Forest Official Impersonator Arrested for Builder Extortion Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly extorting builders in Thane district of Maharashtra by posing as a forest department staffer, an official said. The Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Thane police's crime branch arrested the accused Prasadkumar Uttam Bhalerao, he said. A builder from Shil Daighar area of Thane lodged a complaint against him in this connection, he said. ''Posing as a for

Climate Change Poised to Overshadow Other Threats to Biodiversity by Mid-Century Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-century, a new research has found. Studying changes in land-use patterns and their impacts on biodiversity, an international team of researchers found that biodiversity around the world could have declined by 2-11 per cent. ''By including all world regions in our model, we were able to fill many blind spots and address criticism of other

BJP's Dilip Ghosh faces electoral test for political survival in Bardhaman-Durgapur In the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, a region known for altering political allegiance in every election, BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh faces a pivotal challenge to overturn this pattern and secure his political future. Since its establishment in 2009, Bardhaman-Durgapur has sent CPI(M), TMC and BJP representatives once each to the Lok Sabha in the three previous polls. In 2019, BJP's S S Ahluwalia clinch

Thousands rally in Australian capitals to demand gender violence justice Violence against women is an epidemic in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday, as thousands attended rallies in Sydney and other major Australian cities urging tougher laws on gendered violence. The rallies were spurred by a wave of violence against women that the government says has seen a woman killed every four days this year. The rallies also followed a mass stabbing in Sydney this month that kill

Russia hits Ukrainian energy facilities in three regions, Kyiv says Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities in three regions on Saturday, damaging equipment and injuring at least one energy worker, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said. Galushchenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the Russian strikes targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine and the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.

Tragic School Bus Accident in Ranchi: 15 Students Sustain Injuries Fifteen children were injured after their school bus overturned in Ranchi on Saturday morning, police said. The bus with 30 children onboard met with the accident at a turning, about 100 metres from the St Maria School in Mandar, they said. ''About 15 children of that school were injured. They are under observation at the nearby Mission Hospital,'' officer-in-charge of Mandar police station Rahul told PTI. One of the children rec

Engine Protect: An Essential Car Insurance Add-On for Enhanced Protection Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Kotak General Insurance, an insurance provider in India aims to provide car owners with enhanced protection, ensuring that their vehicles remain in optimal condition, even in the face of unforeseen challenges. Understanding the importance of engine protect The engine is the heart of any vehicle, powering its performance and ensuring smooth operation on the road. However, it is also one of the mo

Evion's Vitamin E Cream: Transformed with a Fresh, New Look Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Business Wire India Concerned about maintaining your skin's hydration amidst the scorching summer heat, its time you shield your skin against the season's harsh elements and embrace sun-kissed days with confidence and radiance. The new Evion Cream from Indias #1 Vitamin E Brand brings together the goodness of Vitamin E and Aloe Vera for a radiant nourished and glowing skin. Enriched with the potent antioxidan

BIRKENSTOCK Establishes Flagship Presence in India with Inaugural Store in Mumbai BIRKENSTOCK, the German global zeitgeist and purpose brand, is strengthening its footprint in India. Celebrating 250 years of tradition in shoemaking in 2024, BIRKENSTOCK has its eyes firmly set on the future and opens its first flagship store in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, marking its commitment to the region. The overall store concept follows the brand's core values of function, quality and trad

Rajasthan ACB Raids Residences of District Collector and Revenue Official in Bribery Case The Rajasthan Anti Corruption Bureau has raided the residences of the Dudu district collector and a village-level revenue official for allegedly demanding a bribe in a land conversion case, an officer said on Saturday. It is alleged that Collector Hanuman Mal Dhaka and Patwari Hansraj had demanded a Rs 25 lakh bribe. The raids, conducted on a complaint, ended late Friday night, officials of the bureau said.

Britney Spears settles legal dispute with father Britney Spears, the pop icon embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with her father, Jamie Spears, over alleged financial misconduct during her conservatorship, has finally found a resolution. The dispute, which has captured headlines and public attention for years, reached its conclusion as the Spears duo settled the enduring debate over legal fees in Los Angeles Superior Court on April 25, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Under the guidance of

A reiteration of India's progress: Bharat Biotech co-founder on VP Dhankhar's visit to pharma major Expressing her delight at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's visit to Bharat Biotech on Friday, the managing director and co-founder of the pharma major, Suchitra Ella said it marked as a eiteration of the work and journey that we have taken forward over the last 27-28 years since the firm was founded in Hyderabad. Speakig to ANI on Friday, Ella said, It has been a very special day at Bharat Biote

