E-Paper
Afternoon briefing: Delhi high court on bias allegations; BJP targets Bengal, Odisha in final LS poll phase, more news
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
The Delhi high court has underlined the importance of guarding the reputation of judicial officers and said judges have the right to respond to the allegations of bias against them while dealing with a case. A bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Tuesday said that denying such opportunity would lead to a culture of unchecked and unverified accusations against any judge. “Judges, by virtue of their duties, are tasked with upholding the principles of fairness and impartiality while adjudicating cases before them and authoring judgments. However, when the conduct of a judge itself comes into question, the principle of audi alteram partem [let the other side be heard as well] must be equally applied in such cases to the judges,” said Justice Sharma. Dig deeper
More news: Delhi high court denies bail to Manish Sisodia in all cases linked to liquor policy
For the last leg of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are going all out to ensure that the party bags a substantial number of the 57 seats where elections will be held on June 1. On Wednesday, PM Modi will address four rallies, one in West Bengal and three in Odisha. In both states, the party has been working diligently to expand its footprint and strengthen its hold over the polity. In 2019, the BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal, which was perceived as a big win for the party which had little presence on the ground. The BJP then set out to aggressively campaign in the state against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and pitch itself as an alternative. The high voltage campaign that began in 2019 helped the party perform well in the 2021 assembly polls in the state and went on to win 77 seats. Dig deeper
More news | Lok Sabha elections 2024: BJP bigwigs camp in Kashi before Phase-7
Latest News
Sion Hospital doctor in Mumbai who allegedly ran over 60-year-old woman transferred Dig deeper
Lok Sabha election 2024 Phase 7: Voting date, list of constituencies/seats, key candidates | Full schedule Dig deeper
India News
SC registry declines Kejriwal’s plea for urgent hearing on interim bail extension Dig deeper
Indian vs Chinese troops tug of war. Who won? | Watch this thrilling contest Dig deeper
Trending
An HR professional recently stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and was surprised to find a dog sleeping peacefully at the hotel's entrance. Rubi Khan’s curiosity about the dog’s presence prompted her to inquire about it with the staff. They informed her that the dog had been a part of the hotel since birth. The staff explained that Ratan Tata had issued strict instructions to treat animals entering the hotel premises “well”. In a LinkedIn post, Khan expressed, “…this place [Taj Mahal Hotel], home to numerous guests ranging from political dignitaries to national and international celebrities, values every being within its walls. The entrance of such a prestigious establishment holds significant importance, and there he was, peacefully sleeping, perhaps unnoticed by many of the guests.” Dig deeper
Business News
Jan Leike, former co-head of OpenAI safety team which was focused on long-term risks, is joining its artificial intelligence rival Anthropic. Jan Leike left the company earlier this month after Ilya Sutskever, the leader of OpenAI’s Superalignment team, resigned from the company. OpenAI subsequently dissolved the team. At the time of resigning, Jan Leike criticized OpenAI saying that “safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products.” Jan Leike's work at Anthropic will be similar to his role at OpenAI, he said. This will include safety issues related to the control of so-called superhuman AI models as both companies are conducting research into how they could be controlled if they are built in the future. Dig deeper
Global Matters
Donald Trump mocked Robert De Niro in a Truth Social post after the actor warned people about the dangers of re-electing the former president. De Niro made the comments outside the Manhattan courtroom where Trump is on trial. In a post, Trump wrote, “I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was. Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left - MAGA.” Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Apart from spectacular acting chops and a killer storyline, a major reason why Pushpa: The Rise (2021) won so many hearts was the lead couple. Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna were fantastic as Pushpa and Srivalli. Their chemistry was fire while their romance was like a blossoming flower! We can’t wait to see the two together again when the sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule arrives in theatres this year. Much to our delight, makers have now dropped a glimpse of the duo who reunited recently for a special ‘couple song’ in their upcoming film. Helmed by Shreya Ghoshal, Raqueeb Alam and Devi Sri Prasad, the song has been titled Angaaron. While this is not an official music video, we do witness Srivalli and her Saami’s cute chemistry through behind-the-scenes clips as they practice their dance moves. The hook step is phenomenal! Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
The Chicken Country Captain was an intrepid traveller. Believed to have been created sometime in the 1800s in the subcontinent, the dish of browned, curried chicken travelled the world on colonial trading ships. It was served on sea-faring vessels that sailed out of Canton; it was spotted in the West Indies, and, on crossing the Atlantic and hitting Charleston, it became a bonafide culinary icon of the American South, and eventually a favourite of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Did the planter’s chair, another colonial invention, follow a similar trajectory, as it transcended its campaign furniture origins and settled down in sun-splashed verandahs across the British Empire? Sarita Sundar and Rachel Lee have been following the trail of the planter’s chair since last year as part of a Dutch Research Council-funded research project. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Veteran Australia opener Usman Khawaja came in support of his teammate Glenn Maxwell after his poor show in the Indian Premier League ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Maxwell had a forgettable season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and faced heat for his poor show with the bat as his team once again failed to win the trophy. Maxwell scored just 52 runs in 10 matches, and his highest score was 28 in the recently concluded season. He registered for ducks including one in the eliminator clash against Rajasthan Royals as he faced a lot of heat from some cricket critics for his poor show throughout the season despite a big price tag involved with him. Dig deeper
