LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said providing jobs was not on the BJP government's agenda, and added that recruitment to government posts via outsourcing was an economic conspiracy against marginalised people. Yadav shared on social media platform X a newspaper clipping and an advertisement that said the posts of Tehsildar, Naib Tehsildar, Revenue Inspector and Lekhpal were being filled through outsourcing. This was a move to snatch the constitutional right of

ALIGARH (UP): Five people were killed and several injured when a bus collided with the truck on Yamuna Expressway here, police said Thursday. The incident took place in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday when the vehicles were passing through the Tappal area of the district, they said. An injured passenger told reporters that the privately operated bus was en route to Azamgarh in eastern Uttar Pradesh from Delhi's Kashmere Gate. The truck involved in the collision was carrying glass

NEW DELHI: With billionaire Gautam Adani charged in the US with alleged bribery and fraud , the Congress on Thursday said it vindicates its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the various scams involving his conglomerate. The opposition party also called for a new and credible SEBI head to be appointed to complete the securities law investigations into the Adani Mega Scam. Adani has been charged by US prosecutors over his role in an alleged years-long scheme to pay over

GEORGETOWN: Guyana and Dominica have conferred their top awards on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his exceptional contributions to the global community and efforts in strengthening bilateral ties with the two Caribbean nations. The prime minister, who is in Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation visit, was conferred 'The Order of Excellence' by Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday. Sincerely thank President Dr Irfaan Ali, for conferr

MUMBAI: Police seized 10,080 kg of silver from a truck in Maharashtra's Dhule district on the day of polling for the state assembly elections, an official said. Polling for 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra was held between 7 am and 6 pm on Wednesday. The seizure was made from the truck headed towards Nagpur under Thalner police station limits at around 6 am on Wednesday during a routine check-up, Special Inspector General of Police, Nashik, Dattatray Karale said. Poll expenditure obser

With the clock ticking at COP29 in Azerbaijan, negotiators remain locked in intense discussions over the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, struggling to resolve disputes over the scale and structure of support needed to aid vulnerable nations in their fight against climate change. Developing countries are demanding $1.3 trillion annually to address loss and damage, adapt to climate impacts, and transition to clean energy systems. However, developed nations have so far off

NEW DELHI: India and Guyana on Wednesday agreed to ramp up cooperation in areas of defence, trade, energy, pharmaceutical and agriculture as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali held extensive talks focusing on bolstering the overall relations. The two sides inked five agreements that will provide for cooperation in a range of sectors such as hydrocarbons, healthcare, culture and agriculture. In his media statement, Modi said Guyana will play a significant role

NEW DELHI: Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov on Wednesday said though there was not much ground for negotiation, Moscow is prepared to sit and talk with Kyiv, provided there is an acceptable basis for it. Alipov pointed to the completion of Ukraine Presidents tenure saying he is very much unelected. The basis should include the ground realities, interests of Russia from the security point of view and protection of Russians within Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens of Russian origin, he said. Makin

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dense to very dense fog during the night and early morning hours over parts of northwest region, including Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh, in the late night or morning hours in the next 3-4 days, which may disrupt transport and aviation operations. A low pressure area is likely to form over the southeast Bay of Bengal around November 23, which may intensify into a depression over the southwest in next two days.

NEW DELHI: A UNICEF report has made a grave projection about Indias population, forecasting that the country will have 350 million children by 2050. It highlights critical challenges India must address, such as extreme climate and environmental hazards, to ensure the well-being and rights of its younger generation. The report, titled The future of children in a changing world -- the state of the worlds children 2024 was launched in Delhi on Wednesday. It highlights three global concerning trends

PANAJI: The nine-day celebration of Indias cultural and cinematic heritage International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kick-started with the Australian film Better Man directed by Michael Gracy, in Goa on Wednesday. Better Man, is a cinematic tribute to resilience, fame, and the extraordinary life of British pop legend Robbie Williams. The gala open ceremony was graced by noted filmmakers and actors, including festival director Shekhar Kapur, Subhash Ghai and Nagarjuna. Goa Chief Minister Pram

MUMBAI: An estimated 64.72% voter turnout was recorded in the Maharashtra assembly elections on Wednesday, where the ruling BJP-led MahaYuti alliance is making a determined bid to retain power and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is hoping to continue its good showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The figures are provisional, election officials said, adding 61.74% polling was recorded in the 2019 assembly elections in the state. The Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district recorded the

LUCKNOW/CHANDIGARH/DEHRADUN: A 23-year-old Dalit woman, who had been missing since Tuesday, was found dead on in UPs Karhal assembly seat that went to bypolls on Wednesday, with her family alleging that she was killed as she refused to vote for the Samajwadi Party. A voter turnout ranging from 50 to 70% was recorded in the bypolls to 15 assembly seats spread across UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Kerala amid stray incidents of violence and complaints of irregularities and misuse of government machin

