The New Indian Express News

MUMBAI: Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the BJP is planning an alliance with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as the Thackeray brothers have joined forces. Sources said the BJP had prepared to contest all 227 seats on its own and regain power, but decided to negotiate a deal with Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena has been offered 78 seats, while the BJP will contest 140 seats; RPI (A) will be offered the seats from the BJPs quota. Our leadership in Delhi did

MUMBAI: Amid the buzz over the likely merger of Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and nephew Ajit Pawar-led NCP , speculations are also on the rise regarding an old 'agreement' that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will handle state politics while Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule will be in-charge of party matters at the national-level. Highly placed sources said veteran NCP SP leader Sharad Pawars Rajya Sabha tenure will end in April 2026, and after that the 85-year-old is likely to announce his r

NEW DELHI: More than three decades after he was terminated from his job at the Jaipur Ashoka hotel over allegations of misconduct, the Supreme Court on Friday reinstated and restored the partial back wages of Dinesh Chandra Sharma, who unfortunately did not live to see the verdict that followed years of legal fight. The case was fought in the top court by Sharma's legal heirs after his death. Pronouncing the verdict, a two-judge benchof the apex court, headed by Justice Manoj Misra and comprisin

GUWAHATI: The Assam government, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and the representatives of Karbi community will jointly approach the Gauhati High Court to resolve issues pertaining to village grazing grounds (VGRs) and professional grazing grounds (PGRs) in the councils areas. Emerging from a meeting with the KAAC and the Karbi leaders, Sarma said, The council will file an affidavit before the court by January 5. The Karbi representatives will also file an affidavit. We have decided

NEW DELHI: A four member panel constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to look into the operational disruptions of IndiGo airlines, submitted its report to the Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday evening. According to multiple sources, the contents of the reports has not been made public as it is confidential. The committee, constituted on December 5, was given a fortnight to submit its report. However, it has taken a week longer than the deadline. The cancellation of over

NEW DELHI: The sudden clearance to operate in Indian skies given to two airlines that had been awaiting the nod for nearly a year appears to be a strong message from the Centre in light of the disruption caused by Indias largest domestic carrier IndiGo from December 1 to 9. The two new airlines are Kozhikode-based Alhind and Hyderabad-headquartered FlyExpress, while Shank Air, based in Uttar Pradesh, was also given the nod last year and plans to begin operations in 2026. Aviation professionals a

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday approached the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order suspending the jail sentence and granting bail to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The agency had earlier said that it will immediately challenge the order in the top court, amid protests by the rape survivor and family. The CBI filed a Special Leave Petition in the apex court against the order of the high court, officials said. It was decid

LUCKNOW: As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter list in Uttar Pradesh comes to an end on Friday, 2.89 crore names out of the total 15.44 crore will be deleted from the draft electoral rolls. Though the SIR deadline had already been extended twice, the details of 2.89 crore voters (approximately 19%) were not collected. According to sources, among the 2.89 crore voters whose names will be deleted, 1.26 crore have migrated, 46 lakh are deceased, 23.70 lakh are duplicates, 83.73 lakh are

DEHRADUN: The alleged involvement of BJP office-bearer Dushyant Kumar Gautam in the Ankita Bhandari murder case has caused significant embarrassment for the party in Uttarakhand. The controversy stems from claims made in an audio clip allegedly featuring Urmila Sanawar, which has surfaced amid the ongoing investigation into the tragic killing of the Vanantara Resort receptionist. In response to the circulating material, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, BJP National General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-cha

DEHRADUN: New research indicates a significant snow drought across the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, with specific findings from Dehraduns Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) pointing to alarming melt rates in key Uttarakhand glaciers. The combined analysis, incorporating data from IIT Jammu and IIT Mandi focusing on the entire HKH belt between 1999 and 2016, suggests that winter snowfall is decreasing, and the snow that does fall is melting too quickly. The WIHG study mirrors these

RAIPUR: A deceased woman's family was forced to 'reconvert' to Hinduism after locals objected to her burial allegedly according to Christian customs in Borai village of Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district. The latest incident comes just a few days after communal clashes broke out due to a dispute over a 'Christian burial' in Amabeda village of Kanker district. Locals claimed that the deceased woman, Punia Sahu (65), supposedly converted to Christianity and had been attending prayers at the Church.

