BSNL staffer axed
Rehana Fathima, who shot to ‘fame’ in October 2018 when she was forced to abandon her plan to pray at the Sabarimala temple, here on Thursday was terminated from the BSNL, on disciplinary grounds. Reacting to her termination, Fathima said she would seek legal recourse. On October 19, 2018, she along with another lady, accompanied by a top police official and 100 policemen, tried to go up to the temple, but had to abandon it following massive protests. After it was found she was a BSNL employee hailing from Kochi, angry BJP and RSS activists staged a protest in front of her house. For the past 18 months, she was under suspension. After BSNL probe found that her Facebook messages had fanned communal tension and she had violated service rules, her services were terminated.
Jackfruit in Guinness
During the coronavirus-induced lockdown, jackfruit dishes find a prominent place on the food tables of Malayalees. And in Kollam, a family in Edamulakkal village was surprised to find a mammoth jackfruit weighing more than 50 kilogram in their backyard. They have now approached Guinness World Records as the world record for the heaviest jackfruit is 42.7 kilogram. Johnkutty from Edamulakkal said that the jackfruit weighs more than 51.4 kilogram and is 97 CM in length. “When I searched, I found that the heaviest jackfruit weighs 42.72 kg and was found in Pune. So, I have applied for Guinness World Records and also the Limca Book of Records, “ he said.
Masks, PPEs seized
Large quantities of sanitiser, PPE kits, masks and its raw materials being sent abroad illegally have been seized by customs officials at the cargo terminal in Delhi, officials said. The goods were mis-declared as garments, kids dresses, cosmetic items and packing materials for pouches to avoid suspicion and further scrutiny by the customs officials, officials said on Thursday. The export of such goods is prohibited by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries have either increased the production of such products or ordered their imports owing to demands as they stare at its possible shortage.
Sikkim virus-free
The ubiquitous coronavirus that has wreaked havoc across the world and India, taking lives at will and locking up millions within the confines of the four walls, is yet to breach the fortress of the tiny border state of Sikkim, which does not have a single COVID-19 case. Officials attribute this remarkable achievement to a slew of proactive measures since March 5, including banning entry of tourists and suspending issuance of permits for the popular Nathula visit, as well as the Inner-line Permit (ILP) for foreign travellers. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) govt headed by CM Prem Singh Tamang temporarily barred Sino-India trade near the Nathula International Border.