The Shillong Times

Jail Road vendors urge govt to allow evening trade SHILLONG, Aug 4: Labelling the governments proposed relocation sites as economic jungles, Shillongs street vendors have launched a desperate pushback against an August 17 eviction deadline, demanding that the state prioritise their right to a livelihood over mere urban aesthetics. Hawkers from Laitumkhrah on Tuesday protested []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: Social Welfare Adviser Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday called for a fundamental shift in how society views persons with disabilities, asserting that they possess the potential to excel when provided with an enabling environment and the right technology. Speaking at a sensitisation programme on Assistive Technology and Digital Accessibility at U Soso Tham []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: Renowned Khasi poet, novelist, and academic Dr Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih has been conferred the Professor Tabu Ram Taid Literary Award 2026 for his epic novel, Funeral Nights. The award, which includes a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, was presented to Dr Nongkynrih at Cotton University, Guwahati, on Saturday. A professor in []

NONGPOH, Aug 4: The Hills Farmer Union (HFU) has issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Byrnihat Police to explain the legal basis of Direct Entry fees allegedly extorted from livestock transporters, warning they will demand the suspension of the Officer-in-Charge (OC) for evading accountability. The move follows a failed meeting on Tuesday morning at the []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: Four elephant tusks and a quantity of pangolin scales were seized by the Forest department in two separate operations in the Ri-Bhoi district. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the illegal wildlife trade. In the first operation on July 18, the Nongpoh Wildlife Range, acting on intelligence from the Wildlife []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: To mark International Clouded Leopard Day, the Meghalaya government on Sunday launched Mission Clouded Leopard, a flagship conservation programme dedicated to the state animal (Neofelis nebulosa). The mission provides a framework to secure viable populations of the species across Meghalaya. Key focus areas include habitat protection and restoration, scientific research, strengthened anti-poaching []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: The Sohra Civil Sub-Division on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) at Weisawdong Falls, Dainthlen Falls, Mawsawa Falls, and Arliang Riat View Point following an escalating ownership dispute between several villages. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mark A Challam issued the order after reports indicated that a []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Winston Tony Lyngdoh on Tuesday defended the Executive Committees decision to issue work orders for the operation of 11 trade check gates, stating that the move was aimed at curbing illegal collections and plugging revenue leakages that had deprived the council of income for years. His clarification []

SHILLONG, Aug 4: East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Chairperson, Abhilash Baranwal, on Monday felicitated personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and EMRI-108 for their swift response during disaster operations. The responders were specifically recognised for their efforts during the recent tragic incident at []

Guwahati, Aug 4: Wild elephants herds moving about the Assam-Meghalaya boundary in Goalpara (Assam) and West Garo Hills (Meghalaya) landscapes dont recognize the man-made geographical boundary between the two states and that requires people-to-people and Assam Forest Depart- Meghalaya Forest Department coordination to decide on ways for coexistence. With this objective, an engaging awareness programme []

Dhaka, Aug 3: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal visited the Board of Control for Cricket in Indias (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru as part of efforts to develop a world-class high-performance centre in Bangladesh. Accompanied by BCB officials Shanian Taneem and Fahim Sinha, Tamim toured the facility on August 1 to study []

NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Ace wrestler and MLA of Julana constituency in Haryana Vinesh Phogat and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia have expressed deep disappointment over a Delhi court verdict clearing former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual violence charges, stating that women wrestlers []

JAMSHEDPUR, Aug 3: Jamshedpur FC players, including two senior India footballers, made an emotional appeal to club owners Tata Group to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the Indian Super League (ISL) and dismantle the senior team. Jamshedpur FC announced on Friday that it was pulling out of the ISL, just hours after missing the []

PARIS, Aug 3: Young cyclist Harshita Jakhar rode into history books by becoming the first Indian woman to be a part of the Tour de France Femmes here. The 19-year-old led a pack of eight talented cyclists from Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia (two riders), Namibia and Uganda during the ceremonial start at Stage 2 of []

ASAN (South Korea), Aug 3: Newly-crowned Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma and a fit-again Kidambi Srikanth will look to continue Indias impressive run on the international circuit when they spearhead the countrys challenge at the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament, beginning here on Tuesday. Tanvi, the 17-year-old from Punjab, produced a sensational performance to []

PORT OF SPAIN, Aug 3: Justin Greaves made a gritty half century in an unbroken partnership of 66 with Roston Chase to guide West Indies to 239-5 at stumps on the opening day of the second and final cricket test against Pakistan. Greaves was 64 not out and Chase on 36 when bad light stopped []

