The Modi government on Thursday announced its plan to convene a five-day special session of Parliament beginning September 18, catching political circles and the opposition by surprise and triggering speculation about Lok Sabha polls being advanced to be held along with the coming round of assembly elections scheduled for November-December.
The IAF is going full steam ahead in making the airspace over the Delhi-National Capital Region as impregnable as possible, with fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-drone systems, airborne early-warning and control systems (AEW&C) and other sensors being deployed for the G20 summit on September 9-10.
China justified its decision to release the latest edition of its map, which continued to show Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as part of that country, calling it a routine exercise and asking India to refrain from “over-interpreting” the move. India had on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China for the map that was released days after PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg.
The ED has investigated the links of an Indian private bank and 15 other entities, including foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), whose beneficial ownership is not yet known, in the case related to short selling of shares of Adani group companies earlier this year. Adani group entities lost nearly $150 billion in value soon after the Hindenburg report came out, which accused the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate of stock manipulation and accounting frauds.
The G20 Summit will create 1,500 room nights of business for city hotels on each of the three days of the powwow, which will see heads of government of the member states and nine invitee nations checking in along with their official delegations, security personnel, airline personnel and media corps.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Bengaluru, India after his visit to South Africa and Greece. He expressed his excitement to meet the Isro scientists who worked on the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the lunar South Pole. During his visit to Greece, PM Modi was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour and both countries agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.
A man from Jammu’s Chatha area suffered injuries in a low-intensity explosion at his brother’s residence on the city’s outskirts on Wednesday, SSP Jammu Chandan Kohli said.
Just hours before the nation prepares to land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and other businesses that provided tools and supplies for India's lunar mission plunged on Wednesday. At 6:04 p.m. IST (12:34 GMT) on Wednesday, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will make an attempt to land on the lunar south pole in a mission that is essential to lunar research and the nation's status as a space power.
Former US President Donald Trump has once again criticized India's high taxes on certain American products, particularly Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He threatened to impose reciprocal taxes if he is reelected in the 2024 presidential elections. Trump previously terminated India's preferential market access to the US, citing unfair market conditions. In an interview, he highlighted the high tariffs imposed by India and expressed his desire for a matching tax. Trump argued that if India charges high tariffs, the US should do the same in return.
Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha criticized mainstream parties for opposing land allotment to the landless and homeless, accusing them of not wanting peace in the region. Sinha denied the claims made by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah that non-residents were being settled in J&K under the PMAY scheme. He emphasized that no outsider had been provided land or a home under PMAY and questioned the mainstream leaders' intentions. Sinha also highlighted positive changes in the region since the abrogation of Article 370, such as the end of street violence and extended business hours.
Two terrorists were killed by Army troops during an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Meanwhile, in Pulwama district, two to three terrorists believed to be trapped in Parigam village managed to escape during a combing operation.
“Due to the considerable reduction in the flow of pilgrims and the urgent repairs and maintenance of the Yatra tracks at vulnerable stretches being undertaken by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), movement of pilgrims on both tracks leading to the Holy Cave is not advisable,” Shree Amarnath Shrine Board said.
Currently, this team is on a new mission - coaching children stranded in Manipur's relief camps in the midst of an ethnic conflict that has plunged the state into civil unrest since May.
At the garden on Saturday, J&K administration’s secretary (floriculture, gardens and parks) Fayaz Sheikh was honoured with the certification by World Book president and CEO Santosh Shukla. World Book editor Dilip N Pandit, the J&K director of floriculture, other officers and the garden staff were also present on the occasion.
The Romeo-Juliet law protects the boy from arrest if his age is not more than four years from that of the girl. Under Pocso, consent of a minor is immaterial and sexual activity with the minor would be sexual assault. Under IPC Section 375, sex with a girl below 16 is rape even she had given consent
Three picnickers drowned at a waterbody in Dewas district as bystanders watched and filmed the incident. One of the bystanders tried to save them but broke away after getting dragged down in a bid to cling on to life. They were later identified as Yasin, Sufiyan and Zafar--all from Indore. The group had driven to Bhairav Kund, 45km from Indore, on Tuesday when one of them started to drown. Two others swam to rescue him but also drowned in the process. Authorities were alerted two hours after the incident.
