The closing of the Sabarimala temple for purification rituals following the entry of two women of menstruating age on Wednesday has cast the Tantri of the shrine in the spotlight. It has triggered an acrimonious war of words between various quarters over religious tradition and law. Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu …

Jaitley questions Congress record in defence deals; Rahul contests PM’s claim Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday raised the Congress’s record in defence deals, including the role of Mr. Q and alleged revelations by Christian Michel who took the name of “Mrs Gandhi” in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. And …

Invoking the rules of procedure, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu asked 12 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) members to leave for the day, as despite repeated requests and warning they continued to remain in the well of the House protesting against the …

The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a high-level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of Assam. It also recommended reserving Assembly seats for …

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates’ Association in Hyderabad to defer the implementation of a notification issued on December 26 bifurcating the Hyderabad High Court into the new Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts. A Bench of Justices …

The boards of Bank of Baroda (BoB), Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, on Wednesday approved the share swap ratio for the proposed merger. Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank shareholders will get 402 and 110 shares of BoB, respectively, for every 1,000 shares held. The Union Cabinet approved the amalgamation of …

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has rejected Vedanta Ltd.’s request for renewal of consent to operate the Sterlite Copper smelter at Thoothukudi. Citing an appeal filed by it and the State government in the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order in the matter, …

The fast-growing species can tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions From clambering lantana plants to karimeen -like red-bellied paku, invasive species come in all sizes. The latest addition to Kerala’s invasives list is only around a centimetre or two long: scientists have confirmed the presence of the invasive black-striped …

The government on Wednesday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that will allow individuals to voluntarily offer biometric ID Aadhaar as a means of identity verification for obtaining services like opening a bank account and getting a mobile phone connection. The Bill, which seeks to amend three separate laws …

Two young women entered the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala under police cover in the early hours of Wednesday, triggering anti-government protests across the State. The women in their 40s — Bindu from Kozhikode and Kanakadurga from Malappuram — reached the foothills around 1.30 a.m. at Pampa, from where they …