The headmistress of an aided school in Kerala’s Kollam district, who was allegedly denied entry to the institution for wearing a churidar, said on Friday that she was afraid to continue working there, alleging that no action had been taken against the school manager behind the incident. When the headmistress had arrived at the school at around 9 am on Wednesday, the security staff stopped her from entering on the directions of the school manager, an official from the District Education Office (DEO) said. She later called the police and was allowed into the school only after officers from the Kottarakara police station arrived. Both the police and DEO officials had said that the school manager has no authority to prevent the headmistress from entering the school. A DEO official had also said that there was a government order that permits the wearing of churidars, a tight-fitting trouser extending below the leg, in schools.

People across Churachandpur district and other Kuki-Zo areas, including Moreh town bordering Myanmar, observed a 24-hour shutdown called by the Kuki Students’ Organisation. Friday’s peaceful shutdown followed a dawn-to-dusk bandh enforced by seven organisations on Thursday, which was marked by violence and arson. The Kuki-Zo Council, apex body of the Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur, lauded the people for participating in the rallies. In Churachandpur district’s B. Vengnom village, locals felicitated four other Kuki-Zo MLAs for not “betraying” the community by joining the State government. Manipur has 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, seven of them belonging to the BJP.

Tamil and Malayalam actress Anju Krishna was arrested in Chennai on Thursday in connection with a drug case, as per reports. The Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit Southern team conducted a major drug bust in Valasaravakkam, Chennai, arresting eight individuals, including Anju and Tamil assistant director Vincy Nivetha, they told local reporters. Drugs such as methamphetamine, LSD stamps, OG ganja and cannabis were recovered. Reports suggest that six grams of methamphetamine, seven grams of OG ganja, 15 grams of ganja, a smoking bong, a stamp and nine mobile phones were seized. Model-turned-actress Anju made her acting debut with the Tamil film Vellimalai.

GUWAHATI: Eighteen people were killed and one person was injured in a suspected dynamite blast at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya on Thursday morning, marking one of the biggest coal mine tragedies in the coal-rich state. The incident took place at Mynsyngat in the Thangsko area under the Umpleng police outpost in East Jaintia Hills district. “An explosion took place inside an illegal coal mine, and several persons were suspected to be trapped. Rescue and disaster response operations were initiated without delay. The SP said teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and the Special Rescue Team were deployed at the site, with rescue and recovery operations continuing.

In the late 1700s, when resistance to the East India Company was building up, there arose two brothers — Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu — in Sivagangai. The strapping brothers aced guerilla warfare and helped queen Velu Nachiar regain her kingdom after her husband’s demise. Now, the tale of the Marudhu brothers heads to the stage as Marudhiruvar, conceived and directed by dancer-choreographer Madurai R Muralidharan. Muralidaran, known for his productions such as Sakuntalam, Silappadikaram and Vayuputra, says that he grew up hearing about the Marudhu brothers and Velu Nachiar and always wanted to delve deep into their stories. When it came to the production, Muralidharan knew it demanded a huge budget.

लेखक के बारे में विवेक सिंह विवेक सिंह, नवभारत टाइम्स ऑनलाइन में चीफ प्रिसिंपल डिजिटल कंटेंट प्रोड्यूसर हैं। पत्रकारिता में उनका करीब 12 वर्षों का अनुभव है। वह इंटरेशनल अफेयर्स (वर्ल्ड सेक्शन) को कवर कर रहे हैं। मिडिल ईस्ट, दक्षिण-पूर्व एशिया और पूर्वी एशिया के घटनाक्रम में विशेष रुचि है। अमर उजाला देहरादून के साथ डिजिटल पारी की शुरुआत की और फिर वन इंडिया हिंदा,एबीपी न्यूज से होते हुए नवभारत टाइम्स तक यह सफर जारी है। इस बीच न्यूज18 यूपी/उत्तराखंड के साथ टीवी की दुनिया और वीडियो न्यूज ऐप प्लेटफॉर्म के साथ भी काम किया। उन्होंने इलाहाबाद विश्वविद्यालय से पढ़ाई की है।... और पढ़ें

Kumaraswamy to take up the proposal for a Bengaluru–Pune–Mumbai high-speed rail corridor, with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Mr. Patil noted the need for efficient, world-class connectivity between Bengaluru, India’s technology hub, and Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday (February 1, 2026), announced seven high-speed rail (HSR) corridors across the country, describing them as “growth connectors”. Among the corridors listed, the Hyderabad–Bengaluru and Chennai–Bengaluru routes are expected to directly link Bengaluru with two other State capitals. However, Mr. Patil said that a Bengaluru–Pune–Mumbai high-speed rail corridor should also have been announced, as it would bring wider economic benefits to Karnataka.

