NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday clarified that Home Minister Amit Shah has, on more than one occasion, stated that the concerns of southern states will be addressed during the delimitation exercise and that the issue will be discussed with all stakeholders at an appropriate time. Responding to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalins concerns over the Census-linked delimitation exercise , an MHA spokesperson said in a series of posts on X: The Honourable Home Minister

NEW DELHI: A top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that US President Donald Trump played a role in stopping the armed conflict between India and Pakistan. The issue came up during a phone call between the two leaders, which lasted about 70 minutes and covered major global developments. Yury Ushakov, who previously served as Russias ambassador to the US, told reporters that the conversation included a range of topics, including Ukraine, the Middle East, and South Asia. Additionall

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan ahead of the fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue, which is scheduled for Friday. Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov all condemned terrorism and supported collaborative efforts to tackl

BHOPAL: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has drawn flak for his lame horses remark made at the Madhya Pradesh Congress convention in Bhopal on Tuesday. In a post on social media platform X on Thursday, international para swimmer and Padma Shri awardee Satendra Singh Lohiya voiced his strong objection to the remark by Gandhi, saying it was not only 'insensitive' but also 'legally objectionable'. Hinting at minimising the role of inactive and jaded leaders and promoting active and committed ones

PATNA: Mukesh Rai, the prime accused in the alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl in Bihars Muzaffarpur district, surrendered before a local court on Thursday. His appearance in court came after a police team reached his house tasked with attaching his property following a directive from the competent court. Earlier in the day, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha had visited the victims family, assuring them of comprehensive support from the state. Sinha reiterated the government's stanc

RAIPUR: A senior maoist commander who was a Central Committee Member (CCM) was killed in an encounter in the National park area of Bijapur on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, 67, in-charge of the Maoist ideological training school (RePOS). An AK -47 rifle was recovered beside his body. Sudhakar's death came just a week after the elimination of CPI (Maoist) General Secretary Basavaraju on May 21. Speaking to TNIE, P Sunderraj, Inspector General of pol

BHOPAL: Has the rabid animal that bit 17 people in a single day, leading to the deaths of six, died in Barwani district of southwestern Madhya Pradesh? If the state forest department is to be believed, a jackal whose carcass was found in a dry well outside Limbai village on Thursday is the same animal whose bites on May 5 caused the deaths of two women and four men later. Weve been probing the serial bites right since May 5, when the 17 villagers were bitten by the animal in Limbai. The statemen

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Thursday launched a motorcycle expedition that aims to promote the Agnipath scheme and women empowerment. The Army in a statement said, Lieutenant (Lt) General Anindya Sengupta, GOC-in-C, Central Command, Indian Army flagged off the motorcycle expedition Kumaon Quest, aimed at engaging the youth, promoting women empowerment and border tourism in the Kumaon Hills. The nine-day expedition led by a woman officer Lt Col Aditi Misra will navigate through the rugged and p

CHANDIGARH: A political row has erupted in Punjab after a series of appointments made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led government drew critisim from the opposition. The appointment of Shaleen Mitra, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain, as the OSD to Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh. This comes just days after two other Delhi-based party leaders, Reena Gupta and Deepak Chauhan, were appointed as chairpersons of the Punjab Pollution Control Board

GANGTOK: Altogether 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday evacuated by helicopters from Chaten in north Sikkim, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, officials said. Sixty-four other tourists are still waiting at Chaten to be rescued by the army and local administration. The operation to rescue them was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrains during the day, officials said. Chaten is located near Lachen, a small town in Mangan district, which is use

AHMEDABAD: A spiritual trip turned tragic in Dwarka on Thursday afternoon when seven tourists including four men and three women were swept away by strong waves in the Gomti River, triggered by a sudden surge in sea water levels. The incident unfolded in Gujarats revered coastal town and claimed the life of a young woman, Bhajeeshwari, whose body was later sent to the government hospital for postmortem. Eyewitnesses said the group, reportedly from Jamnagar, was caught completely off guard by th

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government is planning separate budget allocations to develop mini-forests in urban areas, aiming to boost green cover and combat the rising urban heat island effect in major cities. The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon where higher temperature is experienced in urban areas as compared to rural surroundings. As part of Upvan Scheme, 17 municipal corporations across the state have been given a free hand to infuse up to Rs 3 crore to develop green zones over an a