Education Minister Madan Dilawar has spiced up the education scene with a dazzling announcement! At the swanky Ek Kadam Shiksha Ki Aur event held in Kolkata, Dilawar revealed a golden opportunity for the philanthropic. Got Rs 2 crore lying around? Donate it to a government school and the school will proudly bear your name! Dilawar also invited donors to adopt schools on their terms. He even sweetened the deal, promising full government cooperation at every step. Its our dream that no girl in Ra

NEW DELHI: India has rubbished Canadian media reports suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the plot to kill Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir

LUCKNOW: Junawai town in Sambhal district in western UP witnessed a stampeded like situation on Tuesday when a large number of farmers, facing the paucity of fertiliser, assembled at Sadhan Sahkari Samiti to acquire it. The rush to secure the fertiliser led to an unruly situation where farmers of the area and nearby villages jostled each other to get the quota. The video clips of the massive crowd getting caught in a stampede-like situation went viral on social media platforms. In the meantime,

IMPHAL: As many as ten leaders from the Manipur Congress has written to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge urging him to take action against senior leader P Chidambaram over his controversial remarks on the ethnic violence in Manipur. In the now deleted post, Chidambaram had said that Centre's decision to deploy 5000 more CAPF personnel in the face of the escalating violence in the state is not the answer. It is more wisdom: acknowledging that Mr Biren Singh, the chief minister, is the cause of the

NEW DELHI: Showcasing India's disaster response readiness the Indian Army on Tuesday successfully completed the Multilateral Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise, 'Sanyukt Vimochan 2024' which was attended by international participants also. The exercise, attended by General (Gen) Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), was conducted by the Konark Corps of Southern Command of Indian Army, was conducted over two days from November 18 to 19 November at

DEHRADUN: As global warming continues to take its toll, the impact of climate change on the avian world has become increasingly apparent. Notably, 'summer visitors'a category of migratory birdsare now being observed in Nainital and its surrounding areas during November, a shift attributed to changing weather patterns and climate variability. Nainital's surrounding forests are home to a remarkable variety of birds. This November, the Broadbill, Golden Oriole, and the Collared Falconetrecognized a

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Wednesday registered an FIR naming six persons as accused and began its probe into an alleged Maharashtra bitcoin scam case amounting to Rs 6,600 crore and called one among them for questioning, officials said. The central probe agency initiated the probe following a Supreme Court order in connection with the case, they added. The CBI has alleged that two accused - Amit Bharadwaj and Ajay Bharadwaj were the mastermind in the case and they have been named in the FIR along w

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov on Wednesday said though there was not much ground Moscow is prepared to sit and talk with Kyiv, provided there is an acceptable basis for it. Making his remarks during a round table discussion, he was asked if Russia would be willing to sit across the table and talk with Ukraine to seek a resolution to this conflict. To this, the envoy said, Frankly... don't see much ground for negotiations at the moment. A

CHHATRAPATI SAMBhAJINAGAR: An independent candidate from the Beed assembly seat died when the Maharashtra polls were underway on Wednesday, a police official said. Balasaheb Shinde (43), a resident of Beed city, collapsed at the Chhatrapati Shahu Vidyalay polling booth between 2 pm and 3 pm. He was rushed to a local hospital and later to a private medical facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he lost his life during treatment, the official said. Yogesh Kshirsagar of Ajit Pawar's NCP and S

LUCKNOW: The by-poll to nine assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh witnessed a moderate 49.71 per cent voters turn out to seal the fate of 90 candidates, including 11 women, on Wednesday. According to the information shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Kundarki assembly segment in Moradabad district recorded the highest voter turnout of 57.32 per cent voter turnout, while the Ghaziabad (Sadar) seat witnessed the lowest at 33.03 per cent. Till 5 pm, Meerapur seat in Muzaffarn

RANCHI: In a major achievement, for the first time after the formation of Jharkhand, Assembly polls were conducted here without any incident of Maoist violence. The second phase of polling concluded peacefully for 38 Assembly seats in Jharkhand on Wednesday with an overall voter turnout of 67.59 %. Out of the 38 seats where polling was conducted in the second phase, BJP contested 32 and AJSU contested six seats from NDA side, while JMM contested 20, Congress 12, RJD two and CPI (ML) on four seat

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met the Defence Minister of China Admiral Dong Jun in Vientiane, Lao PDR on November on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus. This was the first meeting of the two Defence Ministers following the recent disengagement agreements and the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of BRICS summit. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in its statement highlighted the fact that ami

