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'To selectively look at the operation of certain laws -- in a manner that ignores the realities of caste and gender injustice in India -- and conclude that they are being particularly misused, is plain wrong,' says Aakar Patel. IMAGE: Dalits block a highway in Mumbai during a bandh to protest the violence at an event to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Photograph: Rajesh Alva/ Rediff.com Our Supreme Court's campaign against the 'misuse' of special laws continues. A few days ago, a two-judge bench of Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit issued new directions to prevent what they say is the 'rampant misuse' of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. What these directions are actually likely to do is gut a law crucial to protecting Dalit and Adivasi rights. On the face of it, much of the judgment aims to uphold the fair trial rights of criminal suspects. The Court rightly observes that wrongful arrests and ... » Learn More about Supreme Court verdict is a blow to Dalit, Adivasi rights

The day-long 'Bharat Vyapar Bandh' called by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) evoked a lukewarm response with most shops and commercial establishments open through the day. The traders' body, however, claimed that shopkeepers supported its nationwide business shutdown call to protest against issues related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and "unethical business practices of foreign e-commerce companies". Delhi: Various markets in the national capital were open on Friday during the Bandh with many saying that despite supporting the cause, they did not want to suffer another day of losses. However, CAIT in a statement said the shutdown was a "grand success" as more than 8 crore small businesses belonging to about 40,000 trade associations across the country kept their shutters down and no trading activity took place in any commercial market. Brijesh Goyal, president of the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), said most of the markets in Delhi were open but ... » Learn More about Bharat Bandh today: Day-long strike evokes lukewarm response, here’s what all was affected

Islamabad: At a time when Pakistan’s progress on countering terror-financing and money laundering is being scrutinised at the Plenary meeting of the global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a report has highlighted that Pakistan has suffered losses worth billions due to being placed in the FATF`s grey list thrice since 2008. The findings were shared in a research paper published by an independent think tank named Tabadlab, titled "Bearing the cost of global politics, the impact of FATF grey-listing on Pakistan’s economy". The research paper revealed that "grey-listing event spanned from 2008 to 2019, which may have been one of the reasons why Pakistan’s cumulative GDP losses towered up to at least USD 38 billion". "Data suggested that Pakistan’s removal from the grey list of the FATF has at times led to revival of the economy, as evident from an increase in the level of GDP for the years 2017 and 2018," argued the author of the research paper. "A ... » Learn More about FATF grey-listing: Do you know how badly it has impacted Pakistan’s economy?

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Thursday (February 25) that they are testing a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine to better understand the immune response against new variants of the virus. They are also in talks with regulatory authorities about testing a vaccine modified to protect specifically against the highly transmissible new variant found in South Africa and elsewhere, known as B.1.351, as a second arm of the same study. The companies believe their current two-dose vaccine will work against the South African variant as well as one found in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. But the studies will allow the vaccine makers to be prepared if and when more protection is necessary, they said. "The rate of mutations in the current virus is higher than expected," Pfizer Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten said in an interview. "It's a reasonable probability that we would end up with regular boosts. And for potent vaccines, it may be that you need to do a ... » Learn More about Pfizer-BioNTech’s new trial to test COVID-19 vaccine booster against South African variant

NEW DELHI: The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan held discussions over the established mechanism of hotline contact. According to a joint release, the two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors in a free, frank and cordial atmosphere. “In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGsMO agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb the peace and lead to violence,’’ the joint press statement said. Further, both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight of 24/25 Feb 2021. “Both sides reiterated that existing mechanisms of hotline contact and border flag meetings will be utilised to resolve any unforeseen situation or misunderstanding,’’ the joint statement said. The two sides ... » Learn More about India, Pakistan review LoC situation, agree to maintain hotline contact, border flag meetings during DGMO-level talks

