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The BJP and Nitish Kumar in Bihar are going to stick to the 2020 formula to share the cabinet berths in Bihar, sources have said. The Bihar Chief Minister switched sides last week -- the fifth time in a decade -- and formed a new government in partnership with the BJP, which he dumped in 2022. BJP deputies 'keeping watch He took oath yesterday with two deputies from the BJP, who, sources said, were deputed by the party "to keep an eye" on the 72-year-old dubbed "Paltu Kumar" by many for his frequent flip-flops. The Council of Ministers will be expanded over the next few days, sources said, and the allocation of portfolios will take place after that. The crucial home department will stay with Mr Kumar. In the coming days, the two sides will also discuss seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls, but the earlier 17-17 formula for Bihar's 40 parliamentary seats will have to be tweaked, sources indicated. This is because seats will also have to be allocated for the n

Indian warship INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani sailors after pirates hijacked their fishing vessel off the east coast of Somalia on Monday. This was the second anti-piracy operation carried out by the warship within 36 hours, the Indian Navy said. Navy Rescues 19 Pak Sailors Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Al Naeemi was boarded by 11 armed pirates who took the 19 crew members - all Pakistanis - hostage. The Navy warship intercepted the fishing vessel and coerced the pirates to release the hostages. Responding swiftly to the developing situation Sumitra intercepted the FV (fishing vessel) on PM 29 Jan 24 and through coercive posturing and effective deployment of her integral helo and boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel," the Navy said in a statement The Navy personnel boarded the vessel subsequently to check on the well-being of the crew. The swift rescue comes a day after INS Sumitra responded to an SOS call by another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, FV

Neel Acharya, an Indian student studying at Purdue University in the US was found dead on Sunday, hours after he was reported missing by his mother. Neel Acharya  According to the Tippecanoe County Coroner's Office, officials were called around 11:30 am on Sunday to 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette for a possible dead body. Upon arrival, a "college-aged male" was found dead on Purdue's campus. The student was identified as Neel Acharya, a double major in computer science and data science at the John Martinson Honors College of Purdue University. On Sunday, Neel's mother Gaury Acharya, had appealed in a post on X, "Our son Neel Acharya is missing since yesterday Jan 28 (12:30 AM EST) He is studying in Purdue University in the US. He was last seen by the Uber driver who dropped him off in Purdue University. We are looking for any info on him. Please help us if you know anything." The Consulate General of India in Chicago replied to her post, saying, &quo

Ajith Kumar has concluded the Azerbaijan filming schedule for his forthcoming film ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’. The star’s manager announced the completion of the Azerbaijan schedule on social media, adding that they will be moving to a new location soon. Ajith wraps Azerbaijan shoot. Ajith Kumar has wrapped up filming in Azerbaijan for his upcoming film ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’. The actor’s manager shared the news of the successful completion of the Azerbaijan schedule on social media. Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha and others have been in Azerbaijan for the past few months filming critical scenes. The film, directed by Magizha Thirumeni and produced by Lyca Productions, is rumoured to be an action thriller. Written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni, ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’ is tipped to be an action thriller featuring Ajith Kumar in the lead. Arjun Sarja, Trisha, Regina Cassandra and Arav are part of the supporting cast. Produced by Subaskaran Allirajah under Lyca Productions, ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’ will stream on

Since making his India debut last year, Rinku Singh has taken international cricket by storm. After enjoying a breakthrough season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rinku was rewarded with a India call-up last year. Across 15 games and 11 innings in T20Is for India, Rinku has scored 356 runs at an average of 89.00 and a strike rate of over 176 with two half-centuries. Rinku has become the talk of town once again after a viral video captured his father, Khanchand Singh, delivering LPG cylinders in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Rinku Singh's father delivers LPG. In the video, Khanchand can be seen loading LPG cylinders in a small truck. This comes after Rinku revealed that his father refused to give up his job, despite his success in cricket. “I told my father to relax now as we have enough for him not to haul cylinders, but he still does it and loves his job,” he was quoted by Free Press Journal as saying. The cricketer added, “If someone has worked all

The main opposition party of the Maldives, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds a majority in Parliament, has gathered enough signatures to submit a motion to impeach Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Maldivian local media, The Sun reported on Monday. 34 support impeachment motion. It reported quoting a lawmaker from the MDP, that the MDP in partnership with the Democrats have gathered signatures for an impeachment motion. A total of 34 members, including representatives from both the MDP and Democrats, have given their support to the motion for the impeachment of the president that was disrupted yesterday over chaos in the Maldivian parliament, according to Adhahdhu. Adhadhu is an online news portal in the Maldives. The Sun further reported that the MDP had decided it will deny approval to Ali Ihusan, the home minister, and Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, the defense minister, if government lawmakers continue to disrupt the Parliament. Meanwhile, after a skirmish between polit

Union Minister Shantanu Thakur on Monday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would be implemented in the country within a week. CAA to be enacted in a week. During an interview with a news channel, Mr Thakur, a BJP MP from Bongaon, an area with the majority of people belonging to the Matua community in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, said that swift implementation of the contentious legislation would be made within seven days. The CAA, enacted by the BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, aims at granting Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014. “The CAA will be implemented very soon. It will be implemented within seven days. This is my guarantee,” said Mr Thakur, also a leader of the Matua community. Mr Thakur, the union minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, has made a similar comment on

Bollywood's award season kickstarted with the 69th edition of Filmfare Awards over the weekend. In the award ceremony this year, which was held in Gujarat, celeb couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor won top acting honors. Alia Bhatt took home the Best Actress award for her role in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani while her husband Ranbir Kapoor won Best Actor award for his stellar performance in Animal. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal led the pack with a total of 6 trophies while Vidhu Vino Chopra's 12th Fail won some of the biggest awards for the night including Best Film and Best Director. In the Critics category, Vikrant Massey won the Best Actor award for 12th Fail. Meanwhile, Rani Mukherji and Shefali Shah shared the award for the Best Actress (Critics) for Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway and Three Of Us, respectively. Bhatt, Kapoor Win: Filmfare 2024 Vicky Kaushal, who was also nominated for Best Actor (Critics) for his role in Sam Bahadur, won Best Supporting Actor award for his

In Rajasthan's Kota, another student preparing for competitive exams has died by suicide, police said. The incident, which marks the second suicide in January, underscores the escalating issue of exam stress among coaching students. Note with Niharika's body. Niharika Singh, an 18-year-old from Kota's Borkheda area, was preparing for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and was found hanging at her residence. Despite the family's prompt response and immediate hospitalisation, she was declared dead upon arrival. The police have initiated an investigation, including a post-mortem examination, to ascertain the circumstances leading to her tragic decision. The police also recovered a suicide note along with Niharika's body.  "Mummy, Papa, I can't do JEE. So I suicide [sic]. I am loser [sic]. I worst daughter [sic]. Sorry Mummy, Papa. This is the last option I have," read the letter.  According to the police, Niharika lived with her father, a bank employee, and