BIJAPUR: A senior Maoist leader carrying Rs 40 lakh bounty was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, official sources said. According to the sources, Maoists' Central Committee member Gautam alias Sudhakar was gunned down in the latest gunfight, which comes days after CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju was killed by security forces in the Bastar region, dealing a major blow to the armed movement. However, Sudha

LUCKNOW: Ayodhya Police busted one of the biggest cyber scams in the history of the temple town involving an online fraud of Rs 3.85 crore carried out in the name of Ram Lalla's prasad. Exploiting the spiritual fervour among devotees following Ram Lallas consecration on January 22, 2024, the accused, posed as a professor at Northeastern University in Seattle and lured lakhs of devotees through a fake website offering Ram temple prasad delivered to their doorsteps. The scam was orchestrated by As

CHANDIGARH: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that as the Indus Waters Treaty has been put in abeyance, efforts will be made to ensure that more water reaches farmers in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. He said that 80 per cent of water from the Indus river system was flowing into Pakistan. Giving 80 per cent water to Pakistan at that time was not justified. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan require w

LUCKNOW: The three-day consecration ceremony of Ram Darbar, wherein, Lord Ram was enthroned as king with Goddess Sita by his side and brothers, Bharatji, Shatrughanji and Lakshmanji, along with Lord Hanuman, in his Darbar on the first floor of the newly-built Ram temple on Shree Ramjanmabhoomi complex, concluded in Ayodhya on Thursday. Lord Rams enthronement took place in the 15-minute auspicious Abhijeet Muhurat between 11:25 am and 11:40 am in the presence of UP CM Yogi Adityanath amid chantin

As the sacred city of Ayodhya reverberates with chants and devotion during the grand Prana Pratishtha Mahotsav at the Ram Darbar, a remarkable gesture from the Diamond trading hub of Surat has added celestial splendor to the celebrations. In an offering marked by deep faith and dazzling opulence, Surat's jewellers have gifted a stunning collection of gold, silver, and diamond-studded ornaments to the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. The divine set, custom-crafted for Lord Shri Ram and Lord Lakshman, feat

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, accusing it of turning the state into a hub of crime, unemployment, and forced migration. His remarks came in response to a disturbing incident in Gaya, where a doctor was allegedly assaulted for treating the mother of a rape survivor. In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi cited a video posted by the Bihar Congress that show

BHUBANESWAR: Forest fire has emerged as the latest threat to the lush, green expanse of Northeast India, often called the Seven Sister States. A new scientific study has revealed an alarming rise in the intensity of forest fires in this ecologically fragile region due to climate variability. A team of climate and geospatial experts from India and Brazil have mapped over 3.6 lakh fire incidents across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura during 2001-2022 an

NEW DELHI: French aerospace major Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd on Thursday announced firming up of a deal to manufacture fuselage for Rafale fighter jets in India. Under the partnership, Tata Advanced Systems will set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad to produce the key component of the combat jet. The first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in the financial year 2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselage

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has tied the knot with senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pinaki Misra, reports said. According to The Telegraph India , the wedding took place on May 3 in a strictly private affair, with both leaders keeping the event a top secret. Even party insiders were reportedly unaware of the development. Adding fuel to the speculation, photographs sourced by The Telegraph India from Germany show Moitra adorned in gold jewellery and smiling, which have since circulated

HARIDWAR: A BJP leader and her boyfriend were arrested here for allegedly making him and his aide rape her 13-year-old daughter, the police said on Thursday. The matter came to light on Tuesday when the minor told her father about her ordeal, following which he lodged a police complaint, Haridwar SSP Pramendra Dobhal said. A case was registered under BNS Sections 70 (2) (gang-rape), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (criminal act) by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and rel

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli, who was recently arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly posting a video containing communal remarks. The High Court directed her to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10,000. Panoli, who was arrested from Gurugram and remanded to judicial custody till June 13, came under fire after uploading a video on Instagram criticising Bollywood actors for their silence on Operation Sindoor. The

PATNA: Police in Bihars Gaya district registered an FIR and arrested three individuals on Wednesday for assaulting a doctor for treating a rape survivor's mother. Anand Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gaya, said that police swung into action after a video showing a group of people assaulting a doctor after tying him to a tree went viral on social media on Tuesday. The incident took place under the Gurpa police station limits. SSP Kumar said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) w

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar broke down in tears on Thursday while addressing the media for the first time following the devastating stampede outside Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and injured dozens, ANI reported. The tragedy unfolded during a public celebration to honor Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) after their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win. Visibly shaken, Shivakumar struggled to contain his emotions, especially while speaking ab

