India

NEW DELHI: A new national white paper has exposed a sweeping health-insurance crisis for persons with disabilities in India, revealing that 80% still have no health cover, while 53% of those who applied were rejected by insurers — and 60% of them were given no reason at all. Based on a survey of over 5,000…

NEW DELHI: Instant noodles, chips, biscuits, packaged drinks and even “healthy” cereals — these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have quietly become everyday staples in Indian homes. But a new three-paper Lancet Series warns that these factory-made, additive-loaded products are helping drive a global rise in obesity and diabetes — a trend already unfolding rapidly in India.The…

BENGALURU: If you think kissing is only about human romance, you’re already missing the story. The first kiss happened long before humans walked the Earth—somewhere in the misty forests of prehistoric Africa, between two ape ancestors, 16.9-21.5 million years ago.As per a new evolutionary study, a kiss is better understood as an ancient, risky mouth-to-mouth…

NEW DELHI: The consolidation of Kurmis and Kushwahas – two intermediary backward castes – behind Nitish Kumar powered his rise two decades back, and as he took take oath for an unprecedented 10th time as Bihar CM on Thursday, their share in the assembly also hit a high.NDA’s social coalition, which joins two ends of…

NEW DELHI: Amid the rumblings triggered by the opposition’s comprehensive defeat in Bihar, Congress said it was committed to INDIA bloc and would double efforts to strengthen the national alliance.AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the INDIA bloc was put together as an arrangement at the national level for like-minded parties to coordinate their…

Indian and Nasa space scientists have captured fresh images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and confirmed that it has all the characteristics of a “comet” while dismissing some astronomers’ theory that it could be an “alien ship”.The scientists from Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) under the Department of Space have captured interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is…

New Delhi: Dr Umar un Nabi, the suicide bomber behind the Nov 10 Delhi car blast, had met a Syrian terror operative in Turkiye in 2022 along with co-accused Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai and Dr Muzzafar Rather, supposedly on the directions of their Pakistani handler Ukasha, sources connected with the investigation told TOI on Thursday.The…

Police in Gurugram have launched a major investigation after the dismembered body of a young child was discovered along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway, triggering panic in nearby villages. Officers told PTI the remains were found within the Bilaspur police station limits, and a murder case has been registered.According to police, the torso, head and one…

NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday attempted to touch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet in an unusual moment at the Patna airport, shortly before the PM departed after attending the Janata Dal (United) leader’s swearing-in ceremony for a record 10th term.A video of the incident went viral, showing the 74-year-old JD(U) leader…

NEW DELHI: Nitish Kumar on Thursday took oath as Bihar chief minister for the tenth time after NDA’s sweeping victory in the assembly elections. Following the swearing-in, several political leaders, including those from opposition parties, extended their congratulations to the Janata Dal (United) leader.Among them was RJD leader and MLA Tejashwi Yadav, who congratulated Kumar…