A nurse from a Dalit community was attacked, stripped and humiliated by a couple who also attempted to kill her in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district. The woman, who works in a private hospital, was abducted while filling water from a municipal water tap. The accused, Gangireddy Brahma Reddy and Pullamma, were arrested and later admitted to the crime.
A Chinese national has been identified as the mastermind of a football betting app that scammed 1,200 people in northern Gujarat, India, out of INR1,400 crore ($188m) in just nine days. Woo Uyanbe, who remains at large, is believed to have run the racket in partnership with collaborators in Patan and Banaskantha. The app, called Dani Data, promised large returns and solicited bets on football games, collecting around INR200 crore a day.
With a young population of 512 million Indians under 21, India is poised to reap its demographic dividend. To celebrate India's youth, the Times of India is launching #Unstoppable21, inviting nominations for 21 Indians under 21 in humanities, science, sports, fine arts, performing arts, social activism and entrepreneurship.
Mathura residents, whose homes were demolished as illegal encroachments, are seeking rehabilitation as they have no place to go. Many of them have been living under tents by their demolished homes in Nai Basti area and have stopped going to school. The demolition, ordered to halt by a recent Supreme Court ruling, has left most of the residents who were just eking out their livelihood homeless.
The Indian Supreme Court has issued a handbook to be used by judges as a guide to gender-just language. The handbook encourages the use of neutral language that avoids patriarchal stereotypes used for decades. Furthermore, the handbook includes a sub-chapter on gender fluidity and discusses harmful stereotypes that can exist with respect to any gender identity. The guide aims to challenge and dispel negative stereotypes and perpetuate discrimination and exclusion.
After a tiff over the group of 26 opposition parties naming their bloc as INDIA, an acronym for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, the BJP and the Congress are now scrambling over Bharat Mata. It started with Congress MP alleging that Bharat Mata has been murdered in Manipur. His remarks have been vehemently opposed by the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the latest tussle, the PM invoked 'Bharat Mata ki jai' from the ramparts of the Red Fort during his address to the nation on Independence Day while Rahul released a long statement talking about Bharat Mata on the same day.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an influential Indian politician and statesman, serving as the Prime Minister of India three times. He had a charismatic and inclusive leadership style and played an important role in building the Bharatiya Janata Party's presence and shaping its ideology. Vajpayee was honored with the Bharat Ratna in 2015 for his significant contributions to Indian politics and his efforts in shaping the country's development and foreign policy. Besides politics, Vajpayee was a poet and writer, and he was respected for his creative expression. His inspiring quotes include themes of unity, democracy, and peaceful progress.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and PM Modi paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary. Modi credited Vajpayee with boosting India's progress, pushing reforms, and popularizing the BJP beyond its base.
An intense spell of heavy rainfall between Sunday night and Monday wreaked havoc in several parts of Uttarakhand, leaving at least three people dead and five missing - taking the toll in rain-related incidents in the state this monsoon to 63 with over 20 still untraceable.
Police medals for bravery in fighting left-wing extremism in India are more numerous than for counter-terrorism operations in J&K, repeating the same trend witnessed earlier this year on Republic Day. Of the 954 police medals announced, 125 were for gallantry in combating left-wing extremism, and 71 for counter-terrorism in J&K.
Over 200 village heads from border villages across five Indian states will attend the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort in New Delhi. The village heads are part of the Centre's vibrant village programme, which aims to prioritise development in strategically important villages along the border with China. The programme will provide opportunities for livelihood, as well as facilities such as electricity, solar and wind energy, tourism centres and health and wellness centres. The government hopes to prevent migration and promote reverse migration by generating economic activities in the area.
The India Medical Association (IMA) has criticised the National Medical Commission (NMC) over mandatory generic drug prescriptions demanding wider consultation be done before implementation takes place. For doctors not prescribing a generic drug to a patient, the NMC has proposed that penalties will be incurred, however, the IMA believes that this decision will negatively impact patient care and safety.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives were seized during search operations in five districts of strife-torn Manipur as security agencies went into overdrive against the backdrop of militant outfits calling for a boycott of Independence Day celebrations planned by the government across the hill and valley districts.