CHANDIGARH: A voter turnout of 63 per cent was recorded till 6 pm in the by-elections to four assembly segments in Punjab on Wednesday, according to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C. These by-polls to the Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala assembly segments were necessitated after the incumbent lawmakers were elected to the Lok Sabha. Of the four assembly segments, Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak and Chabbewal were earlier held by the Congress, and the Barnala seat by the

NEW DELHI: The brother of notorious jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol, who is wanted in India for several high-profile murder cases, has applied for political asylum in the United States following his arrest by immigration officers in that country last week. Sources indicated on Wednesday that this move might obstruct Indian agencies attempts to have him deported. Notably, Anmol was first detained and subsequently arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California for e

NEW DELHI: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here at his North Block office and apprised him of the progress made in combating naxalism in the state and expressed confidence in making the state naxal-free by March 2026. After the meeting, while interacting with media persons, the CM said that the state government and the security forces have been working relentlessly in the direction of uprooting the menace of Left-Wing-Extremism (LWE) from

KOLKATA: The West Bengal police froze around 797 bank accounts from various parts of the state in the school tablet purchase scam, arresting 22 people from various districts in this connection. According to state police it is a huge racket and investigations are on to nab others associated with the scam. They also claimed to have received inputs that many other bank accounts are involved in the scam. The cyber scam targeting West Bengal's 'Taruner Swapno' scheme, has affected 1,911 students out

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Wednesday lamented that despite a range of measures taken by it for ease of voting besides motivational campaigns, urban voters in Maharashtra continued their dismal record of low participation in cities including Mumbai, Pune and Thane. Polling for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand concluded on Wednesday with the former recording 58.22 per cent voter turnout as of 5 PM and the latter 67.59 per cent, surpassing the 67.04 per cent voting in the

CHANDIGARH: Citing that he was disappointed over the party's sectarian politics and religious issues over broader concerns affecting Punjab, former Punjab cabinet minister Anil Joshi resigned from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday. Joshi said he felt like a misfit in the party. In a strongly worded resignation letter addressed to the party's working president, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Joshi said that the Shiromani Akali kali Dal is stuck in religious and Sikh Panth issues. There is no t

MAHARASHTRA Exit polls have predicted a strong showing for the BJP-led alliance in the Maharashtra assembly elections, with several surveys projecting a clear edge over the Congress-led coalition. The ruling BJP-Sena-NCP alliance is likely to retain power in the state. The majority mark in the 288 -member assembly stands at 145 . According to P-Marq , the BJP-led coalition in Maharashtra is projected to win between 137 and 157 seats , while the Congress-led alliance is expected to secure 126 to

PANAJI: 'WAVES, the OTT platform of the public broadcaster Prasar Bharti was launched on Wednesday during the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Initially, 65 channels offering content in 10 languages including 40 live channels; news and entertainment networks, movies, TV shows, and games are available. We are planning to add programmes in in all Indian languages gradually, said chief executive officer (CEO), Prasar Bharti Gaurav Dwivedi. The platform will function on reven

AHMEDABAD: In a puzzling twist, Surats dog bite saga reached the Gujarat High Court, courtesy of the police pushing the case forward despite the possibility of bail being granted at the station. The High Court has summoned the Assistant Sub-Inspector to explain this escalation. A simmering feud between two families in Surat's Althan area over a dog bite incident has taken a legal turn. The conflict began a month and a half ago when a child was bitten by a dog, triggering complaints from both sid

MUMBAI: Three unidentified persons allegedly opened fire at Shiv Sena candidate Bhausaheb Kamble's car in Maharashtra's Shrirampur in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. The three persons riding two motorcycles targeted Kamble's car near Ashok Sugar Mills on the day of polling. The bullets, however, didn't hit the car and Kamble, a police official said. Shrirampur Police in Ahilyanagar district registered an FIR against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sa

NEW DELHI: As an expression of cultural diplomacy, former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao has been anchoring a musical journey for the past six years by bringing together an orchestra -- South Asian Symphony Foundation (SASO) -- with nationals from different countries. The concerts are organised under the name 'Peace Notes'. It is an expression of cultural diplomacy as arts and music is apolitical. Throughout my career, I have been handling issues concerning India and its relations with its

CHANDIGARH: The US Immigration Department had last week detained 26-year-old Anmol Bishnoi alias Bhanu younger brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in California as one of his travel documents was reportedly found to be forged. He had reportedly fled India using fake documents. He is likely to be first handed over to the Canadian authorities in connection with the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He is also facing more than 32 criminal cases registered against him

