India

MK Stalin, Vijay, Edappadi Palaniswami NEW DELHI: The single-largest party, yet still short of the Chennai throne. Mega movie star Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as a formidable force in Tamil Nadu, disrupting the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK with a sweeping cinematic wave. However, the road to power remains uncertain, as the…

NEW DELHI: The Centre’s upgraded child health screening programme, RBSK 2.0, is facing criticism from a national collective of doctors with disabilities, who say it expands coverage but fails to address disability as a core priority—potentially leaving millions of children out of early diagnosis and care.In a representation to the Union health ministry, Doctors with…

NEW DELHI: A Dawoodi Bohra Muslim woman on Thursday questioned the denominational custom of female genital mutilation (FGM) and said the ritual inflicts bodily injury and irreversible physical and mental trauma on minor girls, which is aviolation of her health and dignity and an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act….

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed grave apprehension over allowing individuals to challenge religious practices and said it would break every religion and constitutional court as thousands would clog courts with PILs, based on self-assessments of these customs, to seek quashing the customs and norms. The remark came from a bench of CJI…

NEW DELHI: The appointment of Gyanesh Kumar (now CEC) and S S Sandhu as election commissioners in 2023 — who were shortlisted, cleared and appointed within a day — was the focus of a hearing on Thursday in Supreme Court, which “wished” that govt show the same urgency in appointment of judges. Kumar and Sandhu’s…

NEW DELHI: The govt on Thursday sought cooperation from Dhaka on the “core issue” of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis in India. Speaking on the issue for the first time after Bengal poll results, MEA called on Bangladesh to expedite pending nationality verification of close to 3,000 individuals for smooth repatriation of illegal immigrants. “This requires…

Mother of RG Kar victim Ratna Debnath KOLKATA: Five BJP workers suffered splinter wounds after bike-borne miscreants allegedly hurled bombs at them near the Panihati home of the RG Kar rapemurder victim late on Wednesday. Police arrested three persons on the basis of CCTV footage. The victim’s mother, who contested and won from Panihati assembly…

CHENNAI: Amid reports of talks between DMK and AIADMK for a post-poll tie-up, DMK legislature party has empowered outgoing CM M K Stalin to “study the evolving political situation and take immediate decisions” to ensure the formation of a stable govt. A resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting of DMK MLAs chaired…

NEW DELHI: All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday rejected Union cabinet’s decision to accord “Vande Mataram” a status equal to national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”, make all six stanzas of the song compulsory and mandate its recitation before the national anthem in govt and educational institutions. In a statement, the board said if…

NEW DELHI: At least six in every 10 road crash victims in India in 2024 were two-wheeler riders/pedestrians, according to the latest report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). An analysis of four years of data shows a steady rise in both the share and number of two-wheeler riders and pedestrians killed in crashes, amid…