal on Tuesday. His candidature was decided with consensus at a meeting of senior BJP leaders at the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar following which he filed his…

A toothbrush in your favourite colour. A fridge filled with snacks you chose yourself. Music playing while you fold your laundry—badly, maybe, but joyfully. It might sound simple. But in Supported Independent Living (SIL), these moments are quiet revolutions. They’re not just chores. They’re choices. And choices are powerful. In homes scattered across this vibrant city, SIL providers in Melbourne are doing something remarkable. They’re not just offering support—they’re helping people build lives that feel like their own. Not institutional. Not imposed. But individual, intentional, and free. This is not a service offered by SIL providers in Melbourne. It’s a…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Monday suspended 10 civic officials for purported negligence in conducting the caste census ordered by the state government.The exercise to collect information regarding members of 101 communities falling under the Scheduled Caste category has been mired in controversy since it was launched in Bengaluru on June 23. Several citizens have alleged that QR-coded stickers marking Scheduled Caste (SC) households have been pasted on buildings, vehicles, and even tea stalls in a random manner. In 2015, the Congress government spent ₹170 Cr on a caste census in Karnataka, then blamed dogs for its flaws. Now…

There’s a little house tucked away in Melton—not famous, not flashy—but inside its walls, something quietly magical is unfolding. A kettle whistles. A board game box opens. A hesitant hello becomes laughter echoing down the hallway. This isn’t a holiday home, and it’s not a clinic. It’s one of several STA Accommodations in Melton—places where NDIS participants come not just for a break, but for a beginning. What begins as a few nights away often becomes a turning point. Here, in the comfort of supported routine and gentle encouragement, people rediscover parts of themselves they didn’t know were waiting to…

A day after Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya was named the new Bengal BJP president, the party’s state headquarters at 6, Murlidhar Sen Lane in central Kolkata already bore some signs of a shift.Hoardings with the faces of top party leaders were gone, and in a seminar hall that often doubles up as a press conference room, the backdrop had changed, with the faces of top party leaders replaced by the lotus symbol. With just under a year to go for the Assembly elections, this is not the only visible change in the main Opposition party in the state. Bhattacharya…

A worker from West Bengal last week filed a complaint with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) alleging that the Bengaluru police have been targeting migrant workers and small shopkeepers to extort money and threatening to book them under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). The Bengaluru police have categorically denied the allegation, saying they were conducting special drives against public smoking, and the sale of loose cigarettes. In his complaint filed on July 3, Lalchand Sheikh, who lives in Varthur, alleged that the local police were collecting bribes from more than 100 shops. Story continues below…

A PIXAR JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF, GROWTH, AND GALAXIES   In 2024, Pixar Animation Studios brought audiences back into the mind of Riley with Inside Out 2, the highly anticipated sequel to their 2015 hit. Directed by Kelsey Mann and featuring the voice talents of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Maya Hawke, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, and Ayo Edebiri, the film followed a now-teenage Riley navigating the turbulence of puberty, just as her original core emotions are joined by a new batch eager to take control. Released on June 14, 2024, Inside Out 2 was met with widespread acclaim from…

In the tumultuous language politics of India, few ironies cut deeper than Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK hailing the protests against “Hindi imposition” by Shiv Sena factions in Maharashtra.Just over six decades ago, the then undivided Shiv Sena was among the first political parties to weaponise regional identity in post-Independence India when it targeted South Indians, especially Tamils, in Mumbai, for “stealing” jobs of locals and “refusing to assimilate into Marathi culture”. Sena founder Bal Thackeray was vituperative in his attacks on “Madrasis”, as he dubbed all migrants to the city from South India, fuelling violence against them in Maharashtra in…

Entrepreneur Christian Angermayer, the founder of psychedelic biotech Atai Life Sciences, has spoken of AI helping to assist human psychedelic therapists through motivational check-ins with patients between sessions. “Where AI can play a huge role is in the voluntary add-on therapy to support lifestyle changes,” he says. “For the psychological support we are envisioning being provided during the trip, I believe you would always need at least one trained health care professional able to provide direct support if required.”While Trey didn’t trip under the supervision of any humans, he still feels he’s reaped benefits from using Alterd. Though it would…

The Congress was curiously absent at the reunion event of the estranged Thackeray cousins — Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray — in Mumbai Saturday despite being invited. The lone national ally of the Uddhav Sena, the Congress seems to be edgy over the development, keeping a close watch.There are various reasons for the Congress’s decision to avoid rubbing shoulders with Thackerays for now, ranging from the Bihar Assembly polls due in a few months to the upcoming Maharashtra civic body polls including the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, to the hardline Hindutva positions…