The International Liaison Department (ILD) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operates as a secretive arm of Chinas foreign policy apparatus, tasked with advancing the partys interests and influence on the global stage. While shrouded in secrecy, the ILD plays a pivotal role in shaping international perceptions, fostering strategic partnerships, and promoting Beijings agenda abroad. []

Bhubaneswar: Congress candidate for the Puri Lok Sabha constituency, Sucharita Mohanty, has returned her party ticket after being denied party funding to support her campaign in the election. In an email to AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, Mohanty stated that her campaign in Puri parliamentary constituency has been severely affected as the party in-charge for []

Mumbai: Airbnb, the renowned accommodation booking platform, has launched Icons, a new venture that provides exclusive access to the homes and experiences of renowned personalities, including Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor, who will open her familys estate in Chennai. As part of the Icons category, Airbnb users will have the extraordinary opportunity to stay at Janhvi []

Mumbai: Voting for the 11 constituencies in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra is scheduled for May 7 and State Chief Electoral Officer cum Principal Secretary S. Chokkalingam says the poll body is fully prepared. In his press statement issued Friday, he said in view of the heat, instructions have been given []

Mumbai: A total of 397 candidates have submitted their nominations for 512 seats in 13 Maharashtra state Lok Sabha constituencies on the last day for the fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in the state, the poll panel said. On last day, Friday, 42 applications were received for Dhule Lok Sabha []

Amethi (UP): Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said that her party wants to bring back the politics of truth and service. Addressing the public during a roadshow for Congress candidate from Amethi and close confidant of Nehru-Gandhi family, Kishori Lal Sharma, Priyanka said, While Rahul Gandhi will contest from Rae Bareli, []

Mumbai: Security has been increased in the Mumbai suburban district in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections, and large-scale spot checks are being carried out by stationary and mobile teams. According to a press release issued on Thursday night, the administration has appealed all to cooperate in the inspection process. During the election period, []

Washington: The White House was hard-pressed to explain President Joe Bidens description of xenophobic for the US Quad partners India and Japan, and managed to ward off pointed queries from the media by saying the president has focused on those diplomatic relationships during his term. Cornered by a media person who wanted to know whether []

Chandigarh: BSF troops have successfully recovered 20 Pakistani drones, 15.340kg of heroin, 3 pistols, and seized 42 rounds in the past 15 days. BSF has apprehended four Indian smugglers, one armed Pakistani intruder, and one Pakistani national, along with seizing Rs 1.10 lakh in drug money, a BSF spokesman said on Friday. BSF has achieved []

Parli Vaijnath (Maharashtra): Maharashtra state agriculture and guardian minister of Beed district Dhananjay Munde has promised to develop Beed at a similar pace under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as India is moving towards becoming a world Guru. While India is riding a development wave, Beed district will also be developed in the []

Srinagar: J&K Police said on Friday that it arrested an overground worker during the investigation into a last months attack on a non-local cab driver in the Shopian district of south Kashmir. On April 9, the taxi driver, Paramjit Singh, a resident of Delhi, was fired upon in an apparent targeted attack by militants in []

Kigali: Disasters triggered by heavy rains, including landslides and lightning, have killed at least 49 people and injured 79 others across Rwanda in the past two months, an official said on Thursday. About 12 people were killed by lightning while others died after their dilapidated houses collapsed on them, Minister in charge of Emergency Management []

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the city last night, is scheduled to address three election rallies in West Bengals southern districts later on Friday, BJP sources said. Modi arrived on Thursday night and halted at the Raj Bhawan. He will address his first BJP rally of the day at Durgapur-Bardhaman Lok Sabha []

Srinagar: Police on Thursday attached the properties of a notorious drug peddler under the Narco Act in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district. Police on Thursday said that properties including 9 Marlas land and a double-story residential house worth approximately Rs 50 lakh of a notorious drug peddler identified as Shabir Ahmad Sofi, a resident of []

Honiara: Foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected as the Solomon Islands new prime minister by members of parliament on Thursday, Governor General of the Solomon Islands David Vunagi announced. Manele defeated opposition leader Matthew Wale in a 31-to-18 vote in the newly elected 50-seat parliament, Vunagi said following a secret ballot on Thursday morning. One []

