News

NEW DELHI: A third-party system disruption affected check-in operations at several airports on Tuesday night, causing delays for multiple airlines, including Air India. The outage disrupted passenger processing between 8:30 pm and 10:41 pm, before normal operations were restored. This marks the second system-related incident in recent months; a similar issue last month caused delays to over 400 flights at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport due to a failure in the Automatic Message Switch

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has cleared Gujarat Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani of charges under IPC Section 354 in a case involving an Assam woman police officer. In a recent order, the court said the continuation of proceedings under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) would amount to abuse of the process of law. when the allegation fails to satisfy even at the minimal threshold, particularly, when the essential ingredients required un

JAIPUR: Licensed Khadims will soon be the only ones allowed to conduct pilgrimages at the world-famous Ajmer Dargah of Khwaja Garib Nawaz. Acting on the instructions of the Central Government, the Dargah Committee has, for the first time in 75 years, initiated the licensing process for Khadims. On Monday, the government-appointed Dargah Nazim Mohammad Bilal Khan issued an official advertisement announcing that applications for Licensed Khadims will be accepted until January 5, 2026. However, the

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putins December 45 visit to New Delhi, his first in four years, will anchor a renewed push to accelerate IndiaRussia economic cooperation, with a series of agreements spanning trade, health care, mobility, media and economic cooperation set to be signed. Along with the ongoing dialogue on defence, security, space and nuclear cooperation, the visit is expected to place significant emphasis on narrowing the widening trade gap. Bilateral trade between India and

DEHRADUN: The highly anticipated Supreme Court hearing regarding the demolition of encroachments on railway land in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani, Uttarakhand, was adjourned on Tuesday. The matter will now be heard on December 10. The delay comes despite heightened security and an alert status maintained across the Banbhoolpura region throughout the day, as residents anxiously awaited the court's decision on the fate of thousands of families residing on railway property. The Railways claim t

DEHRADUN: Four months after a devastating landslide struck Dharali in Uttarkashi, explosive claims by a Minister of State-rank leader have sent tremors through the ruling establishment, directly challenging the official narrative of the disaster management efforts. Colonel (Retd) Ajay Kothiyal, Chairman of the Uttarakhand Ex-Servicemen Welfare Advisory Council (holding MoS status), publicly stated that 147 individuals remain buried beneath the debris at the site of the August 5 disaster in Dhara

India on Tuesday rejected Pakistans allegation that it delayed permission for relief flights to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, calling the claim baseless and ridiculous. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Pakistans overflight request, submitted around 1 pm Monday, was cleared by 5:30 pm the same day , a turnaround of just four hours. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described Pakistani reports of a delay as another attempt of spreading anti-India misinformation. Islamabad had claimed its specia

MUMBAI: Despite Union Home Minister Amit Shahs plan for the BJP to go solo in the 2029 state elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed a different view, stating that the BJP still needs its allies in Maharashtra and that the 2029 state polls will be contested jointly with the Mahayuti partners. Fadnavis also clarified that there is no dispute between him and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, although differences of opinion do existjust as they do in any heal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Navy will ramp up its presence in Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 Islands, which have strategic significance being close to the arterial shipping lanes in the Arabian sea. Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, said the Navy looks forward to placing its weapon systems there and will develop its infrastructure in the islands. The Navy has currently got its footprints in Minicoy, Agatti and Bitra islands. The

Marriages of girls aged below 18 years continue to rise in Madhya Pradesh, despite the governments claims of taking focused measures, particularly through public awareness campaigns to curb the practice. Statistics tabled by Mohan Yadav government in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, the second day of the assemblys ongoing winter session, revealed a 47% jump in child marriages in 2025 compared to 2020. As many as 538 child marriages have been reported across the state so far this year, up from 366 ca

RAIPUR: To cherish numerous cultural, intellectual and traditional blends of Indian literature as it exists, Chhattisgarh will host a three-day Raipur Literature Festival from January 23 next year to engage in enlightened dialogues on subjects of literary interest. Over 100 littrateur and writers from across the country will participate in the literary programme, which will be organised near the Tribal Museum at Nava Raipur. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday unveiled the official logo of

SRINAGAR: Implementing a Central Government notification, the Rajbhavan in Jammu and Kashmir has been renamed as Lok Bhavan. In pursuance of communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs the Government of India vide Memo No 7/10/2025 (Part)-M&G dated 25/11/2025 and as per the direction of the Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, it is hereby notified that the name of the Institution Raj Bhavan, Jammu and Kashmir has hereby been modified and named as Lok Bhavan, Jammu and

