A private marketing firm here has been accused of subjecting its underperforming employees to degrading treatment, including making them walk on their knees like chained dogs and lick coins from the floor. The state Labour department has ordered a probe into the alleged inhuman workplace harassment after the disturbing visuals were aired by local television channels. As the issue came to the light, state Labour Minister V Sivankutty ordered an inquiry into the undated incident and instructed the district labour officer to submit an immediate report on the incident. The visuals purportedly showed a person using a leash to force a man to crawl on his knees on the floor, resembling a dog. Later, some employees told a TV channel that those who fail to achieve targets were subjected to such punishments by the management of the firm. According to police, the incident allegedly took place in connection with a private marketing firm functioning in Kaloor and the crime allegedly occurred a...
A beluga whale named Hvaldimir which captured the world's imagination in 2019 was found dead in Norway, a report said. The 14-foot-long and 2,700-pound whale was spotted with a harness seemingly designed for a camera five years ago, prompting the internet to nickname him Hvaldimir the spy whale. The harness bore the marking "equipment" from St. Petersburg, fueling widespread speculation that the whale was part of a Russian reconnaissance mission. The mystery deepened as no official claim of ownership was made by Russia, leaving the world to wonder if this whale was a spy or just an unfortunate whale caught in a strange circumstance. The beluga, whose name is a blend of the Norwegian word for whale, "hval," and the Russian name Vladimir, quickly became a subject of global fascination. Unlike other belugas, which typically inhabit the remote and frigid Arctic waters, Hvaldimir appeared unusually comfortable around humans, leading experts to believe he had been...