Latest news with #Biblical
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Silver coin betrayal, says Cong after its lone Meghalaya MLA joins ruling NPP
SHILLONG: Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, the lone Congress legislator in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, on Wednesday switched over to the ruling National People's Party (NPP) led by chief minister Conrad Sangma. Assembly speaker Thomas A. Sangma said he received Lyngdoh's request to merge with the NPP and had accepted his application (X//RakkamA_Sangma) The Congress described Lyngdoh's exit as a 'betrayal for silver coins' and a continuation of the ruling NPP's 'shopping spree' funded through 'loot and corruption'. Assembly speaker Thomas A. Sangma said he received Lyngdoh's request to merge with the NPP. 'With assistance from legal advisers and my staff, we found the application valid under the provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Accordingly, I have accepted his application. He is now a member of the National People's Party with immediate effect,' the speaker said. Lyngdoh's move raises the NPP's tally to 33 in the 60-member House and ensures that the Congress, which won five seats in the February 2023 state elections, does not have a single elected representative in the assembly. One of them, Saleng A Sangma, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tura seat in 2024, while three others joined the NPP. Lyngdoh said he made the switch following continued appeals from his constituents, and was not driven by ambition. 'It wasn't my personal wish. People have been urging me since 2018. I stayed with the Congress as I was elected on its ticket. But now, with more than half the term gone, my constituents believe it's time we prioritise stability and development,' he said, insisting that he joined the NPP without any preconditions. 'My only request to the chief minister is to ensure stability and development for the people,' he said. Lyngdoh said he and NPP leader Hamletson Dohling, whom he defeated in the assembly election on the Mylliem seat, were committed to working together for the constituency. Asked if he would be fielded from the same seat in 2028, Lyngdoh was noncommittal. 'We'll decide when the time comes — when we have to cross that bridge,' he said. Speaker Sangma said Lyngdoh had declared his intention to withdraw his public interest litigation (PIL) in the Meghalaya high court to seek the disqualification of the three legislators, Celestine Lyngdoh, Charles Marngar, and Gabriel Wahlang, who had switched from the Congress to the NPP. In a statement, Congress joint secretary and Meghalaya in-charge, Mathew Antony, said the Congress had anticipated Lyngdoh's move. 'The resignation of Ronnie V Lyngdoh has not come as a surprise (the party has not received any official resignation as we speak), as the shopping spree of the ruling NPP from the money raised through corruption and looting of the people of Meghalaya continues,' Antony said. Drawing a Biblical parallel, Antony said in a statement: 'We all know the fate of Judas who became a chosen disciple amongst the 12, only to betray the one who raised them. Same with our 3 +1 MLAs who committed their loyalty to win as MLAs with the hand symbol of the Congress party and then to betray us for the silver coins offered to them.' He also suggested that Lyngdoh's poor performance as a legislator and uncertainty about a future Congress ticket may have influenced his decision, and emphasised that the Congress will emerge 'more stronger with new leaders' to be inducted into the party.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
God is inside you: Your body is a temple
In a world constantly seeking validation from the outside, we often forget one of the most profound truths ever spoken: God is not somewhere out there—God is within you. The body you inhabit, often neglected or taken for granted, is not just a vessel—it is a sacred temple. Ancient wisdom across cultures and religions echoes this very idea. Whether it is the Upanishadic mantra 'Aham Brahmasmi' (I am Divine) or the Biblical passage 'Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,' the message is clear: divinity resides not in distant heavens but in the innermost chambers of your being. The Sacred Architecture of the Self Your body is not a coincidence of biology. It is the most intricate and divinely designed sanctuary. Every breath you take, every heartbeat, every impulse of your nerves, speaks of an intelligence far beyond comprehension. When we disrespect our bodies—through unhealthy habits, negative thinking, or disconnection—we do more than harm ourselves. We dishonour the divine presence that lives within. The Inner Pilgrimage You don't need to climb mountains or wander forests in search of God. You only need to turn inward. The journey toward the divine is not outward—it is inward: a quiet, consistent return to the self. Meditation, mindful living, gratitude, and self-awareness are the steps of this inner pilgrimage. When you honour your body as a temple, you create the space for this divine connection to awaken fully. Beyond Rituals: Living the Sacred It's easy to light a lamp or visit a shrine, but the deeper worship begins when you treat yourself and others with reverence. Your thoughts become prayers. Your actions become offerings. Every moment of silence, every act of kindness becomes a ritual. That is when life itself becomes sacred. Guarding the Temple Just as a physical temple is protected and preserved, your body and mind need the same care. Feed it well, move it, rest it, and speak lovingly to it. Keep the temple clean—not just on the outside, but on the inside too. Let go of guilt, grudges, and self-judgment. Fill it with light, joy, and purpose. Conclusion: Return to the Center When we begin to recognize the divine within, everything changes. Our relationships, our choices, our sense of purpose—all begin to align with something higher, something purer. The God you're searching for isn't lost. He's waiting—in your heartbeat, your breath, your silence. You are the shrine. You are the priest. You are the seeker. And you are the divine. The sooner we realize this, the more sacred life becomes.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