PATNA: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prem Kumar was elected unanimously as Bihar Assembly Speaker on Tuesday, a day after he filed his nomination papers for the post. Pro-tem Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav announced Kumars election as the 18th Speaker of the Bihar Assembly. Soon after the formal announcement, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav escorted 70-year-old Prem Kumar to the Speakers chair amid clapping from both treasury and opposition bench

The first phase of polling for 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra on Tuesday was marred by violence, clashes and allegations of malpractice across several districts, police said. Despite the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP being allies at the state level, their workers fought each other in multiple places, with some local units even tying up with Opposition parties. Violent incidents were reported from Mahad (Raigad), Gevrai (Beed), Muktai Nagar (J

NEW DELHI: An IndiGo flight from Kuwait to Hyderabad was diverted to Mumbai on Tuesday morning after two alleged bomb threat mails were received by Hyderabad airport. According to a flight-tracking platform, Flightradar24, the Airbus A321 aircraft took off from Kuwait International Airport at 1.56 am (local time) on 2 December, around 40 minutes behind schedule. It was airborne when the decision to divert it midway was taken. A source at Hyderabads Rajiv Gandhi International Airport said, We rec

INDORE: About 900 tonnes of toxic ash generated in the process of incinerating waste from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal five months ago is still lying around in Pithampur industrial hub in Madhya Pradesh, anxiety in the area mounting with each passing day. Nearly five months ago, the toxic waste, soil and packaging material brought from the Bhopal unit, the site of the 1984 gas tragedy, was incinerated at a plant in Pithampur, an industrial town in adjoining Dhar district. The incineration o

CHANDIGARH: The Border Security Force (BSF) is installing artificial intelligence-based anti-tunnelling technology in the Jammu sector to curb infiltration from across the border. In the coming days, an advanced surveillance system will be deployed in both Punjab and Jammu sectors along the IndoPak international border, incorporating night-vision and optical cameras and a mix of radars to enhance observation. The BSF will also receive technical alerts if anyone attempts to intrude into Indian te

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) leaders on Tuesday raised concern over the 'Sanchar Saathi' application, which the smartphone makers have been asked to mandatorily pre-install on their devices, and called it a violation of the fundamental right to privacy, and an excuse for mass surveillance. CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP V Sivadasan, in a statement, condemned the directive and said the move is a direct violation of the fundamental right to privacy, a right upheld by the Supreme Court of India. The justification provid

GUWAHATI: The Congress in Meghalaya claimed that One North East (ONE) is a BJP-RSS design. The Northeast regional front was launched in the first week of November in New Delhi. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Tripuras Tipra Motha Party (TMP) founder leader Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma were at the forefront of its launch. Meghalaya Congress president Vincent H Pala claimed that the BJP had designed ONE following its realisation that the tribals in the Northeast disliked the saffro

NEW DELHI: More than 700 cough syrup manufacturers were subjected to intense audit and increased market surveillance sampling of syrup formulations was done by central and state drugs regulators in the wake of children deaths allegedly due to consumption of contaminated cough syrups, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Upon receipt of reports of a cluster of child deaths from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, a central team of experts visited Chhindwara and Nagpur and undertook a detailed investigati

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with the party's Assam unit leaders on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the next year's assembly elections, the Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls, and other important issues of the state. Congress general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Gaurav Gogoi, AICC in-charge of state Jitendra Singh, Congress legislative party leader (CLP) Debabrata Saikia,

SRINAGAR: A special TADA court in Jammu on Tuesday rejected the remand plea of CBI and released Shafat Ahmad Shangloo for his alleged involvement in the 1989 abduction of Rubiya Sayeed, the daughter of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed. Shangloo was arrested by CBI officials from his residence at Nishat in Srinagar yesterday and was produced before the TADA Court, Jammu, today. The CBI sought Shangloo's custody for questioning in connection with the 1989 abduction of Rubiya Sayeed.When the CBI sou

GUWAHATI: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention as Assams Tezpur University continues to face prolonged student-led unrest, which has disrupted both academic and administrative functioning and forced authorities to reschedule the end-term examinations. In his letter, Gogoi, who also heads the Assam Congress unit, flagged what he described as widespread dissatisfaction among students, faculty members and staff owing to alleged administrativ