Shillong, Aug 3: Langsning FC enjoyed a dream debut in the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup, cruising to a commanding 5-0 victory over Mumbay FC in a Group E match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday. After a goalless first half, the Meghalaya side came alive after the break, scoring five unanswered goals to []

Nyon, Aug 3: Norwegian champions Bod/Glimt have been handed a demanding route back to the UEFA Champions League after Mondays playoff draw paired the club with a potential showdown against either Greek giants Olympiakos or Dutch side NEC Nijmegen should they progress from the third qualifying round. The draw, conducted at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, []

Shillong Premier League 2026 Shillong, Aug 3: Sawmer and Rangdajied United will be in action on Tuesday as the second round of the Shillong Premier League 2026 begins, with both teams looking for their first win of the season. Kick-off at the SSA Stadium will be at 4pm. Sawmer went down 1-0 to defending champions []

Actress unapologetically accepts her transition from a moderate Hindu to an awakened Hindu Actor-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said she has undergone an ideological transformation, describing herself as someone who has moved from being a moderate Hindu to an awakened Hindu, one who wants to embrace the ideology of the BJP and the []

Ariana Grande to step back from spotlight amid health scrutiny Actor-musician Ariana Grande has announced that she is stepping out of the spotlight for a break after she finishes her Eternal Sunshine Tour due to the ongoing public scrutiny. The Wicked star has also dropped out of Stephen Sondheims West End revival of Sunday in []

52 Blue, featuring Neha Dhupia and Adil Hussain, is set to screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The film is directed by Ali El Arabi and revolves around Ashish (Yadav Shashidhar), a young football fanatic who escapes his isolating life in Kochi, India, with the quiet support of his mother, to travel to []

Small area,50-60 people, Indian style commode, lizards Actor Salman Khan opened up about his time in jail while appearing on the reality show The Alliance. The actor came into the show to meet his younger brother Sohail Khan, who has been going through a difficult phase in the game following the eviction of his ex-wife, []

Tehran, Aug 3: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that negotiations between Iran and Oman are focused on reaching an agreement on designating a temporary route to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the talks are centred on a round-trip corridor, not two or three separate routes, and the []

Greek wildfires halted after chopper crash Athens, Aug 3: Water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire west of Athens Monday, a day after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members. A Greek and a Danish national died and two others all privately charted operators were hospitalised in the collision while the []

Kathmandu, Aug 3: Nepal has formally requested India to recognise its National Identity Card (NID) as a valid travel document for cross-border travel, aiming to strengthen identity verification and security while facilitating the movement of people between the two countries, a senior immigration official said. The NID is similar to Indias Aadhaar card and contains []

Surabaya, Aug 3: Indonesian rescuers searched for possible missing passengers Monday after rescuing 231 people from a ferry that caught fire the previous day off the main island of Java, leaving five people dead. Passengers described leaping overboard and staying afloat for hours before rescue. The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was travelling from Indonesias second-largest []

By Napoleon S. Mawphniang Something happened to me personally just three months ago. I walked into a government office in Shillong with documents, a prepared argument, evidence, a legitimate concern a public grievance not for my personal interestthe kind of thing youd normally take straight to a department head. I wasnt nervous because []

By S. N. M. ABDI Sonam Wangchuk was physically lifted from Jantar Mantar by policemen on the twenty-first day of his fast-unto-death and taken to a government hospital. His forcible removal triggered an invasion of the satyagraha site by a sea of 20-25 year olds. The protestors; a mixture of men and women; were mostly []

The worlds most powerful leader is blowing hot and cold, climbing up and climbing down on his stated positions with rare ease and keeping his own nation, his militarys principal target Iran and the people across continents on edge for as long as five months. Donald Trumps warning on Saturday was that the USA []

New Delhi, Aug 3: The government has hiked windfall gains tax on exports of petrol, diesel and ATF for the fortnight beginning Monday. The rate of special additional excise duty (SAED) on export of diesel will be Rs 25.5 a litre, up from Rs 15.5 a litre. SAED on export of ATF will be Rs []

The rupee strengthened against the US currency for the sixth consecutive session on Monday, closing higher by 12 paise at 95.31 following a sharp drop in global crude oil prices and a softer greenback after US President Donald Trump decided to hold off strikes against Iran. FII inflows and gains in domestic stock markets provided []

Mumbai, Aug 3: Stock market benchmark indices ended higher on Monday, with the Sensex climbing 544.39 points and Nifty surging 1.60 per cent, following a sharp decline in crude oil prices amid easing geopolitical tensions. Foreign fund inflows also added to markets optimism. Extending the winning momentum to the fourth day, the 30-share BSE Sensex []

