The New Indian Express News

GURUGRAM: The winter fog window officially begins across airports nationwide, including Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), on Wednesday, December 10, and will continue until February 10 next year. Dense fog in northern India, particularly around Delhi, has historically caused massive flight delays and disruptions during this period. Air India held a briefing on Tuesday at its Gurugram headquarters, outlining proactive steps taken to ensure minimal impact on flights this year. A senior o

NEW DELHI: Following widespread disruptions in Indigos flight operations, senior officers from the Civil Aviation Ministry began inspections at ten major airports across the country on Wednesday. The inspections, ordered by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, are expected to continue till Friday. The airports under review include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Guwahati, Goa, and Thiruvananthapuram. Officers at the level of Deputy Secretary, Director, or

NEW DELHI: Efficient and advanced planning by the Tata-owned Air India Group ensured that both Air India and Air India Express sailed through smoothly after the revised roster chart for airline crew, ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, came into effect from November 1. The poor management and negligence by Indigo resulted in 1,232 cancellations last month, which cascaded into a full-blown catastrophe from December 1, crippling airport operations in the country. It even brought

NEW DELHI: India and Brazil on Tuesday struck an understanding in the area of the Exchange of Information related to Maintenance of Scorpne-class Submarines and other Naval Vessels. As per the Indian Navy, the landmark tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Indian Navy, Brazilian Navy, and Mazagon Dockyard Ltd during the ongoing visit of the CNS to Brazil. The Indian Navy said, The MoU will enhance life-cycle support, enable experience sharing in maintenance, logistics and

The Belgium Supreme Court has dismissed Indian fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksis plea challenging his extradition to India in a Rs 13,850-crore scam, CBI officials said on Tuesday. Choksi had approached Belgiums top court on October 30, challenging the October 17 order of the Antwerp Court of Appeals, which had termed Indias extradition request enforceable. The spokesperson for the Court of Cassation, Advocaat-general Henri Vanderlinden, said, The Court of Cassation rejected the appeal. So,

NEW DELHI: Nearly 400 Indigo flights across the country were cancelled on Tuesday marking the lowest impact on its operations since the aviation crisis on December 1. However, Indigo CEO claimed in a video message, Indigo is back on its feet, and our operations are stable. Earlier, we had indicated we would normalise between December 10 and 15. Today, as of December 9, our operations are fully stabilised, which means flights reflecting on our website are scheduled to operate with an adjusted net

JAIPUR : In a significant move, the Rajasthan government has approved an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation against six officers, including former Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Water Resources Department, Subodh Agarwal, in connection with alleged fraud and irregularities in Jal Jeevan Mission tenders. The list also includes Gopal Singh, brother of BJP MLA Devi Singh Shekhawat. The sanction for investigation under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act was

MUMBAI: Goa police on Tuesday issued a Blue Corner Notice against the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, where a fire on December 6 killed 25 people . The main accused Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra along with partner Ajay Gupta, fled from Delhi to Thailand just hours after an FIR was registered against them on December 7. According to Goa Director General of Police Alok Kumar, the Luthra brothers reached Delhis international airport at 3 am on Sunday and boarded IndiGo flight 6E-1073

NEW DELHI: Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker met Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi on Tuesday, with both sides focusing on advancing the strategic agenda set by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their February meeting. The US Embassy Spokesperson said the discussions aimed at translating that vision into concrete progress that enhances U.S. security, jobs, and competitiveness, while supporting Indias long-term goals. Hooke

JAIPUR: To mark the completion of two years of the Bhajanlal-led BJP government in the state, Pravasi Rajasthani Divas 2025 is being organized at the Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) on December 10. The state government has made extensive preparations to ensure that the event becomes a major showcase of Rajasthans investment potential. The event is expected to serve as a significant platform for economic expansion, with reports indicating that industrialists will announce large-scale

BHOPAL: At least three lower-rung staff/workers of a prominent three-star hotel-cum-tourist resort in Madhya Pradeshs world-famous tourist city, Khajuraho, have died due to suspected food poisoning, while at least three to four are stated to be in critical condition at a government hospital in Gwalior. The tragic incident happened after the lower-rung employees had a delayed lunch at around 5 pm in their portion at the Gautam Hotel and Resort on Monday. The condition of 11 of the staff members d

NEW DELHI: Underlining the significance of bilateral ties, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the Indian Army and Nepal Army jointly witnessed and validated the two-day Battalion-level Validation Exercise conducted as part of Exercise Suryakiran, marking the culmination of an intensive combined training cycle at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh. The validation exercise successfully demonstrated joint Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) for counter-terrorism opera