NEW DELHI: Where will the women in distress go, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked as it expressed concern over the 'closure' of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan asked Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave, appearing for the Delhi government, to do something about closure of the commission. It's closed. Where will the women in distress go? They don't have chairperson. They don't have staff. It's all in shambles, the top court sa

Activist Sharjeel Imam on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that he was being unfairly branded a dangerous intellectual terrorist despite having no convictions and without the conclusion of a full-fledged trial, as he sought bail in a case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots. Appearing before a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Imam, said the activist had been arrested on January 28, 2020, before the riots and that his speeches alone

NEW DELHI: To dismantle the alleged influence of global terror groups in India, the Centre has rechristened the ISIS Investigation Research Cell (IIRC) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as the Counter Terrorism Research Cell (CTRC) and almost doubled its strength, with the aim of covering all aspects of terrorism. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said on Tuesday that the ISIS Investigation Research Cell (IIRC), set up in

After two days of relentless protests by the Opposition in the Parliament, for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, it has been decided that the Lok Sabha will take up a debate on the broader topic of electoral reforms on December 9, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed on Tuesday. A discussion on '150 years of Vande Mataram', initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be conducted in the lower House on the previous day, the minister said

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has announced that it will provide two lakh rupees financial assistance to bereaved families of the 39 persons who allegedly passed away due to panic and stress triggered by the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, made the announcement releasing the report card of her governments performance during the past 14 years. Mamata claimed that 39 people have died in the State due to SIR-induced panic, including cases of suic

Security agencies have been placed on high alert ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putins two-day visit to India beginning December 4, with an extensive multi-layered protection plan being rolled out across the capital, official sources said on Tuesday. Although Putins itinerary has been finalised, officials have withheld details of his accommodation and movement due to stringent security protocols. All agencies involved have been instructed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance throughout

NEW DELHI: India stands at the epicentre of what the United Nations calls an ineluctable and historically unprecedented demographic movement as cities emerge as the primary target for habitat for majority of the population. According to World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results , published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (UN DESA) in 2025, India will be the pre-eminent contributor to global urban population growth between 2025 and

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe after grounding one of Air Indias Vistara aircraft and derostering the personnel concerned, following the discovery that the airline had operated the aircraft on eight revenue sectors with an expired Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC), posing a potential risk to passenger safety. ARC is issued annually for an aircraft after a comprehensive review of its maintenance records, physical condition, and verification o

KOLKATA: As the countdown for the assembly polls in West Bengal begins amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the Centre has withheld the state's long-pending dues. Releasing the report card Unnayaner Panchali of her government during the past 14 years since 2011, Mamata told media at the state secretariat Nabanna, The central government has withheld our long-pending dues -- one lakh and eighty-seven thousand crore rupe

CHANDIGARH: The United States Transport Department announced that it plans to revoke the certification of nearly 3,000 commercial drivers license (CDL) training providers unless they comply with training requirements in the next 30 days. Followingly, over 16,000 training providers listed on the Training Provider Registry (TPR) are being reviewed to identify and remove noncompliant providers. As a result, over 1.50 lakh Punjabi truckers might face intense scrutiny. Indian-origin driver accused in

BAREILLY: The body of a minor boy was found stuffed inside a metal box dumped near bushes under the Nakatia river bridge along the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway in Bareilly's Izzatnagar area on Tuesday, police said. A foul smell emanating from the box prompted locals to alert the police. When the box was opened, the body of a boy was recovered. Initial signs suggest he may have been killed elsewhere and the body dumped here, Additional Superintendent of Police, City, Manush Parikh said. A foren

NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary panel on Tuesday stressed the need for a strong, independent National Statistical Commission (NSC) with statutory authority to ensure credibility of official statistics. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, in its 27th Report on 'Performance review of NSC' pertaining to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, noted that discrepancies between official and private data undermine trust due to a lack of uniform

Another booth-level officer (BLO) has lost his life allegedly due to work pressure linked to the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in UP, taking the death toll to five in less than a week. 40-year-old Kamlakant Sharma, a resident of the Brahmanpuri area in Hathras district's Sikandra Rao died on Tuesday morning after he collapsed at his residence. Sharma was serving as an assistant teacher at the Composite School, Navli Lalpur, while also handling duties as a BLO.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply questioned the legal status of Rohingyas living in India and asked whether intruders should be given a ed carpet welcome while the country's own citizens grapple with poverty. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made sharp observations while hearing a habeas corpus (bring the person) petition filed by rights activist Rita Manchanda alleging disappearance of a few Rohingyas from the custody of authorities here. N

