Chastened by his Jan Suraaj Partys poor performance in the recent Bihar assembly polls, political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Monday began a day-long silent fast. Kishor visited the Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district, set up by Mahatma Gandhi about a century ago, for his maun upvaas, according to a statement issued by the Jan Suraaj Party. It was at this very spot, three years ago, that Kishor - who is known for his deep admiration for Mahatma Gandhi - began a 3,500-k

CHANDIGARH: The scrutiny has intensified at Al Falah University as around 200 doctors and staff working at the university are reportedly under the scanner of investigative agencies for possible links to the alleged suicide bomber Dr Umar Nabi. Investigative agencies have detained Afsana, an anganwadi worker from Golpuri village who manages her fathers house and rented a room in Hidayat Colony, Nuh to Umar on the recommendation of her relative Shoaib, who worked as an electrician at the universit

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Thursday morning carried out searches at the head office of Kashmir Times newspaper, one of the oldest newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir, in Jammu. Sources said a team of SIA officials arrived at the Residency Road area of Jammu in the early morning today and conducted searches in the two-storey head office of Kashmir Times. The SIA officials were assisted by J&K police personnel, who laid the outer cordon of the building. T

NEW DELHI: More than 50,000 children in conflict with the law remain stuck in a slow-moving justice system where over half the cases are pending at 362 Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), according to a new India Justice Report (IJR) study released on Thursday. Despite ten years of the Juvenile Justice Act coming into force, glaring gaps, ranging from missing judges, under-inspected homes, absent data systems and wide state-level disparities continue to afflict justice delivery, the study said. The

GUNA: Three persons were killed and four others injured when their speeding car rammed into a truck in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, a police official said. The incident took place around 3 am near village Bajranggarh on Guna-Aron road, the official said. The victims were coming to Guna from Aron to attend a wedding when their car hit a truck moving ahead of it, the official said. The crash was so severe that three occupants of the car died on the spot, the official said. Poli

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Governors cannot indefinitely withhold assent to Bills passed by state Assemblies. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai pronounced the judgment on President Droupadi Murmus reference under Article 143(1). We don't think governors have unfettered power to sit over bills passed by state assemblies, the bench observed. In India's cooperative federalism, Governors must adopt a dialogue process to iron out differences wi

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has once again stirred controversy within the Congress by lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent Ramnath Goenka Lecture . His remarks, posted on X on Tuesday, drew sharp reactions from party leaders, who questioned why Tharoor remains in Congress if he finds the PMs ideas commendable. In his post, Tharoor highlighted that Modis address was both an economic outlook and a cultural call to action, urging the nation to be restless for progress. Tharoor wrot

DEHRADUN: The picturesque mountain regions of Uttarakhand, already vulnerable to natural disasters, are now facing a terrifying new threat: escalating human-wildlife conflict, particularly involving bears. Residents across the Garhwal region, long accustomed to occasional encounters with leopards and tigers, are grappling with a sharp surge in bear attacks, fueling widespread panic. Villagers are reportedly avoiding venturing out after dusk for fear of attacks. This year alone, bear encounters h

ITANAGAR: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has said that in the past six months, it disposed of around 26,000 cases and rescued more than 2,300 children across the country. Division head for Juvenile Justice, POCSO and special cells of NCPCR, Paresh Shah, however, said that child rights violations are not mere statistics and each case represents a story of a child and a family. Effective action by officials determines not only the lives of children but the future of

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday described as yet another severe setback to India's diplomacy a US commission reportedly mentioning in its report of Pakistan's military success over India in a four-day clash, and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs will register their objections to it. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said US President Donald Trump has claimed 60 times so far that he had halted Operation Sindoor but the prime minister has ke

JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar is set to take oath as Bihars chief minister for a record 10th time today, days after the NDA secured a decisive victory in the assembly elections. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several top NDA leaders are expected to attend. In addition to the main stage, several pandals have been erected to accommodate VIPs, while elaborate security arrangements have been

The United States has approved a USD 93 million weapons sale to India, paving the way for New Delhi to receive 100 FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 25 lightweight command launch units, and 216 M982A1 Excalibur precision-guided artillery rounds. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has formally notified the US Congress of the proposed transfer. According to the DSCA, the package also includes lifecycle support, operator training, security inspections, refurbishing services for the la

