The Sen Times

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) If free and fair elections are to be ensured, it is axiomatic that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must not only be an independent body but also be seen to act independently, Supreme Court judge Justice Dipankar Datta said on Wednesday. Justice Datta headed a bench also comprising Justice Satish Chandra Sharma which gave split opinions on whether a batch of pleas challenging the validity of a 2023 law that excludes the CJI from the panel for selecting the chief ele

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) Gold prices fell for the third straight session, declining Rs 900 to Rs 1.54 lakh per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday as a stronger US dollar and weak global trends weighed on investor sentiment. The yellow metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,54,900 per 10 grams on Tuesday. Silver, however, remained unchanged for the second straight session at Rs 2.42 lakh per kilogram, inclusive of all taxes, according to local traders. Gold traded weak on Wedn

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) Flagging the inordinate delay in resolution of references made to larger benches, the Supreme Court on Wednesday requested the Chief Justice of India to explore the possibility of constituting a permanent five-judge bench to deal with cases involving constitutional issues. A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma termed the delay as an area of grave concern and said self-introspection was required as pendency of reference for far too long does not refl

Mumbai, Sep 23 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar be jailed, citing reports of differences emerging within the Election Commission. Addressing a news conference, Thackeray also demanded that the last elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu be nullified and repolls be held in these states using ballot papers. Gyanesh Kumar should be immediately sacked and jailed, the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) The Election Commission on Wednesday asserted that all its official orders, decisions and administrative directions carry full legal sanctions and that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. In a statement following The Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had red flagged multiple issues, including deletion of names, in various states during the pan-India Special Intensive Re

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the party stood firmly with the demand of the people of Ladakh for meaningful constitutional safeguards, including the Sixth Schedule, to protect Ladakhs land, employment, fragile environment, culture and identity. He also demanded that the judicial probe into the deaths of four people during statehood protests must ensure accountability and bring out the truth. On September 24, 2025, police in Leh shot and killed fo

If youve priced a new PC build recently, you already know the figures arent pretty. Less obvious from any single glance at a storefront is that this doesnt represent a simple hiccup in the economics of the market. This represents a fundamental change in the approach to selling memory products by a certain number of major firms within the industry, and they have binding contracts which extend significantly beyond the lifetime of this particular problem. The damage in dollars Prices of memory and

Cambridge, Sep 22 (The Conversation) When Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping last sat down in May 2026, talk was centered on three Ts: trade, technology and Taiwan. The latest summit, due to begin in the United States on Sept. 24, looks set to focus on the same set of issues again. The main difference will be that the technology element has been given added urgency by the sudden and rapid shift in developments in artificial intelligence. Whats less clear is whether the two sides will be able

Montreal (Canada), Sep 22 (The Conversation) Demand for mental health care in Canada has risen sharply. In a health-care system already short of publicly funded specialists, Canadians often wait months for support. Many are filling this gap with general-purpose generative AI chatbots (like ChatGPT), presumably because these systems are free, immediate and available at all hours. However, these chatbots carry assumptions about what distress is and how it should be described, and those assumptions

NEW YORK, September 22, 2026 (AP) CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trumps administration days after they were barred from White House grounds, calling the selective ban based on the content of their coverage a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Trump said on social media that he cherished a free press but not FAKE NEWS. White House access is a privilege not a right, the administration posted on X. The extraordinary ban of the three news outlets reporters, which

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Gold prices fell by Rs 600 to Rs 1.55 lakh per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday as weak domestic demand weighed on the precious metal. The yellow metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,55,600 per 10 grams on Wednesday. Silver, however, held steady at Rs 2.42 lakh per kilogram, inclusive of all taxes, according to local traders. Traders said weak demand in the domestic market weighed on gold prices. Gold edged lower on Thursday, tracking overnight wea

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over the death of more than 30 tribal children due to various diseases in Balaghat district, claiming that the state government is Indias most corrupt and incompetent. Gandhi also slammed Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and said if he finds time after lighting lamps and holding celebrations, he must take a look at the ground reality in the state. In Balaghat, more than

Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed nearly flat on Thursday as caution prevailed after the US Federal Reserve increased its interest rates and indicated further tightening in monetary policy. Giving up intraday gains, the 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 21.86 points, or 0.03 per cent, to settle at 74,314.59. During the day, it climbed 341.11 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 74,677.56. The 50-share NSE Nifty closed marginally up 53 points, or 0.23 per cent, at 23,270.60. Among t

Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) The rupee, which slipped below the 96 level in intraday trade, ended Thursdays session with a loss of just 3 paise at 95.94 (provisional) against the US dollar, paring initial losses on likely RBI intervention. The rupee ended almost flat amid a slight fall in the dollar index and crude oil prices, which supported investor sentiment despite global geopolitical volatility. According to forex analysts, the local currency, however, stayed under pressure due to outflows of forei

MUMBAI, Sept 17 (Reuters) Indias rice production is set to fall this year for the first time in a decade, and by the most in nearly 20 years, as below-normal rainfall during the crops maturation period threatens to cut yields, industry officials told Reuters. The drop in the worlds biggest rice-producing and exporting country will lift local prices and make exports expensive at a time when prices are already rising in other exporting countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. However, massive inve

HONG KONG, September 17, 2026 (AP) As concern rises over the risks of artificial intelligence, hopes for any kind of global approach depend on cooperation between the U.S. and China superpowers that seem only to be more skeptical of each others AI strategy. AI governance is expected to be on the agenda in a meeting planned for next week in Washington between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The topic has gained urgency in both countries, with American tech leaders saying t

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) A bill passed by the US House of Representatives authorising President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas, including India, could expose New Delhi to tariffs of up to 100 per cent, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. However, the actual impact of new tariffs on Indian exports can be assessed only after the US announces the tariff rates, product coverage and implementation timetable, it said. The Lindsey O Gra

Mumbai, Sep 17 (PTI) Market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty were trading marginally higher in early trade on Thursday as crude oil prices eased slightly from their recent highs, although caution prevailed after the US Federal Reserves rate hike and indications of further tightening. Foreign fund outflows and muted trend in Asian markets also capped the gains in the domestic equities during initial trading. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 86.49 points to 74,422.94 in early trade. The 50-share

Melbourne, 17 September 2026 (Conversation) How should we refer to people with mental ill health, disability, or neurodivergence? Terminology should be respectful, apt and avoid carrying stigma. Its also important to listen to peoples preferences about how they refer to their condition. But how much consensus is there and how has terminology changed? Our new study the largest of its kind explores how this language has evolved over the past 45 years to reflect our shifting views of mental illne

WASHINGTON, September 17, 2026 (AP) The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy as lawmakers look to deprive President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine. The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who spent more than a year negotiating it. The measure was approved in a 262-159 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law

WASHINGTON. September 17, 2026 (AP) The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for the first time since 2023 in an effort to quell stubbornly high inflation, and the central bank signaled another rate hike could occur later this year. The quarter-point increase lifts the Feds key rate to about 3.9% and, over time, could result in higher borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. In a set of quarterly projections, the Fed also signaled its rate-setting comm

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Gold prices snapped a three-session losing streak on Wednesday, rising Rs 1,200 to Rs 1.55 lakh per 10 grams in the national capital as bargain buying by traders and easing crude oil prices boosted sentiment towards bullion. The yellow metal of 99.9 per cent purity appreciated by Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,55,600 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes) from Tuesdays closing level of Rs 1,54,400 per 10 grams, according to local traders. Silver also bounced back after holding steady fo

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) A public interest litigation (PIL) matter has been filed in the Supreme Court, challenging the Centres decision to impose a merchant discount rate (MDR) on specified UPI person-to-merchant transactions of above Rs 2,000, saying the levy has been introduced without adequate statutory safeguards, transparency or public consultation. The government has introduced a 0.4% fee on UPI payments of more than Rs 2,000 made to merchants from October 15. Under this, a merchant discou

Oxford, Sep 16 (The Conversation) Most of us are used to hearing about the risks of not getting enough iron. Yet having too much iron in the body can also cause serious health problems. Iron overload occurs when it gradually accumulates in the body. Excess iron can be stored in organs such as the liver, heart and pancreas. This can scar the liver, weaken the heart so it cannot pump blood properly, and damage the bodys ability to control blood sugar, leading to diabetes. Could changing what you e

TOKYO, September 16, 2026 (AP) The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record 100,000 this year, the latest government figures show, underscoring the countrys rapidly aging and declining population. The Health and Welfare Ministry statistics released Tuesday show Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time. Nearly 88% of them are women. Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto was recently recognized as the oldes

Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) The rupee stayed weak for the seventh consecutive session, declining 7 paise to 95.95 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, tracking a strong greenback overseas and foreign fund outflows. Forex traders said the rupees slide was capped by positive domestic equity markets, even as crude oil prices remained elevated amid escalating US-Iran conflict. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.89 and moved in the range of 95.85 to 95.98 against t

