News

MUMBAI: After securing a majority in the recent Assembly elections, the BJP is looking to consolidate its dominance in Maharashtra by winning as many seats as possible in the upcoming local body polls. Elections to 42 Nagar Panchayats and 246 Nagar Parishads will be held on December 2, with counting on December 3. Even before the results are out, the BJP has begun projecting early gains. Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan claimed that 100 party councillors have already been elected unoppo

MUMBAI: Nearly 10.64 per cent or more than 11 lakh of Mumbai's 1.03 crore electorate have duplicate enrolments in the electoral roll, as per data shared by the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC). The data shows that a majority of wards with the highest number of duplicate voters were previously represented by Opposition corporators. The SEC on Wednesday extended the deadline for submitting objections from November 27 to December 3. The final voters' list will be published on December 10

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested WinZO Games Pvt. Ltd. directors Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda from Bengaluru in connection with an online betting case. The accused were produced before the home office of a judge, who granted their custody to the agency and directed that they be presented again today for detailed arguments on the EDs remand application. The agency had conducted search operations at four locations in Delhi and Gurgaon between November 18 a

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will consider a plea to revive the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) to replace the current collegium system for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made the remarks after an oral request for the NJAC was made by advocate Mathews Nedumpara during the hearing. The Supreme Court in 2015 had rejected the NJAC Act and the 99th Constitutional amendment, which sought to give politicians a

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh governments push to introduce a Hindi-medium MBBS course has met with what officials describe as indifferent and lukewarm response from students who are inclined to study the course in a language they are comfortable with. Although the scheme was announced with fanfare last year, none of the 10 government medical colleges in the state has begun Hindi-medium classes even after the new academic session opened in September. Officials say the core issue is not eligibility bu

Is Bihar ready to adopt Yogi Model to tackle crime? The issue is now a topic of discussion among people after DCM and senior BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary was given home portfolio. Soon after assuming charge, Chaudhary announced that Anti-Romeo Squads would be formed to prevent eve teasing. The squad members will be deployed near schools and colleges to keep an eye on such elements. Also, the government will use bulldozers to run over the criminals houses. So far, 400 mafia gangs have been identif

SRINAGAR: The row over reservation policies in Jammu and Kashmir has flared up again after the Finance Department advertised 600 posts of Accounts Assistants, with only 240 of those allocated to the Open Merit (OM) category. This has upset the youth falling under OM category, leading them to renew their demand for a review of the existing reservation policy in the Union Territory. Of the 600 posts of Accounts Assistants advertised by J&K Services Selection Board, only 40% posts (24O) were kept f

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday approved four key projects, including manufacturing of rare earth magnets, second phase of Pune Metro project and multi-tracking of two railway lines worth `19,000 crore. Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw, during a post cabinet meeting briefing, told reporters that the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (SREPM) has been approved with a financial outlay of Rs 7,280 crore. The aim is to establish 6,000

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not hesitate to extend the deadline for the publication of the draft electoral rolls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu if the petitioners make a strong case, while the Election Commission of India (ECI) claimed that some political parties were trying to create a scare about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the oral observation while hearing petitions ch

CHANDIGARH: The craze for fancy vehicle registration numbers in Haryanas rapidly growing digital auctions has reached a new high, with the number HR-88-B-8888 fetching a whopping Rs 1.17 crore. If confirmed, this would reportedly make it the costliest registration number bid in the country, though this could not be independently verified. The successful bidder must deposit the full amount by Monday to claim ownership, after which the number will be formally considered sold. Sources said the regi

NEW DELHI: Indigo flights across the country suffered extensive delays from Wednesday evening into the night, with the airline repeatedly citing operational reasons. While Indigo also mentioned air-traffic congestion at Mumbai and Delhi, officials at Delhi airport completely denied any such congestion. Passengers, meanwhile, alleged that the non-availability of pilots for certain flights was among the key causes. Multiple attempts to obtain an official response from Indigo yielded no result. How

NEW DELHI: Lakhs of employees across different sectors in the country staged protests on Wednesday against the new labour codes which came into effect from November 21. The nationwide protest was called by a platform of ten central trade unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of 40 farmer unions. They have demanded an immediate withdrawal of the move and the introduction of farmer-friendly policies. The groups also submitted a joint representation to President Droupadi Murmu hig

PATNA : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Wednesday expressed apprehension that it may lose its lone MLA in Bihar, with party leaders alleging that Satish Kumar Singh, who won from the Ramgarh Assembly seat in Kaimur district, is being approached by the ruling dispensation to defect. The issue was discussed at a state-level meeting of the party held in Patna to assess its performance in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly election. BSP national convenor Akash Anand was also present at the meeti