PATNA: The turmoil in RJD chief Lalu Prasads family deepened on Wednesday following his estranged son Tej Pratap Yadavs claim that the party would shrink from 25 assembly seats to just five if what he called the new RJD culture continues. In an emotional post shared on Instagram of his newly floated Janshakti Janata Dal, Tej Pratap accused his younger brother Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of humiliating him and their sister Rohini Acharya at the behest of some Jai Chands. In further trouble for the part

BHOPAL: A young inspector of Madhya Pradeshs elite anti-Naxal Hawk Force died after being hit by multiple bullets during a gun battle with armed Naxal cadres in the Kanghurra jungles of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday morning. Ashish Sharma, a decorated officer who had received two gallantry medals from the central government and formed the core of many critical Hawk Force operations, was struck by bullets fired by Naxal cadres near the tri-junction of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh arou

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is known as a strict and demanding administrator, yet some officers still try to meddle with his decisions. Recently, a senior officer altered a cabinet-approved draft and inserted clauses that served his own interests. When this came to Fadnaviss notice, he was stunned and immediately warned the officer for crossing the line. He said he would either start a departmental inquiry or an Anti-Corruption Bureau probe, with serious consequences such as suspension. Peo

NEW DELHI: Still reeling from its devastating performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress now faces a critical test of biannual Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for early next year. With the partys Assembly seats shrinking in several key states and alliance leverage weakening, it may struggle to retain its influence in the Upper House. Elections for 75 seats in the Rajya Sabha are scheduled across April, June, and November 2026. While the BJP-led NDA is expected to make net gains,

NEW DELHI: As Indias first and only woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi reshaped the country with her policies dedicated to ameliorating poverty, deprivation, conflict, and inequality, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday. Sonia made the remarks after presenting the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2024 to Michelle Bachelet, who had served as the first and only woman President of Chile and is a former chief of United Nations Human

NEW DELHI: A group of 272 eminent citizens 16 judges, 123 retired bureaucrats including 14 former ambassadors, and 133 retired armed forces officers issued a signed letter on Wednesday criticising Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, though without naming him directly, for what they saw as attempts to undermine key constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission of India (ECI). In their open letter, they wrote, We, the senior citizens of civil society, express our grave concern that India

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a slew of directions to the Centre to frame a national policy and uniform rules in consultation with states to ensure a transparent and efficient system for organ donation and allocation. A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran passed the directions on a PIL filed by the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISOT). The CJI requested the Centre to persuade Andhra Pradesh to adopt the 2011 amendments to the Transpla

CHANDIGARH: A special US deportation flight carrying 200 Indians, including Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother and close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, two other fugitives wanted in Punjab, and 197 undocumented migrants landed in New Delhi on Wednesday. Anmol is wanted in multiple criminal cases in India, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022 and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in October 2024, and firing at actor Shah Rukh Khans residence in Apr

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR/LUCKNOW: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the Al Falah group at the centre of the Delhi blast case for alleged money laundering, has uncovered tainted funds amounting to Rs 415 crore, sources said on Wednesday. The agency has secured 13-day custody of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui , the chairman and founder of the group. An official said the Al Falah group generated proceeds of crime by deceiving students through false claims about the accreditation and recognit

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: In a proud moment for Karnataka, IAS officer Dr Nagarjun B Gowda, a native of Tiptur in Tumakuru district and now CEO of Khandwa Zilla Panchayat in Madhya Pradesh, was honoured by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhavan on Tuesday. Khandwa district was declared the Best Performing District in the country under the Union Jal Shakti ministrys rainwater harvesting programme, earning a cash award of Rs 2 crore. Dr Gowda and Khandwa Collector Rishav Gupta received the award tog

LUCKNOW: An all-caste Sarv Khap Panchayat in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh, unanimously passed 11 resolutions against what it called the prevalent social evils, including opposition to live-in relationships and homosexuality and making parental consent for love marriage mandatory. The panchayat also recommended ending traditional 13-day death feast. Notably, it set up a committee to enforce the decisions, with the next meeting scheduled for 2035. Organised in Sorum village of Shahpur Na

MHOW: The Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh has issued a notice to the occupants and legal heirs of a residential property, belonging to Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui's family , in which it directed that unauthorised constructions there be razed within three days, an official said. Faridabad-based Al Falah University, run by the Al Falah Group, is emerging as an epicentre of investigation in the November 10 Delhi blast case that killed 12 persons and injured several others.

