Several people are feared dead after heavy rainfall triggered landslides in parts of Mirik in Darjeeling district on Sunday morning. An official said that rescue and relief operations are currently underway, with the local administration, police, and disaster response teams rushing to the spot. Several casualties are feared due to a major landslide in Darjeeling district, triggered by heavy rainfall since last night. We don't have the exact figures right now, as the rescue and relief work has ju

Authorities in Madhya Pradesh have arrested a doctor in Chhindwara district following the deaths of 11 children who reportedly consumed contaminated cough syrup. The doctor, identified as Praveen Soni, is accused of prescribing Coldrif syrupto several young patients, most of whom had been treated at his clinic in Parasia. Police have also filed a case against the Tamil Nadubased pharmaceutical company responsible for manufacturing the allegedly contaminated syrup. An FIR was registered early Sun

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the police will not be able to join the dots if the Assamese people, who were present on the yacht at the time of singer Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore, join the probe. People of Assam should put pressure on the Assamese community of Singapore so that those concerned are sent here, Sarma said. Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. A number of Assamese community people liv

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre courtroom drama, a 32-year-old repeat offender turned a virtual hearing into a spectacleappearing half-dressed, puffing cigarettes, and downing alcohol on camera. Mohammad Imran, a history-sheeter with over 50 cases pending against him, claimed that he did it out of curiosity. He said that he turned to crime to fund his drug and alcohol addiction. He was released from jail in September 2021. A case was registered on September 22 at Cyber North police station on the compla

NEW DELH I: Hours after denying that controversial cough syrup Coldrif, which led to deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan did not contain industrial chemical diethylene glycol (DEG), the Union Health Ministry on Saturday made a U-turn and confirmed its presence based on a report of Tamil Nadus Food and Drug Administration department. The Ministrys earlier denial followed a clearance from the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administrations (FDA), which had then stated that no DEG was f

NEW DELHI: Indias High Courts are facing a serious manpower crisis, with 330 judges posts lying vacant across 25 states. The Allahabad High Court is the worst affected, with 76 vacancies out of its sanctioned strength of 160the highest among all High Courts. Only two high courts, Sikkim and Meghalaya, are currently functioning with a full bench, according to data accessed by this newspaper from the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) and the Department of Justice. The data is as of September 1 th

In death, as in life , Zubeen Garg remains one of Assams most powerful voices. Revered as a musical genius, social crusader, and cultural icon, Gargs sudden and mysterious demise in Singapore has left a void that transcends the world of music. But to understand why his death has shaken an entire state and beyond, one must understand the man whose life was deeply shaped by Assams turbulent history and whose art reflected its soul. Born into a culturally rich family in Jorhat, Garg grew up during

NEW DELHI: A recent report by the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has raised alarms over the impact of rising temperatures on migratory species in the Himalayas and northern India. The report highlights how increasing temperatures are threatening cold-adapted species like musk deer, pheasants and snow trout, forcing them to migrate to higher altitudes. As a result, they are facing smaller, fragmented habitats. In Uttarakhand, small mammals could lose

RAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday ruled out any possibility of dialogue with Maoists and said they will have to lay down weapons and accept the governments lucrative surrender and rehabilitation policy. Addressing the Bastar Dussehra Lokotsav and Swadeshi Mela in Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Chhattisgarhs Bastar district, he asserted that March 31, 2026, has been set as the deadline to bid farewell to the menace of Naxalism. I want to tell all my tribal brothers and sisters to p

Digvijay to lead Cong talks with NC for RS seat Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijay Singh has been roped in by the party high command to negotiate with the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir for staking claim to one Rajya Sabha seat from the UT. The Congress with six MLAs in the 90-member J&K Assembly is interested in contesting one of the four vacant RS seats in the UT for which elections will be held on October 24. Given the numbers in the Assembly, the NC

NEW DELHI : Accusing the Election Commission (ECI as the B-team of the ruling BJP, the Congress on Saturday launched a a scathing attack on the poll body and alleged that the number of voter names deleted exceeds the victory margin of the last assembly election in some constituencies in Bihar. In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh fired a fresh salvo at the EC, saying it should act impartially and not as the B-team of the BJP. He also cited news reports claimi

PATNA: Both the ruling NDA and Opposition parties in Bihar Saturday demanded that the Election Commission (EC) hold assembly elections in a maximum of two phases and immediately after the Chhath festival to increase participation of voters. Representatives of all parties submitted their suggestions before a three-member EC team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, during a review meeting held in Patna. They also demanded free, fair and peaceful elections. BJP state president Dil

