Author: Animish Murty

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan officially prohibited the wearing of hijabs and other “alien garments” this week, as the country’s parliament passed a new bill regulating Islamic clothing and Eid celebrations. The bill, approved by the upper house of parliament, Majlisi Milli, on June 19, comes after years of an unofficial clampdown on the hijab in the Muslim-majority country. Under the new law, individuals wearing hijabs or other banned religious clothing could face hefty fines of up to 7,920 somonis (approximately $700). Companies…

Four passengers were arrested after the seizure of more than 6.8 kg of gold valued at ₹ 4.44 crore and diamonds of ₹ 2.02 crore over the weekend, the Customs official said in a release issued late Monday night. The Customs department has seized diamonds concealed in packets of noodles and gold hidden in the body parts of passengers and baggage, collectively valued at ₹ 6.46 crore, at the Mumbai airport, an official said. Four passengers were arrested after the seizure of more than 6.8 kg of gold valued at ₹ 4.44 crore and diamonds of ₹ 2.02 crore over the weekend, the Customs official said in a release issued…

New DelhiCNN — Over half a century ago, India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi talked about the staggering challenge for developing nations: to industrialize without harming the environment. “On the one hand the rich look askance at our continuing poverty — on the other, they warn us against their own methods,” she told a United Nations event in Stockholm in 1972, the first global conference to make the environment a major issue. “We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further and yet we cannot for a moment forget the grim poverty of large numbers of people,” she added. Her words have never been more…

Planned 10 years ago, the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) project within 25 km radius of the Navi Mumbai airport is spread over 371 sq km comprising 174 villages If Navi Mumbai International Airport is considered a game changer for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and its future growth, the NAINA region is likely to be its engine powering the growth. Envisaged initially as the largest planned city in the country, it is an ambitious urban planning project in the making with the potential for an ultra-modern city that will provide a powerful boost to all sectors of the…

The data clearly showed that the H3N2 strain has been spreading rapidly among people with low immunity as compared to H1N1 Mumbai: In the last 10 months, Mumbai recorded 1,869 influenza A cases, the highest across Maharashtra. During the same period, the state tally stood at 3,206, including 2,031 H3N2 cases while remaining 1,175 were H1N1 patients, as per the integrated disease surveillance programme report prepared by the state health department. The report further revealed that Mumbai was trailed by Thane (590 cases) and Pune (460). Moreover, a total of 36 influenza deaths have been reported this year, so far. Of…

Mumbai Traffic Police pointed out that the EV charging company JIO-BP Pulse denied the allegation of Tiwari’s vehicle being charged there. Mumbai Traffic Police responded to a man named Prabhat Tiwari who claimed that a cop at Mantralaya issued a false challan on his EV car which was said to be parked at a charging station. However, the police team clarified the issue after a video shared by Tiwari went viral online. They shared data from the respective charging station as proof and said that his car was “Never on charge.” They also pointed out that the EV charging company…

Art Deco Mumbai Trust is creating reels, videos and photo stories to reach a younger demographic and promote the city’s UNESCO-recognised structures When there is a mention of Mumbai — whether in movies or books — the visual that comes to mind is usually that of Victorian Gothic buildings like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. But Mumbai also has one of the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in India; so significant that in June 2018, the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai received the UNESCO World Heritage Sites tag. Mumbai’s largest site in terms of area and the number of…

Even with December approaching, Mumbai is reeling under high temperatures with the maximum temperatures hovering over 34 degree Celsius. Mumbai is likely to experience a warmer winter is what meteorologists and weather experts are indicating as the city is reeling under higher maximum temperatures than the average normal for this time of the year. Even with December approaching, Mumbai is reeling under high temperatures with the maximum temperatures hovering over 34 degree Celsius. Between Friday and Saturday, the IMD Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperatures of 34.8 degree Celsius, one degree above the average normal for this time of the year. On…

Amsterdam, Berlin (16/11 – 10) Diwali, a.k.a. Deepavali, is a Hindu religious celebration as well as a traditional festival, celebrated across India. Customarily known as “The Festival of Lights”, as it is festooned with arrays of colored illumination, it is held from October to November every year. Deepavali 2023 was celebrated on November 12, over a five-day period. Deepavali is the annual Hindu celebration of the triumph of light over darkness. Rarely will you visit a Hindu home during Deepavali without passing under a doorway highlighted by a beautiful, vividly-colored picture created out of flour, rice or flower petals. It…

Last week, Sarah Sunny made history after she became India’s first deaf lawyer to argue in the country’s Supreme Court. The 27-year-old first appeared before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud in September after the court made an exception and allowed a sign language interpreter to assist her with the arguments. On 6 October, the court also appointed its own interpreter for Ms Sunny, the first in the court’s history, so that “she could understand what was going on” during the proceedings. “In fact, we are thinking that for the constitution bench hearings we will have an interpreter so that everyone can…