RANCHI: Five migrant workers from Hazaribagh and Giridih districts of Jharkhand are stranded in Cameroon after not being paid their wages for the past five months. In a video message sent to their families, the workers said they have run out of money and are facing serious difficulties in managing accommodation and food. In the video, the stranded workers described their plight and appealed for their immediate repatriation to India. Speaking to TNIE , one of the migrants said that despite repeat

NEW DELHI: Arbitrary actions by China involving an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh are most unhelpful to ongoing efforts by both countries to build mutual trust and gradually normalise bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. The remark came in response to questions about the impact of the detention of an Arunachal Pradesh-born Indian national at Shanghai airport on bilateral relations. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly briefing, Arbitrary

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday confirmed it has received a request from Bangladesh to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said the matter is under examination through ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. The request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. We remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusion and stability i

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that he will write to the Prime Minister requesting him to replace Bombay with Mumbai in the name of the city's Indian Institute of Technology. This comes after a row over Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh's remarks during his speech at IIT Bombay on Monday. Singh had remarked on a lighter note, As far as IIT Bombay is concerned, thank god it still has this name. You have not changed it to Mumbai. So that's ano

LUCKNOW: Sleuths from central intelligence agencies reached Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday to question 49-year-old Chinese national Liu Kunjing. Kunjing was detained on Monday by the Border Intelligence Team of the SSB and the UP police along the IndiaNepal border in the Rupaidiha area of Bahraich. Kunjing was caught when he was filming the SSB camp and other security installations close to Border Pillar 651/07barely 60 metres inside Indian territory. Kunjings passport had visas of Pakis

RANCHI: A series of mysterious elephant deaths in the Chaibasa forest range of West Singhbhum district has raised concern among forest officials, with three wild tuskers found dead within two weeks without any external injuries. On Tuesday, the body of another male elephant was recovered in the Sosopi forest. According to officials, the elephant bore no external injuries and its tusks were intact. Notably, this is the third such elephant death in less than a fortnight in the Chaibasa Forest Divi

DEHRADUN: In a key step to support womens empowerment and ensure their safety, the Uttarakhand government has made written consent compulsory for employing female staff for night shifts in shops and commercial establishments. This crucial amendment was approved on Wednesday during the state cabinet meeting, integrating it into the Uttarakhand Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2022. The new regulation stipulates that women employees can only be a

RAIPUR: A total of 41 Maoist cadres carrying a cumulative award of Rs 1.19 crore surrendered in an edgy district of Bijapur, about 400 km south of Raipur, on Wednesday. Twelve among the 41 are women cadres who took a decision to renounce the armed and violent ideology of CPI (Maoist), joined the path of peace and progress under the Poona Margham - Rehabilitation to Rebirth initiative in Bastar division, the police said. As many as 39 Maoist cadres were from the South Sub-Zonal Bureau. In additio

NEW DELHI: In its first advance estimate of food production for the kharif season, the Ministry of Agriculture said the country's rice production during the kharif season that ended in October reached a record 124.5 million tonnes, up 1.4 per cent from the previous year. However, the output of pulses, oilseeds and cotton declined. The total foodgrain production for the kharif 2025-26 season is estimated at 173.3 million tonnes, up from 169.5 million tonnes a year earlier, according to the minist

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday opposed the pleas to defer Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing ECI, told a bench comprisingChief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that 99% of voters have been supplied with the enumeration forms, and 50% of the forms have been digitised. The Kerala government had earlier filed petitions to postpone the revision of electoral rolls as the local body ele

CHANDIGARH: In a unique initiative to mark Constitution Day and inspire young minds, the Punjab Government organised a mock Punjab Assembly session for government school students at Anandpur Sahib, where 117 participants performed their roles so realistically that the proceedings resembled an actual Vidhan Sabha sitting. The mock session was held at the makeshift Punjab Vidhan Sabha building set up at Anandpur Sahib to hold a Special Vidhan Sabha Session commemorating the 350th Martyrdom Anniver

India on Wednesday strongly rejected Pakistans remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the flag ceremony at Ayodhyas Ram temple. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Pakistan, given its own long history of repression of minority communities, has no moral standing to lecture others. We have seen the reported remarks and reject them with the contempt they deserve. As a country with a deeply stained record of bigotry, repression, and systemic mistreatment of

LUCKNOW: The Noida police have submitted a 500-page chargesheet in court in the Nikki Bhatti murder case. Nikki was allegedly set on fire by her husband, Vipin Bhatti, with the assistance of her mother-in-law, Daya Bhatti, after thinner was poured on her. The chargesheet reportedly states that the prime accused, Vipin Bhatti, tried to escape by jumping from the roof to avoid the CCTV installed at their residence. According to police, Nikki was quite active on social media platforms and used to m