Tragic Gunfire Exchange in Manipur Claims One Life Gunfight broke out between two groups in Manipur, following which a 33-year-old man was found dead, police said on Saturday. The gunfight happened at Sinam Kom on the border of the Kangpkopi and Imphal East districts on Friday night, they said. A 'village volunteer' who went missing following the gunfight was found dead on Saturday morning, they added. He was identified as Laishram Prem, police said. Security forces were deployed in the area to

JNU to accept National Eligibility Test instead of entrance exams for PhD programs Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has announced that it will accept the National Eligibility Test (NET) score instead of the entrance test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as the selection parameter for admission to its Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs from the current academic year. UGC to help the students with one national entrance test as part of the implementation of National Education Policy

We can still qualify to the playoffs: PBKS allrounder Shashank after sealing 8-wicket win over KKR Punjab Kings (PBKS) batting allrounder Shashank Singh said his side can still qualify for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets at the Eden Gardens. Notably, Punjab Kings is in the eighth place in the IPL 2024 standings with six points after winning just three of nine games while KKR with 10 points is at the number 2 position

Pakistan: Govt employees stage strike at Karachi port The government employees of major institutions staged protests at Karachi Port on Friday, which caused a backlog in import and export traffic since containers were left at the port, with no clearance in place, according to ARY News. The strike, as per details, was conducted by Pakistan Standard and Quality Control officers and employees at the Karachi Port. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) former vice presi

Andhra Pradesh Revival: TDP Pledges to Eradicate Debt and Foster Growth A senior TDP leader has said the priority of the party is to ''rebuild'' Andhra Pradesh and take the state out of the debt trap by getting rid of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National Coordinator (Election) and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedal Ravindra Kumar said Andhra Pradesh has suffered more losses during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government than during the creation of Telangana in 2014 wh

Youth Nearsightedness Crisis: A Looming Vision Threat By Andrew Herbert, Rochester Institute of Technology New York, Apr 27 (The Conversation) Myopia, or the need for corrected vision to focus or see objects at a distance, has become a lot more common in recent decades. Some even consider myopia, also known as nearsightedness, an epidemic. Optometry researchers estimate that about half of the global population will need corrective lenses to offset myopia by 2050 if current rates continue up fro

Kerala Police Books LDF MLA P V Anwar for Defamatory Remarks against Rahul Gandhi LDF MLA P V Anwar has been booked for the penal offence of promoting enmity between different groups due to his remarks that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was a ''fourth-grade citizen'' and that his DNA should be examined. Anwar, while addressing an election meeting in Palakkad district of Kerala on April 22, had also said that the Congress leader does not deserve to be called by the surname of Gandhi. Following the

**Revised Headline:** **Upcoming Sporting Events** Sports Schedule for Saturday, Apr 27 CRICKET: *IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in Delhi at 3:30pm. *IPL match between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals in Lucknow at 7:30pm. *Preview of IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai. *Preview of IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. *Other stories related to IPL, India and international cricket. FOOTBA

Cattle Menace: A Pressing Issue for Farmers in Western Uttar Pradesh ''When I come to work in the fields in the morning, stray cattle are standing there, ready to attack. I was once hit on the back and was hospitalised for a week,'' says Keshav Kumar, a farm worker in Pilkhana village in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras. Besides, he said, he has been chased by cows and Nilgai multiple times. Dharmendra Singh, a farmer, in Firozabad's Akilabad village, says, ''I lost 30 per cent of my produce due to stray

Headline: In-custody deaths surge as police inject sedatives into restrained individuals Demetrio Jackson was desperate for medical help when the paramedics arrived. The 43-year-old was surrounded by police who arrested him after responding to a trespassing call in a Wisconsin parking lot. Officers had shocked him with a Taser and pinned him as he pleaded that he couldn't breathe. Now he sat on the ground with hands cuffed behind his back and took in oxygen through a mask. Then, officers moved J

India Triumph at Archery World Championships: Compound Men and Women Clinch Team Gold India men's and women's compound teams dished out dominant displays to win gold medals at the ongoing Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai here on Saturday. India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur dropped just four points to trounce Italy 236-225 in the women's compound team event to open their account with a gold in the season-opening global showpiece. The men's team of Abhishek Verma, Pri

India's Abhishek Verma, Priyansh, Prathamesh Fuge win gold in men's compound team event at Archery WC Stage 1 in Shanghai. India's Abhishek Verma, Priyansh, Prathamesh Fuge win gold in men's compound team event at Archery WC Stage 1 in Shanghai.