NEW DELHI: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing units in six states following the collection of 19 samples, including cough syrups, antipyretics, and antibiotics, in the wake of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups. The inspections cover manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where the 19 drug samp

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear on October 6 the plea of Dr Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk , challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) at Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan. Dr Angmo has sought his immediate release through a habeas corpus petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. Wangchuk, renowned for his climate activism, was arrested on September 26, accused of allegedly inciting violent protests in Ladakh over the demand fo

NEW DELHI: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will make his first official visit to India on October 89, 2025, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the External Affairs Ministry announced on Saturday. During the visit, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks in Mumbai on October 9 to review and advance the IndiaUK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under the Vision 2035 roadmap, covering key sectors including trade and investment, technology, defence, climate, health, and educa

Rajasthan bans 19 Kayson Pharma medicines following safety concerns. State drug controller suspended; strict regulations on cough syrups and COPD drugs enforced.

PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s manifesto committee on Saturday announced that the party would launch a Sujhav Yatra (suggestion tour) from October 5 to get feedback from the people on its agenda for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. BJP minister Prem Kumar told media persons in Patna that the yatra would be launched between October 5 and 20 and cover all the 38 districts. He revealed that the party would get feedback from people during the Ghar Ghar Jan Sampark Abhiyan. During

Claiming that his party was the victim of alliance politics in the Maharashtra assembly polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday that for the local body elections his party would 'correct the mistake' by considering local factors during seat-sharing talks with partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. We fought the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections together, and now, it is time for the local body elections. All three parties in the MVA should sit together and resolve the issu

DEHRADUN: In the wake of tragic child fatalities linked to contaminated cough syrups in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Uttarakhand government has initiated a stringent, state-wide crackdown on all banned cough syrups and medicines. Health officials are conducting intensive raids across pharmacies, wholesalers, and hospital dispensaries. The swift action comes directly on the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, with joint teams from the Hea

NEW DELHI: A total of 21.36 kg of ganja, with a market value of Rs 21 lakh, was seized from two Delhi-bound passengers recently at Imphal airport by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. The seizure took place just before the duo was about to board an Air India Express flight to Delhi. The contraband was hidden in the luggage by the passengers, according to an official release from the CISF. The seizure was made on 29 September by two lady Sub-Inspectors, Bidiyabai Devei and Ma

PUNE: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday dubbed Devendra Fadnavis a helpless chief minister who has failed to crack down on ampant corruption under his watch. He termed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ramdas Kadam as gaddar and namak haram after the latter alleged a purposeful delay in formally declaring the death of Bal Thackeray in 2012. Thackeray addressed gatherings of women and Sena (UBT) workers in Pune. He also spoke on different issues during the media interaction. Speaking at a

DEHRADUN: A deeply alarming trend of missing children continues to plague the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, casting a dark shadow over its image as a peaceful haven. Despite intensified police vigilance, awareness campaigns, and frequent checkpoints, official data reveals a staggering and deeply concerning rate of disappearances. According to the latest report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the fiscal year 2023-24, an average of three children went missing in Uttarakhand eve

JAGDALPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday ruled out talks with Naxals and said they will have to lay down weapons and accept the government's lucrative surrender and rehabilitation policy. Addressing the 'Bastar Dussehra Lokotsav' and 'Swadeshi Mela' in Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, he asserted that March 31, 2026 has been set as the deadline to bid farewell to the menace of Naxalism. I want to tell all my tribal brothers and sisters to persuade the you

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday demanded answers from the government on why India's once most reliable strategic ally Russia is providing military support to Pakistan by supplying engines of Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets and said it was a failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personalised brand of diplomacy. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh alleged that Modi's diplomacy prioritises image-building and global spectacle over national interests. In a post on X, he

GUWAHATI: Singer Zubeen Garg's wife Garima on Saturday returned the postmortem report of her husband to the police, saying that it is not her personal document and the investigators will be the best judge to decide whether it should be made public or not. Speaking to reporters after CID Additional SP Moramee Das, who had come to hand her over the report left her residence, Garima also said she had full confidence in the ongoing investigation to unearth the exact circumstances leading to the sing

CHANDIGARH: Industrialist Rajinder Gupta is likely to be the Aam Aadmi Partys candidate for the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab in the upcoming bypoll of the upper house of Parliament, scheduled for 24 October. Sources said that Gupta has resigned from his current positions and is expected to be the partys candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. The decision to field a Punjabi face was taken to avoid any narrative of Delhi leadership dominating the state, as there was initially speculatio