The end of an error
The Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case from 2006, when bombs ripped through the Western Suburban Railway, killing 189 people and injuring 800 others. A special bench of Justices Anil S Kilor and Shyam C Chandak observed that the prosecution 'utterly failed' to prove their case. Their convictions were quashed and set aside. More embarrassingly for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, the court was scathing about the lapses in the investigation, noting, 'Creating a false appearance of having solved a case by presenting that the accused have been brought to justice gives a misleading sense of resolution.' To put a time frame in perspective, one of the falsely accused in the Mumbai train blasts case was arrested when his daughter was six months old. He's been released when she's in college. Meanwhile, the actual perpetrators of this terrorist act roam free. The families of the victims must endure the frustration of being denied closure, yet again. This was a high-profile case with intense media scrutiny and public pressure. One naively believes the authorities would leave nothing to chance while zeroing in on the culprits. Which is what makes it so much more frightening that despite all that focussed attention, the wrong people were incarcerated. It sends shivers down one's spine to think how justice is arrived at in less important matters in India — and how many people may be languishing in jails for crimes they didn't commit. Some situations are too tragic to fully comprehend, but it's clear these men have been through a surreal, never-ending nightmare that's harder to process, because it's the state that's inflicted the damage. Their free-falling ordeal is eerily reminiscent of Franz Kafka's 1925 masterpiece The Trial, where a man stands accused of a crime he can't recollect and whose nature is never revealed to him. Unlike Kafka's ill-fated protagonist who's executed in an abandoned quarry, these men have survived, but it's not like life is going to be all peaches and cream going forward. Much like the terrorising bureaucracy in The Trial that wields absolute power over the condemned individual, these exonerated men have been dehumanised. Being marked in public memory means they'll be tested, over and over again. Labels like 'terrorist' are tough to shake off. Resurrecting an identity and career, catching up on the changes in the world in two decades, presents considerable challenges. Criminal justice failures capture our imaginations because they speak so profoundly to the human condition, to fundamental questions about punishment, ambition and ethics. Throughout history, in mythology and in reality, there have been people who couldn't get a fair trial. Think of Joseph in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New. Believers make sense of a bad hand by dividing the Universe into halves of heaven and hell. Contemplating karmic retribution and ancient Biblical proverbs, that declare a day of Judgment when an all-knowing God will prevail, is one way of finding solace in a confusingly unjust world. Then there are those who imagine the Universe has a third layer, earth, that contains elements of both, beauty and terror. Injustice is a recurring theme in philosophical inquiry and art-form. The beautifully executed The Shawshank Redemption (1994) explores what it takes to keep hope alive when faced with a murder rap. The iconic line, Get busy living or get busy dying reflects stoicism; when life is spiralling out of control, all we can do is control our reaction to it. There are no satisfying answers to why so many innocent people are tossed around by twists in destiny. It's a sobering thought that everybody's more vulnerable when a morally bankrupt government is in charge. The writer is director, Hutkay Films
Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Cast return to Edinburgh supporting Oasis
Cast return to Edinburgh to support Oasis for the 'biggest support slot of the year, if not the decade'. John Power discussed his first meeting with Liam Gallagher, before the singer's fame, when Gallagher was just a teenager. Power admits it was a 'strange atmosphere' as he was going to see The La's, the band he had just left. 'This lad came up to me and asked for a smoke, I told him to p**s off, it was Liam Gallagher. A couple of years later, Oasis was doing a gig in Liverpool and had appeared on The Word, playing Supersonic. Liam came over and said: 'I asked you for a smoke and you told me to p**s off, and we just both burst out laughing.' There's been a long history between Oasis and John Power. The 'Scouse-Irish' songwriter and front-man of Cast was a teenager himself when he first joined The La's and mercurial musical magus Lee Mavers back in 1986. 'At the height of it, it was like nourishment,' explains Power of the band's mystical sea shanties, Mersey melodies and spirited flamenco rhythms, 'How can you not be blown away by songs like Son of Gun when you are that age and learning the guitar. There were Biblical highs, there was something eternal within The La's, and with Lee's songwriting, the waters were crystal clear and you could baptise yourself within them. I couldn't play before that, with those songs, they were the first bass lines I played and understood. It all felt very natural, Lee was like a mentor and a massive influence on my songwriting, and it was a beautiful part of my life.' While The La's made only one self-titled album released in 1990 featuring their hit There She Goes, Power would go on to form Cast two years later. During his time in The La's he began to write what would soon be a string of hit singles, among them Alright and Sandstorm would eventually appear on Cast's debut album All Change. Later this year the band will tour the 30th anniversary of the LP but before then they are about to embark on as Power suggests, 'the biggest tour of the year, if not the decade' with Oasis. I suggest to him it's like a gathering of the clans for the last Kings of Ireland. 