The three men affiliated to hardline Hindu groups arrested by the Maharashtra ATS last week wanted to support the Maratha agitation for reservation in jobs and education by setting off bombs near Maratha morchas to send the government a “strong” message, according to officers familiar with the probe.

Yakshagana Performance in its original form is truly a mesmerising experience. Through the night air there come the tense high-pitched drumming beats of the chande, mellower rhythm of the maddale and the tinkling brass peal of the tala accompanying the melodious singing of the story-teller the “Bagawatha”. Yakshagana is a rare and unique traditional theatre of Coastal region of Karnataka state in India and has a recorded history of more than five centuries. It is a rich artistic blend of loud music, forceful dance, extempore speech and gorgeous costumes, this art combines the features of opera as well as drama, the characteristics of moral education and mass entertainment.

The Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil has issued an order to completely ban the vehicular movement on Shiradi Ghat on National Highway 75 from August 16 to 25 following the lashing of torrential rains.

A few hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a forum of investors in the city last month, police constables surrounded Pooja Shukla as she stepped out of her friend's house in Ismailganj.

Shukla, a 23-year-old activist with the Samajwadi Party (SP), said the policemen and women dragged her to a waiting jeep, snatched her phone, drove her around the city for five hours and only let her go when she pretended to be ill. Another group from the police, she said, raided her house in Sarojini Nagar, where she lives with her parents.

After around 50 people were stranded at the Sultangarh waterfall in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, police on Thursday said around 45 people have been rescued while six are still missing.

The low-lying areas in Bantwal have once again flooded with the water flowing from Nethravathi River after a break of one day. Meanwhile, Tahsildar Purandara Hegde has announced holiday for all the schools in the taluk today (August. 16).

Wider trade deficit, along with recent outflow of foreign funds, weakened the Indian rupee to a fresh record low during the early morning trade session on Thursday.

Social service organisation  HOPE Foundation and Bakers Treat Mangaluru in collaboration with some Food Bloggers  has launched a unique initiative '1000 Book Project' with the slogan Jab Padega India tho Badega India on Wednesday . The idea of this project is to collect books from donors and send it to rural schools in India.