Sultanpur (UP, Sep 16 (PTI) A court here on Wednesday gave the complainant in a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a final opportunity to present arguments, fixing September 21 for the next hearing with a warning against further delay. The case relates to alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi against the then Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Bengaluru in 2018. The hearing before the MP/MLA special court was deferred after Santosh Kumar Pandey, appearing for complainant a

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to prostrate before US President Donald Trump and give a huge amount of money to America, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Wednesday and demanded a rollback of the governments decision to levy a fee on UPI payments. In a video posted on X, Gandhi urged Prime Minister Modi to stop lying down in front of the US, have a spine, stand up and rollback the UPI tax. Modi ji, roll back the UPI tax. Now. pic.twitter.com/IIt46zMgCG Ra

WASHINGTON, September 16, 2026 (AP) Barely four months into the job, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is stuck between two strong and opposing forces: Financial markets that anticipate the central bank will raise interest rates, and President Donald Trump, who wants the Fed to cut them or leave them unchanged. Economists expect that on Wednesday, Warsh and his fellow policymakers will side with the markets. Warsh, economists say, has largely boxed himself into a rate hike after delivering a hi

September 16, 2026 (Conversation) This year, the European summer has been sweltering. It is unprecedented in many ways, marked by extreme heat, drought and record-breaking fires. Across the continent, fires have consumed hundreds of homes and demanded the evacuation of thousands of people. Europes wine regions have been particularly hard hit, including around Frances Bordeaux region. Aside from the direct dangers of fires, exposure to smoke can give grapes a burnt or ashy flavour, and this smoke

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Gold prices fell by Rs 1,000 to more than a months low of Rs 1,54,400 per 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday amid weak global trends and a strong US dollar. The precious metal previously traded around these levels on August 7, when it stood at Rs 1.54 lakh per 10 grams in the local market. Silver pries, however, remained unchanged for the second consecutive day at Rs 2,34,600 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes), according to local traders. Gold edged lower on T

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) The government has directed banks and payment system providers not to levy charges on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions of up to Rs 2,000 or on payments made through RuPay debit cards. However, the government has not specified whether charges would be applicable to transactions above Rs 2,000, to be paid by merchants. So far, there has been no charge on UPI transactions, irrespective of the amount. As per a gazette notification dated September 14, no bank or s

BOSTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) A federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. President Donald Trumps administration from implementing a new rule that would limit how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the U.S. without applying for extensions. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston in favor of a coalition of unions and higher education advocacy groups a day before the Department of Homeland Securitys rule was set to take effect. Saylor said DHS adopted the policy based on exceptiona

NEW DELHI/BEIJING, Sept 15 (Reuters) Every day since a torrent of mud and rocks destroyed a Nepal-China border crossing high up in the Himalayas last month, Arushi Guptas parents have called and messaged their missing daughter hoping she somehow survived. The last photo she sent on the day of the flood was the facade of the Gyirong Port immigration post. But the calls and messages from her parents, who are among many families in Nepal and abroad awaiting news of loved ones, have gone unanswered

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his Chhatron Ki Goonj initiative is an opportunity for those students who are tormented by the education system to bring about a change in it. Im coming to Indore on 19 September to meet students, to hear you, to talk to you. If you or your loved ones are tormented by the education system and want these conditions to change, you know Chhatron Ki Goonj is your collective voice, an opportunity to start the change, Gandhi said in

September 14, 2026 (Conversation) Over the weekend, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for artificial intelligence (AI) companies, including his own, to slow down their work. Sam Altman and Elon Musk, heads of rivals OpenAI and xAI respectively, agreed. The move reflects concern across the AI industry and more broadly about the dangers of new, rapidly improving systems. Recent high-profile incidents such as OpenAI AI agents hacking another company and hijacking a public website have s

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Retail inflation increased to 4.82 per cent in August, largely driven by higher food prices, according to government data released on Monday. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation was 4.45 per cent in July. Food inflation in August increased to 5.95 per cent compared to 5.52 in the preceding month, according to CPI data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO). Reserve Bank has projected the CPI inflation for 2026-27 at 5 per cent, with Q2 at 4.7 per cent

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) Precious metals took a beating on Friday, with gold prices declining by Rs 2,700 to Rs 1.55 lakh per 10 grams and silver tumbling by Rs 10,000 to Rs 2.34 lakh per kg in the national capital. Gold of 99.9 per cent purity depreciated by Rs 2,700 to Rs 1,55,900 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes), according to local traders. It had closed at Rs 1,58,600 per 10 grams on Thursday. Silver also declined Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,34,600 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) against the previ