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has requested Interpol to issue a Blue Colour Notice against two owners of the Birch nightclub in Goa, where a fire on December 6, 2025, claimed 25 lives . The notice comes as Goa Police conduct raids to locate the third owner in India. The accused owners, Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, reportedly fled to Thailand shortly after the tragic fire. The CBIs request follows a call from Goa Police to issue the notice, which is used to gather info

RANCHI: For the first time in Jharkhand, volunteers from different universities studying botany and zoology will be deployed for the tiger census in the state. According to forest officials, besides creating a young workforce, this move will help raise awareness about comprehensive tiger estimation and conservation. This is also the first time tiger census activities will be conducted outside the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), covering forest ranges in Ranchi, Dumka and Hazaribagh. The Field Direct

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Abdul Malik, who is accused of being the main conspirator in the violent February 2024 riots in Banbhoolpura , Haldwani. Malik will remain in judicial custody. The court also directed the State Government to file a detailed report listing all allegations against him. In a split decision, the Division Bench comprising Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Pankaj Purohit granted bail to three other accused in the 16 cases li

RANCHI: The newly formed Bihar cabinet on Tuesday approved the creation of three new departments to ensure better and effective implementation of its schemes and policies, aimed at providing jobs and employment opportunities to one crore youth over the next five years. For this purpose, three new departments, youth, employment and skill development, higher education, and civil aviation. have been created. These are in addition to the existing 45 government departments, cabinet secretariat depart

NEW DELHI: With flight disruptions persisting across airports nationwide, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday directed IndiGo to slash its daily operations by 10% to stabilise schedules and reduce cancellations. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the step was necessary given the scale of inconvenience faced by passengers over the past week. IndiGo operates an average of 2,300 flights a day, meaning about 230 services will be temporarily taken off its network. Naidu said IndiGo CEO

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other organisations are stirring communal tensions in Tamil Nadu by manufacturing a controversy around the religious sites situated on Thiruparankundram Hill in Madurai district, alleged a coalition of Left parties in a statement issued on Tuesday. The joint statement issued by the Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI-Marxist (CPM), CPI-Marxist-Leninist (CPML)-Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), said that t

COOCH BEHAR: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the assembly elections in the state would be announced immediately after the publication of the final electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in February to prevent any legal challenge to the fresh voters' list. Addressing a public meeting at the Ras Mela ground here, Banerjee alleged that the SIR exercise was being used to instil fear among voters. She also attacked the Centre over th

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made the eighth arrest in connection with last month's car blast near the Red Fort, officials said on Tuesday. An NIA spokesperson said a team from Delhi has arrested key accused Dr Bilal Naseer Malla of Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. He was arrested from the national capital. The NIA has found Bilal's involvement in the conspiracy behind the terrorist attack that killed 13 people and injured several others in the Red Fort area on November

GUWAHATI: A series of complaints by animal lovers has sparked concern in North Lakhimpur after a large number of stray dogs reportedly went missing in the weeks following the Supreme Courts directive to relocate street dogs to shelters post sterilisation and vaccination. On November 19, four animal welfare volunteers Dimpi Pareek, Dipankar Saikia, Luhit Das and Ritupal Phukan lodged a complaint with the police alleging an abnormal reduction in the stray dog population across the town. They exp

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) to appear before the court through video conference at the next hearing of the Thiruparankundram Karthigai Deepam row on December 17. Justice GR Swaminathan further issued statutory notice to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madurai South) AG Inigo Divyan who reportedly stopped the petitioners from enforcing the order during the second day

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked whether the Election Commission is barred from conducting an inquiry in case of a doubtful citizen and if an inquisitorial process fall outside its constitutional power. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi during final hearings on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across several states,

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that attacking tall leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru cannot divert attention from the real issues. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song, Kharge added that the purpose of the House must be to focus on the burning issues facing the nation, because the true tribute to Bharat Mata will be paid only when the Parliament debates the concerns of the people and their

CHANDIGARH: Himachal Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against a stone crusher unit owned by BJP MLA Ashish Sharma in the Hamirpur district for alleged large-scale illegal mining, forgery, cheating and royalty evasion dating back to 2023. Sources said that a report (FIR No. 77/25) was registered at the Sujanpur police station against M/s Mahadevi Stone Crusher under the sections of 379 (theft), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on D

