Articles by News Desk

Bengaluru sees 30 COVID-19 cases in 2 days The state government has constituted a four-member cabinet sub-committee, headed by state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, to monitor the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The other three ministers in the panel are Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, and Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar. The state reported 24 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of active cases has risen to 105.  Bengaluru restaurants are…

In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases, due to the new JN.1 subvariant in Kerala, the Karnataka Health Department issued an advisory on December 19th. In view of upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, and the expected crowding in closed spaces, the general public has been advised to comply with the following measures in this advisory issued by Randeep D, the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services: All elderly (60 years and above), co-morbid (particularly with kidney, heart, liver ailments etc.), pregnant women and lactating mothers, when outdoor shall wear face masks, and strictly avoid visiting closed, poorly…

Ennore oil spill: NGT comes down heavily on government agencies Stating that the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region in Chennai has adversely impacted the livelihoods of the fishing community, the Tamil Nadu government’s 20-member State of Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG) directed the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to undertake mitigation efforts on a war footing. Meanwhile, following the blame game between CPCL and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) over the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region, the National Green Tribunal came down heavily on the government agencies and the oil company for the delayed response in…

Speed limits on major roads in fast-paced Mumbai   The Mumbai traffic police have declared speed limits on nine major roads of the city starting December 13th. The police said this was done to “prevent danger, obstruction and inconvenience to the public.” Some of these roads include, P.D Mello Road, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road ( 50 kmph), Haji Ali junction to Mahalaxmi Railway Station, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and flyovers including Amar Mahal Flyover and Veer Jijamata Bhosale Flyover.  The police said this measure was initiated to avoid accidents caused by overspeeding.   After the traffic police announced this on X (Twitter), the…

Fire escape staircase for BBMP's head office The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to construct a fire escape staircase in the Annexure 3 building of its head office. In August this year, a fire incident occurred in the Quality and Control Depart­ment in Annexure 2 building, claiming the life of a BBMP chief engineer. For the last 13 years, the building has been without a fire exit staircase. The building houses about 20-25 departments, including health, education, and road infrastructure. The BBMP invited a short-term tender to build a staircase along with signboards, fire exit doors, air circulator,…

● With a rise in sea surface temperatures on account of climate change, heavy rainfallareas extend to greater distances (>300 km) around cyclone centre● Ocean warming has not only altered SSTs but also their pattern● El Nino indices (Nino 3.4) have crossed 2°C for the first time since February 2016,after the super El Nino of 2015● 2.9 million people in Andhra Pradesh are vulnerable to cyclones as 3.3 million peopleare located within 5 km distance from the coastline.● In the past 40 years, there may not have been a single year when Andhra Pradeshdid not experience either a storm, a…

The latest figures from the National Crime Records Bureau show a sharp rise in cyber crimes across India. In 2022, 65,983 cases of cybercrimes were registered, an increase of 13,009 from 52,974 in 2021. Although Bengaluru, India’s IT capital, has the highest number of cyber crime cases registered in India, every single city and town are seeing increased instances of cyber frauds, cyber bullying, threats - sometimes resulting in tragic suicides of the victims. Cyber crimes range from a simple financial scam of syphoning money from people’s bank accounts by asking for OTPs on phone to gullible customers to far…

Chennai grapples with severe flooding, transportation disruptions and health concerns after cyclone The aftermath of Cyclone Michaung continues to severely impact Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, with incessant rainfall causing extensive flooding, waterlogging and power outages. The city's schools and colleges are closed. Relief efforts are underway, with the Indian Air Force air-dropping 2,300 kg of relief materials in flood-affected areas and the Southern Railway cancelling train services. The effects of the cyclone also include disruptions to operations in many industries in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu government and various organisations are actively engaged in relief work, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi…

Mumbai second to Delhi in crimes against women Gone are the days when Mumbai was considered the safest place for women, suggest the latest National Crime Records Bureau figures. Mumbai ranked next to Delhi, which continues to be the most unsafe/dangerous city for women, with 14158 crimes, Mumbai was second with 6176 crimes in 2022.   Figures indicate that crimes against women, as well as overall crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code have gone up since 2020.  Apart from cases of molestation, Mumbai also recorded serious offences such as sexual assault, murders and other violent crimes. The cases of sexual…

Maximum cybercrimes in the city In the first 11 months of this year, the IT capital reported 16,000 cybercrimes. The data from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) reported 15,779 cybercrimes, or 23.4% of the total crimes (67,446). Phishing, OTP frauds, extortion and sextortion were the most common of the 46 cybercrimes in the city. Every fourth crime happens online. An official policy to register every case has also contributed to the large numbers, said sources. The report followed the ‘Crime in India 2022’ document released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), as the city recorded 9,940 cases last year,…