NEW DELHI: Bangladeshs National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman met Indian NSA Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Tuesday and formally invited him to visit Dhaka, even as relations between the neighbours remain strained over a host of issues since Former Prime Minister Sheik Hasinas exit from power. The meeting was held ahead of the 7th National Security Advisors Meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) on Thursday. The invitation to Doval comes at a moment of diplomatic sensitivity, with Dhaka p

NEW DELHI: Bowing to multiple requests from candidates, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has extended the last date for submission of applications for the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) to November 24. The earlier deadline was November 17. CMAT is a national level entrance exam for admission to management programmes in the country. A public notice issued by NTA on Wednesday said the revised deadline for submission of online applications would be November 24 (upto 11.50 pm). The revise

MUMBAI: Maharashtra this year witnessed a disappointing trend of dynastic politics as at least 33 BJP leaders fielded their spouses, children and relatives in the upcoming local body elections scheduled on December 2, 2025. The BJP, the party that always speaks against dynastic politics, has fielded the largest number of candidates related to its leaders. A politicalobserver said that the fielding of candidates chosen from the families of ruling ministers and MLAs showsthat family bonds are valu

DEHRADUN: In a heartening trend, a significant number of youths returning to their villages in Uttarakhand to start anew. According to the State Migration Commission's survey report on reverse migration, a total of 6,282 migrants have returned to their villages, with 43 per cent of them belonging to the 25-35 age group. We are seeing a positive trend of people returning to their villages and starting afresh. Many are adopting agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, and self-employment as their p

NOIDA: A 37-year-old man has been arrested by the Noida unit of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) for allegedly posing as an officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Army Major and Colonel, officials said on Wednesday. The accused, Suneet Kumar, was held on Tuesday evening, and multiple fake identity documents, including a forged RAW officer and Army ID carrying his photograph, were recovered from him, they said. Additional Superintendent of Police (STF Noida) Raj Kumar Mishra t

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it would consider transferring the case of rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to Delhi or Calcutta High Court. The top court had taken suo moto cognisance of the case in 2024. A bench of justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma said the matter cannot be heard piecemeal as several matters were pending in Calcutta High Court. During the hearing, the court asked senior advocate Karuna Nundy, r

NEW DELHI: Air India has asked the Centre to persuade China to allow Indian aircraft to use its airspace over Xinjiang as the ongoing Pakistani airspace closure continues to inflict steep financial losses on Indian carriers. India-China flights resumed only last month after a five-and-a-half-year suspension. A source confirmed the development to The New Indian Express . We requested the government some time ago to take up with China the possibility of opening a portion of its military airspace f

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution bench, headed by the Chief Justice B R Gavai, will pronounce the judgement on Thursday on President Droupadi Murmu's reference case seeking the top court's opinion on whether timelines can be imposed on Governors and the President for granting assent to State bills. The bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on September 11, after a marathon hearing continued for 10 days, as it heard extensively the arguments and submissions from t

After the NDA coalition's landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections, JDU supremo and the state's longest serving chief minister Nitish Kumar is set to be sworn in as the head of the government for a historic tenth time on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 11.30 am at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president J. P. Nadda, several other Union ministers, and chief ministers

MUMBAI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde skipped the scheduled official programs in Mumbai and on Wednesday rushed to Delhi to meet Union Minister Amit Shah to express his displeasure and grievances. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his ministers have been sidelined in the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Sources say that the ministers are feeling the heat of BJPs Operation Lotus that will weaken Shinde's and his party's base. Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik said

RANCHI: Raising serious concern over the security arrangements at Shaheed Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital (SNMMCH) in Dhanbad, a wild jackal unexpectedly entered the emergency building and made its way directly into the Surgical ICU early on Monday morning. The incident came to light on Wednesday after a video of the animal entering the ICU went viral on social media. According to eyewitnesses, the jackal walked in unhindered through the hospitals main gate and crossed the emergency co

RAIPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Bastar, once a region where even journalists allegedly needed multiple permissions to enter, has now begun drawing national attention through sport. Referring to the Bastar Olympic, he remarked, Today, the same Bastar is drawing national attention through sports, this change reflects the regions new mindset. The Bastar Olympic, which began in 2024, has now entered its second edition in an even bigger and more vibrant form. The event is be

KOLKATA: The four-day-long confrontation between West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee escalated further after the veteran parliamentarian lodged complaints against the states constitutional head at Hare Street police station on Wednesday, a day after the Governor filed an FIR with the same police station on Tuesday accusing the MP of making derogatory remarks. Raj Bhavan had lodged the FIR on Tuesday against Kalyan for his statements alleging Bose of givi