PANAJI: The Goa Tourism Department on Tuesday demolished 'Romeo Lane', an illegally constructed beach shack at Vagator owned by brothers Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra. The brothers, who are on the run following the fire tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane club that claimed 25 lives late on Saturday night, had constructed the shack on tourism department land, a senior official said. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had on Tuesday ordered authorities to initiate the process to demolish the shack. Th

DEHRADUN: Among the 25 people killed in the devastating fire at a popular Goa nightclub were five young men hailing from Uttarakhand, whose desperate search for better opportunities ended in a fiery catastrophe. The deceased have been identified as Satish, Sumit, Jitendra, Manish, and Surendra, all employees at the establishment. They carried the hopes of their families, dreaming of stability and even international prospects, only to have those aspirations extinguished in the blaze. Sumit Negi,

CHANDIGARH: A few days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) objected to the Punjab governments proposed programme to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas in Ludhiana on December 12, the Akal Takht (highest temporal seat of Sikhs) has shot off a letter to all Sikh MPs, asking them to urge the Centre to rename Veer Bal Diwas as Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas. Sending these letters via email to the MPs, Akal Takht acting jathedar (high priest) Kuldip Singh Gargaj directed Sikh MPs to strongly rep

KOLKATA: Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Tuesday alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress is holding camps to issue SC, ST and OBC certificates for undocumented infiltrators and fake claimants. Suvendu shared a memo issued by the block development officer (BDO) of Kandi in Murshidabad district to substantiate his allegations against the Trinamool Congress. He showed instances of three such beneficiaries who were issued

The crisis in the Punjab Congress deepened a day after former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, was suspended from the party for making anti-party remarks. Kaur again hit out at the state leadership, including president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, accusing them of misleading the high command. She claimed she remains in touch with the high command but would not support thieves. Meanwhile, senior Punjab Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Gu

AHMEDABAD: Fresh official data tabled in Lok Sabha on 9th December paints an alarming picture of mass deletions under MGNREGA in Gujarat. From 2019-20 to 2024-25, over 7.49 lakh job cards were deleted, and nearly 22.68 lakh workers were removed from job cards, raising serious questions on transparency, eligibility checks, and the future of rural livelihood support in the state. A new data disclosure in Lok Sabha on Tuesday has opened a sharp debate on transparency and accountability in Gujarats

LUCKNOW: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is nearing its completion in Uttar Pradesh with UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa claiming that 97.3 per cent of the digitisation work of the forms collected so far was completed in the state. Rinwa met the representatives of recognised political parties on SIR and gathered feedback on the enumeration phase. However, the State Election Commission officials said that nearly 17.7 per cent of enumeration forms remain uncoll

LUCKNOW: A 50-year-old woman allegedly led by gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was arrested by the Ghazipur police in a land-grabbing and extortion case. According to police sources, Nikhat Parveen, the accused arrested, has half a dozen cases registered against her in Ghazipur, including two under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. All six cases were lodged during the last two years. Nikhat, who had been on the run for the last nine months in conn

DEHRADUN: In a significant move aimed at stemming political fallout, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, Harish Rawat, personally visited the Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Dehradun on Sunday. Following prayers before the Guru Granth Sahib, Rawat participated in 'Langar Sewa' (community kitchen) service and performed 'Joota Ghar Seva' (shoe cleaning) service. This act of penance follows a recent controversy ignited by Congress leader and former cabinet minister, Hara

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday urged women to protest against the Border Security Force (BSF) atrocities against people residing along the borders in the state. Let the women protest against BSF atrocities on people living in border areas. Let them come to the front to protest against the force, the Chief Minister said today while addressing in a rally organised by her party Trinamool Congress at Rashleela ground in Cooch Behar district. She urged the people to un

PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday ordered authorities to demolish the illegal ' Romeo Lane ' beach shack at Vagator, owned by brothers Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, after completing all formalities. The order comes after the brothers fled to Thailand , just hours after a major fire killed 25 people at the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Arpora around midnight on Saturday. This shack is the third property owned by Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra. A senior CMO official st

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a criminal case against Jai Anmol Ambani, son of businessman tycoon Anil Ambani, following allegations of cheating and fund diversion that caused Union Bank of India a loss of Rs 228.06 crore, the agency said. Anil Ambani's Reliance Group is facing money laundering investigation alleged irregularities in loans worth approximately Rs 17,000 crore. The FIR, registered on December 6, 2025, at the CBI's Banking Security and Fraud Branch

