causes tremendous

Saturday, 24 October 2026

Not been told yet how we are violating peace: Neha Bora says wont sign 1-year bond, ahead of court hearing - The Tribune

Neha Bora, JNU activist, addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan

Ahead of her appearance in the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court in New Delhi on Saturday, JNU student and All India Students Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora, who has been asked to furnish a bond to maintain peace for one year, called a last-minute press conference.

“We will not sign this peace bond and will keep challenging it in the court. Because, this bond will only stop people from protesting in a democracy,” she asserted.

Addressing mediapersons, she said, “We don’t have a problem signing the bond for maintaining peace. But, this peace cannot be for the government. The right to dissent will continue.”

“The SEM can’t force to sign a bond. There should be enough material to establish on what grounds the respondent is being asked to sign the bond,” she added.

“The court has said the principle of justice isn’t violated. We have not been told yet how we are violating peace. How will we show the evidence when there is no cause shown in the notice?” she questioned.

She also said she will go ahead for the SEM hearing.

A day earlier, Delhi High Court dismissed a plea filed by Bora challenging a notice requiring her to execute a personal bond of Rs 10,000, along with one surety, to maintain peace during an inquiry arising from her detention during an anti-Chief Election Commissioner protest on October 16.

Sting operation: Congress woman leader surrenders before CCB police in Bengaluru

The woman leader’s surrender came after the police issued a notice to her to appear before the investigation officer for questioning.(Express Illustration)

Updated on:

24 Oct 2026, 2:53 am

1 min read

BENGALURU: In a major development in the sting operation case involving former chief minister Siddaramaiah, a Congress woman leader from coastal Karnataka is said to have surrendered before the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police in Bengaluru. The police, however, are yet to formalise her arrest procedures.

According to highly-placed sources, the police are likely to take the Congress leader into custody for questioning in connection with the case. The woman leader’s surrender came after the police issued a notice to her to appear before the investigation officer for questioning.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Friday, Siddaramaiah alleged that Congress leader Kripa Alva and Rakesh Shetty, who is associated with a Kannada news channel, were behind the sting operation. Earlier, Union Minister for Steel HD Kumaraswamy had also held the duo responsible for the sting operation. It may be recalled that Siddaramaiah had filed a complaint with the cybercrime police on October 6 in connection with the sting operation row.

Friday, 23 October 2026

Half of this group of workers lies to take PTO

For pet owners with jobs, occasionally missing work to care for their animals is a matter of routine. So is lying about it.

In a recent survey, nearly half (46%) of working pet owners said they usually give their boss a cover story when taking time off for their pet. Nearly a quarter (24%) said they had called in sick when it was really their pet who was under the weather.

Others invented family emergencies (14%) and personal appointments instead of telling their bosses the real reason for their absences.

More than 20% of respondents said they would look for a new job if they were refused time off for a pet emergency. A whopping 84% said they would support a law letting workers use paid sick leave to care for a sick pet.

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MetLife Pet Insurance contacted 1,009 “working pet parents” for the survey, finding that the average working pet owner misses (or must make up) two workdays per year due to a pet’s health.

The bigger issue, however, may be why so many pet owners feel guilty enough to cover up a perfectly understandable reason for taking PTO.

Surveys show nearly half of U.S. workers don’t take all their paid time off every year—often because workplace hustle culture, fear of falling behind, pressure from management, and other factors make them feel guilty about it.

Around 500 Karnataka pilgrims stuck in Saudi, Minister in touch

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic structure at the Grand Mosque, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (File Photo | AP)

Updated on:

23 Oct 2026, 3:53 am

2 min read

BENGALURU: Stranded in Medina and Mecca after Saudi Arabia shut its major airports, many of the 500-plus Umrah pilgrims from Karnataka are in a fix after private tour operators who took them there abandoned them. Most airlines have also suspended flights over the past two weeks.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare UT Khader said officials are in touch with the pilgrims. “The Haj Committee chairman and other officials met the stranded pilgrims in Saudi Arabia today and assured them of help.

Meals are costly, at roughly Rs 1,500 per person per day, considering the exchange value of a Saudi Riyal to the Indian Rupee is about Rs 25. We will make arrangements for food should it be necessary,” Khader said.

A helpline is also being set up for pilgrims who need other assistance. They had travelled to Saudi Arabia on IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India flights through private tour operators, but the agents have since left them to fend for themselves, Khader said.

Khader said, “We are working on bringing them back on flights on October 24 and 27.”

Concerned families said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) must grant IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India permission to fly to Riyadh or Jeddah, and bring the around 500 pilgrims home. Former Minority Commission chairman Abdul Azeem said, “The authorities concerned need to take steps to bring the pilgrims back home safely to Karnataka, and as early as possible.’’

Iqbal Siddique, chairman, Karnataka State Haj Operators’ Association said, “We are speaking to the authorities to help persons whose tickets were cancelled to claim a refund so they can get fresh flights.’’

Sources said many had apparently taken the most economic packages where tickets are non-refundable. Sources said many pilgrims are in distress because they cannot afford to purchase fresh tickets to fly back which means they have to shell out more money for the tickets.

Thursday, 22 October 2026

Dawood Ibrahim lives in same country where Osama Bin Laden was killed: India corrects UN report - The Tribune

New Delhi has strongly rejected a UN special rapporteur's description of gangster Dawood Ibrahim-led D-company as an "India-based" criminal group, flagging "glaring inaccuracies" in the report and cautioning that such incompetence causes tremendous harm to the world body.

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Raghoo Puri, delivered the strong rebuttal on Wednesday in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, responding to a report by Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism.

"My delegation has been pointing out in other forums as well our serious concern at the unacceptable situation of the SR (Special Rapporteur) releasing reports with factual inaccuracies, while not being held accountable for them," Puri said.

He said this presents member states with a fait accompli, an unfortunate situation for an organisation already facing challenges to its legitimacy.

"It is in this context that we would like to point out some particularly glaring inaccuracies as far as my country is concerned," Puri said.

He underlined that the report by Saul said that in 2003, the Security Council listed the leader of one criminal group, "the India-based D-Company", for association with Al-Qaeda.

"Read in isolation, this line paints a very different picture from the actual reality," Puri said.

Strongly rejecting the description of D-Company as India-based, Puri said the criminal organisation and its listed leader, Dawood Ibrahim, have been wanted in India in connection with terror attacks since 1993.

"This is clearly written in the narrative summary of reasons of listing under the 1267 sanctions regime," he said, referring to the UN Security Council's Al-Qaeda sanctions regime.

"Not mentioning this fact is regrettable, and such incompetence on part of special mandate holders does this organisation tremendous harm," Puri said.

"Let me correct it for the record. This individual fled India much before the 2003 listing, and it was during this period from outside our country that he was listed for being associated with Al Qaeda and with Osama bin Laden," he said.

Dawood Ibrahim remains a wanted criminal in India and according to the UN listing, he resides in the same country where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed, Puri said, making a clear reference to Pakistan.

Bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALs in a raid in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad in 2011.