Defence Ministry declares 2025 as ‘year of reforms’

Defence Ministry declares 2025 as ‘year of reforms’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. File | Photo Credit: ANI The Defence Ministry on Wednesday (January 1, 2025) declared 2025 as the year of reforms and that the aim will be to facilitate establishment of integrated theatre commands to bolster jointness among the three services. The reform measures would be rolled out to transform the armed … Read more

Wales Ambulance Service urges to ‘drink sensibly’ over New Year

Wales Ambulance Service urges to ‘drink sensibly’ over New Year

Getty Images The critical incident comes after new rules for patients and visitors to wear masks across several health boards amid flu concerns Welsh ambulance service chiefs have urged the public to “drink sensibly” at New Year to help reduce demand on emergency services that suffered a 340-call backlog on Monday. Jason Killens, chief executive … Read more

Bengaluru sees yet another year without BBMP polls

Bengaluru sees yet another year without BBMP polls

The past four years have witnessed significant changes in the city’s governance structure. | Photo Credit: file photo Yet another year has passed without elections for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The term of the previous council ended in September 2020, and despite numerous delays and legal challenges, civic polls have not been conducted. … Read more

Wantage teen honoured in New Year Honours for cancer fundraising

Wantage teen honoured in New Year Honours for cancer fundraising

TEAM MIKAYLA Mikayla Beames (right) set up the charity, which donated more than £2,000 worth of Christmas gifts to children’s cancer wards A teenager who has lived with cancer since she was four has been recognised in the New Year Honours List for raising money for other children with the disease. Mikayla Beames, from Wantage, … Read more

Guidelines issued to ensure smooth New Year celebrations in Fort Kochi

Guidelines issued to ensure smooth New Year celebrations in Fort Kochi

The Mattancherry BOT Bridge, which links Kochi city with West Kochi, has been illuminated in connection with the New Year celebrations. | Photo Credit: H. VIBHU The police, Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), and other enforcement agencies have issued guidelines and traffic curbs to ensure smooth and safe New Year celebrations in and around Fort Kochi, … Read more

Internet shut down 60 times in 2024, fewer than last year

Internet shut down 60 times in 2024, fewer than last year

Image used for representational purposes. | Photo Credit: Getty Images India saw the fewest number of mobile internet shutdowns in eight years in 2024, rounding out a period where the country became the most frequent deployer in the world of the measure, according to data from the Internet Shutdowns Tracker maintained by the Software Freedom … Read more

Kent mum spends £24k a year on daughter’s cannabis oil

Kent mum spends £24k a year on daughter’s cannabis oil

A mother from Aylesham, Kent, who says she pays £2,000 a month for her daughter’s medicinal cannabis supply has called for greater access to the drug on the NHS. Emma Appleby said her daughter Teagan, 15, uses the drug to manage the daily seizures she suffers due to severe epilepsy. Medicinal cannabis became legal in … Read more

Bumper year for HRT prescriptions on the NHS in England

Bumper year for HRT prescriptions on the NHS in England

Getty Images The NHS has had a bumper year for offering hormone replacement therapy (HRT), latest figures show. Some 13 million items were prescribed to an estimated 2.6 million patients in the latest full financial year spanning 2023/24. That is compared to just under 11m items for 2.3m women in 2022/23. It comes after the … Read more