India

PUNE: After Sharad Pawar took charge of steering the ship for his family following the death of his nephew Ajit Pawar, its members on Thursday backed deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar’s name as NCP’s national president. While some other senior NCP functionaries showed reluctance for a merger with NCP (SP), the Pawar family said Sunetra…

Observing that a govt must behave as a ‘model employer’ and lack of funds cannot be a ground to deny its employees their dues, Supreme Court Thursday directed West Bengal govt to pay dearness allowance (DA) to its employees for the 2008-19 period.A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra ordered that the…

Agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan (ANI photo) NEW DELHI: Amid opposition allegations over the India-US trade deal, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that the agreement fully safeguards India’s agricultural interests, particularly those of the farm and dairy sectors.Underlining that India’s staple grains, fruits, major crops, millets and dairy products remain completely secure…

External affairs minister S Jaishankar NEW DELHI: The “historic” India-US trade deal is in the final stages of detailing and will be completed very soon, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said as he concluded his “productive and positive” visit to the US, thanking counterpart Marco Rubio for his hospitality.Jaishankar said on X that the deal…

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over misuse of the criminal justice system by filing of rape cases when a consenting relationship turns sour, Supreme Court on Thursday held that a married woman who gets into a physical relationship with another man cannot file a rape case against him on the ground that she got into the…

JAMMU: Security forces recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in J&K’s Rajouri district Thursday, while a balloon with “PIA” (Pakistan International Airlines) markings was seized in Udhampur district.Officials said a team of security personnel rushed to Khablan village in Rajouri’s Thanamandi after being alerted about the discovery of a suspicious object.Upon detecting the IED, forces…

JAMMU: A bitter dispute over identity and regional recognition rocked J&K assembly for a second straight day after opposition leader Sunil Sharma of BJP dismissed the existence of the “Pir Panjal region” — triggering protests, walkouts and demands for an apology from lawmakers.CM Omar Abdullah said Thursday that Sharma’s remarks had “angered an entire region”…

KC Venugopal (left), Om Birla (right) New Delhi: In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP KC Venugopal said the passage of the motion of thanks to the President’s joint address without a reply by PM Narendra Modi, and in his absence from Lok Sabha on Wendnesday, constitutes procedural irregularities.Venugopal said Rule 20 mandates…

Focused policy and transparent decision-making: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on BJP Govt’s nearly one year in office Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said her adminstration has focused on correcting long-pending structural issues in pollution control, public transport, waste management, healthcare and education since the formation of the BJP government in the national capital after a…

File photo for representation NEW DELHI: Clashes broke out in Manipur’s Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district on Thursday evening after protests erupted against MLA Nemcha Kipgen joining the BJP-led government as deputy chief minister.According to officials, protesters gathered near Tuibong Bazaar and set fire to a heap of discarded materials, including tyres. They also raised slogans against…