A multi-disciplinary team headed by the Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a comprehensive probe into the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad , the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Thursday. The ministry said that the AAIB swiftly launched an investigation on June 13, constituting a multi-disciplinary team in accordance with international norms and protocols. The team, led by the Director General of AAIB, comprises specialists in av

UNITED NATIONS : India strongly rejected Pakistan's 'unwarranted aspersions' and attempts to deflect attention from atrocities committed against children in the country and rampant cross-border terrorism, asserting that the world has not forgotten the Pahalgam attacks. I am constrained to respond to the politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan, one of the grave violators of the CAAC (Children and Armed Conflict) agenda, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador

JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot launched a sharp attack on the BJP on Thursday, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of undermining the Constitution and democracy in the country. Calling the current situation an undeclared emergency, the veteran Congress leader said the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) actions reflect a systematic erosion of democratic values over the last 11 years. In a post on X, he said, It is ironic that BJP governments are observing 'Constitution Murde

NEW DELHI: India at the SCO Summit decided not to sign the Joint Declaration post the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers Meeting at Qingdao, China. Sources said this decision was in protest of dilution of Indian stand on terrorism. In his address at the summit on Thursday Rajanth Singh emphasized that SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally, he said, reaffirming Indias resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in addition to reiterating the ne

ETAWAH: Two passengers were killed and about 50 were injured when a double-decker bus travelling from Bihar to Delhi overturned and plunged into a ditch on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in the Saifai area early Thursday, police said. The accident occurred near the Mandi village when the speeding bus lost control while attempting to overtake a truck. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said that the accident caused panic among the passengers. Passersby in other vehicles i

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired the 48th PRAGATI session, where he directed officials to ensure the timely completion of projects initiated under various ministries. As the meeting progressed, the focus remained on infrastructure development across sectors such as mines, railways, water resources, and others. Sharing details about the PRAGATI session, PM Modi said in a post, Chaired the 48th PRAGATI Session earlier this evening. Infrastructure was a key focus, with s

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla , the 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot-turned-astronaut, delivered his first personal message from orbit today, just hours after lifting off aboard the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Strapped into the Dragon capsule, Shukla greeted the nation with a heartfelt, Namaskar, mere deshvasiyon. What a ride! he exclaimed, describing the ascent aboard the Falcon 9 rocket: When the ride started, you get pushed back into your seat then suddenly,

AHMEDABAD: The air was thick with grief and disbelief in the aftermath of the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad , as families rushed to the Civil Hospital in search of answers, hope, or perhaps just closure. The raw emotions ranged widely: a husband plagued by guilt after losing his wife; a father angrily refusing to accept that his son was gone; and others swinging rapidly between denial and devastation. The psychiatrists listened often in silence, offering an empathetic presence. The devast

NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at expediting infrastructure development and promoting sustainable construction practices, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has made the use of precast concrete mandatory for all road and highway projects costing over Rs 300 crore. According to ministry officials, the decision is part of a broader strategy to prevent delays, reduce construction costs, and minimise environmental pollution. The use of precast concrete, which involves casting concrete e

SRINAGAR: An encounter started between militants and security forces on Thursday in Basantgarh area of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army and J&K Police in the Bihali area of Basantgarh in Udhampur district today, Army posted on X. The search operation was launched after troops received specific inputs about the presence of militants in the area. Contact has been established with the terrorists. The operation is currently

JAMMU: An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in a remote forested area in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Thursday, the Army said. The encounter took place during a joint operation by the Army and police in Bihali area of Basantgarh. Contact has been established with terrorists. The operation is currently in progress, a spokesperson of Jammu-based White Knight Corps said. Further details are awaited.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday slammed the government for its delay in appointing a lead investigator to probe the recent plane crash in Ahmedabad, calling the inaction both inexplicable and inexcusable. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh raised the issue on social media platform X, sharing a media report that revealed the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has yet to name a lead investigator, nearly two weeks after the tragic incident. A fortnight after th

DEHRADUN: A family of pilgrims from Udaipur, Rajasthan, on a Char Dham Yatra met with tragedy on Thursday morning when their Tempo Traveller lost control and plunged into the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhands Rudraprayag district. Initial reports suggest that at least 11 people are feared dead in the horrific incident, though only two bodies have been recovered so far. The vehicle, reportedly carrying 17 members of the same family, was completely submerged in the fast-flowing Alaknanda, making res

