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Evening bulletin March 8: Maldives sees drop in Indian tourists, Bengaluru water crisis
Evening bulletin March 8: Bengaluru water crisis deepens and four other top news of the day.
Good evening! Here are the top stories in your evening news bulletin.
Sudha Murty goes to Rajya Sabha: Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing her nomination to the Rajya Sabha was a "double surprise" for her. Sudha Murty told PTI that she has never sought the coveted position and had "absolutely no idea" why the government nominated her to the Upper House of Parliament. "It came on Women's Day and that's a double surprise. I am very happy. I am grateful to our prime minister," said Murty. Sudha Murty is currently visiting Thailand. "I have to see what are the things...what I can do. This is a new area to me. So, I have to first sit and study and then I will be able to do it." She said she was pleasantly surprised by the announcement," she said. President Droupadi Murmu nominated author and philanthropist Sudha Murty to the Rajya Sabha on Friday. "I'm happy, at the same time I feel I have been given more responsibility. I'll work my level best. On a personal level, I am happy that I'm getting a bigger platform to work for the poor," Sudha Murty told ANI. Read story
Maldives sees 33% drop in Indian tourists: As the bilateral ties between New Delhi and Male continue to deteriorate, a recent report citing data from the Maldives tourism ministry showed that the number of Indian tourists in the country dipped by 33 percent as compared to March last year. A report from Male-based Adhadhu stated that in March 2023, over 41,000 Indian tourists visited Maldives while the number dropped to just 27,224 in March 2024, showing a steep decline of 33 percent. The primary reason behind this decline is the tourism campaign of the Indian government, prompting citizens to explore the Lakshadweep islands. Till March 2023, India was the second largest source of tourism for Maldives, with a 10 percent share in the market, the report said. However, the diplomatic tensions between the two nations led to India dropping to the sixth place, with a six percent market share. While India sees a major drop in the number of tourists, China has seen a sudden spike in the number of tourists visiting Maldives. As the ties between China and Maldives strengthen, the former has seen over 54,000 tourist arrivals in the country in 2024. Read Story
Complaint against JK Rowling: The British police on Thursday announced they had received a complaint following a transgender broadcaster's report against J.K. Rowling for comments made by the ‘Harry Potter’ author on social media. India Willoughby, Britain's transgender newsreader, has alleged that Rowling committed a ‘hate crime’ by addressing the former as ‘him’. "I contacted Northumbria constabulary yesterday ... I have reported J.K. Rowling to the police for what she said," Willoughby said in an interview with independent news publisher Byline Times which it posted on X late on Wednesday. "Calling a trans person a man, deliberately knowing that that person is a woman - and I am a woman regardless of what J.K. Rowling says ... my birth certificate says female, my passport, all my documents, I am legally recognised as a woman, and for J.K. Rowling to deliberately, and that is the key word, misgender me knowing who I am, is grossly offensive," she added. Read Story
Bengaluru water crisis: Facing a water crisis, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Friday issued an order banning people from using drinking water for activities such as washing vehicles, gardening, construction, and entertainment purposes like water fountains. The civic body has also imposed a fine of Rs.5,000 for violation of the order. “Anyone found violating the above order will be fined Rs.5,000. For subsequent violations, Rs.500 will be added to the fine on a per-day basis to the principal fine of Rs.5,000,” reads the order. BWSSB has also launched a dedicated call centre for queries related to water issues and urged citizens to call 1916 if they witness any violations. Malls and cinema halls have also been instructed to use water only for drinking, cleaning of roads, and other cleaning works. The order comes against the backdrop of acute water scarcity in Bengaluru city and rural districts. Over the past week, Bengaluru civic bodies, as well as the district administration, have been making all-out efforts to combat the water crisis in the city. Read story
Omar Abdullah versus Mehbooba Mufti in J&K: Former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday said he would have never joined the Congress-led opposition alliance INDIA bloc if he knew that he would have to weaken his own party for another member (Mehbooba Mufti's PDP) of the alliance, the party that came at No. 3 in the last election. "I have already told you that the party that stands on number 3 has no right to ask for a seat. How many people are there with PDP today who brought them to the third place? If I had been told before joining INDIA alliance that we would have to weaken ourselves for another member of the alliance, then I would have never joined the INDIA alliance.." Omar Abdullah said in a major blow to the seat-sharing talks that are going on in different states. This is not the first time that the National Conference hinted at the roadblocks for the alliance in J&K. Omar Abdullah's father and party chief Farooq Abdullah earlier announced that his party would go solo in the election. Omar Abdullah at that time clarified that the party was part of the INDIA bloc and there had been no crack. Read story
