Author: Supriya Jena

  • Sonu Matka: Notorious Criminal Killed in Meerut Police Encounter”

    Sonu Matka: Notorious Criminal Killed in Meerut Police Encounter”

    Sonu Matka, a well-known criminal connected to the dangerous Hashim Baba Gang, was shot and killed by the police during an operation in Meerut on Friday. Matka, who was wanted for a double murder case in Delhi and had a reward of ₹50,000 for his capture, had been hiding from the authorities for several months.

    The police operation involved special teams from both the Special Task Force (STF) and the Delhi Police Special Cell. They exchanged gunfire with Matka, who was injured and later died in the hospital.

    Matka had a long list of serious crimes against him, including robberies and murders in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. He was a shooter for the Hashim Baba Gang and had been involved in around six criminal cases.

    On September 24, police questioned gangster Hashim Baba about the murder of a gym owner named Nadir Shah. Hashim Baba was taken from Tihar Jail for questioning and is thought to have planned this murder even while in prison. Despite a crackdown on gangsters using phones from jail, they continued to plot crimes.

    Hashim Baba, known for his connections to another gangster named Lawrence Bishnoi, is also being investigated for a threatening video call to a wealthy businessman in Delhi. The police have used tough laws against Hashim Baba and eight other gang members due to their ongoing criminal activities. Hashim Baba has been in Tihar Jail since 2020, facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, and weapons violations.

  • Big Bang! Festival of Love: Music and Culture in Assam’s Nanadisa Village

    Big Bang! Festival of Love: Music and Culture in Assam’s Nanadisa Village

    Nanadisa is a peaceful village in the mountains of Assam that has been there for over 500 years. It has only 28 houses, and most people grow their own food and live simple lives. But this October, everything changed when over 1,200 music fans from all over India came to celebrate the Big Bang! Festival of Love. This music festival has been happening every year since 2016, but it was canceled due to COVID-19, so this was the first one since 2019.

    The festival celebrates music from independent artists and showcases the rich culture of Assam. This year, there were performances by artists like Tipriti Kharbangar, a blues-rock singer from Shillong, and MC Mawali, a rapper from Mumbai. In addition to the music, people could also learn about their culture through activities like making bamboo baskets or foraging for medicinal plants.

    The festival was created by Daniel Langthasa and his wife, Avantika Haflongbar. They wanted to bring different communities together and celebrate their culture during tough times. Daniel, who used to play in a band and recently became a local politician, believes in spreading this message far and wide.

    Musician Taru Dalmia, known for his band Ska Vengers, has also been a big supporter of the festival. He started a special sound system to take music to different places. He even helped raise money to bring the festival back after the pandemic. Taru appreciates how Big Bang shows people the value of living simply and staying connected to nature.

    Putting on the festival was not easy, but Daniel and Avantika used local materials, such as bamboo, to build the stage. The village headman helped by leading walks to find herbs and teach visitors about their farming methods.

    Daniel knows a two-day festival won’t change everything, but he hopes that people leave with new ideas and a curiosity to learn more about life in the village. He plans to continue hosting workshops throughout the year because he wants urban Assamese people to reconnect with their cultural roots.

  • Thrilling Cricket League: Spartans and Marines Shine in Surat

    Thrilling Cricket League: Spartans and Marines Shine in Surat

    Surat, India: The Big Cricket League kept fans excited as the Southern Spartans showed their strength against the Rajasthan Regals. On Friday night, the Spartans won the toss and chose to field. Their bowlers, led by Abhimanyu Mithun, did an amazing job and limited the Regals to a low score. The Regals started poorly, losing their opener S. Srinivas early, scoring only 3 runs from 8 balls. Sri Lankan cricket star T. Dilshan played well, scoring 33 runs off 32 balls, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates. Mehul Patel fought hard with 30 runs off 25 balls, but the Regals only managed to get to 138 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Mithun was the standout player, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs.

    Chasing 139 runs, the Spartans started strong with wicketkeeper Shrestha hitting a fantastic 51 runs off just 18 balls, including lots of boundaries and sixes. South African veteran Herschelle Gibbs added support with an unbeaten 27, helping the Spartans win the match in the 16th over with 6 wickets remaining. Mithun’s brilliant bowling earned him the Man of the Match award.

    In the second match of the day, the Mumbai Marines, led by Irfan Pathan, faced off against the UP Brij Stars. The Brij Stars won the toss and chose to bat first but couldn’t take advantage of it. They started well but fell apart, losing 7 wickets in the final 4 overs and getting bowled out for just 95 runs. Praveen was their top scorer with 30 runs. Jesal Karia had an incredible day with the ball, taking 4 wickets for just 7 runs.

