Author: Rahul M

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI(M)-led Kerala government’s decision to join the central education scheme, Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI), has run into fierce opposition, not just from the Opposition, but also its own ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI).The state’s General Education Minister V Sivankutty on 19 October announced the LDF government’s decision to get central funding of Rs 1,466 crore for its education sector by implementing PM-SHRI in Kerala. Though the minister asserted that the state wasn’t changing its existing education policy, the decision on PM-SHRI marked a U-turn by the same government, which had in June said…

At 3:25 pm on Wednesday, a chopper landed at a newly-made helipad in a village nestled among Manipur’s Naga hills, kicking up a storm of dust towards a gathering, which stood holding pale blue ‘Naga national flag’ in their hands. Once the dust settled, an elderly and visibly frail Thuingaleng Muivah stepped out, assisted by his security entourage, stepping foot in his native village Somdal, in Manipur’s Ukhrul, for the first time in over five decades.At 91, Muivah remains the face of one of South Asia’s oldest insurgencies, and in these parts, a hero. He joined the Naga National Council…

“Wherever Hindu refugees settled after Partition, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) began gaining influence while the Communists made an impact wherever there were factories and workers.” This popular saying from the 1950s and 1960s perfectly sums up the politics of Bihar.If till 1990, this meant Congress dominance in the state, barring two brief interregnums between 1967-1972 and 1977-1980, it is also why the BJP, which is contesting an equal number of seats as its ally JD(U) for the first time in the state, has struggled to achieve a pan-Bihar appeal despite being the largest political party in the country. Even…

With 21 candidates filing their nominations for the Anta Assembly bypoll in Anta of Baran district in Rajasthan, rebels are likely to play spoilsport.The Congress has fielded local heavyweight Pramod Jain Bhaya, a three-term MLA and former Cabinet minister in the third Ashok Gehlot government (2018-2023). He will be up against BJP’s Morpal Suman, the Pradhan of Baran Panchayat Samiti. However, rebels may queer the pitch for both the parties. Denied a Congress ticket, Naresh Meena announced his candidature as an Independent and has filed his nomination. This is the third time in three years that Meena has rebelled and…

Last week, Amit Shah turned up in Bihar and actively resolved these issues.For instance, soon after the BJP fielded lawyer Ratnesh Kushwaha from the Patna Sahib assembly seat, Patna Mayor Sita Sahu’s son Shishir Kumar filed his nomination as an Independent. However, according to sources, Amit Shah held talks with Shishir Kumar during his visit to Bihar, after which the latter not only withdrew his nomination but also made a public statement that he would work for the BJP candidate.Interesting scenes also unfolded in Bhagalpur, where, in the aftermath of not securing a ticket from the Bhagalpur assembly, the son…

Eros Hoagland/Netflix On October 24, Netflix will stream a thriller that has already gotten critical accolades and major Oscar buzz. That movie is “A House of Dynamite,” which opened in select theaters in the U.K. on October 3 and in the U.S. on October 10 before making its global streaming debut. “A House of Dynamite” is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, making it her first feature since 2017’s “Detroit.”  While Bigelow’s earlier films, like “Near Dark,” “Point Break,” and “Strange Days,” were genre exercises, she has since focused to great acclaim on political…

New Delhi: In a politically assertive speech Wednesday, Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) threatened to resume armed struggle if the Centre did not follow in letter and spirit the Amsterdam Joint Communique and the Framework Agreement 2015 that officially recognise the ‘Nagalim’s sovereignty’, the ‘Naga national flag’ and the ‘Naga national constitution’.“…India having lost its political will to implement the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement, is deliberately forcing Nagalim into the “battlefield” through betrayals and provocative “divide and rule” stratagem. However, we have the confidence and we are…

Brooke Palmer/HBO RATING : 4 / 10 Pros Cons Dull and lackluster plot Uninspired characters Hackneyed CGI When you watch modern horror TV shows centered around kids and teens — like “Goosebumps” or “Hysteria!” — they really put it in perspective how big a miracle “Stranger Things” was back in 2016 (and still is today). The Duffer Brothers impressively nailed every aspect (humor, tone, nostalgia, atmosphere, and scares) that matters when it comes to (kid) horror on television. Don’t get me wrong, “Stranger Things” isn’t perfect…

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Residents of Peru’s capital saw more soldiers and police patrolling the streets on Wednesday, the first day of a state of emergency decreed by newly sworn in President José Jerí in an effort to reign in crime.The sweeping decree suspended several constitutional rights — including freedom of assembly and protest — while banning everyday activities such as two adults riding on motorcycle. It also limited visits to prisoners and allowed power cuts to prison cells except for lighting.Jerí assumed the presidency on Oct. 10 after lawmakers removed then President Dina Boluarte from office in part over…

Fred Duval/Shutterstock These days, Jason Statham is known for playing bruisers in hit down-and-dirty action movies like “The Beekeeper” and “A Working Man.” But early in his career, Statham hopped around different genres, with many of these efforts flopping hard. But arguably Statham’s worst foray into sci-fi and fantasy has to be a little-remembered video game adaptation co-starring the late Ray Liotta (who was still filming several movies at the time of his death). We are, of course, talking about 2007’s “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” a film that’s…