BENGALURU: Captain Gopichand Thotakura, the second Indian who will travel to space is set to make history on May 19 with the Blue Origin's NS-25 mission, as the company announces dates. Along with six other crew members, the seventh human flight of the New Shepard, Gopi will go beyond the Karman Linethe boundary that separates Earths atmosphere and outer space- and return to Earth. This mission not only signifies India's re-entry into the space race but will also make history with its crew of di

BENGALURU: The Land Acquisition Department of the BDA has submitted a list of 2,333 sites to the Justice VG Bopaiah committee set up by the Supreme Court to look into the legality of revenue sites purchased before August 3, 2018 in Dr K Shivarama Karanth Layout. This was revealed during a high-level meet at the BDA head office on Friday. The three-member committee of judges, chaired by Justice Bopaiah, was constituted in July 2021 to scrutinise the land title and decide upon its legality. Dr A S

BENGALURU: The BBMP forest department disclosed that at least 20,000 saplings of trees planted last year, have perished due to extreme heat, coupled with irregular monsoon. Hence, to make up for the loss, the Palike has decided to plant 10,000 saplings this year, and has instructed contractors also to plant an equal number of saplings. According to the BBMP Deputy Chief Conservator of Forest BLG Swamy, extreme heat conditions in mid-March and April, destroyed many sapling species, which were pla

BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has cracked a whip against tech parks and builders, and has imposed Rs 50,000 penalty each, for dumping plastic waste into storm water drains (SWDs), and for putting up promotional banners using banned plastic items at two different places. According to Joint Commissioner of Solid Waste Management, BBMP, R Prathiba, the officials of Eco Space Tech Park were caught red-handed, dumping plastic waste into a storm water drain. The BBMP marshals and

BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) forest division registered an FIR against an Andhra Pradesh-based builder, who allegedly cut eight trees at Sai Serenity Layout in Basavanapura ward of KR Puram, to build flats. Residents allege that when a resident of the layout tried to intervene, he was threatened. Despite calls to Deputy Range Forest Officer, Mahadevapura Zone, Sudarshan Reddy over the past two days, no action was taken. The residents also alleged that forest officials del

BENGALURU: A Ugandan man has been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court recently for smuggling heroin worth Rs 10 crore from Sharjah to Bengaluru. He has already completed over two years in jail and needs to complete the rest of his sentence. The verdict, delivered by City Civil and Sessions judge BS Jayshree of the NDPS court, also includes a fine of Rs 1 lakh or an additional year of imprisonment in case of failure to

BENGALURU: With the new academic year just a few weeks away, schools have increased their fee structure, and parents are worried about paying the new fees for their children. Parents who have enrolled their kids in private schools affiliated to CBSE, ICSE or SSLC boards, said that the schools are forcing parents to pay the fees in one single instalment. Till the last academic year, fees could be paid in three instalments, and in some special cases, parents got more instalments to pay the fees. W

BENGALURU: Theres been an unusual sort of buzz in Bengaluru during the week. The run-up to the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which will see lakhs of spectators making their way to the stadium, has seen a frenzy of a different kind. A scramble for tickets which were sold out within minutes, fans clutching onto the gates of the stadium and a wave of anxiety and excitement has gripped Bengalureans and Chennaites, alike. Todays big-ticket match is a d

BENGALURU: Today, we live in a world of deconstructing labels and questioning social mores based on arbitrary moral codes. But women are still fighting an uphill battle in trying to define themselves and live their lives without being pigeonholed into one or the other category. As a response to this, actor, writer and director Rasika Agashe is bringing her solo theatrical act Stand up *with D girls, wherein she plays ten different characters tacking ten different labels often put on women based

BENGALURU: In the wake of the flash strike by Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) e-bus drivers hired by Tata Motors, which disrupted services on May 14, the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation have requested Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to do away with the practice of taking private buses on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. In a letter to the minister, dated May 16, the forum urged the government to invest in public transport. For now, it wanted the BMTC to pay the private