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) Delhi LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday underscored the importance of preventive heathcare for senior citizens and said society has the responsibility to ensure they could live with greater ease and dignity. He was speaking as the chief guest at a free preventive care health camp in Wazirpur here, where more than 200 senior citizens underwent screenings for oral, eye, ENT, orthopaedic and nutritional health, according to an official statement. Sandhu congratulated the or

September 11, 2026 (Conversation) Stevia has a sweet taste 200 400 times stronger than ordinary granulated sugar Even though it does not cause side effects, pure stevia should still be consumed within reasonable limits. To lose weight, stevia consumption needs to be balanced with other diet management. In recent years, consuming sugary drinks has become a lifestyle for many young people in Indonesia . Whether its a way to accompany your hangout at a cafe , or a go-to for boosting focus at work,

September 11, 2026 (AP) When children forget their lunch, cant solve a math problem or dont know how to get somewhere, the instinct for parents can be to step in immediately. But sometimes, the problem is an opportunity. Developmental experts and educators say children need chances to struggle with everyday problems because figuring them out is a skill that has to be practiced. The challenge for parents is knowing when to help and when to step back. There is a difference between helping childre

Mumbai, Sep 11 (PTI) The rupee pared most of its initial losses and settled at 95.57 (provisional) against the US dollar, down by 5 paise, on Friday, helped by a correction in crude oil prices and suspected RBI intervention. Forex traders said risk aversion in global markets and elevated crude oil prices are weighing on the rupee, which closed lower for the fifth consecutive session on Friday. The rupee opened on a negative note but pared some losses on suspected RBI intervention, a slight recov

Mumbai, Sep 11 (PTI) Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Friday after registering sharp losses during the day following a drop in crude oil prices and buying in blue-chip HDFC Bank and IT stocks. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 120.83 points, or 0.16 per cent, to settle at 74,781.76. During the day, it fell 742.43 points, or 0.99 per cent, to 74,160.16. The 50-share NSE Nifty dipped 79.70 points, or 0.34 per cent, to end at 23,398.10. Intraday, the bemchmark tanked 246.

NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Reuters) Nearly a third of Indias coal-fired power plants are operating with critically low fuel stocks despite government efforts to boost supplies, as an extended spell of hot weather keeps electricity demand elevated, government data showed. Indias peak power demand, a measure of the maximum electricity requirement, has been hovering near the record 270.70 gigawatts touched in May. Demand has consistently reached around 267 GW over the past few days, driven by increased c

September 11, 2026 (Conversation) Earlier this week, researcher Jacob Coxon quit Anthropic, saying the firm and its competitors are gambling with our lives. We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans, added current Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger in a post on X. Coxon isnt the first to down tools over fears of AI doom. The idea that AI could wipe out humanity, advanced in Nick Bostroms 2014 book Superintelligence and the influential LessWrong forum, has long circulated among rese

NEW DELHI, September 11, 2026 (AP) NEW DELHI (AP) Leaders of the BRICS nations will meet in New Delhi this weekend as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and U.S.-China tensions test the groups ability to act together. Host India will seek to balance its ties with China and Russia against its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the leaders expected

NEW DELHI, September 11, 2026 (AP) Bad traffic is a fact of life in New Delhi, but its often at its worst when foreign dignitaries come to town. As Indias capital prepares to host a summit of the BRICS grouping of countries this weekend, parts of one of the worlds busiest urban centers have been turned into tightly controlled security zones. Even as many Delhi residents are proud to play host to a gathering of world leaders, the traffic chaos is testing their patience and prompting widespread c

September 11, 2026 (Conversation) Recent reports of a 16-year-old Sydney girls tragic death by sexual choking have understandably been met by calls for increased safety education for young people. International research shows parents play a vital role in educating young people about sex, sexuality and pornography. Starting these discussions early is vital. So how should parents discuss pornography with their children, including risky practices such as choking? What are some of the barriers paren

September 10, 2026 (Conversation) Drugs for treating depression are among the most prescribed category of medications in the U.S. 1 in 6 American adults take them. Some health researchers and advocates have raised concerns that too many patients are using antidepressants and that patients who want to stop taking them struggle to do so. One of the most prominent voices on this point is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who launched an effort in May 2026 encouraging docto

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Declining for the third straight session, Gold prices fell Rs 100 to Rs 1,58,000 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday amid subdued demand in local markets. The yellow metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,58,100 per 10 grams in the previous session. However, silver bucked the trend and extended its gains for the second straight session, surging by Rs 2,300 to Rs 2,43,400 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes) from Tuesdays closing level of Rs 2,41,10