The New Indian Express News

SUKMA: Three Naxalites, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Thursday, police said. The exchange of fire broke out in the morning on a forested hill under the Golapalli police station area when a team of District Reserve Guard was out on a search operation based on inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the area, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan told PTI. The bodies of three Naxalites, including a woman, have

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police have seized a Lamborghini car after its driver was found running it at a breakneck speed of 252 kilometres per hour on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in the city, officials have said. The incident took place on December 12, and a case has been registered against the car driver, who is yet to be identified, after a video showing the reckless act surfaced, they said on Wednesday. The video, shot inside the luxury sports car, shows its speedometer touching 252 kmph, while it wa

Following the cancellation of the fourth T20I between India and South Africa due to poor visibility caused by dense smog at the Ekana Stadium, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said Lucknows official air quality index (AQI) stood at 174, categorised as moderate. The state government cautioned the public against relying on air quality figures circulated on social media and private applications, terming many of them misleading and non-standardised. In an official statement, the government

NEW DELHI : Dense fog conditions that could cause poor visibility may impact flight operations at Delhi and some airports in Northern and Eastern India over the next few days. The fog impact was minimal on Thursday, with ten flights cancelled from Indira Gandhi International Airport, including one international flight. A total of 69 flights suffered delays of multiple hours, and many of them could eventually be added to the cancelled list, said a spokesperson at Delhi airport. In an official sta

NEW DELHI: Indias largest domestic airline chose profitability over the suffering of lakhs of its domestic passengers during its recent operational crisis. From December 1 to 9, IndiGo triggered a massive aviation disruption by cancelling nearly 4,290 domestic flights, impacting passengers across the country. The startling reality, however, is that despite citing multiple issues for the meltdown, the airline cancelled only 60 international flights during the nine-day period. The primary reason w

Asias longest ski drag lift and revolving restaurant at an altitude of 4,390 metres have been thrown open for visitors in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg in J&K. CM Omar Abdullah inaugurated the lift, measuring 726 metres, at Kongdoori built at a cost of Rs 3.65 crore. The worlds highest revolving restaurant at an altitude of 4,390 meters on Apharwat Peak in Gulmarg was also thrown open for visitors by the CM. Built at a cost of Rs 86 lakh, the revolving restaurant offers visitors panoram

MUMBAI: The BJP said on Wednesday that it will not have a tie-up with its MahaYuti ally NCP for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as Deputy CM Ajit Pawars party has named Nawab Malik, an accused in a money laundering case linked to gangster Dawood Ibrahims aides, as the poll in-charge. We have been opposing Nawab Malik who faces serious charges related to money laundering and underworld links with Haseena Parker. Malik cannot be endorsed by the BJP, senior BJP minister Ashis

NEW DELHI: Mounting a sharp attack on the proposed legislation to replace MGNREGA, the Opposition parties on Wednesday accused the government of weakening the rights-based welfare scheme and for attempting to erase Mahatma Gandhis legacy. Initiating the debate on Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-G RAM G), Congress MP from Haryana, Jai Prakash, said the proposed law will create fresh financial liabilities for the states and deprive grassroots-level bodies

NEW DELHI: The Congress and the BJP traded sharp blows on Wednesday after a Delhi trial court declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorates complaint in the National Herald case, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling it a victory of truth and the ruling party insisting the case is very much alive. The court on Tuesday declined to take cognisance of EDs money laundering charges against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others. Kharge said the order vindicated the Con

NEW DELHI: Marking the first-ever visit of an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship to the port of Chabahar ICGS Sarthak, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, entered the Chabahar port in Islamic Republic of Iran. The ship is on a four-day visit from 16-19 December 2025 to Iran. Chabahar is a strategically placed deep-water port that offers India a direct maritime gateway to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. ICG on Wednesday said that the visit underscores Indias growing maritime engagement in the region and ab

JAIPUR: Amid fears and tensions, the grand Mahapanchayat of farmers protesting against the proposed ethanol factory in Hanumangarh passed off peacefully on Wednesday. The Mahapanchayat demanded the closure of Asia's largest ethanol factory being planned in Rathikhera village of the Tibbi area. After talks between farmer leaders and the district administration, the farmers' body called off the protest for the moment, but it has issued a 20-day ultimatum to the Rajasthan government to announce the

PATNA: Uncertainty prevails over AYUSH doctor, Nusrat Parveen, joining the government service. Nusrat Parveen's hijab was pulled down by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar during the distribution of appointment letters to newly appointed AYUSH, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic doctors at a government function in Patna on December 15. She is determined not to join the service. However, all family members, including me, are trying to convince her otherwise. We are telling her that it is the fault of the other person