Bogota: Colombia will sever diplomatic relations with Israel on Thursday, said President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday. Speaking to a crowd in the capital Bogota, the Colombian president referred to the Israeli government as genocidal. The era of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people before our eyes, before our humanity, cannot return, said Petro, []

Kolhapur: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to put pressure on the countrys judicial system by making statements like his (Thackeray) Shiv Sena as nakali (fake) one. Addressing a public rally on Wednesday in the city in presence of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar for Shreemant Shahu []

New Delhi: Refuting false claims being circulated on WhatsApp regarding the recovery of bombs from some schools in the national capital, the Delhi Police on Thursday urged the public to check the veracity and source of information of such messages. Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa in a social media post said, Fake news in the []

New Delhi: On the back of strong demand, Indias manufacturing activities continued to expand in April 2024 but the pace of growth moderated during this period, as per a survey findings published by S&P Global on Thursday. The HSBC India manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, fell to 58.8 in April this []

Kolkata: Prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC have been clamped in and around Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport by the local administration after the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate received complaints from the airport authorities that pilots are having problems during take off and touchdown following laser beams flashing around. The prohibitory orders, including that []

Dharamshala (HP): Hectic preparations are underway at the Central University Himachal Pradesh here, ahead of President Droupadi Murmus visit. She is scheduled to attend its 7th convocation as chief guest on May 6. As many as 709 degrees would be conferred during the event, which is to be held at the Dharamshala Degree College auditorium. []

New Delhi/New York: Amid the ongoing Gaza conflict and days after the US veto, India has voiced hope that Palestines bid to become a full member of the United Nations will be reconsidered and be endorsed by the other members. Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said in a statement in the UN []

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party workers on Wednesday staged a protest against the Election Commission of India for deferring polling in Anantnag-Rajouri seat to May 25. The PDP workers attempted to take a march towards the city centre Lal Chowk from the party office, but were stopped by the police. The protesters raised slogans against the []

Belagavi: Congress MLA Raju Kage has once again landed himself at the center of a controversy, with his provocative statements, including his If Modi Dies remark during an election campaign in the Belagavi district. On Tuesday, Kage questioned the nations preparedness for alternative leadership in the event of Modis death, stating, If Modi dies, will []

New Delhi: Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan on Wednesday assumed the charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Swaminathan is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare, an official statement said. A recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, he has held several []

New Delhi: A PIL has been filed on Wednesday in the Delhi High Court against the circulation of deepfake videos trying to influence the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The plea was mentioned by Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta today before a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora. Mehta informed []

Mumbai: A person facing MCOCA charges in connection with the firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khans residence in Bandra suburbs here has expressed his desire to turn approver in the case, sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch said. Without disclosing the identity of the accused, the sources said that one of those arrested in the []

New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday dismissed as unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations, a Washington Post report that revealed the name of a RAW officer allegedly involved in a failed attempt to kill Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US. In a statement, Jaiswal said that a probe in []

Madrid: Rafael Nadal continued his return from injury at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday to qualify for the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 win over world number 91 Pedro Cachin. After losing the second set in a tie-break, Nadal showed his increased fitness to battle through in the third set to win []

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday reversed a Karnataka High Court order that granted bail to Seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, who is accused of sexually assaulting minor girls, and directed the police to take him into custody within one week. Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was arrested under the POCSO Act and was released on bail on []

Mumbai: Get ready for an adrenaline-packed ride as the Malayalam mega-hit Manjummel Boys makes its way to screens nationwide, exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi, along with Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. Directed and written by Chidambaram and produced by Parava Films, this intense survival thriller promises to keep audiences on the edge of their []

Washington, April 29 (UNI) US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that the US military destroyed five drones over the Red Sea as they posed a threat to US and allied vessels in the region. Between 1:48 and 2:27 a.m. (Sanaa time) [22:48 23:27 GMT], April 28, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) successfully engaged five []

Mumbai: Artificial intelligence technology is revolutionizing diagnosis and treatment. In particular, various types of cancer, heart disease, skin disease, and dentistry are undergoing transformational changes due to artificial intelligence. However, this technology should reduce the cost of diagnosis and treatment for the common people, asserted Maharashtra State Governor Ramesh Bais here on Sunday. He was []