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday ordered the suspension of a police personnel for violating guidelines on voter ID checks during the Uttar Pradesh bypolls. This follows serious allegations from both the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding voter suppression and irregularities at polling stations. The Samajwadi Party accused police personnel of preventing voters from casting their ballots, particularly in areas like Muzaffarnagar. SP president Akhilesh Yadav ur

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at the Chhattisgarh premises of Gaurav Mehta, allegedly linked to a bitcoin transactions case in poll-bound Maharashtra, official sources said. The searches are being conducted as part of an ongoing money laundering probe. The locations of Mehta in Chhattisgarh's capital city Raipur are being covered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. #WATCH | Raipur, Chhattisgarh: The Enforc

MAINPURI: The body of a 23-year-old girl was found in the Karhal assembly constituency in Mainpuri on the day of by-poll voting, police said on Wednesday. According to the police, the victim has been missing for two days. Her body was found in a sack in the Karhal area on Wednesday. Mainpuri Superintendent of Police (SP), Vinod Kumar told ANI that victim's family has alleged political motives behind the crime. The body of a 23-year-old girl from Karhal was found this morning. A case has been reg

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said, Our civilization is unique in the world, more than 5,000 years old. It reflects our belief in seeing divinity, sublimity, and spirituality in Divyangjan. Speaking as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Bocce and Bowling Competition at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, Dhankhar further stated, Through these games, we are celebrating something very important inclusion and dignity for specially-abl

PANAJI: Police have arrested a 23-year-old man on charges of sexually harassing a woman co-passenger on a flight from Delhi to Goa, officials said on Wednesday. The alleged incident took place between 11 am and 1.20 pm on Tuesday on board the Air India flight, as per the FIR. The 28-year-old woman, resident of Janakpuri in New Delhi, told the police that when the plane was airborne, the man, who was sitting on the seat next to her, pulled over a blanket and allegedly started indulging in objecti

JAIPUR: The administration of Khairthal-Tijara district in Rajasthan has announced that all schools will hold online classes for students of classes 1 to 5 for four days starting Wednesday in view of alarmingly high pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. The order was issued by District Collector Kishore Kumar on Tuesday following the Supreme Court's directions to all states in the Delhi-NCR area to decide on conducting physical classes for students up to class 12 amid the dire situation. Khairthal-Tija

The BJP on Wednesday intensified its attack on Maharashtra opposition leaders Supriya Sule and Nana Patole for their alleged involvement in using bitcoins illegally to fund elections and claimed their roles will surface during the probe. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also targeted Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and asked the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to hold a press conference on the issue. In a press conference, Patra rejected the opposition's claim that the BJP was

Guwahati: A surge of activity was witnessed in the markets of Imphal East, Imphal West, and Kakching districts in Manipurs Imphal valley on Wednesday as the curfew was relaxed from 5 am to 10 am. The curfew was relaxed following a partial improvement in the overall law and order situation. It had been imposed indefinitely on November 16 in response to widespread mob violence during which the homes and properties of over a dozen legislators, including a minister, were either burnt, vandalized, or

NAGPUR: With the Maharashtra assembly polls underway on Wednesday, the young voters and first time electors in Nagpur appreciated the infrastructure development here, but raised concern over lack of job avenues and inflation. Some of them also raised the issue of women's security. Several youths flocked to the polling booths in Nagpur, located in the state's Vidarbha region, from early morning to exercise their democratic right. First-time voter Manswi Admane, an engineering student, carried a p

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the BJP and its allies have started to distance themselves from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Batenge toh Katenge slogan. Yadav termed the slogan -- given by Adityanath in a call apparently to Hindus to stay united -- as unconstitutional and the most negative in the history of the country. Addressing a gathering in the Bakshi Ka Talab area here, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, The chief minister's slogan

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the upcoming Winter Session, the third session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday inspected arrangements and facilities within the Parliament House complex. Accompanied by officials, Birla began his inspection by reviewing the Lok Sabha chamber, corridors, lobbies, waiting rooms, media facilities, and other key areas. He directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat to ensure that all arrangements meet the required standards for the upcoming session. The Winter Session i

IMPHAL: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh expressed grief over the killing of six people by suspected Kuki militants last week and asserted that his government would not rest until the culprits are brought to justice. He said search operations were underway for the killers of three women and three children whose bodies were recovered from a river in Jiribam district last week. The chief minister also said the killing of women and children is a crime against humanity. Singh, in a video message

MUMBAI: BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde on Wednesday dismissed the allegations of distributing money to influence voters, saying he was well aware of the rules and not foolish to indulge in such an activity at the hotel of political opponents. Hours before the assembly polls, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur on Tuesday accused Tawde of distributing Rs 5 crore at a hotel in Virar, 60 km from Mumbai, to woo voters. Amid claims by BVA leaders that Rs 5 crore cash was distributed,