    The Marines’ chase wasn’t easy either. Imran Tahir turned things around with amazing spin bowling, taking 4 wickets for only 10 runs and reducing the Marines to a tough position at 30 runs for 5 wickets. However, Manan Sharma kept his cool and scored 39 runs off 33 balls, leading the Marines to a victory in the 16th over with a 4-wicket win in a nail-biting finish. Karia’s match-winning performance earned him the Man of the Match title

  • Top States for Road Accidents in India: Shocking Facts Revealed

    Top States for Road Accidents in India: Shocking Facts Revealed

    Recently, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, shared important information about road accidents in India. During a discussion in Parliament, he mentioned that every year, around 1,78,000 people lose their lives in road accidents. A majority of these victims, about 60%, are young people between the ages of 18 and 34.

    Gadkari had earlier promised that by the end of 2024, road accidents and deaths would be reduced by half. However, he admitted that instead of going down, the numbers of accidents have actually increased. “We have not succeeded in this area,” he said frankly.

    He also revealed the top four states with the most road accidents:
    1. Uttar Pradesh: 23,652 accidents
    2. Tamil Nadu: 18,347 accidents
    3. Maharashtra: 15,366 accidents
    4. Madhya Pradesh: 13,798 accidents

    Delhi is the most dangerous city for road safety, with over 1,457 deaths, followed by Bengaluru with 915 and Jaipur with 850. Gadkari expressed his disappointment, noting that despite many people dying in accidents, some drivers and riders don’t seem afraid of getting into trouble. He pointed out that many don’t wear helmets and often run red lights.

    He mentioned that parking trucks improperly on roads often leads to accidents, and many drivers do not stay in their lanes. To improve safety, he has asked for bus designs in India to meet international standards, suggesting that a hammer should be kept near bus windows to break them easily in emergencies.

    Gadkari also shared that he feels embarrassed to discuss India’s road safety when he attends international meetings. “I try to hide my face,” he confessed. He also shared a personal story about how he and his family were involved in a serious accident some years ago, where he needed a long hospital stay but was lucky to survive.

  • MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq-100: A Major Milestone in Bitcoin Investment!

    MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq-100: A Major Milestone in Bitcoin Investment!

    MicroStrategy, a company that buys a lot of Bitcoin, is joining the Nasdaq-100 Index, making it easier for people to invest in its stock. This change will happen before the market opens on December 23. When a company joins this important index, many investment funds buy its shares, which can raise the stock price.

    This year, MicroStrategy’s stock has skyrocketed more than six times, reaching a market value close to $94 billion! The company started buying Bitcoin in 2020 because its software sales were not doing as well. Now, MicroStrategy holds the most Bitcoin of any company, owning about 423,650 Bitcoins worth around $42.43 billion.

    Analysts believe that MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin buying strategy makes its stock more attractive, especially as Bitcoin’s price has recently risen. They predict that the company could be included in the S&P 500 Index by 2025. Plus, with the Nasdaq-100 inclusion, it is expected to gain more attention, not just from Bitcoin investments but also from other funds.

    Bitcoin has been doing well lately, especially with the news about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, which many think will make regulations easier for cryptocurrencies. The price of Bitcoin even crossed $100,000 for the first time earlier this month! MicroStrategy’s team is ready to keep buying Bitcoin, buying more between the $95K and $100K range.

  • Bank Credit Costs on the Rise: Impact on Profits and Growth”

    Bank Credit Costs on the Rise: Impact on Profits and Growth”

    A recent report from CareEdge, a ratings company, says that banks are likely to face higher credit costs in the near future. These costs, which are currently very low at 0.5% of their total loans, are expected to increase. Sanjay Agarwal, the senior director, didn’t say exactly how much they will rise.

    Credit costs are also predicted to go up for non-bank lenders, especially microfinance companies. CareEdge estimates that these companies will see their credit costs rise to 6.5% of their loans in the next financial year, jumping from 2.5% this year.

    Higher credit costs could hurt the profits of these banks and microfinance companies. Analysts are concerned that it will affect their ability to grow.

    For the overall economy, CareEdge expects the GDP growth to be 6.5% for FY25 and improve slightly to 6.7% in FY26. However, several factors like decreased government spending, a longer-than-usual monsoon, and lower demand in cities have slowed down growth in the first half of FY25. Still, they predict that growth will pick up in the second half as people start spending more and the government starts investing again.

    Even though government spending is expected to improve, it might fall short of the initial goal of 11.1 lakh crore by about 1.5 lakh crore. So far this year, the government has spent around 42% of its budget. Last year, it managed to use 95% of its planned budget of 10 lakh crore.

    CareEdge also thinks that the Reserve Bank of India might lower interest rates by 0.5%-0.75% starting in February 2025. This is because food prices are expected to go down after a strong harvest. As a result, they predict that the yield on the 10-year government bonds will drop to 6.50-6.60% by the end of the financial year, down from 6.73%.

  • Urgent Deadline: TikTok Must Sell or Face Ban in the US!”

    Urgent Deadline: TikTok Must Sell or Face Ban in the US!”

    A federal appeals court has decided to keep a deadline for TikTok. By mid-January, TikTok must either be sold or it will be banned in the United States. The court rejected TikTok’s request to pause this rule while the Supreme Court looks at the case. TikTok’s lawyers are planning to take the fight to the Supreme Court, but it’s not clear if the justices will take it on. Some experts think they might because it involves important issues like social media, national security, and the First Amendment.