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) on Wednesday denied involvement in Sunday's anti-pollution protest during which pro-Maoist slogans were allegedly raised. The union also called for action against police brutality and demanded the release of all detained students. JNUSU said it has epeatedly informed the Delhi Police that it was either the organiser nor a participant at the demonstration on Sunday. The FIR dated November 23, states in Hindi: It was known from s

The Congress High Command faces the difficult task of managing the ongoing power tussle between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that the dispute over the Chief Ministers post would be settled soon, adding that the final decision would be taken by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and himself after consultations. Reports suggest that the central leadership plans to make a decision on any change in leadership in Ka

CHANDIGARH: Haryana has recorded a total of 63,073 challans for drunk driving this year in a major crackdown, with Gurgaon topping the list, followed by Faridabad and Karnal. Haryana has recorded a total of 63,073 challans for drunk-driving this year, with Gurgaon topping the list, followed by Faridabad and Karnal District-wise data from the Haryana Police shows that between January 1 and November 24, Gurgaon recorded the highest number of challans at 24,972, followed by Faridabad (7,402), Karna

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, once again, slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the plights of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise in the State. Mamata, while delivering her speech in a state government programme to commemorate the Constitution Day on Red Road in the city today, said, BLOs have died in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bengal. The ongoing

CHANDIGARH: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Soyab of Dhauj near Al Falah University in Faridabad for allegedly providing shelter and logistic support to Dr Umar-un Nabi, the main accused in the Red Forst blast case. The blast took place on November 10. He is the seventh accused arrested by the apex investigating agency in the case, as a part of a 'white-collar' terror module. Sources claimed that Soyab allegedly gave refuge to Umar shortly before the attack and helped him fa

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea by jailed Jammu and Kashmir parliamentarian Engineer Rashid seeking custody parole or interim bail to attend the upcoming Parliament session. Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma was hearing the plea filed through advocate Vikhyat Oberoi on behalf of Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid. He has sought either interim bail or custody parole on the grounds that Rashid was a parliamentarian and needed to atten

KOLKATA: Expressing serious concern over the safety and security of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), other officers and staff, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought an action taken report (ATR) from Manoj Verma, Commissioner of Police (CP), Kolkata, within 48 hours. Surjeet Kumar Mishra, ECI secretary, on Wednesday, has written a letter to Verma, stating, an action taken report may be sent to the commission within 48 hours of receipt of this letter. The national poll bo

SRINAGAR: The ruling National Conference has hit back at groups opposing the admission of Muslim students to the Vaishno Devi Medical College, asserting that the J&K government provides crores of rupees as grant-in-aid to the Vaishno Devi University. According to J&K National Conference chief spokesman and MLA Tanvir Sadiq, who is close to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has given grant-in-aid to Vaishno Devi University, with which the medical college is affiliated

BALLIA: Sixteen people, including the organiser of a 'Jal Pari' show at Ballia's Dadri Mela, have been booked for allegedly killing an advocate over a dispute at the ticket counter, police said on Wednesday. The 50-year-old man collapsed after the alleged assault on Sunday and later succumbed to his injuries, they said. An FIR was filed late Tuesday night at Ballia City Kotwali against show organiser Himanshu Dixit and 15 unidentified people under Section 103(2) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya S

NEW DELHI: The CBI has arrested Abul Hossen Molla alias Duronto, who was wanted in connection with the alleged attack on an Enforcement Directorate team at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal on January 5 last year, officials said on Wednesday. A mob attacked the ED team when it went to Sandeshkhali to raid the residence of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in an alleged ration distribution scam, they said. The agency arrested Molla, who did not join the probe in spite of repeated not

KANGRA: BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks that if the Bharatiya Janata Party tries to touch the state, the Trinamool Congress would shake the entire country. Speaking to the media in Kangra, Thakur said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured the mandate in Bihar and now it is the turn of West Bengal. The public is ready to shake them up and oust them from power. This statement can be seen as a frustration ahead

BIJAPUR: Forty one Naxalites, 32 of them collectively carrying a reward of Rs 1.19 crore on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said. The cadres, including 12 women, turned themselves in before senior police officials here, citing they were impressed by the government's new surrender and rehabilitation policy and Poona Margham (rehabilitation for social reintegration drive of Bastar range police), Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yad