Baseball-Ohtani homers as jilted Blue Jays fans fume Shohei Ohtani finally landed in Toronto on Friday, but wearing Los Angeles Dodgers blue nearly five months after crushing the dreams of Blue Jays fans, who had high hopes their team was about to sign the Japanese two-way superstar. A capacity crowd at the Rogers Centre wasted no time letting Ohtani know how they felt about being jilted, while the Dodgers' $700 million man let them know what they missed out on, blasting a solo home run in his f

Andhra Pradesh's Revival: TDP Focuses on Rebuilding and Eradicating Debt A senior TDP leader has said the priority of the party is to ''rebuild'' Andhra Pradesh and take the state out of the debt trap by getting rid of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National Coordinator (Election) and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedal Ravindra Kumar said Andhra Pradesh has suffered more losses during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government than during the creation of the two Telugu stat

Indian Women's Compound Archery Team Triumphs with Gold at World Championships India trounced Italy in the women's compound team event to win their first gold at the ongoing Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai here on Saturday. The team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur, who qualified as top seed, dropped just four points from 24 arrows to down sixth seeded Italy 236-226 and open their account in the season-opening global showpiece. In the first three ends of six arrows ea

2 CRPF Personnel Martyred in Militant Attack in Manipur Two CRPF personnel were killed and two others injured as militants allegedly attacked a camp of security forces in Manipur's Bishnupur district in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The militants attacked an IRBn (India Reserve Battalion) camp at Naranseina in the Moirang police station area, they said. ''The militants fired indiscriminately from hilltops, targetting the camp. It started around 12.30 am and continued till about 2.15

India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, Parneet Kaur win gold in women's compound team event at Archery WC. India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, Parneet Kaur win gold in women's compound team event at Archery WC.

Families Anxiously Anticipate Closure as Recovery of Bodies from Baltimore Bridge Wreckage Nears Completion A wooden cross is laden with Miguel Luna's personal belongings his construction uniform and work boots, a family photo, the flag of his native El Salvador but his body remains missing after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. More than a month has passed since six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths when a container ship lost power and crashed into one of the bri

Bank Failure: Regulators Shutter Philadelphia-Based Republic First Bank, First US Closure of 2023 Regulators have closed Republic First Bank, a regional lender operating in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday it had seized the Philadelphia-based bank, which did business as Republic Bank and had roughly $6 billion in assets and USD 4 billion in deposits as of January 31. Fulton Bank, which is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, agreed to assume sub

Tragedy on Alaska Peak: 1 Climber Killed, 1 Critically Injured in 1,000-Foot Fall A climber is dead and another seriously injured after falling about 305 metres while on a steep, technical route on Mount Johnson in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, authorities said Friday. The fall Thursday night was witnessed by another climbing party, who reported it around 10:45 pm and descended to where the climbers had fallen. They confirmed one of the climbers had died and dug a snow cave and ten

Tornadoes Unleash Destruction on Omaha Suburbs A tornado ploughed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures as the twister tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Injuries were reported but it wasn't yet clear if anyone was killed in the storm. Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people. Photos on soci

North Korea accuses US of politicizing human rights issues North Korea accused the United States on Saturday of politicizing human rights in the East Asian country, denouncing what it called political provocation and conspiracy. Pyongyang will make stern and decisive choices to protect its sovereignty and safety in response to Washington using human rights as a tool for invasion and hostile, anti-North Korea behaviour, state media KCNA quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying. The spokes

Deputies Fatally Shoot Driver After Drug Warrant Leads to Violent Encounter in Memphis Sheriff's deputies fatally shot a man who sped toward them in a vehicle as they were serving a search warrant in a neighbourhood on Friday in Memphis, officials said. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said deputies were serving the high-risk drug warrant at about 3:30 pm when a man who was waiting in a vehicle drove toward a SWAT team at high speed in the Orange Mound neighbourhood. Deputies opened fire, kill

Yemen's Houthis say their missiles hit Andromeda Star oil ship in Red Sea Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday their missiles hit the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea, as they continue attacking commercial ships in the area in a show of support for Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war. U.S. Central Command confirmed that Iran-backed Houthis launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Yemen causing minor damage to the Andromeda Star. The ship's master reported da

Signing the war in Gaza: Overcoming deafness and displacement Bassem Al-Habal carried a large bag of flour provided by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, inside one of the shelters in the city of Deir Al- Balah in the central Gaza Strip, part of his daily journey to find food and water for his family while overcoming displacement, bombardment and the challenges of being deaf and mute in a war zone. From the room he and his family call home inside the school-turned-shelter, he felt a du

US military says Houthis in Yemen fired missiles toward two ships in Red Sea The U.S. military said on Friday that Iran-backed Houthis launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Yemen causing minor damage to one ship, the UK-owned MV Andromeda Star. A missile landed in the vicinity of a second vessel, the MV Maisha, but it was not damaged, U.S. Central Command said on the social media site X.