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of insulting Jawaharlal Nehru, as he said the decision to use only the first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' as the national song was collectively taken by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. As the ruling BJP accused the Congress of 'dividing' the song written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Kharge countered the rul

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday claimed that the Election Commission legally has no right to conduct the SIR and it must be stopped, as he asserted that many Opposition leaders as well as people now feel the need to raise questions over the poll body's neutrality. Initiating a discussion on Election Reforms in the Lok Sabha, Tewari said the first election reform should be to amend the law of 2023 on the selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners. He s

IMPHAL: Kuki outfits on Tuesday condemned the visit of BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh to a relief camp in Manipur's Ukhrul district, claiming that it was a calculated political exercise rather than an act of genuine concern. Singh, the former speaker of the assembly who belongs to the Meitei community, on Monday visited a relief camp in Ukhrul district, where people of the Kuki community displaced by the ethnic violence have been living. Kukis and Meiteis do not venture into each other's areas a

NEW DELHI: No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause hardship to passengers through planning failures and non-compliance with regulations, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday on the mass disruptions in IndiGo flight schedules. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, Naidu said strict and appropriate action will be taken against IndiGo for the flight disruptions that have affected passengers across the country. The minister said the Directorate General of Civil Aviati

NEW DELHI: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that linking patriotism to any single religion or identity is against constitutional principles and will increase social division. Participating in a discussion on the '150 years of national song Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi said that the Constitution grants equal rights to all citizens and this right cannot be associated with any religious identity or symbol. He said the Constitution begins with We the People, and not with the n

CHHATARPUR: Three employees of a hotel died of food poisoning, and five are in a critical condition after consuming meals at the establishment in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district, officials said on Tuesday. Eight employees of a local hotel fell ill after eating at the establishment in Khajuraho town on Monday night and were admitted to the district hospital and then referred to Gwalior, they said. The incident has occurred at a time when the state cabinet is holding its meeting in the ancien

The Supreme Court on Tuesday took serious note of reports that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are being threatened and that the Election Commission of Indias (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being obstructed in West Bengal and several other states. Expressing concern over the lack of cooperation from some state administrations, the Court directed the ECI to immediately bring to its notice any instance where BLOs face intimidation or where officials encounter hurdles in c

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered a 5 per cent reduction in IndiGos flight schedule , responding to the large-scale disruptions that have affected the airlines operations since December 1, 2025. According to the aviation safety regulator, the curtailed schedule will apply across multiple sectors, with the most significant trims on high-demand, high-frequency routes. The DGCA has directed IndiGo to submit a revised operational schedule by 5 pm on Wednesday. The m

SRINAGAR: A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches in the forest area in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir as part of its probe into the November 10 blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, officials said. They said the NIA sleuths, assisted by police and CRPF, brought along two of the accused, Dr Adeel Rather and Jasir Bilal Wani, arrested in connection with the white collar terror module. The two accused had told the investigators about some hideouts in t

Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will lead the Opposition charge as discussion on electoral reforms is set to take place in the Lower House on Tuesday. This will include a discussion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in various states across India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will initiate the discussion on SIR in the Rajya Sabha on December 9 and 10. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha is expec

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated at a meeting of all MPs of the ruling NDA on Tuesday for the coalition's massive victory in the recent Bihar elections. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda, who is also the BJP president, were among those present at the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting held at the Parliament House complex here. Modi was garlanded by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha -- both Rajya Sabha members. On Mond

IndiGo cancelled nearly 500 flights on Tuesday, extending disruptions at the airline for the eighth straight day, sources said. Bengaluru and Delhi saw even larger disruptions. 121 cancellations were reported from Bengaluru, including 58 arrivals and 63 departures. 152 flights were cancelled from Delhi. At Hyderabad Airport, 58 flights were cancelled, 14 arrivals and 44 departures. At least 81 flights were cancelled from Chennai, 31 from Mumbai, 26 from Lucknow and 16 from Ahmedabad. The ongoing

IndiGo cancelled nearly 180 flights from Bengaluru and Hyderabad on Tuesday, extending disruptions at the airline for the eighth straight day, sources said. At Hyderabad Airport, 58 flights were cancelled, 14 arrivals and 44 departures. Bengaluru saw even larger disruptions, with 121 cancellations, including 58 arrivals and 63 departures. The ongoing crisis may also cost IndiGo several routes in the current winter schedule. Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the government will