NEW DELHI: The rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases from obesity, diabetes to cancer worldwide, and deepening health inequalities, said the new Lancet series released on Wednesday. The series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health stressed that addressing this challenge requires a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems to promote healthier, more sustainable diets. According to Dr. A

NEW DELHI: The initial financial probe into the Al-Falah group has unearthed alleged cheating to the tune of Rs 415 crore, said a senior officer in the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency is also probing the foreign funding it has received so far. The group, whose Haryana-based university has come under the scanner after three doctors working there were found to be suspects in the November 10 Red Fort blast that killed 13 people, is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Launderin

On the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Genomic and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) has transferred indigenous technology for developing a CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) to the Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SII). India has the second-highest number of children born with SCD globally, with an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 new cases each year, particularly among tribal communities in Centra

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday alleged that the BJP's social media cell was targeting him because he took stringent measures to curb corruption and ensured that widows, orphans, women, labourers and farmers got their rights. Addressing a gathering at Baddi, CM Sukhu attacked the previous BJP government for allegedly turning a blind eye on corruption. He alleged that the previous BJP government gave away 5,000 bighas of land worth hundreds of crores to

NEW DELHI: Under its flagship Swachh Bharat MissionUrban (SBM-U) 2.0, the Centre is encouraging all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to expand public toilet (PT) infrastructure at tourist destinations, high-footfall areas, and religious sites to meet growing sanitation needs. It has also been recommended that these facilities be classified as Aspirational Toilets. So far, 29,000 Aspirational Toilet seats have been approved under SBM-U 2.0. The mission aims to significantly enhance the user experience o

PANAJI: Departing from tradition, a grand immersive parade featuring film floats will mark the beginning of this years International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panaji on Thursday evening. For the first time, IFFI will welcome audiences with a colourful, lively showcase where stories, music, and characters come to life. This change aims to transform the festival into a more vibrant, open, and publicly engaging event. The parade, starting from the Entertainment Society of Goa, is expected to

NEW DELHI: The Gopalganj assembly seat in Bihar recorded the largest number of net voter deletions while the Darbhanga constituency registered the least in the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, with the BJP winning both the seats in the just held elections. According to data shared by the Election Commission, the total number of electors stood at 3.52 lakh in Gopalganj when the SIR was ordered on June 24 in the state. When the final electoral ro

RANCHI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Jharkhand Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari will personally treat patients in the OPD. The minister, who is also an allopathy doctor, has announced that he will make regular visits to Sadar Hospitals in every district and provide OPD services to patients. According to Ansari, he does not want to be a minister only, but wants to understand the problems of patients closely by working on the ground and examining them as a doctor. Ansari said t

NEW DELHI: The Delhi blast has put a very serious question mark on the government's seurity policy, said senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Wednesday, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soon answer in Parliament on the lapse. The former external Affairs minister also alleged that strategic failures are now writ large as far as the Modi government is concerned. We are startled about what has happened near the Red Fort and its connections with other parts of the country. In all these

CHANDIGARH: Four days after 32-year-old Naveen Arora, son of a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary and grandson of late Dina Nath, a senior RSS leader and social worker, was shot dead in Ferozepur district, Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested two of the five men involved in plotting and executing the killing. Senior Superintendent of Police, Ferozepur, Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said the motive for the killing was yet to be ascertained. He said the conspiracy to kill Arora was hatched

AHMEDABAD: Surat Cyber Cell has uncovered one of Gujarats most meticulously engineered cyber-fraud operations, masterminded by a highly educated, white-collar criminal. The accused, Nitesh Govani, a B.Sc. Mathematics graduate and Chief Finance Officer at a reputed Pune-based firm, created a corporate maze so convincing that more than 1,200 people were duped and Rs 9 crore siphoned off. A respectable profile masking a criminal mind On paper, Govani appeared to be the model urban professional: a s

LUCKNOW: Bugle, an instrument common with the drills of armed forces and used in wars, ceremonies, and parades for decades, has earned a GI tag. The tag could restore the respect, market value, and future of the century-old craft of Meerut. Meeruts association with bugle-making dates back to the late 19th century. The instruments journey has been parallel to the evolution of Indias military culture. Used as command tools during the British era, as the armed forces evolved, the bugle retained its

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, India and Germany on Wednesday agreed to jointly manufacture Obstacle Avoidance Systems (OAS) for military helicopters, a rare, high-value defence technology transfer that marks one of the most substantial collaborations between the two nations in nearly three decades. This agreement comes a day after both countries articulated their intent to advance their strategic partnership when Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the IndiaGermany High De