Author: Rahul M

BhubaneswarNovember 4, 2025 09:03 AM IST First published on: Nov 4, 2025 at 09:03 AM IST On a day when Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik kicked off his campaign for the November 11 Nuapada Assembly bypoll Monday, senior party leader and ex-Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik switched to the BJP. Amar’s defection is seen as a calculated move by the BJP, which held his induction function simultaneously with the former CM’s election rally. “I am inspired by the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the country forward and to work for…

The courthouse, the library, schools, the downtown shopping district and most everybody’s roof — all gone, wiped out by the most powerful hurricane to ever hit Jamaica.Practically no building in Black River, along the country’s southern coast, remains intact. In a country where dozens of towns were ravaged by the hurricane, the town’s destruction has become emblematic of the post-storm misery Jamaicans must now grapple with. The Rev. Thomas Ngigi, a Kenyan priest posted to St. Theresa’s parish in Black River, sat in the shade in what little was left of the church, counting his blessings.Hurricane Melissa tore the roof…

An analysis of the Mahagathbandhan’s list of candidates shows that despite its campaign for proportionate representation for disadvantaged castes, almost 40% of the candidates fielded by the Congress belong to upper castes. At 5 of 61, women make up 8.2% of its list.The RJD is contesting 142 seats in the Mahagathbandhan, with 61 seats for the Congress, 20 for the CPI (M-L) L, 10 for the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), 9 for the CPI, 4 for the CPI(M), and 2 for the debutant Indian Inclusive Party (IIP). For three candidates – two from the VIP and one from RJD –…

Ankit Yadav holds his phone against the window of a white van, and clicks. Inside sits an elderly man dressed in white, a green scarf around his neck. One side bears the image of his son and Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav; the other the ‘lantern’ symbol of the party he founded, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).Lalu Prasad, 77, is in the autumn of his political career, weakened by age and illness. However, even in his absence, the RJD founder is very much a presence in these elections, in a state where the social upheaval he wrought changed its politics…

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s government on Monday announced the country was severing diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is under investigation for rebellion.Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told reporters that Mexico’s decision to grant Chávez asylum at its embassy in Peru’s capital, Lima, constituted an “unfriendly act” that adds to the existing tensions between the two countries. The office of Peru’s President José Jerí in a statement then accused Mexico’s government of “repeated” interference with the internal affairs of the South American country.Authorities have accused Chávez of participating…

The Sweet Secret To Sharper Memory And Lower Stress: If you’ve ever felt a little happier after indulging in a piece of dark chocolate or a handful of berries, there’s real science behind it. A new study by researchers from the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan has discovered that these foods may do far more than satisfy cravings, they could actually enhance memory, reduce stress, and improve brain performance. The Brain-Boosting Power of Flavanols The key lies in flavanols, powerful plant-based compounds found abundantly in cocoa and berries. According to the study, published in the journal Current Research in…

With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls set to begin in West Bengal from Tuesday, sources in the Election Commission (EC) said that less than one-third (32.06 per cent) of the total voters’ names in the 2025 roll have matched with the 2002 list in the state.According to the office of CEO, West Bengal, out of the total 7,66,37,529 voters in the 2025 roll, only 2,45,71,114 names have matched with the 2002 voters’ list. Among them, three districts – South Kolkata, Howrah, and Paschim Bardhaman – have recorded the lowest percentage of matching names – 35 per cent,…

Famous for Mahatma Gandhi’s first satyagraha, Champaran became notorious in the 1980s and 1990s due to a spate of violent incidents like dacoity and abduction, with many criminal gangs holding sway in the region till 2005.Along with unemployment, law and order concerns also trigger migration with Bihar standing at number two position in the country after Uttar Pradesh in terms of the number of its migrants in other states. In West Champaran district, the out-migration situation seems to have improved in recent years. As per the 2011 Census, it was listed as one of the 14 districts in Bihar that…

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Yong Nam, a quintessential North Korean bureaucrat whose lifelong loyalty to the ruling Kim dynasty allowed him to serve as the country’s ceremonial head of state for two decades, has died, state media reported Tuesday.The Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that Kim Yong Nam, former president of the Presidium of North Korea’s rubber-stamp Supreme People’s Assembly, died Monday of multiple organ failure at the age of 97.KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam on Tuesday to express deep condolences over his death. It said…

CBS Contains spoilers for “Boston Blue” Season 1, Episode 3 — “History” Love is all around for almost every member of the Silver family in “History,” and Sarah Silver (Maggie Lawson) is no exception to that rule. For the first time, audiences meet her boyfriend, Seth (Mike Vogel), who turns out to be a kind single dad who really adores being around her. He even wants her to move in with him.  There’s only one fly in the ointment — Seth’s teenage daughter, Phoebe (Matia Jackett), who loathes the ground Sarah…