'I like that,' he laughs, 'we all have those working-class Irish connections so there has to be something in the lineage or the blood, it's too common for it not to be the case.' Noel Gallagher is quoted as saying Oasis came to finish what The La's started. As Power suggests Oasis gave Cast 'a bump' when asking them to play support in May 1994 at The Venue in Newcross. 'I remembered Noel from when he was a roadie with Inspiral Carpets back when The La's played at G-Mex in Manchester, we were always zig-zagging and crossing paths. Cast got a record deal from that gig in Newcross, and then Noel would give us a shout for gigs like Irvine Beach, Loch Lomond and Knebworth.' It's fair to say that Loch Lomond often gets overlooked for Knebworth, but author Simon Spence points to the importance of the band's links with Scotland, even using a shot from one of the gigs for the limited edition version of his book Feeling Supersonic: From Manchester To Britpop. Spence said: 'Oasis have strong and deep links to Scotland, which explains the fervent reception they get here and the sense among fans that Oasis are part of them. Liam and Noel's mum Peggy lived in Glasgow before moving to Manchester and, crucially, the band's big break, the infamous meeting with Alan McGee that led to them being signed to his label Creation in 1993, also took place in Scotland at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. 'For many, including McGee, their best ever gig during their 90s heyday, and one of the defining moments of Britpop, took place in Scotland, on the shores of Loch Lomond in Balloch Castle Country Park, where they played to 80,000 over two rapturous nights. After Manchester, Scotland is the band's second home. Noel and Liam have both spoken with pride of their Scottish fans who have remained ferociously loyal over the years. Liam described them as 'the f**king bollocks'. 'The band's two previous shows at Murrayfield were epochal, for different reasons, and these three nights are set to reignite joyous memories for both the band and the fans (if not the local council). Remarkably, after a 15-year absence, the bond between the band and their Scottish fans has only strengthened. Expect to party like it's 1999 again; Hogmanay comes early this year.' John Power is only too familiar with what it's like to play alongside Oasis in Scotland. It was another gig here that helped put the band on the map. Inertia had set in for The La's with Lee Mavers halting progress at every stage, partly due to his obsession with the debut album's sound and a refusal to play or record new songs. Cast soon managed to build on a head of steam with a memorable sonic force during performances that buried those previous disappointments. Power said: 'Before it happens, you are working spiritually and physically towards a dream. As a band, we were all connected to it and cutting it live, through that, you are discovering this new ground, it's like heading towards the promised land. We knew we would see it, and we were getting there, which gave us that strength. When you do break, it's all about maintaining it like with Oasis or U2 you go into another stratosphere but for most of us having a top ten record, getting on Top of the Pops and meeting the fans. That's as good as it's ever going to be and that's more than most bands ever get a whiff of. At that time you can feel it happening and no one can get in the way or tell you otherwise.' Cast and The Verve both made an impact on fans as support at the Irvine Beach shows. As Cast walked off stage Noel Gallagher remarked that it was 'like a religious experience'. The line was picked up by a journalist and quoted in the press. 'Fine Time was massive in Scotland before we had a hit with it,' added Power. 'People would go off their nut.' Oasis gifted coveted support slots to both bands at key gigs, it was fitting that both The Verve's frontman Richard Ashcroft and Cast are both invited thirty years later as support for the long-awaited reunion. Power said: 'I think we are all really looking forward to seeing Noel and Liam walk on that stage together again in Edinburgh. Cast is in such a great place and we've got momentum, it's going to be a big year. The line-up is stratospheric with Richard Ashcroft as well – it's real northern soul rock n' roll, and here we all are thirty years later. It was easy to miss things back then because I was always looking forward. When the Oasis tour becomes the present time I'll be in the eye of the hurricane and right in the presence of it in all these places like Dublin and Edinburgh and the rest of them.' Next year will mark forty years since Power joined The La's, he now performs tracks such as Son Of A Gun, taking him full circle. 'The ifs and buts could go on forever, but those two voices together', he says of the hypnotic connection with Mavers, 'I did some of the best songs I ever wrote with Lee, together we were a force to be reckoned with, it's like letting the genie out of the bottle. I hope we can get together for a cup of tea and play together again, even if it's just in his kitchen'. Cast will support Oasis in Edinburgh on August 8, 9, and 12 along with Richard Ashcroft. Feeling Supersonic: From Manchester To Britpop by Simon Spence is out now Members of Cast – L_R Liam Tyson, Peter Wilkinson and John Power Like this: Like Related
eNCA
5 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
SA lawyer forces US tech giant to name site users
JOHANNESBURG - In a story similar to the Biblical David and Goliath, a South African lawyer and owner of the Digital Law Company has forced a US tech giant to disclose information about explicit content. The lawyer, Emma Sadlier, made WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram owner Meta Platforms disclose the information of users posting explicit content of South African schoolchildren. The Digital Law Company discovered over 1,000 explicit posts of children, including videos and photos, published by 30 Meta accounts in just a few days.