RUDRAPRAYAG: At least two people were killed, eight injured and ten others were reported missing when a vehicle carrying pilgrims fell into the Alaknanda river here on Thursday, police said. The vehicle - a tempo traveller - met with the accident near the Gholthir village on the Badrinath National Highway between Rudraprayag and Gauchar, they said. Relief and rescue teams have reached the spot. Two bodies have been recovered, one near the accident site and the other from the river near Rudrapray

SHIMLA: Search operations have been intensified to trace 10 people missing since the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Himachal's Kangra and Kullu districts, officials said on Thursday. Two persons died while about 20 were feared swept away due to heavy rains on Wednesday evening but some of the missing people have since been rescued. In Manuni Khad in Kangra district, around 15-20 workers stationed at a labour colony near the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site were feared sw

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated Indias firm stand against crossborder terrorism during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers gathering, stressing that peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terror, and calling for decisive action against statesponsored militancy. He urged the SCO members to align in their fight against terror to ensure regional safety and stability. We must unite in our fight against terrorism for our collective safety and security. Without na

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday set the tone for the commemoration the 50th anniversary of Emergency, describing it as one of the darkest chapters in Indias democratic history. Attacking the then Congress government led by Indira Gandhi, he said it was as if it had placed democracy under arrest. All values enshr ined in the Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom extinguished and several political leaders, social workers, students and or

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said probe agencies cannot directly summon lawyers over matters involving their clients, calling such actions a direct threat to the administration of justice. A bench comprising justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh took suo motu cognizance of the matter while hearing a plea by a lawyer who had been summoned by the Gujarat police in connection with a case involving his client. Permitting the investigation agencies/police to directly summon defen

NEW DELHI: Launching a counter attack on the Modi government , Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Wednesday that an undeclared emergency prevailed in the country. He accused the BJP of staging a Constitution Murder Day drama to hide its governance failure. Hitting back at PM Narendra Modi over his jibes on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Kharge said a government which has no tolerance and does not allow fraternity and liberty to prosper has no right to lecture others. Addres

NEW DELHI: At a time when the American visa, its acceptance and possible denial, may scotch the American Dream of aspiring Indians, journalist and The New Indian Express columnist Sugata Srinivasarajus new book, The Conscience Network (Penguin), shows what some young Indians did with their time on American soil and its link with the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in the 70s. PhD students Ravi Chopra and Anand Kumar, and S R Hiremath, a Kannadiga who had become a top-notch corporate in the US

NEW DELHI: A whopping 1.44 million children in India did not receive a single shot of any routine vaccination in 2023, a new global study published Wednesday in The Lancet said. The study also stated that India recorded the second-highest number of zero-dose childrendefined as those lacking access to or never reached by routine immunisation services after Nigeria. India also stood among the eight countries, along with Nigeria and Ethiopia, where more than half of the unvaccinated children from a

PATNA: Ashok Kumar Choudhary, a senior minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, will soon teach students in one of the universities of Bihar. The 57-year-old politician, serving as the Minister for Rural Works Department, has been selected as assistant professor in the department of political science. His name figured among the 274 successful candidates. The Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC) declared the result late on Tuesday evening. Considered close to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chou

BHOPAL: It took a postmaster 32 years to finally get justice in a case which began with a minor clerical error. Back in 1983, Manakram, then in his 40s, was posted as postmaster at a post office branch in Madhya Pradeshs Betul district. An inspection of the post office revealed that Manakram had failed to make the desired entry of a Rs 3,956 deposit in the branch register. Though the sum was deposited in the treasury and its entry also made in the account holders passbook, the absence of its ent

The past decade has been a testament to Indias remarkable transformation under the decisive and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As our nation completes eleven years of this transformative journey, India stands significantly taller on global platforms, having achieved unprecedented progress across a multitude of sectors at home. Indias projected ascent to become the worlds fourth-largest economy by 2025, based on nominal GDP, is a clear reflection of the success of landmark

Public discontent makes NC rethink strategy After playing soft politics over key issues since coming to power last year, the ruling National Conference appears to be recalibrating its strategy due to growing public impatience over lack of progress on core electoral promises. The party is stepping up its rhetoric on restoration of statehood and dual power structure in the UT. Hardening his stand, CM Omar Abdullah said his government was ready to dissolve the Assembly if it would pave way for rest

JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot made a sensational claim on Wednesday, alleging that a conspiracy is underway to remove the states current Chief Minister, Bhajanlal Sharma. Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House during his Jodhpur visit, Gehlot warned that if BJP leaders fail to remain vigilant, they will have to bear the consequences. Gehlot alleged that all is not well within the state BJP claiming that elements within the ruling party are pl

NEW DELHI: The F-35B Lightning II fighter of the British Royal Navy, stranded in Thiruvananthapuram, will be repaired at its present location, for which a team will be flown in from the UK, the British High Commission (BHC) said. We are working to repair the UK F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as quickly as possible...We thank the Indian authorities for their continued support, a spokesperson for the BHC said. The Royal Navy F-35B fighter was recovered following an emergency lan

MUMBAI: In an apparent attempt to defend the imposition of Emergency by former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday released its monthly magazine, Janmanasachi Shidori, justifying the move as a reaction to certain prevailing circumstances. It also alleged that the BJP is indulging in false propaganda related to the Emergency to malign tall Congress leaders. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal, while releasing the magazine, took potshots at Prime Minister

NEW DELHI: After six-and-a-half years of working in Israel, Reetaraj Gurung had planned to return home to Siliguri, West Bengal, on 15 June to reunite with her husband and daughter. However, her journey was disrupted when Israel launched air strikes on Iran just two days earlier, leading to the closure of airspace over Israel, Jordan, Iran, and Iraq. Reetaraj finally made it home on Tuesday (24 June) on an evacuation flight from Jordan, facilitated by the Indian government. She had been employed

NEW DELHI: The United States has intensified enforcement of its immigration laws, warning that individuals who attempt to enter the country illegally will face detention, deportation, and lasting consequences that may affect their eligibility for future visas, the US Embassy in India announced on Tuesday. In an official statement shared via the embassys X (formerly Twitter) account, it stated: The United States has increased enforcement of immigration laws and the removal of illegal entrants. Th

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the failure of authorities at Ghaziabad District Jail to release an accused who had been granted bail in April in a case concerning alleged forced religious conversion linked to a marriage. A Bench comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to appoint the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Ghaziabad to conduct the inquiry. The Court stated

PATNA: In a significant move ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Bihar government has decided to issue arms licences to representatives of the three-tier panchayati raj institutions across the state. The decision follows a series of violent attacks on panchayat representatives, particularly mukhiyas (panchayat heads). The state government has directed all District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to begin processing arms licence applications from elected panchayat members. How

JAIPUR: In a major twist, the man who allegedly raped a French tourist on Monday has claimed that far from being a rapist, he was himself a victim of a Honey trap. The 29yearold man was arrested for allegedly raping the French tourist who came to Udaipur for an advertisement shoot. The accused, identified as Pushparaj alias Siddharth Ojha, a resident of Gangrar in Chittorgarh, is the owner of a casting company and has worked on films, music videos, and television serials for the past eight years

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the period of emergency 'should be kept alive in the memories' so that no one ever thinks of 'imposing dictatorial thoughts' on the country. Delivering a keynote address at an event organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the decleration of Emergency, which has named Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, Shah said the period must be remembered eternally so that the 'countrys youth and adolescents are kept aware and prepared to resist such injust

CHANDIGARH: Three people were reportedly washed away after multiple cloudbursts triggered flash floods in Himachal Pradeshs Kullu district on Tuesday, causing widespread damage to houses, roads, school buildings, and small bridges. Cloudburst incidents were reported from Jeeva Nallah and Rehla Bihal in Sainj, as well as from Shilagarh in the Gadsa area, prompting local authorities to issue alerts for nearby regions. In Rehla Bihal, one man and two women attempting to retrieve valuables from thei

RANCHI: In an unusual incident, a Royal Bengal Tiger, which entered a house at a village near state capita Ranchi on Wednesday morning, was locked inside it by the owner which was later rescued by the forest officials in the evening after more than 12 hours. According to the house owner Purandar Mahto, the big cat entered his house early in the morning at 4:30 am just after he got up to take his goats out of his house. As he stepped out of his house to tie his goats, he came face-to-face with th

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that investigative agencies cannot directly summon lawyers over matters involving their clients, calling such actions a direct threat to the administration of justice. A Bench comprising Justice K V Viswanathan and Justice N Kotiswar Singh took suo motu cognisance of the matter while hearing a plea by a lawyer who had been summoned by Gujarat police in connection with a case involving his client. Permitting the investigation agencies/police to direc

