NEWS

New Delhi: The wheels are being set in motion for his son MK Stalin’s elevation as party president three days after the death of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi. An emergency executive committee meeting has been called on August 14 at the party headquarters in Chennai.

The official announcement of the emergency meeting was made soon after party general secretary K Anbazhagan on Friday met Stalin, who is currently the party’s treasurer and working president.

“Though the executive committee does not have the power to elect the party president, it can give the nod to making Stalin the president. After that, it will be endorsed in the general council meeting -- in which a formal announcement can be made,” said a senior DMK office-bearer on the condition of anonymity.

New Delhi: The police informed on August 10 that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a member of a Right-wing Hindu outfit and seized huge quantity of explosives from his residence at Nallasopara in Palghar district of the state.

Vaibhav Raut, a member of the 'Hindu Govansh Raksha Samiti', was apprehended from Bhandar Aali in Nallasopara West late on Thursday, an official said.

"ATS sleuths raided his residence and shop where they found huge quantity of explosives, including crude bombs. Some literature was also seized," he said. After taking Raut into custody, the ATS team returned to Mumbai, where he would be interrogated. He is likely to be produced before a court on Friday afternoon, the official added.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced, emphasising that the government was also making efforts to make Hindi one of the official languages of the world body. A Hindi weekly news bulletin from the platform of the UN has started broadcast as part of a pilot project.

She also said that a United Nations Twitter account in Hindi has also been opened to give Hindi speaking public access to the programmes and news related to the UN. "As a pilot project, a weekly news bulletin (in Hindi) has started in the UN from July 22," Swaraj told reporters here.

New Delhi: The Union home ministry said on Thursday that heavy rains and landslides have killed 22 people in Kerala, forcing authorities to open shutters of 22 dams in the state including Idukki reservoir, Asia’s biggest arch dam, after 26 years.

 “Flood situation is really serious. We are forced to open 22 dams in the state due to incessant rains. Such a situation never arose in the recent past. We have sought the army, navy and air force’s help and control rooms will be opened in six worst-affected districts,” the CM said after an emergency cabinet meeting. He said the state was facing “a disaster of unprecedented magnitude”, and sought everyone’s help to tide over this.