Election officials have launched a probe after a video purportedly showed Shiv Sena MLA Santosh Bangar entering a polling booth while a woman was casting her vote during the local bodies election in Maharashtra's Hingoli district on Tuesday. Voting is underway across 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the first phase of the local body elections in the state, where 6,042 seats and 264 posts of council presidents are up for grabs. A video surfaced on social media, in which Bangar can b

NEW DELHI: Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, the first between April and September 2026 and the second in February 2027, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Giving details of the exercise in response to a question by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the two phases will be -- Phase I-House Listing and Housing Census followed by Phase II- Population Enumeration (PE). The first phase from April to September 2026 will be conducted in a per

NEW DELHI: To enhance safety and offer a seamless travel experience on National Highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to introduce a telecom-based safety alert system across the National Highway network. Alerts will be sent through SMS, WhatsApp and high-priority calls to National Highway users. The system will be integrated in a phased manner with NHAIs digital platforms, including the Rajmargyatra mobile application and emergency helpline number 1033. The initiative

Bareilly (UP), Dec 2 (PTI) A special POCSO court here has sentenced a 22-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl in the district's Aliganj area earlier this year, officials said on Tuesday. Special Judge (POCSO Act) Devasheesh Pandey on Monday convicted Pradeep and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 2,000. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on January 30, 2025, when the convict lured the minor to his rooftop on the pretext of s

The Union government is ready for a discussion on the SIR issue and electoral reforms in Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, but asked Opposition parties not to insist on setting a timeline. As the Opposition demanded discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for a second day in a row, Rijiju said he will hold discussions with leaders of various political parties to decide on the issue. His statement came after oppositio

In a significant clarification after a political row erupted over the Centres move to mandate pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all new smartphones, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said users are not required to keep the app on their devices. If you don't want Sanchar Saathi, you can delete it. It is optional It is our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Keeping it in their devices or not is up to the user, Scindia told reporters, stressing that the

RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided the premises of Chartered Accountant (CA) Naresh Kejriwal in Ranchi, conducting searches at 15 locations across Ranchi, Mumbai and Surat under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and money laundering provisions. Unlike previous actions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), this marks the first major ED action under FEMA in Jharkhand. Searches continued at Kejriwals residence and office at Church Complex in Ranchi, w

NEW DELHI: Stressing that she cannot be subjected to endless custody, activist Gulfisha Fatima told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that Delhi Police's claim of a coordinated egime change operation finds no mention in its chargesheet while seeking bail in the February 2020 riots case. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Fatima, told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria that the activist has spent under six years in incarceration and termed the delay in the trial astonishin

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal of Reliance Industries Limited and two of its officials against a decision of the Securities Appellate Tribunal, which had upheld a penalty imposed by markets regulator SEBI for not making prompt clarification to stock exchange about the Jio-Facebook deal. In June 2022, the capital markets regulator SEBI imposed a penalty totalling Rs 30 lakh on RIL and two individuals, Savithri Parekh and K Sethuraman, for not making prompt clarificati

PATNA: Veteran BJP leader Prem Kumar was on Tuesday unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Bihar assembly. Pro-tem Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav informed the House that Kumar was the only candidate whose name figured for the post. Thereafter, he was declared unanimously elected following a voice vote. As per custom, Kumar, who recently won the Gaya Town seat for a record eighth term, was escorted to the Chair by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.

NEW DELHI: With the Department of Telecom asking mobile phone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi application in new handsets, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday described it as a snooping app and alleged that the government is turning the country into a dictatorship. The Department of Telecom (DoT) directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days. Asked about the issue

The second day of the Winter Session began on a tumultuous note as Opposition MPs continued their protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon as Opposition MPs refused to relent in pressing for a discussion on SIR. Following the adjournment, LS Speaker Om Birla called Opposition floor leaders and ministers for consultations to resolve the issue. Ahead of the day's proceedings INDIA bloc MPs staged a demonst

BALRAMPUR: A bus hit an electricity pole and caught fire early Tuesday after colliding with a truck on the Balrampur-Gonda road here, leaving three passengers dead and over two dozens injured, police said. The incident took place at about 2 am when the bus was going to Delhi from Sonauli border. Some Nepalese nationals were among the passengers. The three deceased are yet to be identified. Among the injured, condition of six was stated to be critical and they have been rushed to a Lucknow hospit