NEW DELHI: Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has offered his condolences on the loss of 11 lives in a stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB's IPL victory celebrations, describing the incident as eyond tragic. Apart from 11 deaths, more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside the popular venue on Wednesday during the victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL trophy win. What happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is beyond tragic. My heart

NEW DELHI: As a wave of patriotic fervour washes over the nation following the success of Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday planted a sapling of natural Sindoor (vermilion), coinciding with World Environment Day. Sharing this on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated: Today, on #WorldEnvironmentDay, we strengthened the #EkPedMaaKeNaam initiative with a special tree plantation drive. Speaking about the Sindoor sapling, the Prime Minister further mentio

BENGALURU: Karnataka government will formulate a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for mega events, meetings and celebrations aimed at preventing any untoward incidents, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday. The initiative comes in the wake of stampede near the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday that claimed 11 lives. Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said that the government will take strict measures to identify the lapses that led to the stampede near the stadi

NEW DELHI: India has reported 4,302 active COVID-19 cases, with an increase of 864 cases in the past 24 hours, official sources said on Wednesday. Officials said that most cases are mild and are being managed under home care. Since January 1, 2025, 44 deaths have been reported, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses, sources added. As cases rise across the country, the Union Health Ministry has held a series of technical review meetings under the chairpersonship of Dr. Sunita Sh

NEW DELHI: India has reported 4,302 active COVID-19 cases, with an increase of 864 cases in the past 24 hours, official sources said on Wednesday. Officials said that most cases are mild and are being managed under home care. Since January 1, 2025, 44 deaths have been reported, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses, sources added. As cases rise across the country, the Union Health Ministry has held a series of technical review meetings under the chairpersonship of Dr. Sunita Sh

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just days before the NDA government completes 11 years in office on 9 June, reiterated the government's commitment to making India a self-reliant nation. In a post shared on Thursday, PM Modi described the NDA administration as a compassionate government wholly devoted to the welfare of the poor. A compassionate government, devoted to Garib Kalyan! PM Modi stated at the beginning of a post on X. He went on to highlight that the NDA government has, over th

NEW DELHI: With Pakistan set to chair a key committee of the UN Security Council and be the vice-chair of another panel of the world body, the Congress on Thursday described the development as the sad story of our own foreign policy collapse but questioned how the global community can continue to legitimise Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism. Pakistan will chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council for 2025 and will be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 1

KOLKATA: West Bengal reported over 100 new COVID cases, according to official data available on Thursday morning. As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 106 new COVID cases were detected in the state in the last 24 hours. At present, there are 538 active cases in the state, the data showed. During the same period, 61 people also recovered from the infection, it said. The toll remained at one with no new deaths reported.

NEW DELHI: India succeeded in busting the Pakistani narrative on Operation Sindoor, particularly among the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member nations, where Islamabad sought succour after carrying out terror activities across the border, Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde said. Shinde, who led a multi-party delegation to the UAE and West African countries as part of the government's global outreach efforts after Operation Sindoor, said the unique initiative provided an opportunity to

WASHINGTON: The multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians had an extremely rewarding day meeting US Congressmen and Senators at Capitol Hill, briefing them about Operation Sindoor and India's fight against terrorism, leader Shashi Tharoor said. Spending a day on Capitol Hill has been extremely rewarding because we were able to meet many Congressmen, Senators, Tharoor said during a conversation at The National Press Club here on Wednesday. The delegation, which arrived from India on May 2

BENGALURU: Confusion over the victory parade, free passes, over crowding and limited seats at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are said to be some of the major reasons that led to stampede that left at least 11 people dead and over 30 injured. The initial chaos that later turned into a stampede began as several cricket enthusiasts who did not have entry tickets to the stadium tried to swarm into the premises along with those who had valid tickets, sources in the police said. During the chaos, some people

WASHINGTON: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to the US, stressed that there can be no dialogue with Pakistan with a gun pointed at our head. He warned that the action taken by India now can be taken again if Pakistan does not control terror elements on its soil. During an interaction session at the National Press Club in the US on Wednesday (local time), Tharoor said he thinks the US has understood that India has a clear position that there will be o talks with

NEW DELHI: As the government has initiated the process for moving an impeachment motion against former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma during the Monsoon Session of Parliament next month, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha on Wednesday said that the government must provide the report of the three-member committee on the corruption allegations before moving the House proceedings. Last week, Tankha wrote a letter to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, requesting to provide