BENGALURU: With the city recording 172 dengue cases between May 1 and 13, the BBMP has swung into action to contain the spread of the disease. Suralkar Vikas Kishore, BBMP special commissioner (health), on Thursday attributed the spurt in dengue cases to the recent rain in the city. Launching an awareness jatha at Ramaswamy Palya in Bengalurus East Zone as part of National Dengue Day, he said precautionary measures have been taken to contain the spread of the disease. Fogging is on in all wards

BENGALURU: A second year degree student was found dead in her house with her throat and wrist slit in Subramanyapura police limits in the city on Wednesday. Police suspect that the woman, Prabhudya of Brindavan Layout, might have ended her life by slitting her throat and wrist. Prabhudya was a BBA student. Prabhudyas mother Soumya, who returned home from office, saw her daughter lying unconscious in the bathroom. Though she was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, the doctors there declared

BENGALURU: A 28-year-old gym trainer died by suicide after his wife refuse to live with him. He hanged himself around 7pm Wednesday in his house in Bagalagunte police limits. Amit Kumar Sahu from Bihar had come to Bengaluru a decade ago. He fell in love with Amulya, who lived close by, and they married despite opposition from his parents. The couple was staying near Ayyappa Swamy Temple on Pipeline Road. Amulya, who was pursuing a course in nursing, is alleged to have started neglecting her husb

BENGALURU: Residents in Whitefield have demanded the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to provide proof of granting permission to drill five borewells in the locality, after commercial tankers were seen filling water from the borewells. The residents said that on one hand, the BWSSB claims it will not give permission to drill borewells for any construction, or commercial purpose, and on the other hand the board is encouraging private tankers to fill water from these unauthorised

BENGALURU: Association of People with Disability (APD), a Bengaluru-based NGO set up experience zones across the city, to highlight the challenges faced by people with disabilities on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. These experience zones were set up at Lulu Mall, Nexus Koramangala, Ramaiah College of Law, and Wipro campuses in Kodathi and Sarjapur Road. Through the experience zones people got a chance to explore the lives of people with disabilities such as visual impairment, speech and hea

BENGALURU: With the pre-paid auto and taxi facility at Cantonment Railway Station closed to facilitate massive redevelopment work, passengers alighting here are completely at the mercy of auto drivers. The old cubicle near the main entry (PF-1) for pre-paid service stands partially demolished due to construction work. Its been a month since a small temporary room was built, but is yet to start operations. The back entry (PF-2) does not have pre-paid facility. An average of 55 pairs of trains, in

BENGALURU: Two levels of underground parking that can house 500 cars, a novel lengthy concourse that will run above the railway tracks, separate Arrival and Departure zones on the lines of an airport, are among the unique features that will find place in the redevelopment of the Bengaluru Cantonment railway station. The Constructions Division of South Western Railway (SWR) is carrying out the redevelopment work at cost of Rs 480 crore. The fully redone front and back entries and the air-conditio

BENGALURU: Online consultations for hypertension or high blood pressure have seen a fourfold increase from 2020 to 2023 while online searches for hypertension have increased by 69% over a year, according to a study by Practo, a digital healthcare platform. On World Hypertension Day, which falls on Friday, experts advocated for the availability of more such platforms for online consultations as a means for more active testing. Experts explained that hypertension is known as the silent killer as u

BENGALURU: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman V Ram Prasath Manohar has instructed his officials to conduct inspection every 15 days to check the progress of the Cauvery Stage V project and stop any unauthorised connections. His instruction comes hours after his visit to Harohalli on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday to inspect the progress of the Cauvery Stage V project. According to BWSSB officials, the Stage V will cater to 110 villages that were merged with the B

BENGALURU: Vibhuthipura Lake, which was to receive treated water from the sewage treatment plant, was flooded with raw sewage and garbage as the storm water drain (Raja kaluve) connecting the inlet is poorly maintained. It has no silt trap and officials have failed to clear the muck on the wetlands, which has spoiled the lake. Recently, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Executive Engineer Bhuprada had said that part of the 1.5 acres of wetland of Vibhuthipura Lake was desilted, and treat