Ahead of another round of top-level military talks with China on Monday, the Indian defence establishment says there are "more than adequate" number of Army troops deployed in eastern Ladakh, while the IAF is also maintaining a "robust posture" with combat air patrols and induction of new weapon systems like Israeli drones that can carry missiles and bombs.
The 11 FIRs involving crime against women and children in Manipur to be investigated by the CBI will be monitored by the Supreme Court. The cases vary from sexual assault, torture, gang rape and murder to the hacking of a mother and son to death and the kidnapping of two students, among others. The Manipur government had said in its submission before the SC on August 7 that seven arrests had been made in connection with one FIR relating to the strip-parade horror video case while efforts were on to identify and apprehend the perpetrators in the other cases.
Fifty nurses, along with their families, are among nearly 1,800 persons invited as "special guests" to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15. They have been invited as part of the government's initiative to invite people from all walks of life. "It is good that the nursing profession is being recognised.
The government has deployed three public sector hydro power companies to fast-track 12 languishing hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh, including the 2,000MW Upper Subansiri project, as a strategic response to China's dam-building spree near the northeast border. Three public sector hydel companies - NHPC, SJVN and NEEPCO, a subsidiary of thermal power giant NTPC - signed MoUs with the Arunachal government in Itanagar for taking over the projects with aggregate capacity of 11,517MW.
One of the key changes proposed in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, is doing away with the much-misused Section 124A of the existing Indian Penal Code, which deals with the rather loosely defined offence of “sedition”. The proposed law still provides for stiff punishment for “secessionist, armed rebellion and subversive activities” aimed against the country’s sovereignty as well as its unity and integrity.
Large tech giants will be nudged to fall in line with India's new data law by the end of one year, minister of state for IT & electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday, adding that it's not just the private entities that will be held accountable for any data leaks and deficiencies in handling privacy of citizens, but the government will be equally responsible and answerable for any kind of data mismanagement.
Aiming to deter hit and run cases, the government has proposed a new provision of up to 10-year jail term and fine for offending drivers, if the accused flees from the scene or fails to report the incident to police or magistrate soon after the incident. Currently, there is no such provision in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
District judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha warned Thursday of potential legal consequences if news related to the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi is published without proper information from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the plaintiffs, and the defendants involved.
A first-year student of Jadavpur University (JU) died early Thursday from injuries suffered after a fall from the second-floor balcony of the varsity's boys' hostel the previous night, barely two days after moving in on Monday at the start of the academic session. Swapnodeep Kundu was found a few feet from the building without a stitch of clothing, bolstering claims of his parents and a large section of students that the 18-year-old was a victim of ragging.
PM Modi Thursday pledged the country’s support to the people in trouble-torn Manipur, calling the northeast a “piece of our heart”. “India stands with Manipur. This House stands with Manipur,” he said, replying to the debate on the no-trust motion brought against the government.
Local administration, railway officials and a large number of cops reached areas regarded as “sensitive” near Mathura’s Shri Krishna Janmasthan Wednesday morning with bulldozers and began demolishing over 100 houses in the Nai Basti area, which has a predominantly minority population, that were said to be “illegally developed on government land”.
Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange on the second day of the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by Congress, with Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of destroying ‘Bharat Mata’ and branding governing party members as “traitors”, which drew a sharp retort from Union ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani, who asked the former Congress chief not to politicise the ethnic strife in Manipur.
Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday reached out to All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and asked him to join hands against the BJP. The move is being seen as a sign of thaw between the two parties which have been at loggerheads.
As expected, the government and opposition traded charges on the first day of the debate on the no-confidence motion, with Congress leading the attack, attributing the exercise to PM Modi’s ‘maun vrat’ (vow of silence) on Manipur and the treasury benches calling it a vote against a government which worked for the poor.
It was a pleasant day for the Congress on Monday as two of its senior MPs returned to Parliament after action was taken against both of them. Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi had lost his membership of the Lok Sabha on March 24 after being convicted in the Modi surname remark case by a Surat court. Rajni Patil was suspended from Rajya Sabha for filming the proceedings of the House. Rahul's disqualification was revoked after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction on August 4. Patil's suspension was also revoked on the recommendation of the basis of the report of the Rajya Sabha's Committee on Privileges.Top opposition figures, including Congress's Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and Le...