NEW DELHI: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that the government is committed to take all political parties on board in moving an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, saying corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a political prism. He said the government wants the exercise aimed at axing Justice Varma, embroiled in a case of alleged corruption and indicted by a Supreme Court-appointed committee, a collaborative effort. Rijiju said

NEW DELHI: The Centre has asked all the states and the Union Territories (UTs) to give financial assistance from a Central fund to poor prisoners, who are unable to secure bail or release from jails on account of their inability to pay the fine awarded to them by various courts due to their financial situation. In an identical communication to the states and the UTs, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked them to avail the funds made available by it from where they can draw an appropriate

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared insights on the successful execution of Operation Sindoor during a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday. This was his first meeting since the operation. The session was convened just four days ahead of the NDA-III government marked its 11 consecutive years in power and completing the first year of its third term. During the meeting, PM Modi reportedly shared insights into the effective execution of Operation Sindoor, excluding its strategic mil

NEW DELHI: In a significant move, the Railways has decided to prioritise Tatkal ticket bookings for account holders who have linked their accounts with Aadhaar cards during the first 10 minutes of Tatkal ticket sale time slots. Indian Railways will soon begin using e-Aadhaar authentication for booking Tatkal tickets. This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets, said Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. Announcing this on Wednesday, the Railways stated: Account holders who link th

PATNA: On the verge of joining Bihar politics, Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Wednesday fired a salvo at the Nitish Kumar government over a young girls death after she was deprived of immediate treatment at a government hospital in Patna. In a letter to the chief minister, Paswan said the incident reflected poorly on the governments inadequate health infrastructure. The girl, who hailed from Muzaffarpur district, waited for hours in an ambulance at the

NEW DELHI: The BJP has enough capable leaders in Bihar to handle any responsibility, asserted state party president Dilip Jaiswal, expressing confidence that seat-sharing among NDA constituents for the forthcoming Assembly will not spark internal discontent and that Nitish Kumars NDA leadership remains unchanged. In an exclusive interview, Jaiswal stated, The NDA is fully united and geared up for a record-breaking performance in the upcoming assembly elections. The strength of the organisation i

With disqualification of MLA Abbas Ansari from UP assembly following his conviction in a hate speech case leading to two-year jail term, his vacated Mau Sadar seat could be a potential bone of contention between the ruling BJP and ally OP Rajbhars Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP). Rajbhar is insisting to field his candidate from the seat. In fact, the seat rightfully belongs to SBSP as Ansari, though a sympathiser of SP, had contested on the symbol of SBSP which was in alliance with SP in 20

LUCKNOW: Asserting that freedom of speech and expression was a subject to reasonable restrictions and it did not include the freedom to make statements defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army , the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad HC, on May 29, dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhis plea challenging a lower court summons in a defamation case over alleged derogatory remarks about the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Single judge bench, comprising Justice Subhash Vidyarthi,

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarhs Bastar region, in recent years, has been making headlines for Maoist-related campaigns involving security forces. At the same time, the extensive area has also witnessed the Chhattisgarh forest departments diligent engagement in achieving a remarkable feat of improving the forest cover density, reinforcing the regions reputation as a thriving green landscape. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR), published by the Forest Survey of India in Dehradun, reflects the results o

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand police have arrested a former office-bearer of the BJP Mahila Morcha and her lover on charges of facilitating the repeated gang-rape of her minor daughter. The woman is accused of allegedly orchestrating the brutalisation of her own child with her lover and his friend on multiple occasions. According to police sources, the accused woman, who had previously served as a BJP Mahila Morcha official, was living separately from her husband following a domestic dispute. While her

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed a three-day inspection of Turkish Airlines and found several violations of basic aircraft maintenance procedures and norms related to the handling of dangerous goods. The airline has been ordered to ensure full compliance immediately. Turkish Airlines is a codeshare partner of IndiGo. The latter's refusal to end the partnership despite widespread public demanddue to Turkish Airlines open support to Pakistan during the Indo

GUWAHATI: Two more people died in Assam on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll due to floods and landslides in the northeast to 49. Officials said continuous heavy rain has affected over 6.7 lakh people across the region. Of the total deaths, Assam accounts for 19, followed by 12 in Arunachal Pradesh, six each in Meghalaya and Mizoram, three in Sikkim, two in Tripura and one in Nagaland. The region has reported over 800 landslides so far, with Mizoram alone accounting for 675. According to