Moscow: International airlines have privately asked the European Union to ease plans to require the industry to monitor non-carbon dioxide emissions, the Financial Times newspaper reported, citing a letter from International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh. The EU is introducing rules requiring all airlines from January 2025 to quantify and report non-carbon []

Kolkata: Mohun Bagan Super Giant forward Dimitrios Petratos continues to shine in the Indian Super League (ISL), clinching his second consecutive Player of the Month award. He maintained his pivotal role within the team throughout April, contributing significantly to their three consecutive victories, ultimately securing their first ISL League Shield. Petratos scored a goal and []

Madrid: Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the last 16 of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory over Brazils Thiago Seyboth Wild in a match that lasted just 75 minutes on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Wild never looked like beating the Spaniard and committed 23 unforced errors against a rival []

Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Ayodhya, arrived in Sri Lanka, to initiate a new era in the spiritual and cultural journey of the island country neighbouring India. He was accompanied by a team of top delegates from Shri Ram Mandir, Ayodhya. The invitation was extended []

Colombo/New Delhi: Sri Lanka has decided to hand over the management of its Chinese-built Mattala international airport, located near Hambantota port, to an Indian and a Russian firm on a 30-year lease. According to news reports, Sri Lankas Cabinet of Ministers gave the go-ahead to hand over the management of Mattala Rajapaksha International Airport to []

Moscow: Over the past night, Russian air defenses shot down 66 Ukrainian drones over the Krasnodar Territory and two more drones over the Crimea, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Over the past night, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on the territory []

Srinagar: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has quashed a preventive detention order under the Public Safety Act against a former spokesperson of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, terming it illegal and unjustified. The High Court also rapped the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Pulwama and ordered the J&K government to []

Gaza: The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 34,356, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Friday. In a press statement, the ministry said that the Israeli army killed 51 Palestinians and wounded 75 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 34,356 and []

Jammu: The fate of 22 candidates has been sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines, with around 71.91 percent voter turnout recorded in the Jammu-Reasi Parliamentary Constituency in the phase-2 general elections on Friday. Official sources said the final polling percentage is being worked out as EVMs from the far-flung areas in the Reasi district have []

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala recorded 70.35 percent polling in the single phase Lok Sabha election covering all 20 constituencies on Friday. According to the latest data available with the State Election Commission office at 8.15 pm, Thiruvananthapuram recorded 66.43 percent polling, Attingal 69.40, Kollam 67.92, Pathanamthitta 63.35, Mavelikkara 65.88, Alappuzha 74.37, Kottayam 65.59, Idukki 66.39, Ernakulam 68.10, []

Bengaluru: The Election Commission revealed on Friday that a case has been registered against BJP candidate Dr. K Sudhakar for alleged bribery and undue influence on voters, alongside the seizure of Rs 4.8 crore in cash. The action was initiated by the Flying Squads Team (FST) of Chikkaballapura, according to official sources. In a statement []

Malda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress and Trinamool Congress of indulging in appeasement policy to satisfy their vote banks and opposing implementation of CAA. CAA is meant for granting Indian citizenship to the refugees, who arrived India after facing persecution in foreign countries on religion ground, Modi iterated. []

Srinagar: J&K Police has registered a case after a shrine and a mosque in South Kashmirs Tral area of Pulwama district was allegedly desecrated by unknown miscreants. Police suspect that this was done by miscreants to foment trouble and disturb peace and order. Police said last night, some miscreants attempted to disrespect the local shrine []

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to the people voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha election, to choose a government that gives priority to development, security and makes powerful decision in national interest. Taking to social media platform X Shah said, Today is the voting day for the second []

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday rejected pleas for paper ballot voting, complete EVM-VVPAT verification, and physical deposit of VVPAT slips while suggesting measures for effective functioning of the polling system as the second phase of Lok Sabha election got underway. A bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta passed their order in []

New Delhi: BJP president JP Nadda on Friday slammed Congress for doing appeasement politics and alleged that they wanted to snatch the rights of SC, ST and OBC people and give them to Muslims. In a video message, the partys President Nadda said, This is their hidden agenda. Appeasement is clearly visible in the manifesto []

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that Chinas attitude has always been consistent. China views and develops China-U.S. relations with the world vision of building []