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday commented on the fourth T20 International between India and South Africa being abandoned in Lucknow due to dense smog, suggesting the match should have been scheduled in Thiruvananthapuram instead of a north Indian city grappling with severe air pollution. The match was called off without a ball being bowled after visibility at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium was badly affected by a thick blanket of smog on Wednesday ev

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a sharply divided debate on the governments Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill. Opposition parties warned that it opens the door to risky privatisation of a sensitive sector, while ruling coalition MPs strongly defended the legislation as essential for energy security, investment and long-term growth. Leading the Opposition charge, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the Bill as a dangerou

NEW DELHI: Senior aviation officials and IndiGo Chief Operating Officer (COO) Isidro Porqueras on Wednesday appeared before the parliamentary panel examining the recent air traffic disruptions. The panel found the replies of the airline and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) unsatisfactory, evasive and unconvincing, sources said. According to the sources, before fixing the onus for the chaos that left thousands of travellers stranded across the country's airports, the Parliamentary Sta

NEW DELHI: In a planned move to carry out modernisation and capability enhancement, the Indian Navy on Wednesday commissioned a Squadron of MH-60R Helicopters at INS Hansa, Goa, the first operational squadron on the Western Seaboard. The Indian Navy said, These helicopters will significantly augment the Indian Navys integral aviation capabilities on the Western Seaboard. The squadron, named Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 335 (Ospreys), was commissioned in the presence of Admiral Dinesh K Tripa

NEW DELHI: Former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday said that a degree of restraint was necessary for judges while pronouncing verdicts, as something he had once said during the proceedings, in a lighter vein, was blown out of proportion. The former CJI was responding to questions during a panel discussion in the Lokmat National Conclave 2025. While deciding the matters, it is I feel necessary that the judges must exercise restraint. A degree of restraint is very necessary because wh

DHAKA: Police stopped a group of protesters marching towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka's Gulshan area on Wednesday afternoon, demanding the return of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others who fled during and after the July uprising last year, according to The Daily Star. The protest followed threats against Indian diplomats, prompting India to summon Bangladesh's envoy. The MEA said it expects the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in

BHOPAL:In a chilling incident, a newborn female child was found dead in the commode of the toilet at the Civil Hospital in Parasia town of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh. The incident was reported on Monday night, when a sanitary staff member proceeded to clean the toilet. The flush was choked. On checking the commode, she found the hand of the newborn baby stuck inside. Immediately, the other staff of the hospital were called on to retrieve the body. The newborns body was extricated afte

CHANDIGARH: Aishdeep Singh, the mastermind behind the murder of 30-year-old kabaddi player-cum-promoter Kanwar Digvijay Singh alias Rana Balachauria, was arrested on Wednesday by the Punjab Police from the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi. Meanwhile, another key accused in the case Harpinder Middhi was killed in an encounter at Lalru near here in which two police personnel also sustained injuries. Police said the tussle between different gangsters over the organisation of kabaddi tou

Hazardous air quality, dense smog and a spike in respiratory illnesses have become a grim winter routine for Delhi. As the national capital chokes under severe air quality for much of the week, Chinas capital, once derided as the worlds smog capital, has emerged as a contrasting case study, and Beijing is now offering its playbook. In an extensive post on X, Chinese embassy spokesperson Yu Jing shared a step-by-step account of how Beijing curbed air pollution over the past decade, accompanied by

SRINAGAR: In a major logistics breakthrough, the Indian Army has successfully inducted tanks, artillery guns and engineering equipment into the Kashmir Valley through a special military train, significantly enhancing its operational preparedness in the region. The Indian Army achieved a major logistics milestone on 16 December with the induction of tanks and artillery guns into the Kashmir Valley by a Military Special Train, the Armys Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI)

LUCKNOW: In response to the Hijab controversy created by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party national spokesperson and daughter of noted poet late Munawwar Rana, Sumaiyya Rana, submitted a written complaint at Lucknow's Kaiserbagh police station against CM and UP fisheries minister Sanjay Nishad, seeking legal action over their alleged objectionable conduct and remarks. In her complaint, Sumaiyya Rana cited social media visuals showing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar trying to remove a womans hijab whi

NEW DELHI: After completing the first phase of the three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal with the publication of the draft electoral rolls on Tuesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will now focus on strict monitoring of the hearings on claims and objections, scheduled to begin next week. Sources in the ECI said that, in view of large-scale irregular voters data detected during progeny mapping, where, in several cases, the age difference between father and child was

NEW DELHI: Concerned about the negative global perception of the National Capital due to ongoing severe air pollution, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, chaired a high-level meeting to completely ban demolition works in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the peak pollution period, improve last-mile public transport, and address encroachments. The minister asked all agencies to work in mission mode to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in the air quality index over the next year. He emphasized t

