The Shillong Times

During an evening test fire on May 28, 2026, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded, engulfing the launchpad in a massive fireball. The spectacular fire, caught on video, not only destroyed the rocket but also appears to have significantly damaged Blue Origins only launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Fortunately, []

India and Pakistan are no strangers to heat. This time of year is the worst, as heat peaks before the monsoon brings cooler conditions from June. But this years heat is something else. Intense, sustained heat began in mid-April. Daily maximum temperatures have topped 46C in many locations, with some areas running around 58C above []

Washington, May 30: US President Donald Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers on Friday but has not yet made a decision on whether to move forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the agreement has not been finalised. Ahead of []

Washington, May 30: The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a Chinese national working for the state news agency Xinhua in the United States, in an apparent reciprocal act to Beijings decision to expel a New York Times reporter. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the visa had been revoked. The person spoke []

WASHINGTON, May 30: A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trumps name was illegally added to the Kennedy Centre and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations the latest legal setback for Trumps efforts to leave his personal mark on the landscape of the nations capital. Trump []

Stafford (US), May 30: A bus crashed into vehicles slowing for a work zone on Interstate 95 in Virginia early on Friday, killing five people and injuring dozens, including the driver, authorities said. The crash happened at about 2:35 am on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, near Quantico. All five of the people who died []

Bunia, May 30: The head of the World Health Organisation on Saturday visited eastern Congos Bunia, a city at the heart of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola, where the virus is spreading faster than the response despite better-organised health facilities and new aid arrivals. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to visit a []

Singapore, May 30: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday credited President Donald Trump with helping broker peace between India and Pakistan, while describing India as a key partner in Washingtons Indo-Pacific strategy and highlighting growing defence cooperation between the two countries. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth referred to the understanding []

Bangkok, May 30: Rescue workers in Laos said Saturday they have safely evacuated four villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, the day after another one was successfully extracted. Two men remain missing. Lao and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying []

Kabul, May 30: A truck carrying Afghan refugees returning from neighbouring Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring about 36 others, most of them women and children, officials said. The accident occurred in Laghman province on the main highway linking Kabul, the Afghan capital, with []

Meghalaya-o kror 150-ni High-Altitute Training Centre-ko songgen SHILLONG: Meghalaya, chang 39-gipa National Games-ko sokchakna tarisoengon mamong minister Dr. Mandaviya, tarisoanirangko nipilangaon daldalgipa ba mongsonggipa infrastructure-ko songna parakatjolaha. Sonibar salo tomaniko Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma dilangaha, jeon Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Raksha Khadse, IOA President P.T Usha, Meghalaya Sports Minister Wailadmiki []

Actor Manoj Bajpayee says the huge controversy over the title of his upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandat affected the entire team for some time, while he himself faced a lot of threats. The 57-year-old actor said the team promptly responded to the uproar over the title, which was dubbed casteist by many on social media. A []

Ranveer Singh, on Friday night was photographed with Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice ahead of a major football fixture. Ranveer shared the picture on his social media account and wrote, All about last night. The actor used the song, Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan from the hit movie Yaarana featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan. []

After making her Telugu debut with Devara: Part 1 in 2024 and trying her hand at Malayalam for the 2025 film Param Sundari, actress Janhvi Kapoor, who is predominantly a Bollywood star, has confessed that Malayalam was no easy feat. Speaking about how she can now call herself a multilingual actress, considering she knows many []

Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar as editor of the original 1977 Star Wars and was part of a group of women whose editing was essential to films New Hollywood era, has died, a lawyer for her family said Friday. She was 80. Lucas, who was married to Star Wars creator George Lucas from 1969 []

Actress Emilia Clarke has set the record straight on long-standing rumours surrounding the salaries earned by the cast of the hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, calling the reported figures wildly exaggerated, according to Page Six. In a recent interview with Variety, Clarke refuted claims that she and several of her co-stars earned as much []

The trailer of Brown series, starring Karisma Kapoor, was unveiled on Saturday afternoon. Headlined by Karisma Kapoor in the role of a cop, the series also features Surya Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta, and Soni Razdan in pivotal roles. As per the makers, Brown is a neo-noir psychological crime thriller set against the haunting beauty and moral []

Sukrobar salo, adokni Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, adokni Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar baksa Assam-ni Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-ko uni office chamber-o grongenba, Lapangap jolrango ongenggipa obostarangko namatani bidingo chanchirimenga.