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched two updated databases of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) --the Organised Crime Network Database and the Weapons Database for lost, looted & recovered arms. He was inaugrating a two-day 'Counter-Terrorism Conference' organised by the agency. In his inaugral address, Shah stated that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity and everyone must work together to defeat it. Under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of zero-tol

CHANDIGARH: Resident doctors of the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Saturday against the termination of senior resident Dr Raghav Narula who was dismissed from service for allegedly assaulting a patient at the hospital on Monday. All routine services, elective operation theatres and outpatient departments will remain closed during the strike. Only emergency services will remain functional at the hospital. After talks with Himachal Pr

GORAKHPUR: Uttar Pradesh Police detained two people after a Class 11 student was shot dead following a dispute at a school playground here on Friday afternoon, police said. Additional forces have been deployed to maintain law and order in the area, they said, adding that two accused are absconding. The incident occurred at around 1.00 pm on the premises of Co-operative Inter College in Pipraich, police said. According to eyewitnesses, the victim, Sudhir Bharti, was at the playground when an argu

PATNA: An under-construction ropeway in Bihars Rohtas district caved in on Friday, bringing the project to a grinding halt. The ropeway was scheduled to be opened for tourists on New Years Day, January 1, 2026. Hundreds of tourists and devotees throng Rohtas Fort and the famous Chaurasan temple on New Years Day. Many also visit the Rohitashv temple to offer prayers. Pillars and trolleys of the ropeway were damaged in the incident. However, there were no reports of any casualties or injuries. The

LUCKNOW: Two sisters battling depression and distressed over their pet dog's illness have allegedly died by suicide after consuming phenyl at their home here, police said on Friday. The incident occurred in the Doda Kheda-Jalalpur area in the state capital. The deceased have been identified as Radha Singh (26) and her younger sister Jiya Singh (22), they said. According to the police, information was received from a local private hospital around 2.30 pm on Wednesday that two sisters had been adm

JAIPUR: Despite the Centre's assurance that no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli range, the political controversy over the protection of the ancient mountain system continues to intensify in Rajasthan. On Friday, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) organised a protest march in Jaipur as part of its campaign to save the Aravallis. The march was attended by Congress National General Secretary Sachin Pilot and NSUI state president Vinod Jakhar. Sachin Pilots son, Arhaan Pilo

KOLKATA: TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday launched a scathing reproval of the ight-wing forces of the country, accusing them of deliberately poisoning India's climate through hate-mongering in the garb of religion. Banerjee tagged an archived video clip of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, flanked by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, making a speech on the need of the ruling dispensation to observe aj dharma without discriminating against people on the basis

MUMBAI: Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Friday met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray here to discuss a possible alliance between the two parties for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with just a few days left for nomination filing to end. The meeting, which took place at Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Bandra, lasted around two hours. It comes two days after Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray forged an alli

NEW DELHI: The Unnao rape survivor on Friday said she will not be intimidated by the suspension of the life sentence of convict Kuldeep Sengar and asserted that she has lind faith in the Supreme Court, which she will approach for justice. Speaking to PTI, the survivor said she had gone to the protest outside the High Court to publicly question the message being sent to women of the country. Asserting her right to raise questions as a citizen, she said, It is my right and the right of the public

PATNA: A man has been arrested in Bihars Gopalganj district for allegedly marrying three different women within a span of three years, after his first and second wives lodged complaints of domestic violence and dowry harassment with the police. The accused, Pintu Barnawal, 35, a resident of Gauroop Ismael village, was taken into custody after complaints were filed at the Mirganj police station. While admitting that he married all three women, Pintu denied the allegations levelled against him. Th

The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, a UK-based radical Islamic preacher from Uttar Pradeshs Azamgarh, the agency said on Friday. As per available records, Khan was appointed as an assistant teacher in a government-aided madrasa in 1984. He acquired British citizenship in 2013. However, it is alleged that he continued to draw a salary from 2013 to 2017, despite neither being an Indian citizen nor actively discharging teaching dutie

CHANDIGARH: Ten-year-old Shravan Singh from Tara Wali village in Mamdot block is located along the Indo-Pak international border in Punjabs Ferozepur district. He was honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar 2026 by President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday for his extraordinary courage, compassion and patriotism. The award, the countrys highest civilian honour for children, was conferred on Veer Bal Diwas. Shravan had served water, lassi, milk and tea to Army jawans during Operation Sindoor as

AHMEDABAD: After 33 years, Gujarat has officially reclaimed its 'Tiger State' identity as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) confirmed the permanent presence of a tiger in Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary in Dahod district. Gujarat has quietly but decisively scripted a historic turnaround in Indias wildlife and political narrative, with the NTCA confirming the permanent presence of a tiger and restoring the states long-lost Tiger State status after more than three decades. The confirm