LUCKNOW: Police have filed chargesheets in three more cases against Ittehad-e-Millat Council president Tauqeer Raza, the main accused in the September 26, 2025 violence in Bareilly district, officials said on Wednesday. With this, chargesheets have now been filed in seven of the 10 cases registered in connection with the incident, while investigations are under way in the remaining three cases. Raza, a cleric, has been named as an accused in all the cases. As per Bareilly Senior Superintendent o

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court has upheld the life imprisonment sentence handed down to software engineer Rajesh Gulati, convicted for the brutal murder of his wife, Anupama Gulati. A division bench comprising Justice Ravindra Mathani and Justice Alok Mahra dismissed Gulati's appeal on Wednesday, affirming the lower court's judgment that found him guilty of killing his spouse and subsequently dismembering her body. The sensational case dates back to 2010, revolving around the relationship

MATHURA: The death toll in the multi-vehicle pile-up that has killed 13 people on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura may rise further as several severely burnt human remains are yet to be identified, officials said on Wednesday. The identities of five victims of the accident, which took place on Tuesday morning, have been established so far. Many bodies were charred beyond recognition, making identification virtually impossible at this stage, officials said, adding that they were relying on DNA te

LUCKNOW: Following the Yamuna Expressway accident, which claimed 13 lives in the Mathura stretch, UP CM Yogi Adityanath reviewed expressway safety with NHAI and state highway officials on Wednesday. He ordered stricter measures to avert any such incident in future under foggy conditions. CM directed the authorities concerned to increase patrolling, field inspections, deployment of teams at all black spots, installation of reflectors, and 247 availability of cranes and ambulances on expressways.

KOLKATA: A third tigress has died within three months at the city's Alipore Zoological Garden on Wednesday, raising questions about the medical care provided to animals at the facility. According to sources at the zoo, the sub-adult Royal Bengal tigress was suffering from an infection by a haemoprotozoan parasite and admitted to an animal hospital in the city where she died. She would have completed three years in February. The tigress was born at Nandankanan in Odisha and brought to the Alipore

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has set aside a Rajasthan High Court order that directed the wife of a software engineer, accused of raping a woman on a false pretext of marriage, to be present in the country if he wishes to travel abroad for a job. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe took on record an undertaking given by the man that he would attend every hearing via video-conferencing. Advocate Ashwani Dubey, appearing in the court on behalf of the engineer, submitted that his clien

DEHRADUN: In a tragic turn of events, senior journalist Pankaj Mishra died following a physical altercation with a colleague stemming from a social media post. Mishra, a resident of Doon Vihar, Jakhan, in Dehradun, passed away late on Monday night, prompting police action and concern among the media fraternity. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed his condolences over the journalist's death and ordered an impartial inquiry into the incident. A post-mortem examination of Mishras body

NEW DELHI: Portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees are now on display at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated the Param Vir Dirgha (Gallery) at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 16, coinciding with Vijay Diwas. The portraits of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees have now replaced the previously displayed portraits of 96 British Aide-de-Camps (ADCs). In an official statement, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, The Gallery, which displays portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra

NEW DELHI: The Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill seeking to repeal or amend 71 obsolete and outdated laws with a view to enhancing ease of living for citizens. Piloting the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said it aimed at removing outdated laws, correcting errors that had crept in during the law-making process and removing discriminatory aspects of certain laws. The Bill was passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha. It was earlier ap

The Supreme Court on Wednesday tightened restrictions on older vehicles in Delhi-NCR amid severe air pollution, modifying its earlier order to say that only BS-IV and above vehicles would be exempt from coercive action. Notably, the top court, in its order on August 12, had earlier directed that no action be taken against 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in the region. On Wednesday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued a slew of directions and asked the NHAI and th

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday expressed concern over the decline in manufacturing in India while stressing that manufacturing is the ackbone of strong economies. The Congress leader made the remarks after visiting BMW Welt and the BMW Plant in Munich, as part of his visit to Germany. Sharing visuals of the guided tour at the manufacturing plant, Gandhi wrote in a post on Instagram, Had the chance to experience BMW's world in Munich, Germany with a guided tour of BM

RANCHI: A herd of wild elephants went on a rampage in the Ghatto OP area of Jharkhands Ramgarh district, around 40 km from the state capital Ranchi, killing at least four people, including two women, within a few hours between Tuesday and Wednesday. The back-to-back attacks by the herd, which is said to comprise 42 elephants, triggered widespread panic among residents of several villages in the area. Those killed have been identified as Amit Rajwar (33), Amul Mahto (35), Parvati Devi (40) and Sa