AHMEDABAD: In a strategically timed move, Gujarat BJP has officially appointed senior leader Jagdish Panchal as its new state president, making him the 14th chief of the partys Gujarat unit. Panchal, who filed his nomination on Friday, was elected unopposed. He formally took charge at BJP Headquarter Kamalam in Gandhinagar on Saturday. The suspense surrounding Gujarat BJPs leadership ended dramatically on Saturday as Jagdish Panchal was declared the new state president. The announcement came fro

KABUL: Afghanistan's Taliban foreign minister will visit India this month after the UN Security Council Committee temporarily lifted a travel ban, Kabul's foreign ministry confirmed to AFP on Saturday. Amir Khan Muttaqi will become the first senior Taliban leader to visit India since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of the US military. The foreign ministry told AFP the minister would go to India after the Moscow summit on October 7, which includes representatives from Chin

PATNA: The BJP on Saturday urged the Election Commission to hold the upcoming Bihar assembly elections in one or two phases, and to ensure that women in burqas are properly verified against their voter ID photographs at the polling booths. The BJP found itself on the same page as the RJD, its principal rival, on the issue of non-staggered elections, but got charged with political conspiracy for raising the issue of female voters wearing veils. After a meeting with the visiting EC team, led by Ch

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court, on Saturday, refused to stay the bulldozer action on a mosque, a marriage hall, and a hospital allegedly built on government land in Sambhal, dismissing the petition filed by the Muslim party. This mosque was built on a pond. The single-judge Bench of Justice Dinesh Pathak heard the plea moved by Masjid Sharif Gausul Wara Rawa Buzurg and its Mutawalli Minjar. According to the sources in the district administration, the mosque was built in Rayan Buzurg village o

NEW DELHI: From November 15, vehicles without a valid FASTag will have to pay double the toll fee if they choose to pay in cash, while those opting for UPI payments will be charged 1.25 times the regular user fee. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, introducing differential charges for non-FASTag users based on their mode of payment. The move aims to promote digital transactions and reduce

A bitter row has erupted in Maharashtra politics over sensational claims made by former minister Ramdas Kadam about the death of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, with Uddhav Thackerays faction dismissing them as fake and preparing for legal action, even as allies of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP rallied behind Kadam. On Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLC Anil Parab said he would file a defamation case against Kadam for his baseless and insulting remarks about Bal Thackerays fina

Patna: The BJP-JD(U)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has suggested to the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar be conducted in a single phase. Several other parties have also advocated that the polls should not be stretched beyond two phases. After attending a meeting convened by the ECI, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Patna, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha said, Our party has suggested that the assembly elections sh

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused Bihars main opposition party, the RJD, of keeping the state in an educational and economic mess during its tenure, which he said led to the beginning of large-scale migration from the state. In a veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was recently referred to as Jannayak in party posters during his Yatra in Bihar, PM Modi cautioned the people of Bihar to be wary of individuals who, he claimed, are attempting to steal the

GUWAHATI: In a startling claim, Zubeen Garg's bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami has alleged that the singer was poisoned in Singapore, which led to his death, according to official documents with the police. Goswami alleged that Garg was poisoned by his manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta in Singapore, according to the 'Detailed Grounds of Arrest' or remand note accessed by PTI. The festival organiser, Garg's manager and two band members --Goswami and Amritprabha Mahan

SRINAGAR: Police on Saturday attached property worth Rs Two crores of the Sajjad Gul, the founder of the militant group 'The Resistance Front' (TRF), an offshoot of Lashker-e Toiba, blamed for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local ponywala were killed. A police spokesman said police attached a three-storey residential house constructed over 15 marlas of land (Survey No. 43 min, Estate Khushipora), located at Rose Avenue, HMT. The property, valued at approximately R

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday banned the sale of Coldrif syrup following the deaths of nine children due to suspected kidney infections in Chhindwara district since 7 September. The deaths of children in Chhindwara due to Coldrif syrup are extremely tragic. The sale of this syrup has been banned across Madhya Pradesh. A ban is also being imposed on other products manufactured by the same company, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated on X. The syrup was produced at a factory in K

The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday stopped a Samajwadi Party delegation heading for Bareilly, where the crackdown on the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign led to violence and the arrest of several Muslims, including renowned scholar Maulana Tauqeer Raza. The 14-member delegation led by the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, was directed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit Bareilly, which remained tense as the administration's crackdown on protesters continued. Pandey slammed th

