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Factor this, at the December 21, 2024, meeting of the National Board of Wildlife- Gujarat has emphasised the need for population control for leopards and crocodiles while Andhra Pradesh has pointed to increasing Black buck and Sloth bear populace besides migrant elephants from other states. The chief wildLife warden, Ladakh, specifically drew attention to the menace of over 4000 free ranging feral dogs in Protected Areas of Ladakh. Ladakh has time and again raised concerns on increasing feral dog population fed off leftovers at army camps located near border areas.

restaurant. «And even that could be avoided by showing up early in the morning.» But those days are a distant memory. Across major metros like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, a new wave of experiential dining has emerged, creating a storm of exclusivity and FOMO or the fear of missing out. With limited seating, these restaurants have naturally cultivated a «book early or miss out» culture that appeals to diners craving unique culinary escapades. For many, the challenge of securing a reservation only heightens the allure.

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said that he was not looking for anyone's support and that he worked as per the wishes of the Congress party, speaking out amid public voices of resistance within the cabinet to his ambitions to succeed chief minister Siddaramaiah. The CM is scheduled to present the state budget in March and there is speculation that the party might begin preparations to replace him with Shivakumar in the following months. Shivakumar is also the president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. A dinner meeting was organised by public works department minister Satish Jarkiholi and another was planned by home minister G Parameshwara, both tall leaders from the Scheduled Caste (SC)/Schedule Tribe (ST) communities. Parameshwara's meeting, however, got cancelled on intervention by the All India Congress Committee general secretary RS Surjewala, reportedly on complaints from Shivakumar.

Amit Shah on Saturday promised a permanent house to every slumdweller in Delhi if the BJP comes to power after the February 5 assembly election. Addressing a 'Jhuggi-Basti Pradhan Sammelan' at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, he said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi had not fulfilled its promises made to slumdwellers. «People living in slums of Delhi are getting dirty water… People living in slums are asking us why Delhi is the most polluted city in the world… What did Arvind Kejriwal do in Delhi in the last 10 years?.. If you are not able to do anything against Arvind Kejriwal, then you should leave the government. BJP will give all the benefits… Arvind Kejriwal is the only CM who did not resign even after going to jail,» Shah said.

Parvathy Thiruvothu told me just days back. The actor-activist was recalling those who cautioned her at the start of her career that a woman artiste has a limited 'shelf life'. You cannot last beyond a decade, after which you will be relegated to playing sister, aunt, and mother, they warned her. 'It's now been over 18 years since I entered films,' she added. 'My survival is my answer to those who said [that].' It is a happy coincidence that I ended 2024 on a stage conversing with Parvathy on the theme, 'She Is Writing History,' at the Wayanad Literature Festival, and I began 2025 watching a documentary on Aparna Sen, actor, director, magazine editor, activist, and all-round exemplar in the matter of both survival and history-making. Suman Ghosh's Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen was released in theatres in Kolkata early this month after a positive reception on the festival circuit last year. The juxtaposition of these two women's stories in my mind took me back to my childhood when I first watched Sen's directorial debut, 36 Chowringhee Lane. Many years would pass before it occurred to me that until then I had not sampled the work of an Indian woman director. When 36 Chowringhee Lane was released in 1981, Sen was a rarity. The scenario has improved somewhat, but not dramatically so. Women directors are still not common.

What instantly caught my attention were the charming bylanes with curious names: Princess Street, Napier Street and Peter Cell Street, all dotted with elegant European-style homes. At the centre of it stood a square named after Vasco da Gama, a figure plucked straight out of my school history books. I made my way to St Francis Church, one of Kerala’s oldest churches, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was laid to rest for 14 years until his son, Petro de Silva da Gama, carried his mortal remains back to Portugal. Inside, an enclosure marked by a signboard reading “Vasco da Gama Tomb” caught my eye. Taking a seat on a nearby wooden bench, I began googling the famed navigator, only to be stunned by an unexpected revelation—da Gama died in Kochi on December 24, 1524.

Advanced Light Helicopter that led to the deaths of three coast guard personnel this week. The indigenous fleet of Helicopters — about 330 of them are currently in service — has been grounded for comprehensive checks while the crash is being probed. Sources said that the crash occurred after the crew reported a sudden loss of control second before the chopper hurtled to the ground. It is learnt that flight data being studied did not show any obvious reason for the loss of control and the probe team is now examining the transmission system for a possible failure. Earlier, the indigenous helicopter had undergone comprehensive design review by Netherlands based NLR and had been given a green signal. Recently some changes were made in the transmission system and control rods were changed after instances of material failure came to light.

