Himachal decides to ban use of PET bottles in govt. meetings, hotels with effect from June 1

Concerned over their high potential for littering, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to prohibit the use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in all indoor official meetings, conferences, and events organised by the government bodies, besides the government-run and private hotels. The ban on the use of small PET bottles will come into effect from June…

Court sentences 16 persons, including Sivagiri Jamin legal heirs, to one day in prison for land grab

The case pertains to forging of land documents with the intention of grabbing the vast property of Ispahani in Nungambakkam. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court convicted and sentenced 16 persons, including legal heirs of Sivagiri Jamin, to one day in prison for forging land documents with the intention of grabbing…

Congress seeks to forge a lasting pact with Anvar, but is undecided on the compact’s nature

Congress leadership’s closed-door parley with All India Trinamool Congress  (TMC) State convener P.V. Anvar, here on Wednesday was reportedly a precursor to the United Democratic Front (UDF) forging a lasting pact with the former Left Democratic Front (LDF) independent legislator-turned- mutineer.  However, a Congress insider said the meeting was undecided on the character of the…

Various organisations stage protests in Kittur Karnataka districts against terror attack

Condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam, students led by ABVP office-bearers staging a protest by setting old tyres on fire in Hubballi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: KIRAN BAKALE Condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir and seeking strict action against terror perpetrators, various organisations staged demonstrations in the districts of Kittur…

Two new fish species discovered in Western Ghats, resolving 155-year-old taxonomic puzzle

Researchers at the Centre for Peninsular Aquatic Genetic Resources, Kochi, of the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources claimed to have discovered two new species of freshwater fish from the Western Ghats — Labeo uru and Labeo chekida, resolving the taxonomic identity of Labeo nigrescens, a species first described in 1870 but shrouded in confusion for over a century. The…

Tirupati police get hands-on training on emergency strike response

Armed Reserve, Special Party and Civil Police personnel taking part in the orientation training on ‘Room Intervention’ in Tirupati on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR The Police Department launched an eleven-day orientation programme in ‘Room Intervention’ for its personnel in Tirupati district to train them in the nuances of responding to emergency strikes…