AHMEDABAD: What began as a dream of well-paying foreign jobs has turned into a horrifying ordeal for more than 100 youths from Gujarat, who are now trapped in Myanmar after falling victim to an international cyber-scam racket. Lured by fake data-entry job offers promising easy work and attractive salaries, these young menmany from Vadodara districts Savli and Desar talukaswere sent abroad by agents posing as legitimate recruiters. However, soon after reaching Myanmar, the reality turned nightmar

NEW DELHI: India on Friday said it flagged its concerns to the US over cancellation of pre-scheduled H1B visa interviews of large numbers of Indian applicants and that both sides are engaged on the issue. The interviews of thousands of H-1B visa applicants slated from the middle of this month in India have been abruptly postponed by several months to scrutinise their social media posts and online profiles. Some of the applicants, whose visa appointments were scheduled last week, received e-mails

India on Friday strongly condemned the latest killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh, calling a spate of recent attacks on members of the minority community worrisome and warning that such violence cannot be ignored. Reacting to the developments, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had taken serious note of the incidents across the border. The Ministry of External Affairs said the attacks cannot be brushed aside, condemned the violence against Hindus, and expresse

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 20 children for their exceptional achievements in the fields of Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art & Culture and Science & Technology at a ceremony held in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, she congratulated the recipients of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar and said the award winning children have brought pride to their families, communities, and the entire country. President Mur

LUCKNOW: The newly appointed state BJP unit chief, Pankaj Chaudhury, cautioned party lawmakers against holding caste-based gatherings, calling them against the partys values and constitution. He also warned that any such endeavour in the future would be considered an act of indiscipline. Chaudhurys statement, issued late on Thursday night, came two days after some BJP lawmakers, including MLAs and MLCs from the Brahmin community, assembled for a dinner in the state capital, Lucknow. According to

KANPUR: Four staff members of a private school here have been booked for alleged mental harassment of an eight-year-old boy after accusing him of stealing a pen, police said on Friday. The incident came to light after the Class 2 student began displaying signs of being disturbed, by writing Help in his books and the walls of his house and crying in his sleep, according to a complaint filed by the boy's parents. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered on December 23 against four staff memb

KOLKATA: An association of hoteliers in West Bengal has decided to temporarily stop providing accommodation to Bangladeshis in and around Siliguri in view of political turmoil in the neighbouring country. According to a recent notice issued by the Greater Siliguri Hoteliers Welfare Association, the decision was linked to incidents that have strained India-Bangladesh relations, including alleged disrespect towards the Indian flag and provocative statements by a section of Bangladeshi citizens. Th

AGARTALA: Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen died at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Friday, officials said here. Sen was 72. He was the MLA from the Dharmanagar assembly constituency in North Tripura. Sen was undergoing treatment at the hospital in the southern city after he suffered a massive cerebral stroke, the officials said. The veteran leader is survived by his wife, one son and one daughter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the Speaker and recalled Sen's effor

NEW DELHI: Airports across the country have recorded a 7% increase in passenger traffic during November 2025 as compared to the same month last year, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Air Traffic data for last month has just been released by the Authority. Over 3.79 crore flyers were recorded in the country last month, of which a little over three crore were domestic flyers. The overall international growth in the month was 7.5% (70,60,493 vs 65,69,934) while the domestic grow

NEW DELHI: A protest was held outside the Delhi High Court here on Friday against the suspension of the sentence of Kuldeep Sengar , who was convicted in the Unnao rape case. The protesters, holding placards, raised slogans such as 'Balatkariyo ko sanrakshan dena band kro' (stop protecting rapists) in support of the Unnao rape survivor. Women activists from the All India Democratic Women's Association participated in the protest along with activist Yogita Bhayana and the survivor's mother. Speak

NEW DELHI: India is not only the diabetes capital of the world but is also fast emerging as the diabetic retinopathy capital, experts warned, while attributing the rise in this vision-threatening condition to poor awareness among both doctors and the public. According to experts, currently, 85% of diabetic patients are unaware that diabetes can impact vision and have never undergone a retinal examination. Concerned about the rise in diabetic retinopathy (DR) cases, experts from across the countr

The Union government on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that a court order to reduce GST rates on air purifiers would open a Pandoras box, as it heard a plea seeking a rate cut and their classification as medical devices amid worsening pollution in the national capital. A vacation bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar directed the Centre to file a detailed response to the petition within 10 days and listed the matter for further hearing on January 9. Additional Solicitor General (