New Delhi, Aug 3: Telecom consumers frustrated by dropped calls or poor voice quality can now opt for a direct and easy-to-use channel to flag such issues. In a move to strengthen the monitoring of call quality issues, telecom regulator TRAI on Monday launched the new and improved version of the MyCall mobile application that []

State DGP directed to issue standing orders SHILLONG, Aug 3: In a significant move to reclaim the institutional integrity of law enforcement, the High Court of Meghalaya has called for a total ban on political parties and NGOs using police stations or prisons as platforms for press briefings. The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Revati []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: Meghalayas reputation as the worlds rain capital is under siege as a staggering 58% monsoon deficit leaves the states rain-fed agriculture on the brink of collapse, with some districts like West Jaintia Hills missing nearly 80% of their expected rainfall. With a 58 per cent shortfall recorded since June 1, concerns are []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat has introduced a formal dress code and a set of conduct guidelines for its employees following concerns over growing indiscipline. The move follows instances of staff reporting to work in slippers and attire considered inappropriate for a government office. A directive issued on July 29, which has []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Sohra Civil Sub-Division on Monday imposed an immediate ban on roadside cooking and the use of open flames in public spaces to curb littering, prevent environmental degradation and reduce fire hazards. The order, issued by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mark A. Challam under Section 163 of the BNSS, follows reports of tourists cooking []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The East Khasi Hills district administration has extended the deadline for Aadhaar-based authentication (e-KYC) of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by 15 days with effect from July 31. The extension applies to all Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) ration card holders in the district. In a []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The All Meghalaya Pharmacist Association (AMPA) has sought an appointment with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to discuss several long-pending issues, stating that previous representations to the government have gone unaddressed. In a letter submitted on Monday, the association urged the chief minister to facilitate a meeting to deliberate on reforms aimed []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Meghalaya BJP on Monday stated it has been consistently raising concerns with its MDA coalition partners regarding the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the state as it expressed hope that existing shortcomings will soon be addressed. BJP general secretary Wankitbok Pohshna told The Shillong Times that the partys various []

MAWKYRWAT, Aug 3: The Dorbar Shnong of Jakrem village in South West Khasi Hills on Monday organised a peace rally to condemn the recent brutal murder of 76-year-old mentally challenged woman, Joit Kharlyngdoh of Jakrem village. The body of the elderly woman was found on July 20, 2026, in a forest area known as Krem []

NONGPOH, Aug 3: The Hills Farmers Union (HFU), central body, led by its secretary, Alfonbirth Kharsyntiew, on Monday visited Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district to investigate allegations of illegal collection of money from vehicles transporting livestock. The visit followed the unions earlier demand that the alleged practice be stopped immediately. Several pickup drivers engaged in transporting []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: Responding to a call by the Shillong Socio-Cultural Assamese Students Association (SSASA), the people of the Meghalaya capital came together to help flood victims in Assam by donating relief materials. They donated rations, drinking water, baby food, diapers, mosquito repellents, toiletries, disinfectants, candles, batteries, first-aid supplies, medicines, clothes, blankets, sanitary pads, livestock []

SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Khasi Students Union (KSU), Shillong Mihngi Circle, has sought clarifications from the Directorate of Urban Affairs and the Revenue and Disaster Management Department over the construction of a religious structure within the premises of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at Mawdiangdiang, maintaining that the matter concerns the lawful use []

Tura, Aug 3: The daughter of Danakgre Aking nokma, Amanche Ch Marak has filed an FIR against Chief Minister Conrad Sangma accusing him of illegally distributing land pattas falling under the currently subjudice Scheduled lands belonging to nokmas, to residents in Tura. The FIR was filed with the Officer in-charge of Araimile Outpost on Monday, []

Bengaluru, Aug 2: India will host Malaysia U-21 mens hockey team for a eight-match exposure series at the SAI Netaji Subhas Southern Centre here from August 7 to 13. The Malaysia U-21 mens hockey team will take on the Indian junior mens side in five matches and the SAI team in three matches. The series []

New Delhi, Aug 2: The legendary P R Sreejesh has advised the Indian mens hockey team to leave behind the unnecessary jersey controversy and off-field noises and focus on ending the countrys 50-year World Cup medal drought in next months quadrennial event in the Netherlands and Belgium. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist said there was []

Madrid, Aug 2: Levante have moved quickly to strengthen their attack following the departure of striker Carlos Espi to Real Madrid, announcing the signing of promising Belgian forward Yanis Musuayi from Club Brugge on a five-year contract. The 19-year-old has signed a deal until June 2030 in a transfer reportedly worth around three million euros, []