SHILLONG: Assam sorkarini gital Cabinet minister-rang, kumikchetaniko dakahaon, Meghalaya aro Assam adokni gisepo, simani bidingo agangrikaniko abachengpiltaina mangen ine Sukrobar salo, adokni Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, antangni kadongchakenganiko parakataha. Sukrobar salo, adokni Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, adokni Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar baksa Assam-ni Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-ko uni office chamber-o grongenba, []

From Our Correspondent MAWKYRWAT, May 30: Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Saturday inaugurated the Rilang College at Mawsaw village in South West Khasi Hills and announced that a new C&RD Block will be established in the Shiliang Um Rilang area by early next year. The college is an initiative of the Rilang Education Society []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: The National Peoples Party (NPP) has not yet finalised its candidate for the upcoming election to Meghalayas lone Rajya Sabha seat, with party leaders expected to hold high-level discussions in the coming days before announcing the official nominee. Cabinet Minister and senior NPP leader Wailadmiki Shylla confirmed on Saturday []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: The state government on Saturday said it has taken serious note of alleged sexual harassment of women cricketers and assured zero tolerance for any form of misconduct involving women athletes. Reacting to reports of alleged sexual assault and claims that former Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) officials failed to act []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) appears to be bucking the trend of political parties spending heavily and mobilising supporters during election campaigns. According to the party, people are contributing money to fund the partys campaign for the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha by-election. Across campaign meetings in the []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday unveiled a major addition to its sports infrastructure with the inauguration of the Rs 132.9 crore Integrated Multipurpose Indoor Sports Complex at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex, Polo. The project marked yet another significant milestone in the states []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: Meghalaya is targeting the creation of a total of 3,000 homestays across the state within the next 12 to 18 months as part of its efforts to expand tourism-linked livelihood opportunities, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Saturday. Speaking during an interaction with residents and entrepreneurs in Smit []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: The Trinamool Congress (TMC), largely inactive in Meghalaya since the 2023 Assembly elections, is holding internal discussions on whether to contest the upcoming Shillong Parliamentary by-election, party sources said. We are analysing the situation and will take a call, a source close to the party said, confirming deliberations are []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: Meghalaya has recorded encouraging progress in maternal healthcare, with 65% of births now taking place in health facilities, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 202324. The latest figures point to steady improvement in access to safe childbirth services across the state. The share of births in public []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Saturday dismissed concerns over the recent recall of medicines supplied through the Meghalaya Medical Drugs and Services Limited (MMDSL), describing the incidents as isolated and largely linked to storage issues. Responding to criticism from the medical community regarding the alleged supply of substandard drugs []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, May 30: The Meghalaya Urban Affairs department has officially notified three designated street vending locations in Shillong under the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The decision follows the approval of the Town Vending Committee (TVC) and consultations with various street vendors []

Guwahati, May 30: Assam Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Dilip Saikia said on Saturday that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a big step towards providing justice for women. His response came after the Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the UCC Bill, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stating that the legislation would now be []

Conrad meets Himanta in Guwahati, discusses Lapangap border tension SHILLONG, GUWAHATI, May 29: While farmers in West Jaintia Hills remain barred from their fields by Assam Police outposts, full-scale border resolution talks have been deferred until the new Assam Cabinet is sworn in, while only short-term measures have been offered to defuse the simmering tension []

SHILLONG, May 29: While the border dispute between Meghalaya and Assam remains unresolved, the State Election Department admitted on Friday it has no official record of dual voters in contested areas, even as it prepares to launch a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls based on 20-year-old data. Speaking to reporters, Chief Electoral Officer []

SHILLONG, May 29: UDP president and Cabinet Minister Metbah Lyngdoh on Friday admitted that Meghalayas education system is crippled by decades of fragmented policy and deep-rooted structural failures, even as he shielded the current MDA government by claiming recent reforms need more time to rescue the state from its bottom-tier national ranking. Speaking to reporters, []

Mlaya fully prepared for June 18 polls: CEO SHILLONG, May 29: As Meghalaya counts down to the June 18 Rajya Sabha polls, the conspicuous absence of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Voice of the People Party (VPP) from a crucial briefing on Friday signals a brewing political storm over who will occupy the []

SHILLONG, May 29: The unity of the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) is under threat as the HSPDP on Friday pointedly withheld its endorsement of the UDPs Lok Sabha candidate, Vivan GK Kynta, just 24 hours after his formal unveiling. While the UDP and HSPDP have traditionally backed a common nominee to consolidate the Khasi-Jaintia vote, []