KOLKATA : Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday threw down the gauntlet to the BJP, claiming the party would fail to cross the 50-seat mark in the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Speaking at a party meeting in Satgachia, South 24 Parganas district, Banerjee said, In the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP somehow managed to win 77 seats. But in the 2026 elections, they will not cross 50. I usually do not make predictions, but when I do, by Gods

MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday called the imposition of emergency as the darkest chapter in India's post-independence history. As India marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, CM Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to all those who stood fearlessly against authoritarianism, the courageous voices who resisted injustice, and the countless heroes who sacrificed to restore the soul of our democracy. Maharashtra Government arranged the protest cum program to observe

BHOPAL: A month after a viral video showed 45-year-old part-time teacher and farmer Indra Kumar Tiwari appealing for a bride from the stage of a religious event in Madhya Pradeshs Jabalpur district, he has mysteriously gone missing. Tiwari, a resident of Padwar (Khitola) village in Jabalpur, was last seen on June 2. Before leaving, he told neighbours he was travelling to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh and would return by June 6. When he failed to return, concerned villagers reported his disa

With eyes welled up and prayers on her lips, Asha Shukla, inundated by a mixed bag of emotions, stared unblinkingly at a large screen as Axiom-4 spacecraft carrying her son, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, headed to the International Space Station on Wednesday. Seated beside her was Shubhanshus father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, smiling with pride over his sons achievement. They joined the teachers and hundreds of students to watch the historic moment at Shubhanshus alma mater -- the City Montessori

KOLKATA: Police have arrested another individual in connection with the tragic death of Class IV student Tamanna Khatun, who was killed in a bomb explosion in West Bengals Kaliganj shortly before the official declaration of Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmeds victory in the Assembly bypoll on Monday. The latest arrest of Shariful Sheikh brings the total number of arrests to five, according to police sources. Shariful was among 24 individuals named in a written complaint lodged by the victi

CHANDIGARH: The arrest of senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has triggered a fresh wave of political mudslinging in the state. Majithia, who is also the brother-in-law of SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, was taken into custody on Tuesday, prompting strong reactions from opposition parties who termed it political vendetta, while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit back, accusing critics of shielding those responsible for Punjabs drug cr

LUCKNOW: Taking cognisance of an incident in Etawah where some upper caste men allegedly assaulted a kathavachak (religious storyteller) and his associate from the Yadav community and tonsured their heads, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Etawah district police, directing the authorities to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR). The development comes a day after a video of the assault surfaced on social media and went viral. Following the incident, district po

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the proclamation of Emergency in the country 50 years ago and observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors. Reading out the resolution at a press briefing after the cabinet meeting, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said, The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary c

The Navanirman Andolan, launched by the students and middle-class in Gujarat towards the end of 1973, pulled down the state government in a matter of months. The success of that agitation would go on to spur the successful movement against Emergency that was declared 50 years ago to this day on June 25, 1975. Two key leaders involved in the agitation reshaped national politics during the period. The first was Jayaprakash (JP) Narayan, the Lok Nayak who led the people's movement against then Pri

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who recalled her grandmother's struggle during the Emergency, asking whether he will completely forget his father Madhavrao Scindia just to spread BJP's propaganda. As the Modi government marked 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' on the occasion of the anniversary of the proclamation of Emergency by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1975, Scindia recalled that his grandmother, Vijaya Raje Scindia, chose the path of

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved three major development projects, including an extension of the Pune Metro, a revised rehabilitation plan for families displaced by coal fires in Jharkhands Jharia coalfields, and the establishment of a regional centre of the International Potato Centre in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Among the approved projects is a Rs 3,626-crore extension of Pune Metro Line 2, which aims to improve urban mobility in one of Maharashtras fastest-growing citi

UDIPUR: A 29-year-old man was arrested from Chittorgarh for allegedly raping a French woman who had come to Udaipur for an advertisement shoot, officials said on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Pushparaj alias Siddharth Ojha, a resident of Gangrar in Chittorgarh, owns a casting company and has worked on films, music videos and television serials, police officials said, adding that he has been living in Udaipur for the past eight years. Pushparaj's company hired the woman for a mobile adver

CHANDIGARH: All is not well within the faction-ridden Punjab Congress following the partys defeat in the Ludhiana (West) by-election, as senior leaders Pargat Singh and Kushaldeep Dhillon have resigned from their posts as state unit vice-presidents. This comes close on the heels of former cabinet minister and party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu quitting his post. The knives are now being unsheathed within the grand old party, albeit carefully and in a calibrated manner. Both leaders have sent th