Kate Middleton has a major chance of rising to the throne as the Queen of England in the near future, as she is currently in the line of succession. However, reports suggest that the reigning King of England and his Queen, are currently staying away from giving any kind of advice to Middleton about her prospects of rising to the throne. King Charles III and Middleton have reportedly bonded for some time now, especially due to their shared battle of fighting cancer. However, that has not ignited any idea within King Charles III about Middleton's future as the head of the Royal Family of the UK. Reports also suggest that King Charles III has been very impressed with Middleton's grace and grit for a long time, and that has seen fruition with respect to Kate becoming the Royal Companion of Honour, which is a sign that the King acknowledges her ability to carry the name of the Royal Family forward at the highest levels.

Wolf Moon crosses paths with Mars. This rare occurrence offers a unique celestial experience to astronomy enthusiasts.

Los Angeles wildfire has now taken a very dangerous turn, with chances that things could stay worse for the days ahead, based on the poor atmospheric conditions and dense winds. The Palisades wildfire has already taken the death toll to double-digit figures, and even after more than a thousand firefighters on active duty, controlling the damage to properties is still looking like an uphill task. As per reports, Altadena, Hollywood Hills, Acton, and other neighborhoods have been hit by a series of fires, and its impact will affect a lot of other regions as well.

Macondo doesn't exist. With the 2024 OTT TV series adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 1967 novel One Hundred Years of Solitude capturing audiences globally, the hunt is on once more though. Even though the novel came to the author like a fever dream spent in seclusion in Mexico, Garcia Marquez hails from the (real) Colombian town of Aracataca. The locals are convinced that Macondo is based on it, even though much to their chagrin, none of them were cast in the Colombian production. The OTT platform company spent days in the town looking for inspiration and scouting potential. Aracataca doesn't feature in the series. Neither does any other known town. It's all fiction. A few years ago, we headed to our 'Macondo' — the river-facing Colombian town of Santa Cruz de Mompox. On a Garcia Marquez-inspired journey, we had taken the night bus from Bucaramanga reaching Mompox in the morning. We found the town asleep. The intense mugginess hit us almost immediately as we exited the airconditioned bus. And so did the town's infamous mosquitoes.

Woods acknowledged that while his home remains intact, it wasn’t untouched by the fire. «In this hellish landscape, 'standing' is relative,» he said, noting that while his house is still there, it has been damaged by smoke and other effects, which is far less severe than the complete destruction surrounding it. Earlier in the week, Woods was among the hundreds of thousands in Los Angeles forced to evacuate as wildfires rapidly spread across the city. Convinced his house would be lost, he posted updates on X, sharing images of the charred remnants of homes around him. «So many beautiful messages from all of you,» Woods later tweeted. «I’m so happy and grateful, but honestly, the entire area looks like the dark side of the moon.»

offering playe offering players a chance to experience Elden Ring Nightreign ahead of its official launch. A network test will take place in February 2025 to examine the game’s performance and connectivity. The test is available on selected platforms, with early registration required.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The list includes 29 candidates, with Kapil Mishra set to contest from Karawal Nagar. Delhi is set to undergo polling on February 5, with counting of votes scheduled for February 8. In a meeting chaired by National President J.P. Nadda and attended by prominent party leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the names of the candidates were finalized, the party said in a media release.

Prime Video on February 20, 2025. Episodes will be released weekly after an initial three-episode launch.

Anand Mahindra, giving a sharp and humorous counter to the controversial call for a ‘90-hour workweek’ made by L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan. At the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025, speaking to journalist Palki Sharma, the chairman of Mahindra Group emphasized the importance of quality over quantity when it comes to work. When asked how many hours he works in a week, Mahindra said, “This is what I wanted to avoid. I don’t want it to be about time. I don’t want it to be about quantity. Ask me about the quality of my work. Don’t ask me how many hours I have worked.”

Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites that the ISRO aims to unite in orbit are currently separated by a distance of 230 m, with their health status deemed 'normal', the space agency said on Saturday. On Friday evening, the satellites were separated by 1.5 kms. ISRO has said that the distance would be reduced to 500 m by Saturday morning. In a post on 'X', ISRO said, «Arrested at Inter Satellite Distance (ISD) of 230 m, all sensors are being evaluated. Spacecraft's health is normal.» The space agency, however, has not committed to a date for conducting the docking experiments, which will bring the satellites together in space. The SpaDeX project has already missed two announced schedules for docking experiments on January 7 and 9.

evacuation orders and posing a new challenge to exhausted firefighters. Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. The toll is expected to mount when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches. The fierce Santa Ana winds that fanned the infernos eased on Friday night. But the Palisades Fire on the city's western edge was heading in a new direction, prompting another evacuation order as it edged towards the Brentwood neighborhood and the San Fernando Valley foothills, the Los Angeles Times reported.