Kathmandu: The political crisis in Nepal started after PM K P Sharma Oli suddenly decided to dissolve parliament and announced elections in December stating that there is a lack of cooperation on key policy issues by leaders of the rival faction of his ruling party. Later on February 23, Nepal Supreme Court rejected PM Oli’s decision and reinstated the Parliament in the nation. On Wednesday (February 24), one of the close aides to Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli revealed that the PM has decided against resigning and has left it to the parliament to take a call on his future. "The prime minister will not resign now. There is no question about that," Surya Thapa, the aide, told Reuters. "He will face parliament," Thapa added without providing details. "Oli should pack up his bags and go to Balkot," said 25-year-old Purna Khadka, a protester whose face was painted in the colours of the party flag. In the latest developments, several members of the anti-Oli ... » Learn More about Nepal political crisis accelerates, PM K P Sharma Oli ready to face Parliament says officials

New Delhi: BMW Motorrad India on Friday launched the new BMW R nineT and BMW R nineT Scrambler in India. The new BMW R nineT will be available in Blackstorm Metallic/Brushed Aluminium, Option 719 Aluminium, Mineral White Metallic/Aurum and Night Black Matt/Aluminium Matt colors. While the new BMW R nineT Scrambler will be available in the following colors: Granite Gray Metallic, Cosmic Blue Metallic/Light White, Black Storm Metallic/Racing Red and Kalamata Metallic Matt colours. The ex-showroom prices of the BMW R nineT, BMW R nineT Scrambler are as follows – The new BMW R nineT: Rs 18.50 lakh The new BMW R nineT Scrambler: Rs 16.75 lakh The BMW R nineT and BMW R nineT Scrambler boast of authentic design, powerful torque and unique, throaty sound. They have a powerful 1,170 cc air/oil-cooled 2-cylinder four-stroke engine with DOHC cylinder head, four valves and two camshafts and shaft drive. With an output of 109 Hp at 7,520 rpm and a maximum torque of 119 ... » Learn More about BMW R nineT, BMW R nineT Scrambler with powerful 1,170 cc engine launched in India

Washington: ByteDance has agreed to a $92 million class-action settlement to settle data privacy claims from some U.S. TikTok users, according to documents filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Illinois. ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the short video app that has more than 100 million U.S. users, agreed to the settlement after more than a year of litigation. "While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we`d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community," TikTok said Thursday. The settlement still requires court approval. The lawsuits claimed the TikTok app "infiltrates its users` devices and extracts a broad array of private data including biometric data and content that defendants use to track and profile TikTok users for the purpose of, among other things, ad targeting and profit." The settlement was reached after "an expert-led inside look at TikTok`s source code" ... » Learn More about ByteDance agrees to $92 million privacy settlement with US TikTok users

For Surat Updates Allow Notification For Daily Alerts Keep youself updated with latest Surat News Cancel OK #Surat Gujarat Municipal Election Results 2021: AAP opens account in civic polls, becomes No 2 in Surat #Surat More than 70 crorepatis in fray for Surat civic body polls, 50 from BJP #Surat Two girls from Surat discover new asteroid HLV2514 that will soon pass by earth in near future #Surat Migrant labour who returned from Surat commits suicide in UP #Surat Migrant workers clash with cops in Surat; stones pelted, tear gas fired #Surat Surat Police takes out Covid-19 awareness drive with animals Just In 3 min ago Delhi: 55-year-old man killed by speeding Mercedes in Vasant Vihar; driver granted bail 32 min ago Labour rights activist Naudeep Kaur released from prison after HC grants bail 43 min ago Uber, Amazon Pay partner to install safety ... » Learn More about ‘You posed challenge to BJP’: Kejriwal tells newly-elected AAP corporators in Surat

Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Yao Yulin and Wang Xiaojie BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Among the prize winners at the 11th Annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMAs) in January was one that bucked convention and raised a few eyebrows, largely because the performers were not human. The award for Outstanding Song in a video game went to the band K/DA, consisting of four imaginary characters from League of Legends, one of the world's most frenetic games. While the news may have been eye-opening for some, it reflects a growing trend of fascination with virtual stars, which seem to have several advantages over their real-life counterparts. In 2020, China's online streaming giant iQiyi launched the country's first-ever talent show for virtual idols, Dimension Nova, where its own virtual band, RiCH BOOM, blew everyone's mind with the razzmatazz of their performances. "They are so different, clad in Peking Opera costumes on their debut show. Although they have a hint ... » Learn More about Feature: Rising virtual stars bring down the house in digital era