SHILLONG, May 29: A search is under way to identify the parents of a newborn male infant abandoned on the premises of Ganesh Das Hospital on May 25. The discovery at the states premier maternal health centre has raised urgent questions regarding the social pressures and lapses in support systems that lead to such tragedies []

SHILLONG, May 29: Residents across Meghalaya must brace for a season of persistent darkness as Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh on Friday admitted that frequent power shutdowns are unavoidable while the state struggles to overhaul its aging electricity grid. Acknowledging growing public frustration over erratic supply, Lyngdoh stated that the interruptions are directly linked to large-scale []

From CK Nayak NEW DELHI, May 29: The historically clean Northeastern region, including Meghalaya, has transformed into a pollution hotspot due to overall particulate matter (PM) pollution over the last few years, a recent study said. Between 2000 and 2024, PM pollution across Northeast India shifted drastically, transforming the region from a historically clean area []

SHILLONG, May 29: JCI Shillong Pinecity organised an awareness programme on menstrual hygiene and HPV vaccination to educate the youths on womens health and preventive care. According to a statement here, the session featured Dr. Alok Deb, a gynecologist and laparoscopic surgeon, who discussed the importance of breaking social stigmas and fostering open conversations about []

SHILLONG, May 29: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said Indias youth must be guided with clarity of purpose and collective direction to realise the vision of a developed India by 2047, asserting that officers working at the grassroots level have a crucial responsibility in shaping future leadership and instilling []

By Our Reporter Shillong, May 29: Nongkseh SSCC took one giant step towards the 5th Meghalaya State League title by defeating a spirited Rymbai Shkenshynriah SC 3-0 in the first semifinal at the SSA Stadium here on Friday. The thrilling match was played out in front of another packed stadium as football fans, including plenty []

By Our Reporter Shillong, May 29: The District Sports Officer (DSO), East Khasi Hills, has announced that the District Level Inter-School Subroto Cup Football Tournament 2026 will tentatively begin from June 15. The tournament will be conducted for schools across East Khasi Hills district in three categories Under-15 boys, Under-17 boys and Under-17 girls.According []

By Our Reporter Shillong, May 29: A 16-member contingent of the Meghalaya State Kickboxing Association (MSKA), comprising 14 boys and two girls, left for Odisha on Friday to participate in the Junior Boys and Girls National Kickboxing Championship, scheduled to be held in Khurda from May 30 to June 3. The Meghalaya team will be []

By Our Reporter Shillong, May 29: The Meghalaya State Olympic Association (MSOA) on Friday extended a warm welcome to Indian Olympic Association President P. T. Usha on her maiden visit to Shillong. Dr Usha arrived in the city at around 2 pm and was received by MSOA officials at the Shillong Marriott Hotel. During the []

WASHINGTON, May 29: Donald Trump said Friday that he was holding a high-level Situation Room meeting at the White House with senior advisers to make a final determination on whether to proceed with a tentative agreement aimed at extending the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The proposed arrangement, negotiated over recent days, []

Singapore, May 29: A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies says Chinas key maritime vulnerability begins at the Strait of Hormuz rather than the Strait of Malacca, creating a new zone of strategic competition in the Indian Ocean involving China, India, France and the United States. Released ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit []

Filmmaker Karan Johar sparked widespread speculation after netizens noticed major changes to his Instagram following list, with the director unfollowing several Bollywood celebrities, close friends and collaborators. Among those reportedly removed from his following list were Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, designer Manish Malhotra, and his Student Of The Year protgs Varun []

Bollywood stars are preparing to celebrate Hema Malinis 60-year journey in Indian cinema through a special Hema Malini Live-in Concert scheduled for July 10. Celebrities including Anu Malik, Padmini Kolhapure, Poonam Dhillon and actress Upasana shared heartfelt tributes to the veteran actor-politician. Padmini Kolhapure recalled her long-standing bond with Hema Malini and praised her humility []

Asian shares decline Bangkok, May 28: World shares declined Thursday following more of what the US military said were defensive strikes against Iran. Oil prices gained more than USD 2 a barrel after having dropped sharply a day before. In early European trading, Germanys DAX was nearly unchanged at 25,175.63 and the CAC 40 in []

New Delhi, May 28: Gold and silver traded lower in international markets on Thursday as a stronger US dollar and renewed geopolitical tensions following fresh US military action against Iran weighed on sentiment and heightened concerns that inflation could remain elevated for longer. Spot gold slipped nearly 2 per cent to $4,368.99 per ounce, while []