BENGALURU: Through robotic kidney transplant surgeries, Fortis Hospital has successfully treated two patients with end-stage kidney disease, including an 11-year-old boy from Yemen. The 11-year-old boy was battling Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (SRNS), a kidney disorder, while the other patient, a 34-year-old software engineer, was diagnosed with solitary kidney, a condition wherein an individual has only one kidney instead of two. The boy and the techie received live related kidney trans

BENGALURU: Kengeri police have arrested a 24-year-old data entry operator for allegedly murdering her house owner for gain. The accused has been identified as Monika. She allegedly killed Divya, her house owner, on May 10 to help her boyfriend purchase a vehicle and also clear her debts by selling the valuables of the deceased. Monika, who hails from Kolar, had rented a portion of Divyas house at Konasandra. The victims husband, Gurumurthy, runs a salon at Shivanapalya in Kengeri. Gurumurthys mo

BENGALURU: An additional city civil and sessions court on Wednesday sentenced Mohammed Idhrees, partner at Fosterfin Capital Management, to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 21 lakh for cheating a couple after inducing them to invest money in a ponzi scheme. Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat passed the order while convicting Idhrees for offences punishable under IPC Section 420 and Section 9 of the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPIDFE) A

BENGALURU: For Shilpa (name changed), a student at a prestigious research university in the city and a self-described introvert, dating apps were a valuable source to meet and connect with like-minded people, offering a welcome escape from the pressure and judgement she often felt in real life. Having struggled with anorexia and body image issues, dating platforms, with their detailed questionnaires, provided a safe space to forge genuine friendships and explore deeper connections. But recently,

BENGALURU: The water shortage that has been gripping the city for a few months now has severely impacted Pottery Town and its surrounding areas, including Benson Town, leaving potters, small eatery owners and residents in dire straits. In these areas, drinking water is supplied only for a few hours a day, twice or thrice a week. Workers here said they are unaware of when water supply begins, and once they fill their pots, they use the water sparingly as they dont know when water supply will resu

BENGALURU: The term FLiRT variants refer to a group of Covid-19 variants, including KP.2 and JN.1.7, among these variants KP.2 is one of several variants referred to as FLiRT variants, named after the technical names for their mutations. These JN.1 descendants share similar mutations, suggesting independent evolution towards a potentially more transmissible form. KP.2, JN.1.7 (FLiRT), and other related variants are all descendants of the JN.1 variant, which has been the dominant strain in the US

BENGALURU: Visitors to Chickpet, one of the citys largest wholesale markets, should be prepared for chaos for at least the next 100 days. The market, already congested, has become even more chaotic and challenging to navigate over the past month due to ongoing white-topping work on one side of its narrow road. The market, within the Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Raos Gandhinagar constituency, is home to hundreds of clothing stores, hotel ware shops, electronics outlets and numerous small eateries

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is likely to increase the initially proposed rates of its new flats by 4% to 29% in two residential projects during its notification for allotment to be issued shortly. This is aimed at shoring up its financial position and bringing its properties closer to the market rates which have shot up after the revision of guidance value by the State Government since October 1 last year. The projects to be hiked encompass over 1,500 flats at Kommaghatt

BENGALURU: A 21-year-old third-year engineering student allegedly died by suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of a private college building in Bengaluru South on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as C Rahul from Ballari. Rahul lived with his mother. His father works abroad. It is alleged that the student took the extreme step as he was denied entry into the examination hall as he was late. He had to write his first paper for the sixth-semester examination. It is also alleged that Rah

BENGALURU: Having immersed themselves in peoples movements, it took over 25 years for activists G Sudha and Mohan Kumar J to enter wedlock. Both are 54. They finally tied the knot in a simple ceremony as per Kuvempus mantra mangalya ritual at Amrutheshwara temple in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday. They fulfilled the wishes of their aged mothers Jaya Bai, who was brought to the temple premises on a stretcher, and Shanthamma. Mohan is a Brahmin and Sudha a Kshatriya Maratha. Mohan, who hails fr

BENGALURU: An email threatening to blow up at least eight private schools in Bengaluru put the police department in a tizzy on Tuesday. However, it was later confirmed that all the emails were a hoax. Following calls from the schools on Tuesday morning, the police rushed to the campuses and carried out extensive searches with the bomb squad and sniffer dogs, but could not find any explosive substances, an officer said. The schools that were targeted by miscreants via email on Monday midnight, in