ALIGARH: Cricketer Rinku Singh's Facebook account has been hacked, police said on Friday, adding it is not yet clear whether any financial fraud has taken place. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Kumar said Singh had earlier this week informed him over the phone about the alleged hacking of his social media account. According to the police, Rinku Singh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh, had not been actively monitoring his Facebook account for the past several months due to his busy cricketing schedule. "It is not clear when exactly the account was hacked. The cyber crime cell has initiated a detailed investigation into the matter," SSP Kumar said.

This brought the cumulative reduction in policy rates in 2025 to 125 basis points, marking a period of sustained monetary easing. Why the RBI held rates steadyAnnouncing the policy, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said several measures announced in the Budget are likely to boost growth. The MPC’s decision reflects a favourable inflation outlook, strong growth momentum, and lingering external risks. “The slight upward revision in the inflation outlook is primarily due to increase in prices of precious metals, which contribute about 60 to 70 basis points. Story continues below this adGrowth and inflation outlook raised marginallyThe central bank has marginally hiked its growth and inflation projections.

Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is one of the latest names to appear in unverified US government files on American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as per reports. In the documents, Kashyap is reportedly referred to as the ‘Bollywood guy’ and ‘a famous Bollywood director’. The clickbaits in my name are more popular than my films.”Kashyap is currently awaiting the release of his film Kennedy on ZEE5. Kashyap is not the only Indian celebrity to pop up on the notorious Epstein files. The catch-all term ‘Epstein files’ refers to court documents, records and evidence linked to Jeffrey Epstein that have been made public over time.

“Overall, the near-term domestic inflation and growth outlook remain positive,” said RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra. “The slight upward revision in the inflation outlook is primarily due to increase in prices of precious metals, which contribute about 60 to 70 basis points. India's retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, stood at 1.33% in December, up from 0.71% in November. Under the flexible inflation targeting framework, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) targets retail inflation at 4% with a tolerance band of +/-2%. Also Read | RBI cut rate on benign inflation outlook, to support growth

A sub-adult female tiger was found dead with gunshot wounds in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley district on Wednesday, two days after a tiger mauled to death a police constable. Human fatalities from tiger attacks are considered extremely rare in the state. After Manpung failed to return home that night, police and forest department teams launched a search operation. The Lower Dibang Valley district administration issued public safety advisories, restricting night travel along the affected stretch, particularly for two-wheelers. Authorities warned of tiger movement in the area and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel after dark.

The Government has extended the deadline for submitting bids for India's largest oil and gas acreage offering for a fourth time, granting potential investors an additional three months, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons said. "Bid submission closing date for OALP Bid Round X (has been) extended till May 29, 2026," DGH said on its website. Under OALP-X, 25 blocks with a total area of about 191,986 square kilometres have been offered to bidders for finding and producing oil and gas. The last bid round, OALP-IX, was the largest before the current bid round. The OALP-IX bid round featured 28 blocks or areas spread over 1.36 lakh sq km were offered for finding and producing oil and gas.

Walk into a traditional mishti shop in Bengal, and what you see is not just sweet treats, but culinary art resting on the shelves. Bengal’s sweet industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled karigars, (workers/sweet makers) putting the future of handmade mishti at risk. While this ensures supply, it also marks a shift away from handmade processes that defined Bengal’s sweet heritage. “Interestingly, many of these pastry chefs, 15 years down the line, want to learn how a sweet shop works. ‘Children don’t want to come into this industry’Vishu Mohapatra, a karigar at a small sweet shop in Behala, has seen the change firsthand.

Afghanistan’s spin wizard Rashid Khan is competitive even when nothing is at stake. Not just in international matches or World Cup warm-ups, but even in casual practice sessions and friendly contests. Khan treats practice sessions as competitive matches. It is this relentlessness that has made Khan one of the most influential cricketers Afghanistan has produced. For a generation of Afghan youth, Rashid Khan represents possibility.