Curtains on campaigning for phase four, voting on Monday

Campaigning for the fourth phase of the 17th Lok Sabha election ended on Saturday in 71 constituencies across nine States. With Monday’s voting, the election will begin in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and end in Maharashtra and Odisha. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Cyclone Fani: Depression over Bay of Bengal intensifies into cyclonic storm

A deep depression over southeast Bay of Bengal developed into cyclonic storm ‘Fani’, which will further intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm”, the IMD said. According to the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Fani is very likely to reach near the coasts of north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh by the evening of April 30.

Sri Lanka bans NTJ, outfit linked to ISIS

Sri Lanka banned local Islamist extremist outfit NTJ and a splinter group, which are linked to the ISIS that has claimed the responsibility for the Easter bombings that left 253 people dead and several hundreds injured.

In Unnao, BJP banks on Hindutva, caste fractions and Modi

People are not happy with the sitting Unnao MP Sachchidanand Hari ‘Sakshi Maharaj’, for his work, and points to the broken brick roads and open drains in his village. The MP, a self-styled seer, is known for his controversial statements and last week, even threatened to “curse” those who did not vote for him. But the voters are impressed by the Prime Minister Modi.

Gujarat govt. to back potato farmers in PepsiCo fight

With protests coming from all ends of the political spectrum, the Gujarat government has decided to back four potato farmers in their fight against PepsiCo’s ₹4.2 crore lawsuit against them for allegedly infringing its rights by growing the potato used in Lays chips.

Cash for votes — Tamil Nadu's best kept open secret

No party admits to offering bribes to voters, even though it is common knowledge that they all do. In the just-concluded elections to 38 Lok Sabha constituencies and 18 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, cash seizures alone added up to around ₹215 crore, almost 10 times the haul during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. While some activists blame the ‘freebie culture’ in the State, others call for an overhaul of the legal framework to rid the poll process of the menace

Data theft bid hits Ayushman Bharat

Ayushman Bharat, the government run health insurance programme, on Saturday confirmed that there had been an attempted security breach. “There have been attempts to get illegal access to large medical data including sensitive personal information,’’ said Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Two die while doing ‘manual scavenging’ in Bengaluru

Two persons were asphyxiated in a contaminated well in Bengaluru on Saturday. Gafoor Pasha, 40, and Aftab Pasha, 38, died of asphyxiation when they descended into the well behind Bismallah Tea Stall at K.G. Halli. The police have booked three persons under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and on the charge of culpable homicide.

Letter from a Concerned Reader | Sir/Madam, aerodrome is best place in Chennai

Election. Politics. Fraud. Terror attack. Murder. Violence. Disaster disaster disaster. These days and all, newspaper is nonstop kali yuga only. What is difference between news programme and superhit film from 1974 The Towering Inferno? Only one difference: less people are dying in Towering Inferno.