The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday stopped a Samajwadi Party delegation led by the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, as they were leaving for Bareilly, where the crackdown on the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign led to violence and the arrest of several Muslims, including renowned scholar Maulana Tauqeer Raza. Pandey slammed the police action as undemocratic and a violation of the Constitution. A letter was initially issued asking me to stay in the house, but was later correc

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has set up a one-man judicial commission to probe the death of singer-composer Zubeen Garg, an official order said. The commission, headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court, will submit its report within six months, the order issued by the Political Department stated. The order was shared on X by the Chief Minister's Office late on Friday. The commission will probe into the facts and circumstances leading to the death of Garg in Singapore on Sept

ISLAMABAD: After days of violent unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the federal government and protesters on Saturday signed an agreement to end the ongoing demonstrations that have left at least 10 people dead and hundreds injured. The violence disrupted the regions peace following a strike that began on 29 September, after talks broke down between officials and leaders of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), a representative body of protesters. The protesters had issued a

RANCHI: Aimed at creating awareness for the conservation of wild animals, especially elephants, the Jharkhand forest department for the first time, is set to organise a marathon Run for Gajraj in the foothills of Dalma in Jamshedpur on October 5. According to officials, though the marathon is meant to create awareness for the protection and conservation of wild animals, the focus will be on the elephants. Both male and female elephants will participate in the event with separate prize money for

CHANDIGARG: To check stubble burning, the Deputy Commissioners in Punjab, Haryana, several districts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh falling under the National Capital Region (NCR), and Delhi have been empowered to take penal action against government officials who fail to curb the menace by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has also whipped farmers who indulged in crop-residue burning, with over 95 cases registered and 35 'red entries' in land record

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to a man accused of sharing a post praising Pakistan on social media. Sajid Chaudhary, a resident of Meerut, was booked under Section 152 (endangering India's sovereignty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and had been in jail since May 13, 2025. The post in question allegedly read: Kamran Bhatti Proud of You, Pakistan Zindabad. Allowing the bail plea, Justice Santosh Rai observed that while posting such a message may provoke anger or disha

SRI NAGAR: Ladakh activist Wangchuks brother and Leh Apex Body's legal advisor Haji Ghulam Mustafa have been granted access to meet him at Jodhpur central jail in Rajasthan on Saturday. Wanghuck, leading agitation for the sixth Schedule and statehood in Ladakh, was arrested by police on September 26, two days after violence in Leh during a protest that left four persons dead and 80 others injured in one of the worst violence in Ladakh. Following his arrest, Wangchuk was booked under the stringen

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has dismissed two lower court judges accused of corruption for misconduct and behaviour unbecoming of officials of the judiciary. The decision to dismiss additional sessions judge Dhananjay Nikam and civil judge Irfan Shaikh was taken following an inquiry by a disciplinary committee. While Nikam has been accused of bribery, Shaikh, who presided over cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, allegedly indulged in corruption and misappropr

PATNA: In a significant pre-election move, the Bihar government has approved a series of welfare and infrastructure development proposals, including an increase in the monthly honorarium for contractual Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers in urban areas from Rs 11,500 to Rs 15,000. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday, which saw approval of 129 proposals in total. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Cabinet Department, Arvind Kuma

MUMBAI: At least three members of a family drowned in the Arabian Sea in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra during a picnic, while four others have gone missing, police said. A 16-year-old girl, who was part of the group, was rescued, an official said. The incident occurred around 4 pm on Friday off the Shiroda-Velaghar beach, located more than 490 km from Mumbai. Eight members of a family were on a picnic. Two of them were from Kudal (in Sindhudurg), and six others had arrived from Belagavi in

NEW DELHI: India welcomes US President Donald Trump's leadership as peace efforts in Gaza make decisive progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. Modi referred to the indications of the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and said it marks a significant step forward in efforts to restore peace in the region. Israel says it is preparing to implement 'first stage' of Trump' plan to end war in Gaza He said on X, India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable a

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Colombia, praised the global success of Indian two-wheeler companies while criticising crony capitalism and what he called a wholesale attack on democracy in India. On social media platform X, Gandhi shared a photo of himself in front of a Bajaj Pulsar and wrote, Proud to see Bajaj, Hero & TVS doing so well in Colombia. Shows Indian companies can win with innovation, not cronyism. Great job. The post was a thinly veiled critique of pol