Congress leaders on Friday paid tribute to former prime minister Manmohan Singh on his first death anniversary, saying his humility, honesty and legacy would continue to inspire future generations. Singh, who died last year at the age of 92, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam for five terms from 1991, including during his 10-year tenure as prime minister . He also served as finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao-led government and as the RBI governor between 1982 and 1985. Describing Si

JAIPUR: Three people, including the CEO of a private IT company, have been arrested for alleged gangrape of a female manager of the company after a birthday party in Rajasthan's Udaipur, police said on Friday. According to police, the accused CEO, Jitesh Sisodia, had organised a party on his birthday last Saturday, in which the manager was also a guest. The other accused in the case were a female executive head of the company and her husband Gaurav Sirohi of Meerut. All the three accused were ar

RANCHI: Intensified movement of wild elephants along forest-fringed railway sections under Chakaradharpur Railway Division has once again disrupted the operation of trains. In the wake of frequent movement of wild elephants, Chakradharpur Railway Division has cancelled 18 local trains for the next four days from December 25 to 28. Notably, this is the third time in the last 10 days that the Chakradharpur Railway Division has had to cancel trains. According to officials, 18 local passenger trains

As the year comes to a close, IndiaUK relations saw a renewed push that went well beyond trade and investment, marked by a series of political, economic and people-to-people developments. The most significant milestone was the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement finally reaching fruition. Alongside it, the ambitious IndiaUK Vision 2035 roadmap also took shape, signalling a broader effort to reset and deepen bilateral ties over the next decade. FTA negotiations dominated headlines for much of the y

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the government's reform trajectory will continue with even more vigour in the coming times as it is committed to boosting 'Ease of Living'. The prime minister made this observation on a series of posts by the central government on its various reform initiatives. Ours is a Government committed to boosting 'Ease of Living' and this thread below gives examples of how we have worked in that direction. Our reform trajectory will continue with eve

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case against Islamic preacher Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, presently based in the United Kingdom, and has initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The action by the ED is based on an FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS). According to the ED, Khan, a native of Azamgarh, is accused of promoting radical ideology and engaging in illegal funding activities un

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmirs Reservationpolicy has again come under intense scrutiny after only 40 per cent jobs out of the 1815 police constable posts and 480 Medical Officers were allocated for Open Merit aspirants in the Union Territory. Meanwhile, disgruntled NC MP Aga Ruhullah has warned Omar Abdullah to talk to students until Saturday and inform them of decisions on reservation, and stated that he would join the students' protest outside the CM's residence on Sunday. J&K police has adverti

LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the countrys growth can no longer be attributed to just one family, launching a veiled attack on Congress first family and dynastic politics. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Rashtra Prerna Sthal on 101st birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said the BJP government has freed the country from the tradition of eulogising a single family for all good that had happened. He said the BJP government is honouri

NEW DELHI: With special focus on measures to strengthen prosecution-led counter-terror efforts across the country and evolve a unified legal framework governing investigations, senior police functionaries will deliberate during the two-day Anti-Terror Conference beginning Friday. Organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the conference will be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to officials, the participating police officers will extensively share their operation

NEW DELHI: The Environmental Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved the Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric project (260 MW) in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, valued at Rs 3,277.45 crore. This project will utilise water from the Chenab River, part of the Indus Water Basin. The EAC noted that the projects parameters have been planned in compliance with the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960. Howev

US embassy honours SDRF for rescue ops The US embassy has recognised the service of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel by awarding them a special memento and certificate. This honour specifically acknowledges the swift rescue operations conducted in challenging conditions, leading to rescue of American tourists and other foreign nationals trapped during expeditions. SDRF commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said, The recognition is for successful operations like rescuing two f

MUMBAI: In a political twist ahead of the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections on January 15, the Maharashtra Congress has decided to contest independently, distancing itself from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) amid reports that the two Pawar factions may join hands. However, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule clarified that no final proposal has been received regarding an alliance with Ajit Pawars faction. Yet, sources revealed that two rounds of meetings have already taken place

NEW DELHI: Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has launched five major initiatives on the Good Governance Day aimed at strengthening core governance processes, supporting key stakeholder groups and equipping civil servants to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving administrative landscape. The MoS in the PMO said, Good governance is not an abstract ideal but a daily administrative responsibility anchored in transparency, accounta

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has ruled that non-bailable warrants (NBWs) cannot be issued against a person solely for failing to comply with a summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Justice Amit Sharma clarified that NBWs can be issued only against a convict, a proclaimed offender, or an accused of a non-bailable offence who is evading arrest. It is no doubt true that NBWs (non-bailable warrants )can be issued against the person who is evading investigation and who may not be formally