    TikTok is also hoping for help from President-elect Donald Trump, who said he would save the platform during his campaign. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, asked for a delay after a three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals supported the government and turned down their challenge against the law. This law, signed by President Joe Biden, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer approved by the US government because of national security fears. The government worries that ByteDance could be pressured by Chinese officials to hand over user data or change what people see on TikTok.

    TikTok denies these claims and says the government’s arguments are based on possible future worries rather than real evidence. Last week, TikTok and ByteDance asked for a brief pause in the law so the Supreme Court could review the situation, especially as the new Trump administration prepares to take charge. If the law still exists, they say TikTok will shut down by January 19, just one day before Trump takes office again. This would impact over 170 million users in the United States. The companies also note this in their filings.

    However, the Justice Department is against TikTok’s request to delay, saying that both sides had agreed on a schedule that allows Supreme Court review before the law kicks in. The appeals court made its decision on December 6, following this plan, according to the Justice Department.

  • Dutch Court Rules Against Stopping Arms Sales to Israel Amid Gaza Crisis”

    Dutch Court Rules Against Stopping Arms Sales to Israel Amid Gaza Crisis”

    A Dutch court has decided not to stop the Netherlands from sending weapons to Israel. The court said the government has some freedom in its choices and that the courts should not get involved too quickly. The ruling means that there will be no total ban on selling military and dual-use goods to Israel.

    Ten pro-Palestinian groups asked the court to halt the weapon exports, arguing that the Dutch government, as a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, must act to prevent genocide. They pointed out the many civilians hurt during Israel’s actions in Gaza, claiming that Dutch weapons are being used in the conflict.

    Wout Albers, a lawyer for the NGOs, stated that Israel is committing genocide and apartheid. He also mentioned an earlier order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking Israel to stop acts of genocide in Gaza.

    The NGOs were upset with the court’s decision. Shawan Jabarin, director of Al-Haq, called it a terrible injustice and blamed the Netherlands for ignoring important international laws designed to prevent issues like colonization and genocide.

    This court ruling came just after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in Gaza, killing at least 40 Palestinians and injuring many others.

    Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These warrants accuse them of committing serious crimes during the conflict, including using starvation as a weapon by blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and targeting civilians.

    So far, Gaza’s health ministry reports that the fighting has led to the deaths of at least 44,805 people in Gaza since last October.

  • Shakib Al Hasan Faces Bowling Ban in England for Illegal Action”

    Shakib Al Hasan Faces Bowling Ban in England for Illegal Action”

    Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from bowling in competitions run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) because his bowling action is not legal. Umpires reported him during one game he played for Surrey in September.

    Shakib was brought in to help Surrey in an important match against Somerset on a pitch known for being good for spin bowlers. He bowled well, taking nine wickets in total, but Surrey lost the game by 111 runs. Despite that loss, the team still won the championship.

    The ECB announced: “Shakib Al Hasan has been stopped from bowling in ECB games after an independent review of his bowling action.” This review found that Shakib’s elbow bent too much while he was bowling, going over the allowed limit of 15 degrees.

    His ban will start from December 10, 2024. Shakib has not signed with any English county for the 2025 season, meaning he can’t bowl in ECB competitions unless he passes another review of his bowling action.

    Shakib has played 71 Test matches, 247 one-day internationals, and 129 Twenty20 matches for Bangladesh, taking a total of 712 wickets.

  • Supreme Court Rules Against Special Bail for Ministers in Job Scam Case”

    Supreme Court Rules Against Special Bail for Ministers in Job Scam Case”

    On Friday, the Supreme Court said that just because someone is a minister, it doesn’t mean they get special treatment when asking for bail. The court made this clear while discussing the case of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. He was involved in a money-laundering case linked to a job scam in West Bengal.

    The judges, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted Chatterjee conditional bail, but emphasized that a person’s job title does not affect judicial decisions. They pointed out that fairness should guide the law, meaning decisions should be based on facts and not on someone’s status or influence.

    Chatterjee argued that being a minister at the time should give him some advantages in getting bail, but the court did not agree. They stated that a person’s government position shouldn’t affect the bail decision either positively or negatively.

    The court also noted that keeping someone in jail for a long time without a trial is unfair and takes away their right to freedom. They said that bail decisions should consider several factors, like how serious the crime is, the nature of the allegations, and whether the accused is likely to interfere with the investigation or run away.

    The judges looked at Chatterjee’s case closely, noting that the job scam affected many deserving job seekers. They mentioned that evidence linked him to large amounts of bribe money found at a colleague’s home and business.

    The Supreme Court decided that Chatterjee would be released on bail on February 1, 2025, but only if the trial court charges him and checks on vulnerable witnesses by January 30. However, Chatterjee remains in jail because he faces charges in other cases related to the job scam. Since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 22, 2022, he has been in custody.