BENGALURU: Refusal to withdraw a case for maintenance proved dear for a 35-year-old woman, who was murdered at a bus stop by her husband and his brother on Sunday. The victim was on her way to a relatives house-warming ceremony when the accused followed her and hacked her to death while she was waiting for a bus. The couple, married for six years, had separated two years ago. The victim, P Manjula, refused to withdraw the case despite multiple requests from her husband, Rajesh. The murder happen

BENGALURU: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has been instrumental in rescuing 22 children, including four girls, across the South Western Railway Zone in April. The rescue operations were conducted by the RPFs `Nanhe Farishteh team, specially created to rescue lost children. A release stated the children got separated from their families due to various reasons. Under another operation, Uplabdh, the RPF seized tickets worth Rs 13,67,887 and arrested 24 touts. To curb the menace of black marketi

BENGALURU: The accused in the case of a city-based woman lawyer, who had lost around Rs 14.5 lakh in a cyber fraud case in April this year and was made to strip in front of a web camera by cyber criminals, may be members of an international cybercrime syndicate. Deputy Commissioner of Police, East, Kuldeep Jain told TNIE that so far, the investigation has found the money trail to a country in the Middle East. Of the total amount (around Rs 14.5lakh) the victim lost in the fraud case, we were abl

BENGALURU: In season 1 of the newsroom drama 'The Broken News', Sanjeeta Bhattacharya plays wide-eyed trainee journalist Juhi Shergill. In season 2, she is still the same but has learnt some of the tricks of the trade. The show stars stalwarts like Shriya Pilgaonkar, Sonali Bendre, and Jaideep Ahlawat in the lead roles. Of all the actors, it was Pilgaonkar with whom she bonded the most. Shriya and I had hit it off right off the bat. We bonded the first week of meeting each other and then shootin

BENGALURU: Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) is a petite annual herb adorned with branched stems and intricately divided leaves. Its delicate white flowers bloom in compound umbels, yielding small brown fruits characterised by their aromatic essence. Within these fruits lie the seeds, enclosed within compressed mericarps boasting distinct ridges and a textured surface. Originating from the Middle East and spreading across the Indian subcontinent, Ajwain finds its cultivation in regions such as India,

BENGALURU: In recent times, Bengaluru has seen the rise of destination cocktail dens, hidden speakeasies, and friendly wine bars that offer more than just drinks they offer experiences and a unique glimpse into the citys evolving nightlife scene. Whether youre savouring a glass of fine wine or immersing yourself in the mystique of a speakeasy, one thing is certain Bengalurus intimate bar scene is a treasure trove waiting to be explored, one cocktail at a time. Traversing through the corridors

BENGALURU: Pre-monsoon showers have started, and with that, the plaintive cooing of the Indian cuckoo has started as well, loud and melodious. If you are lucky enough to live amidst tree-lined streets and parks, you would hear them early in the morning. Of course, given how much concrete is being poured on the streets and around trees, many of these trees might just fall and you wont have the cuckoo greeting you for very long, but thats another story. Cuckoos are famous for their melodious love

BENGALURU: Commemorating the 163rd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Unmesh Eksho Konthe Rabindra Sangeet, a two-hour-long musical tribute concert to the poet was held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram on May 12. Held simultaneously across 11 states, the Bengaluru event was organised by Debjani Roy, founder of MALANCHA The Pioneer Institute of Performing Arts. The concert featured a choir of 100 singers, from various parts of India, singing a collection of 20 of Rabindra Sangeet s

BENGALURU: When Bengaluru-based artist Rekha Hebbar Rao heard of one of herfatherspaintingsbeing soldat a whopping Rs 2,90,37,188, she was glad to see his work finally getting the recognitionthat itdeserves.His works havebeen auctionedbeforebutthis is the highest it has been,says Rao. Her father isnone other thanKK Hebbar, one of the most influential painters of modern Indian art who carved a unique path for himself by blending traditional Indian aesthetics with modernist techniques. In a recent

