Bloggers go viral

The video of presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu sweeping the floor was shot at a Shiva temple in Odisha's Rairangpur. (Screengrab from ANI video) A day after the BJP declared Droupadi Murmu as NDA’s Presidential candidate, 64-year-old visited was spotted sweeping a Shiv temple before offering prayers. Ahead of flying to Delhi, the former Jharkhand Governor visited several temples of Lord Jagannath, Hanuman and Shiva in Rairangpur with her friends and family. Murmu is headed to the capital to file her nominations on Saturday. The now viral video shared by news agency ANI shows Murmu sweeping the premises of the Purandeswari Shiva temple before offering prayers. She is headed to Delhi via Bhubaneswar to file her nominations on Saturday. #WATCH | Odisha: NDA's presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu sweeps the floor at Shiv temple in Rairangpur before offering prayers here. pic.twitter.com/HMc9FsVFa7 — ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2022 Murmu's candidature was announced … [Read more...] about Watch: Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu sweeps Shiv temple floor in Odisha

Flood-affected people stand on a road damaged by the flood waters after heavy rains in Nagaon district, Assam, on May 19, 2022. (Photo: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters) Large swathes of Northeast India, especially Assam and Meghalaya, are experiencing extreme weather this year, as unusually heavy rain in May and June cause heavy flooding and deadly landslides, which experts say can be linked to some extent to climate change. In Assam, at least 108 people have died so far as flood waters triggered by torrential rain inundated towns, villages, paddy fields, forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Millions have been affected or marooned across the state. Meghalaya has fared no better, with landslides and flash floods caused by heavy rain blocking roads, washing away bridges and snapping power supply. Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur have also reported landslides and floods. IMD data show Assam received 398.7 mm of rain from May 1-31, against a normal of 286.7 mm. (Photo: AFP) … [Read more...] about Climate change concerns rise as heavy rain batters Assam, Meghalaya

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, famed for the Terracotta Warriors and other imperial relics. Representative Image: AP) Beijing on Saturday said it would allow primary and secondary schools to resume in-person classes and Shanghai’s top party boss declared victory over COVID-19 after the city reported zero new local cases for the first time in two months. The two major cities were among several places in China that implemented curbs to stop the spread of the Omicron wave during March to May, with Shanghai imposing a two month-long city-wide lockdown that lifted on June 1. The efforts, part of China’s adherence to a zero-COVID policy that aims to eradicate all outbreaks, have brought case numbers down but many of the heavy-handed measures have fuelled anger and even rare protests and taken a heavy toll on the economy. Beijing shut its schools in early May and asked students to move to online learning amid a spike in locally transmitted COVID cases. Senior year … [Read more...] about Beijing to reopen schools, Shanghai declares victory over COVID

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Journalists do their jobs without much fanfare or recognition. In those rare moments when their work is singled out and heralded, the notoriety can boost their profile, their bottom line and their opportunities to take on bigger challenges. This story is about what happens when some out and proud LGBTQ+ journalists shoot for the stars and find out their work never even got to the launchpad. On Thursday, the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced the winners of its 2022 Excellence in Journalism Awards . It was cause for both celebration and consternation; Not because of any controversy over who was selected, but because the group made no mention of winners in four categories: Excellence in Blogging ; HIV/AIDS ; health/fitness ; and, The Al Neuharth Award for Innovation in Investigative Journalism. Those who paid fees, ranging from $15 to $40 for each entry, made it known in a Google Group of … [Read more...] about LGBTQ+ Journalists Group Withholds Awards, Keeps Entry Money

Dish Network admits it. TV service providers — itself included — have plenty of room to improve their customer service reputation. On Monday, the Douglas County company begins a customer listening campaign, which includes a “spokeslistener” who stars in TV commercials and an advertising campaign. The company will also roll out a new feature on its web pages to gather comments and complaints from customers. “We’re in an industry that’s not known for listening to customers. But the easiest way to find out what customers want is to listen to them,” chief marketing officer Jay Roth said. “We have a saying here that the most powerful tool we have is our ears.” While gimmicky, Dish says this is a way to point out what the satellite TV company has been working on and try to win back customers and attract new ones. Many cable and satellite TV services are struggling to stop the subscriber shrinkage. But it could be a long battle. Cable and satellite TV companies continue to have … [Read more...] about Dish Network’s new ad campaign wants to hear customers’ comments, complaints