CHANDIGARH: A national-level cager died in a freak incident on a basketball court in Haryana's Rohtak after the iron pole of a basketball hoop fell on his chest during practice, police said on Wednesday. The tragic incident on Tuesday, which was captured on CCTV camera, claimed the life of 16-year-old Hardik, who had participated in the sub-junior national championship, they said. Officials said the circumstances leading to the collapse of the iron pole, including the condition of the equipment,

NEW DELHI: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday urged everyone to work together towards achieving the goal of 'Viksit Bharat', and asserted that the soul of our Constitution has proved that Bharat is one and shall remain so forever. Addressing a Constitution Day event at the Central Hall of the Old Parliament building, now called 'Samvidhan Sadan', Radhakrishnan urged public representatives to adopt dialogue, debate and discussion to serve the people's rightful aspirations. No country c

DEHRADUN: The sacred portals of Badrinath Dham, a cornerstone of the revered Char Dham Yatra, were formally closed for the winter season on Tuesday at 2:56 PM. The closure marks the end of a highly successful pilgrimage period, which saw a significant rise in devotees compared to the previous year. The solemn closing ceremony was conducted by the Rawal (chief priest), Amarnath Nambudiri, in the presence of a large gathering of devotees, adhering strictly to ancient traditions. The season witness

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the Constitution is the guiding document to shun colonial mindset and adopt nationalistic thinking. Addressing the Constitution Day event at the Central Hall of the Old Parliament building, now called 'Samvidhan Sadan', Murmu said India is presenting a new model of development for the world. Our Constitution-makers wanted our personal, democratic rights to be always protected. Constitution is guiding document to shun colonial mindset and adop

A former United States Congressman and economist, Dr. Dave Brat, has alleged large-scale fraud in the H-1B visa programme, claiming that one Indian consular district- Chennai accounted for more than double the annual statutory cap for the visa category. His remarks, made on Steve Bannons War Room podcast, come at a time when the Donald Trump administration is escalating its scrutiny of skilled-worker visas. Dr. Brat argued that the programme had been captured by industrial-scale fraud, pointing

SRINAGAR: The controversy over MBBS admissions at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Jammu and Kashmirs Reasi district intensified on Wednesday, with the Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti (VDSS) threatening large-scale protests if the newly released admission list is not withdrawn. VDSS convenor Colonel (Retd) Sukhbir Singh Mankotia told TNIE that the group, which comprises around 60 organisations, is demanding immediate cancellation of the 202526 MBBS selection l

MUMBAI: Police have arrested a woman of Nepali origin at Mumbai international airport for trying to travel to Oman by allegedly using a forged Indian passport, an official said. The woman approached the immigration counter at the Shivaji Maharaj International Airport last week to board a flight to Muscat. She identified herself as Kajal and produced an Indian passport, showing her place of birth as Nohra, Himachal Pradesh, the official from Sahar police station said on Tuesday. However, her faci

THANE: Police have arrested the live-in partner of a woman for murdering her after her body was found stuffed in a suitcase on the banks of a creek in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said on Wednesday. The accused allegedly killed the woman on November 21 following a fight and dumped the body near the creek the next day, they said. The body of Priyanka Vishwakarma (22) was spotted under the creek bridge near Desai village on Monday. The words 'P V S' were found tattooed near the wrist of

NEW DELHI: I ndia's pharmaceutical sector is currently transitioning from a focus on generic drugs to the development of next-generation innovative biologics, as highlighted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. This transition is driven by an innovation-focused ecosystem that emphasizes biosimilars, peptides, complex generics, and next-generation biologics. Dr. R. Chandrashekar, Joint Drugs Controller at CDS

BHOPAL: Inability of the police to arrest a 23-year-old youth who abducted a six-year-old girl and raped her before abandoning her in a serious condition in the jungles on November 21, led to the removal of Raisen district police superintendent Pankaj Pandey on Tuesday night. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Dr Mohan Yadav, chaired a high-level emergency law and order review meeting at the state Police Headquarters (PHQ) in Bhopal on Tuesday night, where he expressed displeasure with the polic

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Faridabad resident for harbouring Umar Un Nabi, the suicide bomber who carried out the Delhi car blast near the Red Fort. The accused, Soyab, a resident of Dhauj in Faridabad, is the seventh person to be arrested in connection with the case. According to the NIA, he provided Umar with logistical support immediately before the November 10 suicide bombing, which killed several people and left many others injured. The agency has so f

LUCKNOW: Adityanath said the completion of the Ayodhya Ram Temple construction was not the end of a yajna but the addition of another chapter in the spiritual history of the country. While welcoming the dignitaries, including PM Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and others, the UP CM emphasised that the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram reflected the faith, honour, and self-respect of 1.4 billion Indians. PM Modi, prior to raising the flag on top of the flagpole constructed in the traditional N