Hamas says it received Israel's response to its ceasefire proposal Hamas said it had received on Saturday Israel's official response to its latest ceasefire proposal and will study it before submitting its reply, the group's deputy Gaza chief said in a statement. Hamas has received today the official response of the Zionist occupation to the proposal presented to the Egyptian and the Qatari mediators on April 13, Khalil Al-Hayya, who is currently based in Qatar, said in a statement published by

Australian police charge another teenager in Sydney cleric's stabbing Australian police have charged another teenager with a terrorism-related offence in investigations after the stabbing of an Assyrian Christian bishop while he was giving a livestreamed sermon in Sydney earlier this month. The boy, 15, was charged with conspiring to prepare a terrorist act, New South Wales police said late on Friday, adding that his case would be heard in a childrens court on Saturday. The attack on Bishop Mar

World News in Brief: Barbaric sexual violence in Sudan, Haitis transitional council in place, rights experts condemn Iran rappers death sentence The international community must take immediate action to end the wave of sexual violence being carried out against women and girls in Sudan, two senior UN officials said on Thursday. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten together with Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said that more than a year into the batt

Darfur: UN raises alarm as paramilitary forces encircle western capital, calls for restraint Sudanese paramilitary forces are encircling the only capital they haven't captured in the western Darfur region, the United Nations said Friday, warning that an attack would have ''devastating consequences'' for the city's 8,00,000 inhabitants. At the same time, the UN said, the rival Sudanese Armed Forces ''appear to be positioning themselves.'' UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres again called on the p

U.S. chip bans not meant to hobble China's growth, Blinken says U.S. export controls on sending advanced computing chips to China are not meant to hold back China's economy or technological development, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview with National Public Radio on Friday. Since 2022, U.S. officials have imposed sweeping controls on which computing chips can be exported to China, cutting off some sales from Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, among others. Those c

Yemen's Houthis say their missile hit Andromeda Star oil ship in Red Sea Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday their missiles hit the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea, as they continue attacking commercial ships in the area in a show of support for Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war. The ship's master reported damage to the vessel, British maritime security firm Ambrey said. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said the Panama-flagged ship was British owned, but shipping data shows it was r

Sudan: Civilians trapped in El Fasher as UN warns of imminent attack Escalating violence in Sudans North Darfur state has left dozens dead and people trapped in El Fasher city, which is home to around 800,000 people, many displaced due to fighting. In a note to correspondents issued on Friday, the UN said there were increasingly alarming reports of a dramatic escalation of tensions. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are reportedly encircling El Fasher, suggesting a **coordinated move to attack the

**Delta Air Lines Emergency Slide Deploys During Flight, Prompting Return to JFK** An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport. Delta said that after takeoff the pilots got an alert about the emergency slide on the plane's right side and heard an unusual sound coming from that area of the Boeing 767 jet, which is listed as having been manufactured in 1990

US tests show pasteurized milk safe as bird flu spreads to Colorado Additional tests of milk showed that pasteurization killed the bird flu virus, federal health officials said on Friday, as Colorado became the ninth U.S. state to report an infected dairy herd. Federal lawmakers urged the Biden administration to further contain the virus' spread as tests showed one in five U.S. commercial milk samples contained remnants of the virus, suggesting the outbreak is more widespread than previously tho

Deadly Blaze Engulfs Small Hotel in Southern Brazil, Resulting in Multiple Fatalities A fire tore through a small hotel in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre early Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 11, authorities said. The fire broke out in the early hours in the three-story building, which provided affordable housing in single rooms and had a contract with the municipal government to shelter homeless people. The establishment didn't have proper licensing and lacked an em

Lawmaker Adam Schiff's Laptop Stolen from Parked Car in San Francisco San Francisco has earned an unwelcome national reputation for car burglaries that US Rep. Adam Schiff was reminded of the hard way: The Democratic congressman had his luggage swiped from his car while it was parked in a downtown garage. With his formal clothing gone, Schiff ended up at a fundraising dinner Thursday for his U.S. Senate campaign dressed like he was headed to a Los Angeles Dodgers game in shirt sleeves and an in

Climate action cannot trample over the poor, says Guterres, launching new initiative to protect key minerals for clean energy transition The UN Secretary-General on Friday launched an initiative focusing on ensuring fairness, sustainability and respect for human rights throughout the entire process of sourcing and using critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition. The newly established Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals brings together a diverse group of governments, organ