BENGALURU: Despite completing projects with assured facilities, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is unable to go ahead and sell flats in two of its major projects -- Kommaghatta Phase-3 and BDA Villa Hunnigere projects. Officials blame various government departments for not giving BDA the necessary clearances for many months. As a consequence, over Rs 800 crore invested by the BDA is stuck. BDA sources told TNIE that Kommaghatta Phase-3 project at Kumbalgodu has 600 flats of 2BHK and 3BHK d

BENGALURU: Within just a few hours of the complaint being filed, police arrested two men on Monday morning for assaulting Kannada actor Chethan Chandra.Chandra had lodged a complaint with the Kaggalipura police stating that he was assaulted by a group of six people on Sunday night after he questioned a motorist who had rear-ended his car. The police confirmed that the motorist was drunk and hit the rear of the actors car and tried to flee. When the actor stopped the motorist and questioned him,

BENGALURU: In a bid to avert any rain-related damage, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girianth on Monday said that Disaster Management Teams will be deployed at the Sub-Divisional level of all eight BBMP zones. Addressing the media after chairing a meeting on measures to be taken for disaster management in the city, Girinath said, The rainy season has begun, and to prevent rainwater flooding in low-lying areas, overflow of manholes, falling of trees and electr

BENGALURU: The Bengaluru city police have set up two daycare centres for women officers to improve their work-life balance and encourage better participation of women in the force. The initiative aims to support women officers by providing a convenient childcare option even as they attend to their duties. They centres have been set up at Vidhana Soudha and at the city police commissioners office. On Mothers Day on Sunday, the Bengaluru police shared a video on its X handle, in which women police

BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is gearing up to launch free dental clinics on the lines of Namma Clinics, which provides free healthcare, in every zone of the city. Sources from the Palike said they are flooded with requests from people to start dental clinics to address the oral health problems of citizens as getting treatment from private clinics is a costly affair. Speaking to TNIE , Chief Health Officer Dr Sirajuddin Madani said, Many poor and working class people a

BENGALURU: Actor Chethan Chandra was badly injured after he was assaulted by a group of miscreants near Kaggalipura police station on the outskirts of the city at 9.15 pm on Sunday. The actor managed to capture the incident on his phone and shared it on social media, which went viral. The video showed Chandra injured and bleeding. The miscreants not only physically assaulted Chandra, but also damaged his car, smashing its windshield and window panes. Chandra claimed that a drunk motorist hit the

BENGALURU: With the mercury hitting high in the day, and rain clogging the roads in the evening, the weather in the city is posing a challenge for the delivery executives associated with food and restaurant aggregators. The delivery agents are facing the harsh consequences of delivering food on time, which is also affecting their salaries. A delivery executive explained TNIE , Each restaurant provides a maximum pickup window of 20 minutes, during which we must collect the order and update its st

BENGALURU: Residents of the Bangalore Development Authoritys (BDA) sprawling residential complex at Kanminike (Phase-II & IV), off Mysuru Road, desperately seek separate electricity meters, and direct access from the main road promised six years ago, when the flats were sold. BDA assures the road will be in place by year-end. Dr Mithra BC, who owns a 3 BHK house told TNIE that due to the temporary electricity connection provided for the residents, electricity bills are huge. We have a pre-paid e

BENGALURU: The youth of Bengaluru believes that politics isnt just about whos winning elections. It is a potential make-or-break topic for friendships, and possibly partnerships. A survey conducted by Happn, a dating app, found that 55 per cent of people across all age groups said that differing political views are a red flag. Individuals between the age of 18-25 strongly believe that both partners should be on the same page when it comes to political opinions. However, individuals above 35 seem

BENGALURU: The 3.7-km stretch of the Green Line extension of Bengaluru Metro from Nagasandra to Madavara is on course to open for commercial operations by July-end. This marks the end of a five-year delay for this small stretch. The three stations of Manjunath Nagar, Chikkabidarakallu (earlier Jindal Nagar) and Madavara (BIEC) dot this stretch, which cost Rs 298 crore. It was to be opened in August 2019, but multiple problems dogged it. BMRCL has also built a few roads totalling 3 km to provide