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Culture on Wednesday clarified that 51 cartons of Nehru papers were sent to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in 2008 and hence remain untraceable. The Ministry, few days ago, informed the Lok Sabha that no documents related to Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were found to be missing from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML). Vide letter dated 29.04.2008 Shri M V Rajan, representative of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, requested that Smt. Gandhi wishes to take back

PATNA: The Bihar government has ordered an investigation into the alleged transfer of Rs 10,000 each into the bank accounts of some male members instead of women entrepreneurs under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna ahead of the recently concluded state Assembly elections. The beneficiaries have been served notices asking them to return the amounts wrongly credited to their bank accounts. The beneficiaries, however, are reluctant to return the money, claiming they have already spent it. Bihar

KOLKATA: The opposition BJP on Wednesday alleged that the state has been suffering from deindustrialisation since the Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, came to power in the state in 2011. The Bengal BJP unit today released a booklet, 'West Bengal: Industrialisation graveyard', on the industrialisation scenario in the state, hardly 24 hours before the state government organised Business and Industry Conclave in the city on 18 December, showcasing its industrial investment

NEW DELHI: Opposition MPs Wednesday strongly pitched for sending the nuclear energy bill moved by the government to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations while members from the ruling coalition wholeheartedly supported the legislation saying it will prove helpful in making the country energy sufficient. Participating in the debate on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill , which seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear

AHMEDABAD: As many as 10 private schools in Ahmedabad received an email on Wednesday threatening bomb blasts, which later turned out to be a hoax as nothing suspicious was found during searches, police said. As a precautionary measure, these schools declared a holiday for the afternoon shift as the morning shift was already over when they received the emails, having a common text, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 1, Harshad Patel said. After being alerted, police, along with the bomb detectio

PATNA: A Pakistan-based underworld don has triggered a controversy by objecting to the removal of a woman doctors hijab by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during an official function held in the state capital on Monday. The underworld don, Shahzad Bhatti, has demanded an apology from the Chief Minister over the incident. In a video message circulated on social media, Shahzad questioned how a man at the helm of affairs could behave in such a manner with a Muslim woman at a public function. He s

VARANASI: The saint community on Wednesday expressed strong resentment over the Varanasi Municipal Corporation issuing attachment notices to several mutts and temples in the city over pending tax dues. Calling it unprecedented, Mahant Balak Devacharya of Patalpuri Mutt said that a number of monasteries and temples in Kashi have been served attachment notices earlier this week for arrears of house tax, water tax and sewer tax. This was probably the first time in the country's history that mutts a

After days of protests, the Opposition MPs on Wednesday decided not to cooperate during the passage of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VBG Ram G Bill) in the Lok Sabha. According to sources, the Opposition MPs will stage a walkout during the passage of the Bill. The decision was taken at a meeting of the INDIA blocs floor leaders on Wednesday. All constituent parties of the INDIA alliance, except Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) was pres

JAIPUR: An air of high tension and uncertainty prevails in Rajasthans Hanumangarh district as hundreds of farmers have begun gathering for a large Mahapanchayat to protest against a proposed ethanol factory in the area. Farmers who clashed with the police last week over the issue have stepped up their agitation after talks with the administration failed. A large Mahapanchayat has been called on Wednesday at the grain market in Hanumangarh Junction. The gathering was initially planned outside the

MUMBAI: Upholding the junior court order , the Nasik District Session court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against the Maharashtra sports minister and NCP MLA, Manikrao Kokate for cheating and forgery to obtain two apartments under the chief minister's 10 per cent housing quota. The Nasik session court on Tuesday upheld the order of the First Class court byconfirming the two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for falsifying the income proof documents to get apartments. Maharashtra

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner, M Riaz Hamidullah, and expressed concern regarding the deteriorating security environment in the neighbouring country and the recent anti-India remarks made by a political leader. The Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, was today summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs and apprised of Indias strong concerns at the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, the ministry said in

NEW DELHI: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Tuesday called for a national mission in India to ensure consistent mother-tongue or home language- based instruction in the country. There needs to be multilingual bridging across all schooling systems, it urged. Making public its 165-page report, `Bhasha Matters: The State of the Education Report for India 2025; Mother Tongue and Multilingual Education at its office in Delhi, it came out with ten recommenda

DARBHANGA/PATNA: Officials of the Bihar government are facing difficulties in recovering Rs 10,000 allegedly credited to male villagers under a cash-transfer scheme meant exclusively for women in the state's Darbhanga district. A group of male villagers whose bank accounts received Rs 10,000 each have already spent the money, some during Chhath Puja and Diwali, while others purchased ducks and goats and are now unwilling or unable to return the amount. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched t