Category: India

The landing gear remained extended during the plane’s ascent and flap components found scattered on nearby roads appeared improperly positioned for take-off

In the twisted metal and charred debris of what was once one of India’s most advanced passenger jets, investigators began on Friday the meticulous work of unravelling how 33 seconds of flight ended as the nation’s deadliest aviation disaster in three decades.

Forensic experts and DGCA officials examine the site of the crash on Friday. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)
Forensic experts and DGCA officials examine the site of the crash on Friday. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)
As teams from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau worked through the debris of Air India flight 171 at Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College, the aviation regulator separately ordered the carrier to step up specific safety inspections — a set of pre-flight checks of six critical aircraft systems that experts believe could indicate possible theories being explored for the air crash probe.

The probe — which will focus on a range of possibilities and scenarios spanning equipment problems, pilot error and weather conditions — will take into account what some officials said are apparent anomalies, although they added it was still too early to make a conclusion.

The landing gear remained extended during the plane’s brief ascent and flap components found scattered on nearby roads appeared improperly positioned for take-off, potentially robbing the aircraft of critical lift, one official said, asking not to be named.

Officials confirmed on Friday they recovered one of the two black boxes from the rooftop of the hostel mess building, while a team from Boeing arrived in Ahmedabad to assist the investigation. Parts of the plane’s two General Electric GEnx engines are being sent to the United States for analysis.

“The wreckage will be moved to a storage facility for reconstruction by Air India, the AAIB, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and other agencies,” according to an official familiar with the investigation.

The DGCA directive, issued barely 24 hours after Thursday’s disaster that killed 241 people, mandates inspections of fuel parameters and fuel flow systems, electronic engine control mechanisms, hydraulic systems, and take-off parameters—all critical to an aircraft’s ability to maintain controlled flight during the vulnerable take-off phase.

Experts noted the targeted nature of these inspections.

“The order by the DGCA seems to have indicated their suspicion of all that could have led to the B787-8 crash on Thursday,” said Amit Singh, an aviation expert. “While the checks mentioned by the DGCA are all performed by the pilots before take-off, they are only a few of the total checks performed. This could imply the regulator may have learnt about snags or probable issues with the aircraft,” he added, reiterating the need to wait for more clues.

News agency Reuters, quoting unnamed sources, said that Air India and the government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down within moments. The probe is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including on maintenance issues, the report added.

A possible bird-hit is not among the key areas of focus, the Reuters source said.

Boeing chief executive officer Kelly Ortberg announced on Friday he had cancelled plans to attend the Paris Air Show after Thursday’s crash, while Tata chairman N Chandrasekaran wrote an emotional letter to employees, calling June 12 “one of the darkest days in the Tata Group’s history”.

The Tata Group took over Air India in January 2022.

International aviation experts said the recovered flight recorders should provide crucial answers within days about what caused the Dreamliner to lose altitude just 33 seconds after take-off.

Paul Fromme at the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the flight data recorder contains information on engine and control settings, apart from voice records of cockpit conversations. “This should show quickly if there was a loss of engine power or lift after takeoff and allow a preliminary determination of the likely cause for the crash,” Fromme, who heads the professional association’s Aerospace Division, told the Associated Press.

Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, told AP that investigators should be able to answer important questions as soon as next week if the flight data recorder is in good condition.

Guzzetti said key issues likely include whether flaps and other settings were correct, whether engines lost power, and whether the crew correctly inputted information about outside temperature and aircraft weight. “A mistake in the data that the crew put into the plane’s system could result in the flaps and slats being set incorrectly,” he said.

Aviation consultant Bob Mann told Bloomberg it appeared the 787 Dreamliner wasn’t able to achieve sufficient thrust as it travelled nearly the full length of an 11,000-foot runway—a distance that should have been more than adequate for take-off.

That could stem from aircraft misconfiguration prior to take-off or erroneous weight data entered into the plane’s computer system that determines power requirements, Mann said. “If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive take-off. If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.”

On the ground in Ahmedabad, civic officials began using excavators to clear burnt trees, electricity poles, and charred building materials from surrounding streets, but all aircraft debris remains untouched. “Nothing from the crash site can be accessed by anyone except AAIB,” said a former DGCA official, adding: “Everything is evidence here.”

On Friday, the Boeing 787’s stabiliser section remained lodged in the second floor wall of the mess building, a surreal sight made more haunting by one of the aircraft’s landing gear wheels stuck beside it.

Behind the building lay the tail section that was attached above the stabiliser (the rearmost part of the aircraft), roughly 100 meters away, next to what officials described as a massive charred fuselage section.

Across the hostel complex, Gujarat police and Air India officials stood guard over scattered aircraft components — wings, rudders, and even passenger luggage, some intact, others bearing blood stains. The debris field spans eight buildings over approximately 200 meters, all now sealed off as a crime scene of sorts where every fragment could hold clues to the disaster.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/black-box-in-focus-ai-dreamliner-crash-probe-to-examine-anomalies-101749841555621.html

With tensions running high following Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, Jaishankar informed about his conversations with both sides on the unfolding developments.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held separate phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts to discuss the escalating situation in West Asia.

With tensions running high following Israeli strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran warning of a “powerful” response, Jaishankar informed about his conversations with both sides on the unfolding developments.

“Received a call this afternoon from FM @gidonsaar of Israel regarding ongoing developments,” the minister posted on X.

Later, he also spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the “latest situation” in the region.

By maintaining dialogue with both parties, India signals its intent to monitor developments closely and advocate for calm, reflecting its broader strategy of engaging key regional players while urging restraint.

Israel carried out a series of strikes across Iran on Friday, hitting military installations and sites linked to its nuclear program.

The attacks reportedly killed at least three military officers, sharply escalating the risk of a full-scale war between the long-standing regional rivals.

Among the dead were three of Iran’s most senior military figures: General Mohammad Bagheri, who commanded the entire armed forces; General Hossein Salami, head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard; and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led the Guard’s ballistic missile program.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/s-jaishankar-speaks-to-israeli-iranian-foreign-ministers-as-west-asia-tensions-escalate-9384783.html

Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Vikrant Massey Reveals First Officer Clive Kunder, Initially Mistaken As Cousin, Was Close Family Friend Who Died!

Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey has confirmed that his cousin, Clive Kunder, tragically lost his life in the Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12. Clive was serving as the first officer aboard Air India Flight AI‑171, a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner bound for London, which plunged shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

Taking to Instagram Stories, Massey shared his heartbreak: “My heart breaks for the families & loved ones of the ones who lost their lives in the unimaginably tragic air crash in Ahmedabad today. It pains even more to know that my uncle, Clifford Kunder, lost his son, Clive Kunder, who was the 1st officer operating on that fateful flight.” He added, “May God give strength to you and your family uncle, and to all deeply affected”.

Initial reports loosely labeled Clive as Massey’s cousin, which fueled confusion. In response, Massey made further clarifications: “Dear friends in the media & elsewhere, the unfortunately deceased Mr. Clive Kunder was NOT my cousin. The Kunder’s are our family friends. Request no more speculations & let the family and loved ones grieve in peace,” he wrote.

The crash was one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory. Flight AI‑171, with 242 people on board—230 passengers and 12 crew—went down near the Meghaninagar locality at around 1:38 p.m., just minutes after takeoff, exploding into a fireball. Only a single passenger, a 40‑year‑old, survived.

Source : https://www.spotboye.com/trending/trending-news/ahmedabad-plane-crash-vikrant-massey-reveals-first-officer-clive-kunder-initially-mistaken-as-cousin-was-close-family-friend-who-died/684bc0f198e7b5da75cc9c79

Several unrelated and old videos are being widely shared on social media with the false claim that they show visuals of Air India’s AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad.
A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a crowded residential area in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad minutes after taking off from the airport on Thursday.
The AI 171 flight took off at 1.39 pm and crashed into a medical college complex near the Ahmedabad airport and burst into a ball of fire less than a minute after take-off, leaving just one survivor.

DNA tests are being conducted to identify the victims.

Meanwhile, social media platforms are flooded with videos claiming to be that of the Air India crash. However, the found were found to be hold and have no connection with the Ahmedabad plane crash.
An old video is being shared on social media platforms, claiming that it shows the recent CCTV footage of Ahmedabad plane crash. Upon verification, the video was found to be from Lebanon, posted PIB Fact-Check on X.

“An old video is being widely shared on social media with false claims that it shows recent CCTV footage of the #AhmedabadPlaneCrash and the hospital where the incident occurred. The video is from Lebanon and has no connection to the Ahmedabad plane crash,” the government’s fact-check unit posted on X.

Another video being shared as the footage from inside the AI171 flight just moments before the crash was also found to be fake.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/fake-alert-social-media-flooded-with-misleading-videos-linked-to-ahmedabad-plane-crash-article-151923201 

A viral video shows a foreign woman in India revealing she named her daughter “India” because of the country’s beauty, peace, and vibrant culture. The touching moment, featuring the little girl and her enthusiastic response, has melted hearts online. Netizens reacted with love and concern, hoping the family has only positive experiences in the country.

A heart-melting video is going viral on social media, featuring a woman from abroad who, during her visit to India, unexpectedly revealed the touching reason behind naming her daughter “India.” The reason is so sweet and heartwarming that netizens are now hoping the family has ”only positive experiences during their stay in the country.”
The video has been widely shared across various social media platforms. In the video, the person recording the footage comes across an adorable little girl who appears to be from abroad. When asked her name, the girl replies, “India,” leaving the man pleasantly surprised. He then turns the camera towards her mother, standing beside her, and asks, “Why did you name your daughter India?”
The mother replies, “Because it is a beautiful country, such a peaceful name.” She goes on to explain why she loves India, saying it’s because of the country’s vibrant colors, rich smells, and lively sounds. When the man asks the little girl if she’s enjoying her trip to India, she enthusiastically nods “yes” with a big smile.

The video has since gone viral, with netizens expressing both admiration and concern. Many hope the family’s journey remains safe and memorable, while others simply found the mother’s reason “heartwarming.”

One user commented, “She is so cute… love from India.”
Another wrote, “Love that name for my future granddaughter. I love India and am so proud of my Indian friends as well.”

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/her-name-is-india-foreigner-reveals-heartwarming-reason-behind-daughters-name-wins-internet-video-article-151924125

Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors.

London: The survival of a passenger who escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed killing everyone else on board has prompted speculation over whether his seat, 11A, is the safest.

Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors.

“Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location,” said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a US-based nonprofit.

Ramesh Viswashkumar said his 11A seat was near an emergency exit on the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday and he managed to walk out.

Sitting next to an exit door might help you survive an accident but it won’t always be 11A because aircraft can have dozens of different configurations.

“In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day,” said Ron Bartsch, Chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting.

“But it’s not always 11A, it’s just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787.”

A 2007 Popular Mechanics study of crashes since 1971 found that passengers towards the back of the plane had better survival odds. Some experts suggest the wing section offers more stability.

Sitting next to an exit door, like Viswashkumar, gives you an opportunity to be one of the first out of the plane, although some exits don’t function after a crash. The opposite side of the plane was blocked by the wall of a building it crashed into, he said.

In January of last year, a panel missing several bolts blew off the side of a Boeing 737 MAX mid-flight, creating a gaping hole and damaging the adjacent seat. Fortunately, no one was seated there at the time, and the incident resulted in no fatalities.

Sitting by the aisle might offer you a speedier escape but it increases the likelihood of being hit in the head by luggage falling out of the overhead bins – a much more common occurrence than major crashes.

SAFETY BRIEFINGS

Paying attention to the safety briefing at the start of your flight – often dismissed as routine – is likely the best way to improve your chances of survival, experts say.

Disciplined compliance with cabin crew evacuation advice, including leaving bags behind, was a key factor in saving the lives of all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight in January last year.

The Airbus A350 aircraft had collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew members on the smaller aircraft.

Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route.

A common tip is to count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit – vital knowledge if the cabin fills with smoke and visibility is low.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/is-seat-11a-the-safest-on-a-plane-not-really-experts-say-3584788

Sixty years before former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani lost his life in the Air India crash on Thursday, a sitting Gujarat CM was lost mid-air, not to malfunction, but to a Pakistani strike. During the India-Pakistan War of 1965, a Pakistani fighter shot down Balwantrai Mehta’s Beechcraft aircraft, perceiving it as to be a surveillance aircraft.

It was the height of the 1965 India-Pakistan war. And 25-year-old Pakistani Flying Officer Qais Hussain, flying a Sabre jet, was patrolling the tense skies over Bhuj and eastern Sindh. On spotting a civilian aircraft, Hussain sought permission and, once granted, fired at the Beechcraft. Feeling triumphant that he had foiled an enemy surveillance operation, Hussain returned to his base in Karachi.

Hours later, when All India Radio’s 7 pm bulletin announced that a plane carrying Gujarat’s then Chief Minister Balwantrai Mehta and seven civilians had been shot down by Pakistan, Hussain’s pride gave way to shock, disbelief, and a lifelong burden.

Gujarat CM Balwantrai Mehta, pilot Jahangir Engineer, and a journalist were among the eight people killed after their Beechcraft aircraft was shot down by the Pakistani fighter.

Almost 60 years after Balwantrai Mehta, known as the father of Panchayati Raj, lost his life in an air tragedy, Vijay Rupani, who had served as the Gujarat CM between 2016 and 2021, died in an air crash in Ahmedabad. The Air India flight to London, carrying Rupani, crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with 242 people on board. All but one perished as the aircraft stalled mid-air and burst into flames upon hitting the ground.

Here’s a moment to revisit the 1965 tragedy that claimed Balwantrai Mehta’s life, a rare and haunting instance when political leadership was quite literally lost mid-air.

GUJARAT CM’S FLIGHT INTO THE FOG OF 1965 WAR

The 1965 India-Pakistan war, which began in August, had reached a critical point by September.

When the UN Security Council on September 22 passed a resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire, India accepted it immediately. Pakistan, however, delayed its response, finally agreeing to it a day later, on September 23.

Even as international pressure mounted to restore peace, the skies over the subcontinent remained hostile.

That same afternoon, Gujarat CM Balwantrai Mehta was on his way to Mithapur, near the Gulf of Kutch, accompanied by his wife Sarojben, three aides, and two journalists.

The eight-seater Beechcraft aircraft was piloted by Jahangir Engineer, the state government’s chief pilot and a veteran of the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The group took off from Ahmedabad not knowing that they were flying into danger.

CM BALWANTRAI MEHTA’S PLEA IN THE SKY GOES UNHEEDED

The ill-fated Air India Flight AI171, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 13, not only marked one of the darkest days in India’s aviation history but also left behind a trail of shattered dreams, grieving families, and communities plunged into mourning. Among the 241 lives lost were pilots, cabin crew, and young professionals each with aspirations that ended far too soon. From Powai and Goregaon to the coastal towns of Ratnagiri and villages of Navi Mumbai, the tragedy has left an indelible mark. These are the stories of the people behind the headlines of duty, determination, sacrifice, and love interrupted by fate.

Captain’s wish to serve ageing dad remains unfulfilled

Just a few days before the crash, Sumeet Sabharwal had told his father that he wanted to look after him. Sabharwal was the captain of the ill-fated flight AI-171 and had 8,200 hours of flying experience.

Sabharwal was a resident of Jalvayu Vihar in Powar, was known to be a very amiable person who stayed with his aged father. According to a neighbour, Pamela Cheema, his mother passed away some time ago. “Whenever I had the occasion to meet him, he came out as a very pleasant person. But our interactions were very few since he was constantly flying. All of us in our building will sorely miss him,” Chema said.

Prasun Kumar, editor of “Planet Powai”, said. Capt Sabharwal had a sister living in Delhi and a nephew who is also a pilot. The sister left for Mumbai as soon as she got the news.

Wedding bells stop ringing as airhostess daughter loses life

Dombivali’s Songhare family was excited for their 26-year-old air hostess daughter Roshni’s marriage, which was arranged with a merchant navy officer the following year. However, the excitement perished on Thursday noon after the family heard the news about the AI171 plane crash, which also had Roshni on board as a crew member.

The Songhare family, a native of Mandangad in coastal Ratnagiri, had moved to Dombivli two years ago. The Songhare family’s residence in Rajaji Path was soon turned from a cheerful place preparing for their daughter’s wedding to a horrifying, silent place preparing for her last rites. According to her family, Roshni had left her home three days before the crash for duty. Now, her father and brother have left for Ahmedabad to receive her body.

Roshni has left behind her father Rajendra, mother Rajshree and younger brother Vignesh. “She was the heartbeat of this home. We were getting her engaged in November and married in March, but time played cruelly,” a close relative said.

Roshni was known to be a bright and determined girl among her family and relatives. Inspired by the skies, she pursued to become a flight attendant and successfully began her career with SpiceJet and later joined Air India, where she was also allowed to serve on international sectors.

“She was so happy to be flying again. We were all looking forward to her wedding. Everything was going right,” said her uncle Praveen Sukhdere, who rushed to Dombivli to be with the grieving family. Roshni was also a social media influencer with over 54,000 followers on Instagram.

Father still awaits phone call from flying daughter

Before her flight to London, cabin crew member Maithili Patil, 22, told her father, Moreshwar Patil, that she would call him once she landed in London, but it has been more than 24 hours, and her father is still awaiting a call from her.

Every year, in the coastal city of Puri, three chariots, pulled by hundreds of devotees, take the idols of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra on a journey across the city. If you’re in the city for the yatra, take a few days out to explore all the incredible experiences Puri has to offer.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA, SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax-4 delay.

V Narayanan, the Secretary DOS/ Chairman ISRO and Chairman Space Commission said that safety and mission integrity were their priorities.

In a post on X, ISRO stated, “ISRO is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA, SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax-4 delay. Safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities.”

On June 11, SpaceX announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak.

“Standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date,” the company said in a post on X.

Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS.

Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS.

Due to adverse weather, the launch of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station is rescheduled from June 10 to possibly June 11, 2025.

Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation’s first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India’s second national astronaut to go to space since 1984.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India’s space collaboration with NASA.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/working-closely-with-nasa-to-address-axiom-4-delay-says-isro-8655216

To a question by NDTV, Manohar Lal Khattar said that cyber attacks started after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ – in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack – and continued for 8 to 10 days.

There have been two lakh cyber attacks on the power sector in India during ‘Operation Sindoor’. In the first such confirmation of massive cyber attacks during India-Pakistan clashes, the government today said all the attacks were foiled and the power system is working perfectly.

“Two lakh cyber attacks on the power system have taken place. All these attacks have been thwarted,” said Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

He was addressing a press conference on the completion of 11 years of the BJP-led Central government.

To a question by NDTV, the minister said that cyber attacks started after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ – in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack – and continued for 8 to 10 days.

In Jammu and Kashmir, most of the official sites, including power, were targeted, and some are still struggling to be restored. The cyber attacks have affected public services and the official functioning of various departments.

On May 7, India woke up to the news of “focused, measured and non-escalatory” strikes of the Armed Forces on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Nine terror launchpads were targeted within 25 minutes in the operation. The mission was named ‘Operation Sindoor’ – a codename to avenge the widows of the April 22 attack, wherein 26 civilians – all men – were killed in cold blood by terrorists linked to an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The precision terror strikes on terror launch pads were met with Pakistani aggression. The Pakistani military tried to target several cities in India using drones and other munitions, which were “repulsed” by the Indian forces.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/2-lakh-cyber-attacks-on-indias-power-system-during-operation-sindoor-minister-8653484

Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused in husband Raja’s murder during their honeymoon, fled in disguise across states, police say her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha masterminded the brutal killing.

In a chilling murder case that has gripped the nation, police have revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of deceased Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, went on the run disguised in a burqa after allegedly conspiring in her husband’s murder. Her escape trail — spanning multiple states — was marked by taxis, buses, and trains as she evaded capture before surrendering in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur.
According to East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, the murder plot was orchestrated by alleged Sonam’s ‘lover’, Raj Kushwaha, who is believed to be the mastermind. Sonam is being treated as a co-conspirator. The plan, hatched in Indore before the couple’s May 11 wedding, involved luring Raja to Meghalaya under the guise of a honeymoon. Days later, he was brutally murdered.
After reaching Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills on May 23, Raja and Sonam were reported missing. Raja’s body was eventually found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. Investigations revealed that he was reportedly attacked with a machete and killed in Sonam’s presence by three men — Vishal, Akash and Anand — friends of Raj who allegedly carried out the killing as a favour, not as hired assassins. Raj had reportedly given them Rs 50,000 for expenses, as reported by PTI.

The killers left behind key evidence, including a bloodstained raincoat and the scooter hired by the couple. Police say Sonam handed her raincoat to one of the killers, Akash, to cover up a bloodstain on his shirt. Both the coat and the scooter were later recovered.

After the murder, Sonam slipped into a burqa given to her by Raj through Vishal. She travelled to Police Bazaar in Shillong and took a taxi to Guwahati. From there, she boarded a bus to Siliguri in West Bengal, and then continued her journey via buses to Patna and Arah in Bihar. She later took a train to Lucknow and finally reached Indore by bus — roughly 1,200 kilometers from the crime scene.
During this time, the killers and Sonam had plans to cover up her involvement. One idea was to fake her death by murdering a random woman, burning the body, and passing it off as Sonam’s to buy time. Another plan involved claiming she had drowned. However, none of these efforts materialised.
Raj, sensing the heat as police from Meghalaya arrived in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on June 8, instructed Sonam to stage an abduction and inform her family she had escaped from a gang. However, by June 9, Sonam surrendered to the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur.
The police have since arrested Raj Kushwaha, Sonam and the three accomplices. All five have been remanded to eight days of police custody. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is now collaborating with law enforcement agencies across multiple states to tie together all evidence.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/honeymoon-murder-sonam-raghuvanshis-escape-trail-disguised-in-burqa-took-taxi-bus-train-to-reach-indore-article-151898404

The gig workers’ pod, probably the first in the country, was established by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). It is made indigenously with a minimalist Scandinavian design and boasts facilities such as air conditioning, seating for 25 people, drinking water, and a washroom.

50-year-old Kumar, a businessman-turned-gig worker employed with a food delivery app, used to look for empty bus stops or restaurants in upscale Anna Nagar to sit and relax for about an hour from 11 am every day due to a low flow of orders during that time.

He was often asked to leave the seats for waiting passengers, and people looked down upon him at the entrances of many food outlets.

But on Thursday, Kumar, who shut down his catering unit two years ago due to losses suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, was sitting relaxed and chatting with fellow gig workers at an exclusive lounge launched for them on Wednesday. The lounge is 20 feet long and 10 feet wide.

The gig workers’ pod, probably the first in the country, was established by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). It is made indigenously with a minimalist Scandinavian design and boasts facilities such as air conditioning, seating for 25 people, drinking water, and a washroom.

The facility, equipped with LED lighting, will help gig workers not only take rest during non-peak hours but will also be beneficial during peak summers and winters by providing them safety and comfort.

“Gig workers like me look for places or shade to rest when we have fewer orders. Since we are not allowed inside apartments or restaurants, we look for public places to spend time. This facility is like a godsend for us. Since I deliver around this area, this pod will be hugely beneficial to me whenever I need some rest,” Kumar, who delivers about 25 to 30 orders a day, told DH.

The GCC plans to set up such pods in about 30 to 40 locations across the city in the coming months, with plans to replicate the model in cities like Coimbatore. The cost of one gig workers’ pod is about Rs 25 lakh. Anna Nagar was chosen for the first pod since the locality has a significant number of women delivering food orders.

Wasim, the project in-charge, said the pod’s design was inspired by similar facilities in Europe and Dubai, and they made modifications to suit the needs of gig workers in Chennai. A watchman will guard the pod and manually log the details of gig workers before allowing them to enter the facility. Entry will be permitted only to those in uniform to ensure that others do not use the facility.

“The pod has simple functionality, and the goal is to provide a safe place for gig workers who work continuously for about 10 hours without much rest. The pod has CCTV cameras connected to the local police station and GCC for the safety of people using the facility,” Wasim told DH.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu/chennai-launches-indias-first-gig-workers-pod-3583410

The Kerala High Court on Thursday expressed serious concern over the widespread use of plastic containers for food delivery, highlighting the risk of microplastic ingestion and its potential link to rising health issues. [Prasanna EV v. State of Kerala & Ors]

Justice Devan Ramachandran directed the Additional Director General of Prosecution to examine the practice of packing food in plastic containers for delivery and to evaluate its implications.

“Young children are living on this food delivery. You must understand that microplastics are entering into your body, particularly when hot stuff is packed in such plastic containers. That creates a microplastic ingestion. What are we doing about it? As a concerned citizen, rather a concerned father, I’m asking you: are these plastic containers used for delivery good?” the judge orally remarked.

The directive came during the hearing of a petition concerning food safety, in which the Court took notice of the increasing reliance on food delivery services, particularly among the younger generation.

The judge noted that such ingestion could be contributing to serious health conditions, including cancer and damage to organs like the liver, lungs, colon and intestines.

In light of these concerns, the judge directed the state to examine the issue and assist the Court with appropriate recommendations, observing that the potential health impacts of such practices may not yet be fully understood or effectively addressed by existing regulatory mechanisms.

“I record that this Court has suggested that the learned additional director general of prosecution instructed by Mary Meera Joseph learned senior government pleader, to look into the issue regarding using of plastics for food delivery which appears to be rampant these days. Learned senior counsel Gracious Kuriakose has promised that the matter will be addressed and reported to this court by next posting date,” the Court added.

Source : https://www.barandbench.com/news/kerala-high-court-raises-concerns-over-microplastics-entering-food-through-delivery-containers

Karisma Kapoor’s ex-husband and industrialist Sunjay Kapur has passed away at 53 after suffering a heart attack while playing polo.

In unfortunate news, renowned industrialist and actress Karisma Kapoor’s ex-husband, Sunjay Kapoor, has passed away. He was 53 years old. He had a heart attack while playing polo in the UK, after which he succumbed to death, as per a report in India Today. He was married to Priya Sachdev.

A source told the portal that the incident occurred during a polo match, and he was immediately given medical assistance. However, despite efforts to revive him, he passed away.

Sunjay Kapoor was the chairman of Sona Comstar (formerly Sona BLW Precision), a manufacturer of automotive components. Apart from this, he was also a director on the boards of several companies and was actively involved in various professional organizations. Sunjay was also an avid polo player and actively participated in the sport.

Karisma Kapoor tied the knot with Sunjay Kapur in 2003. The actress had known him since childhood, as he was the brother of her close friends, Superna and Mandira. Their match was set up by Karisma’s mother, Babita. However, her father, Randhir Kapoor, reportedly opposed it. The duo married at the actress’s ancestral home, Krishna Raj bungalow in Mumbai.

Source : https://www.pinkvilla.com/cinema/karisma-kapoors-ex-husband-sunjay-kapur-passes-away-at-53-due-to-heart-attack-while-playing-polo-1391320

In a strange twist, he died on June 12 (12-06), which is a number he might have once considered lucky. There are reports that all his vehicles carried the same number on their registration plates. However, his alleged lucky number turned out to be unlucky as he died on the same date.

Former Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Rupani was among the people killed in the tragic Air India crash which occurred in Ahmedabad on Thursday (June 12). In a strange twist, he died on June 12 (12-06), which is a number he might have once considered lucky. There are reports that all his vehicles carried the same number on their registration plates. However, his alleged lucky number turned out to be unlucky as he died on the same date.

Rupani reportedly had a strong connection with the number 1206. All his vehicles had 1206 on their number plates. His seat number on the London-bound flight was 12 and his boarding time was 12:10 PM. This also shows his strong connection with the number 12.

Sadly, the same number turned into a tragic coincidence. The Air India flight AI 171 en route to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport with 242 people onboard.

Rupani was on the same flight and was on his way to meet his daughter in London. However, Rupani could not survive the terrible crash and died in the tragic incident.

The internet users also came up with their own numerology. One of the users said, “1206=9 flight no 171= 9.” Another said, “Seat number also 12.” “He lived with 1206 on every vehicle he owned. He left the world on 12/06. When numbers turn into dates, and dates into destiny… The universe doesn’t always whisper. Sometimes, it screams,” said another user.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/vijay-rupanis-mysterious-connection-with-number-12-from-vehicle-number-plates-to-final-flight-date

Raj Shamani’s sensational podcast episode with Vijay Mallya is still being discussed nearly a week after it was dropped on YouTube.

Fugitive Vijay Mallya, who made brief appearances on the Internet during bank holidays, spent over four hours on popular YouTuber and entrepreneur Raj Shamani’s podcast to share his “side” of the story. The former owner of RCB, Kingfisher Airlines, and Force India F1 team, left India in March 2016 amidst allegations of financial irregularities and loan defaults. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that people wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth. He has been accused in a bank loan default case involving over Rs 9,000 crore. The 69-year-old liquor baron’s lengthy chat with Shamani garnered plenty of attention and has since been viewed over 22 million times in under a week. The runtime of the episode was a staggering 4 hours and 18 minutes.

From selecting a young Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bangalore to giving “Oo La La La Le O” jingle for his beer brand Kingfisher to apologising to his defunct airline employees, there was a lot discussed on the viral episode.

Naturally, the episode with Mallya went through the routine Internet cycle. Videos of the most interesting bits from the podcast were clipped and uploaded as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. There were sad edits, memes, the usual.

However, the outcome of interviewing Mallya has put Shamani in the direct line of criticism.

Whitewashed His Image?

The public drew parallels with Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju (2018) which starred Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, and portrayed the troubled life of Sanjay Dutt. While Hirani has gone on record and asserted that he made the movie to tell a compelling story, and not because of personal connections or to whitewash Dutt’s image, critics have disagreed with him for they believe the movie was an oversimplification of the Bollywood actor’s life and in doing so, the cinema made him appear like a victim. It could’ve been darker, more nuanced, and balanced, the critics and moviegoers remarked.

What did not sit well with the viewers of Mallya’s podcast was that the outcome made the fugitive appear as a victim living in the bad times. Shamani has, since then, faced criticism for giving Mallya the platform.

Sympathy Galore

A large number of YouTube comments lauded Shamani for doing what no TV channels or anchors could do. A calm, respectful chat with a guest without shouting at the highest decibel was a rare sight and a pleasant one for them.

But there were those too who sympathised with Mallya.

“Top 5 Lessons Learned from this Podcast

1. Don’t Judge a Story Without Hearing Both Sides

2. Media Trials Can Destroy Reputations

3. Silence Is Not a Sign of Guilt

The couple reportedly had a heated exchange after Lokhande insisted on consummating their marriage.

A 27-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Sangli was arrested for allegedly killing her 53-year-old husband with an axe, just 15 days after he wedding, reported PTI, soon after the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case came to light.

Police claimed that the woman had attacked her husband Anil Lokhande around 12:30 am on Wednesday after he insisted on consummating their marriage, similar to the case where Sonam Raghuvanshi killed her husband in Meghalaya.

Police officials said that couple’s resident of Kupwad tehsil in Sangli district and that this was Lokhande’s second marriage after his first wife had died of cervical cancer.

The couple reportedly had a heated exchange after Lokhande insisted on consummating their marriage. The woman was arrested under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and further investigation is underway.

“In a fit of rage, the accused, identified as Radhika, fatally attacked her husband with an axe when he was asleep in bed,” a police officer from Kupwad MIDC police station told PTI.

Sonam Raghuvanshi murder case

Sonam Raghuvanshi’s husband Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly murdered by her and three contract killers while the couple was on a honeymoon. Another accused and Indore resident, Raj Kushwaha, has been named as her lover who helped in plotting the killing.

After their wedding on May 11 in Indore, Raja and Sonam went to Meghalaya for a honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where Raja’s body was found on June 2.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sangli-woman-hacks-husband-to-death-for-insisting-on-consummating-marriage-101749667184151.html

At present, UPI and RuPay debit card payments attract no MDR.

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday refuted the reports reports suggesting that a fee would be imposed on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions.
The Finance Ministry called such reports “completely false, baseless, and misleading”.

“Speculation and claims that the merchant discount rate (MDR) will be charged on UPI transactions are completely false, baseless, and misleading,” the ministry stated in a post on social media platform X.

“Such baseless and sensation-creating speculations cause needless uncertainty, fear and suspicion among our citizens. The Government remains fully committed to promoting digital payments via UPI,” the statement added.

Earlier, some reports claimed that the government was considering to introduce the Merchant Discount Rate on all the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments above Rs 3,000.

Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, is visiting India from June 11 to 14, 2025, to strengthen military cooperation.

In a significant move to bolster bilateral military cooperation, Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, has arrived in India for a four-day official visit from June 11 to 14, 2025. The visit marks a deepening of the longstanding defence ties between India and Sri Lanka, with a focus on training, capability enhancement, and regional security cooperation.
On the first day of his visit, the Sri Lankan Army Chief paid homage at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, honouring the sacrifices of Indian soldiers. The solemn wreath-laying ceremony was followed by a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns, attended by senior Indian Army officials, underscoring the mutual respect and enduring friendship between the two nations.
Lieutenant General Rodrigo then held detailed discussions with Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, covering a broad spectrum of bilateral defence cooperation and regional security matters. He was also briefed on Operation Sindoor and India’s strategic defence posture by top Indian Army brass.

In addition, the visiting General held high-level meetings with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff; Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Chief of Air Staff; and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. These interactions aimed at expanding collaboration across the tri-services and fostering a unified approach to regional peace and security.

Adding a symbolic touch to the visit, Lieutenant General Rodrigo planted a tree at the Manekshaw Centre — a gesture marking the historic bond between the Indian and Sri Lankan Armies.

On June 12, he will travel to Jaipur to meet Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command.
A particularly emotional highlight of the visit will be on June 14, when Lieutenant General Rodrigo will serve as the Reviewing Officer at the Indian Military Academy’s Passing Out Parade in Dehradun — a return to his alma mater, where he was commissioned in December 1990 with the 87th Course. This moment comes full circle, as he will witness the commissioning of a new generation of officers. Adding to the emotional resonance, Brigadier RMSP Rathnayake of the Sri Lanka Army will also attend to witness his son, Officer Cadet RMNL Rathnayake, being commissioned.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/strengthening-defence-ties-sri-lanka-army-chief-on-key-india-visit-set-to-review-ima-parade-article-151868142

The internet was seemingly hit with nostalgia much like a brick- all thanks to THIS talented man who ended up recreating the iconic moments from one of the most loved childhood shows; Mr Bean. Yes, the man- who goes by the name ‘Jr Bean’ on his Instagram handle- left most Mr Bean fans with a mixed feeling, after they saw him impersonating the loved character with utmost detail. The man’s social media handle was full of videos where he was seen doing all kinds of hilarious scenes from the show. From the original character’s expressions and laughter to gestures and even ‘struggles’- the man surely aced it all. As soon as the videos were shared online, they began to gain attention, resulting in online likes and views in millions.
For those not aware, Mr Bean is one of the most hit shows from the 90s. The show also had an animated version. The hilarious character was excellently played by American actor Rowan Atkinson.
The videos were shared on Instagram, by the handle ‘JR BEAN’. The post received likes and views in millions.

“Our childhood days are coming back,” a user said. “You nailed every little detailing of him. This was so refreshing honestly. I wish they could have come back. It would have been so much fun,” added a second person.
“Just add the sound of people laughing and perfect. It’s still perfect to be honest. Your reels are something that I have been watching from the past 1 hour. Great job man,” added a third internet user.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/indian-mr-bean-fans-experience-nostalgia-as-man-recreates-iconic-scenes-from-childhood-show-viral-video-instagram-article-151874256 

Television actress Dipika Kakar, known for her role in Sasural Simar Ka, recently underwent a major 14-hour-long surgery to remove a stage-2 liver cancer tumour. She is currently recovering in the hospital, and her husband, actor Shoaib Ibrahim, has been constantly updating fans about her health. In a heartfelt video shared from her hospital bed, Dipika became emotional as she thanked her fans and well-wishers for their prayers.

“Thank you for all your prayers. I’m recovering well and feeling much better,” Dipika said, fighting back tears. She added, “Dusre patients ke relatives bhi bol rahe the, ‘Hum aapke liye pray kar rahe the.’… Bohot achhe se recovery ho rahi hai. Main ab kaafi better hoon.”

In the same video, Shoaib revealed that the operation had lasted from 8:30 am to 11:30 pm. “Doctors were able to remove the tumour completely. Along with it, they had to remove her gall bladder due to stones and a part of the liver. Thankfully, the liver regenerates itself, , so that is not a major concern,” he explained.

Dipika had earlier shared that she had been experiencing severe upper abdominal pain and fatigue. After medical checkups, a tumour the size of a tennis ball was detected in the left lobe of her liver. On May 28, Dipika revealed that it was cancerous and classified as stage 2. She called it “one of the most difficult times” of her life.

Source : https://www.spotboye.com/trending/trending-news/-liver-ka-kuch-portion-cut-kiya-hai-shoaib-ibrahim-details-dipika-kakar-s-liver-cancer-surgery/684796c198e7b5da75cc9913

It was a killing that shocked India: Punjabi hip-hop star Sidhu Moose Wala shot dead through the windscreen of his car by hired gunmen.

Within hours, a Punjabi gangster named Goldy Brar had used Facebook to claim responsibility for ordering the hit.

But three years after the murder, no-one has faced trial – and Goldy Brar is still on the run, his whereabouts unknown.

Now, BBC Eye has managed to make contact with Brar and challenged him about how and why Sidhu Moose Wala became a target.

His response was coldly articulate.

“In his arrogance, he [Moose Wala] made some mistakes that could not be forgiven,” Brar told the BBC World Service.

“We had no option but to kill him. He had to face the consequences of his actions. It was either him or us. As simple as that.”

On a warm May evening in 2022, Sidhu Moose Wala was taking his black Mahindra Thar SUV for its usual spin through dusty lanes near his village in the northern Indian state of Punjab when, within minutes, two cars began tailing him.

CCTV footage later showed them weaving through narrow turns, sticking close. Then, at a bend in the road, one of the vehicles lurched forward, cornering Moose Wala’s SUV against a wall. He was trapped. Moments later, the shooting began.

Mobile footage captured the aftermath. His SUV was riddled with bullets, the windscreen shattered, the bonnet punctured.

In trembling voices, bystanders expressed their shock and concern.

“Someone get him out of the car.”

“Get some water.”

“Moose Wala has been shot.”

But it was too late. He was declared dead on arrival at hospital – hit by 24 bullets, a post-mortem would later reveal. The 28-year-old rapper, one of modern-day Punjab’s biggest cultural icons, had been gunned down in broad daylight.

A cousin and a friend who had been in the car with Moose Wala at the time of the ambush were injured, but survived.

Six gunmen were eventually identified. They carried AK-47s and pistols. In the weeks that followed the murder, about 30 people were arrested and two of the suspected armed men were killed in what the Indian police described as “encounters”.

Yet even with arrests piling up, the motive remained murky.

Goldy Brar, who claims to have ordered the hit, wasn’t in India at the time of the killing. He is believed to have been in Canada.

Our conversation with him unfolded over six hours, pieced together through an exchange of voice notes. It gave us a chance to find out why Moose Wala had been killed and to interrogate the motives of the man who claimed responsibility.

Sidhu Moose Wala was born Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu in a Jat-Sikh family in rural Punjab, before moving in 2016 to Canada to study engineering – a journey familiar to hundreds of thousands in the Punjabi diaspora.

But it was there, far from his village of Moosa – the inspiration for his rap name – that he reinvented himself as one of Punjabi music’s most influential artists. In just five years, Moose Wala became the unmistakable voice of Punjabi hip-hop.

With his signature swagger, flashy style, and lyrical grit, Moose Wala sang openly about identity and politics, guns and revenge, pushing the boundaries of what Punjabi music had been willing to say.

He was fascinated by rapper Tupac Shakur, who had been murdered, aged 25, in 1996. “In terms of personality, I want to be like him,” Moose Wala once told an interviewer. “The day he died, people cried for him. I want the same. When I die, people should remember that I was someone.”

Over a brief but explosive career, the singer spotlighted the darker undercurrents of India’s Punjab region – gangster culture, unemployment, and political decay – while evoking a deep nostalgia for village life.

Moose Wala was also a global force. With more than five billion views of his music videos on YouTube, a Top 5 spot in the UK charts, and collaborations with international hip-hop artists including Burna Boy, Moose Wala swiftly built a fan base stretching across India, Canada, the UK and beyond, powered by a diaspora that saw him as both icon and insurgent.

But fame came at a cost. Despite his rising star and socially conscious lyrics, Moose Wala was drifting into dangerous territory. His defiant attitude, visibility, and growing influence had drawn the attention of Punjab’s most feared gangsters. These included Goldy Brar, and Brar’s friend Lawrence Bishnoi, who even then was in a high-security jail in India.

Not much is known about Brar, apart from the fact he is on the Interpol Red Notice list, and is a key operative in a network of gangsters operated by Bishnoi – orchestrating hits, issuing threats and amplifying the gang’s reach. It is thought he emigrated to Canada in 2017, just a year after Moose Wala himself, and initially worked as a truck driver.

Bishnoi, once a student leader steeped in Punjab’s violent campus politics, has grown into one of India’s most feared criminal masterminds.

“The first [police] cases filed against Lawrence Bishnoi were all related to student politics and student elections… beating a rival student leader, kidnapping him, harming him,” according to Jupinderjit Singh, deputy editor of Indian newspaper the Tribune.

This led to a spell in jail which hardened him further, says Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, Assistant Inspector General of the Anti-Gangster Task Force of Punjab Police.

“Once he was in jail, he started to get deeper into crime. Then he formed a group of his own. When it became an inter-gang thing, he needed money for survival. They need more manpower, they need more weapons. They need money for all that. So, for money, you have to get into extortion or crime.”

Now 31, Bishnoi runs his syndicate from behind bars – with dedicated Instagram pages and a cult-like following.

“So while Bishnoi sits in jail, Brar handles the gangs,” says Assistant Inspector General Chauhan.

Securing BBC Eye’s exchange with Brar took a year of chasing – cultivating sources, waiting for replies, gradually getting closer to the kingpin himself. But when we got through to Brar, the conversation cast new light on the question of how and why he and Bishnoi came to see Moose Wala as an enemy.

One of the first revelations was that Bishnoi’s relationship with Moose Wala went back several years, long before the singer’s killing.

“Lawrence [Bishnoi] was in touch with Sidhu [Moose Wala]. I don’t know who introduced them, and I never asked. But they did speak,” said Brar.

“Sidhu used to send ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ messages in an effort to flatter Lawrence.”

A friend of Moose Wala’s, who spoke anonymously, also told us that Bishnoi had been in touch with Moose Wala as early as 2018, calling him from jail and telling him he liked his music.

Brar told us that the “first dispute” between them came after Moose Wala had moved back to India. It began with a seemingly innocuous match of kabbadi – a traditional South Asian contact team sport – in a Punjabi village.

Moose Wala had promoted the tournament which was organised by Bishnoi’s rivals – the Bambiha gang – Brar told us, in a sport where match-fixing and gangster influence are rampant.

“That’s a village our rivals come from. He was promoting our rivals. That’s when Lawrence and others were upset with him. They threatened Sidhu and said they wouldn’t spare him,” Brar told BBC Eye.

Yet the dispute between Moose Wala and Bishnoi was eventually resolved by an associate of Bishnoi’s called Vicky Middhukhera.

But when Middukhera himself was gunned down by gangsters in a parking lot in Mohali in August 2021, Brar told us Bishnoi’s hostility towards Sidhu Moose Wala reached the point of no return.

The Bambiha gang claimed responsibility for killing Middukhera. The police named Moose Wala’s friend and sometime manager Shaganpreet Singh on the charge sheet, citing evidence that Singh had provided information and logistical support to the gunmen. Singh later fled India and is believed to be in Australia. Moose Wala denied any involvement.

The Punjab police told the BBC there was no evidence linking Moose Wala to the killing or to any gang-related crime. But Moose Wala was friends with Shaganpreet Singh, and he was never able to shake off the perception that he was aligned with the Bambiha gang – a perception that may have cost him his life.

Although he can cite no proof of Moose Wala’s involvement, Brar remains convinced that the singer was somehow complicit in the killing of Middukhera. Brar repeatedly told us that Shaganpreet Singh had assisted the gunmen in the days before Middukhera’s shooting – and inferred that Moose Wala himself must have been involved.

“Everyone knew Sidhu’s role, the police investigating knew, even the journalists who were investigating knew. Sidhu mixed with politicians and people in power. He was using political power, money, his resources to help our rivals,” Brar told BBC Eye.

“We wanted him to face punishment for what he’d done. He should have been booked. He should have been jailed. But nobody listened to our plea.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87j5v4xjxqo

The sector’s contribution to the national economy is substantial, with the fisheries industry exporting 17,81,602 metric tons of seafood worth ₹60,523.89 crore in the financial year 2023–24. This growth stands as a testament to the government’s efforts to promote the fisheries sector.

India has emerged as the second-largest fish-producing country globally, accounting for around 8% of the world’s total fisheries production. The country’s fisheries sector has witnessed significant growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The sector’s contribution to the national economy is substantial, with the fisheries industry exporting 17,81,602 metric tons of seafood worth ₹60,523.89 crore in the financial year 2023–24. This growth stands as a testament to the government’s efforts to promote the fisheries sector.

Maharashtra’s Significant Contribution

Maharashtra has played a crucial role in strengthening the fisheries sector’s contribution to the country’s economy. Under the leadership of Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane, the state’s fisheries sector has shown notable progress. In 2023–24, Maharashtra’s marine fish production stood at 4,34,574 metric tons. This increased by 29,184 metric tons in 2024–25, reaching 4,63,758 metric tons.

India’s non-member role in G7 has evolved significantly over the last few years. It has been invited as a special invitee since 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in the G7 summit scheduled to be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada from June 15 to 17. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney who invited Modi to the summit – after a delay that was interpreted, initially, as a snub – emphasised India’s stature as one among the top five economies of the world, its key role in global supply chains as well as its relevance to conversations on energy, security and digital infrastructure. “There are certain countries that should be at that table for discussions, and it makes sense that India should be there,” he said.

India’s non-member role in G7 has evolved significantly over the last few years. It has been invited as a special invitee since 2019. The G7 had taken shape in the midst of an oil crisis in 1975 as an informal group for the world’s industrialised nations. Collectively, the grouping represents 45% of the global GDP and 10% of the world’s population. It may be recalled that Modi’s first foreign trip after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2024 was to a G7 meet in Italy. The forthcoming G7 summit will be Modi’s sixth. India, like the G7 countries, is interested in upholding a rules-based international order and a peaceful resolution of disputes.

The western world needs India on its side to deal with important economic and geopolitical challenges. The summit is expected to address critical issues such as climate change, energy security, challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence, technology inclusivity, and environmental security. China’s rise adds to the concerns, especially its economic and geopolitical assertiveness in the South China Sea and Taiwan. India’s presence in Quad adds to its pivotal role in the Indo-Pacific security framework. Its ability to bring about a consensus on some of these issues is increasingly being recognised.

A part of this recognition has to do with India’s rising economic heft, its strategic location and importance, and its credentials of being a robust democracy. Issues pertaining to the Global South will also be critical to India. India is the fourth largest economy in the world, making it bigger than all the G7 countries put together, without the US and Germany. Prime Minister Modi has also played a significant role in the G7 outreach programmes over the years, particularly highlighting inclusive growth and sustainable development.

There have been calls for reform and greater inclusivity in the G7. India’s participation has been at the Prime Minister’s level which signifies its stature on the global stage, its policy of multi-alignment, autonomy, and a nuanced diplomatic approach. The G7 is also a critical platform for India to voice its perspectives.

India is almost a permanent guest invitee to the G7 summits. It has reached a point where the Indian point of view cannot be ignored. Moreover, the invitation to India is also an indication of the importance of the Global South to the G7 countries. This is primarily because both the US and China have been competing for influence on the Global South. India also comes with credentials of having hosted the G20 summit in 2023.

Mark Carney’s invitation to Prime Minister Modi suggests that India’s presence helps to broaden the G7 dialogue and dispel perceptions that it merely involves considerations of an exclusive club of countries. It underscores New Delhi’s significant role in international diplomacy and economic affairs.

Rebuilding relations

The invitation opens the possibility of mending the India-Canada ties. The relationship reached its nadir during Justin Trudeau’s term as Prime Minister, following allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Both countries have downgraded diplomatic ties. The summit signals to India the possibility for bilateral engagement, to rebuild its ties with Canada on the basis of mutual trust and sensitivity.

Prime Minister Modi’s role can be that of a bridge between the G7 and the broader international community. India can also help to boost synergies between the G7 and the G20, by playing a pivotal role in shaping resilient and inclusive global economic frameworks. The forthcoming summit will focus on strategies to bolster regional security, address geopolitical/geoeconomic/ geostrategic challenges and promote democratic values. On all these issues, India’s ability to navigate between the eastern and western powers matters.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/what-india-brings-to-g7-table-3581819

A couple’s honeymoon in Meghalaya turns into a chilling murder tale involving a suspected love triangle, a viral influencer sister, and a public outcry for justice wrapped in online melodrama.

A tragic murder takes place in Meghalaya while a young couple from Madhya Pradesh is on their honeymoon. The girl goes missing, and they find the mutilated body of her husband. We come to know there is a lover who could have collaborated with the wife. Scary. The sister of the poor guy is an Instagram influencer who’s asking for justice for her brother with melodramatic music, while also promoting massage salons. Meghalaya Police claims to have solved the case in 17 days. No, this is not the teaser for the third season of Pataal Lok.

We later came to know they got married on the same day India was bombing strategic air bases in Pakistan. It goes to show how much mainland Indians underestimate the capabilities of the Pakistani armed forces. No kamikaze drones. No ballistic missiles. Only a wiry guy with a mic in hand, atop a carriage, belted out “Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai,” causing mass destruction to the eardrums in a 100m blast radius. The astrologer has given the auspicious date; there is no postponing. World War III could wait.

So they went on with their celebrations, not sharing the same urgency as Mr. Trump, who saved the baraat from a “major catastrophe.” ‘They never give me enough credit,’ Trump says, rightly so, like the foofa ji at the same wedding.

What’s most interesting is how quickly this took over pop culture. It even stamped over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) news cycle. Murders are commonplace, especially post-familial discord. Just pick up any regional newspaper and turn to page 4; you’ll find material worth four seasons of crime dramas. So what’s different here?

For starters, it fits in well with the recent wave of men’s rights advocacy. The advocates feel vindicated. It bolsters the case where they claim it’s the norm rather than an outlier, where men are routinely harassed in cases of alimony abuse and divorce blackmail. It was reignited by Johnny Depp and locally taken forward by the sad end of Atul Subhash. Above all, it’s a man bites dog story. Parle-G-fed dogs biting men are common, but the real journalistic story comes out when a man bites a dog. This is that story.

And there is enough online footage to go through. The sister of the deceased, who’s an Instagram influencer, has shared a lot of content on her page, where OSINT individuals, who till yesterday were looking for the exact spot where we hit the Kirana Hills, are now combing through wedding videos to see signs of evil on the face of the chief accused as she was taking pheras. There are enough free man-hours in India, where people willingly lend their sleuthing skills to subsequent news cycles. The author of this column is no exception. After consuming that financial independence snake oil, he now devotes time to dissecting such stuff via long write-ups. The one who’s read this and made it this far is also a willing collaborator. So we’re even. Ha!

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/opinion/story/raja-raghuvanshi-murder-case-sonam-killed-husband-meghalaya-honeymoon-horror-2739337-2025-06-11

The finding from Gandacherra market of Dhalai district, about 120 km from the Tripura capital, has sent shockwaves across Tripura, coming on the heels of the ‘honeymoon murder’ in neighbouring Meghalaya.

Guwahati: The mystery behind the disappearance of a youth from Agartala’s Indranagar area was solved on Wednesday, with his body being discovered from inside a trolley bag hidden in an ice-cream freezer. The finding from Gandacherra market of Dhalai district, about 120 km from the Tripura capital, has sent shockwaves across Tripura, coming on the heels of the ‘honeymoon murder” in neighbouring Meghalaya.

The man, 28-year-old Sariful Islam, is an electrician associated with the Agartala Smart City Mission project.

The murder was the fallout of a complex love triangle involving Sariful Islam, a woman, and the prime accused — Dibakar Saha, 28, a doctor, said a senior police officer.

“Initial investigations point to a love affair between the victim and the woman, who is also a cousin of Dibakar Saha. The love triangle appears to be the motive behind the murder,” said Kiran Kumar K, a senior police officer of West Tripura.

Six people, including the doctor and his parents, have been arrested. Among the other three is a woman.

The police said Dibakar Saha had called Sariful to the house of one Joydeep Das, 20, at South Indranagar Kabarkhala area, on the evening of June 8, under the pretext of giving him a gift.

When Sariful arrived, he was ambushed by Dibakar and his two accomplices – Animesh Yadav, 21 and Nabanita Das, 25. He was strangled and his body was packed into a trolley bag purchased two days earlier, the police said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/love-triangle-murder-in-tripura-body-of-missing-man-found-in-ice-cream-freezer-8645087

Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found in a gorge in Meghalaya on June 2 and the police say his wife, Sonam, had planned the murder because she was in love with Raj Kushwaha, an employee in her family-run business. Kushwaha, it is alleged, had helped plan the murder and had involved three of his friends – Akash, Anand, and Vikash – who were promised Rs 20 lakh by Sonam.

Kushwaha’s sister Suhani has, however, stressed he is innocent. Her 21-year-old elder brother, she said, used to call 24-year-old Sonam Raghuvanshi ‘didi’ (elder sister) and he only spoke to her about office-related matters.

Speaking to NDTV on Tuesday, a day after Kushwaha’s arrest, Suhani said her brother never spoke to the family about Sonam.

“He would never talk to us about didi. She would call him in the morning and sometimes we would answer and she would tell us it was time for him to get to work, that there was a vehicle waiting to be loaded. He worked in her office for two years,” Suhani said in Hindi.

The young girl also said Kushwaha was in Indore on May 23 when Raja Raghuvanshi was murdered in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills.

Asked how Kushwaha would address Sonam, Suhani said, “He and Sonam would only talk about work. They would not talk regularly. He would say ‘didi is calling, answer and tell her that I will be reaching work soon’. He used to call her didi.”

Suhani said no one from the family attended Sonam’s wedding on May 11 because they had gone to their village. Kushwaha was in Indore “to pay rent”, she said, but he did not attend the wedding either as something had happened to their father on May 11 and no one from the family celebrated on that date.

‘Want Justice’

To a question on whether there had been any change in Kushwaha’s behaviour after he started working with Sonam, she answered in the negative. “There was no change even when he found out that didi had got engaged,” she stressed.

Breaking out in tears after she was asked about the allegations against Kushwaha, Suhani said, “We don’t believe this. We don’t believe my brother can ever do this. We just want him to get justice. He has never done anything like this… He can never do this. Raja bhayya had not done anything, he had made no mistake, why would anyone kill him?”

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/meghalaya-murder-honeymoon-murder-raja-raghuvanshi-sonam-raghuvanshi-raj-kushwaha-he-used-to-call-her-didi-raj-kushwahas-sister-on-meghalaya-murder-8636884?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

This means ACs will no longer be allowed to cool below 20 degrees Celsius or heat above 28 degrees Celsius.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced new provisions to soon standardize air conditioning temperatures across India, setting a mandatory operational range between 20°C and 28°C. This means ACs will no longer be allowed to cool below 20 degrees Celsius or heat above 28 degrees Celsius.

Manohar Lal Khattar said, “A new provision is being implemented soon regarding air conditioning standards. The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20°C to 28°C, which means we will not be able to cool below 20°C or heat above 28°C.”

He termed the decision a bold step towards energy efficiency, adding, “We have decided the minimum temperature of ACs will be fixed at 20 degrees Celsius and maximum at 28 degrees Celsius.”

The implementation will commence soon, with monitoring planned to assess effectiveness and achieve uniformity in AC use, ultimately reducing excessive power consumption from extremely low cooling settings.

New Rules Focus On Energy Efficiency

Kenya Bus Accident: The High Commission of India in Nairobi expressed profound sorrow over the incident.

At least five individuals from Kerala, residing in Qatar, were killed in a bus accident in Kenya, where they were on a holiday. The victims were part of a group of 28 Indian nationals from Qatar visiting Kenya.

“A group of 28 Indians from Qatar were visiting Kenya, where their bus met with an unfortunate road accident yesterday,” the Embassy of India in Doha stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The deceased individuals from Kerala have been identified as Jasna, 29, from Venkitangu, near Guruvayur, and her daughter Ruhi Mehrin; Geetha Shoji, 58, hailing from Cherukol, near Mavelikkara; and Riya Puthanpurayil, 41, and her daughter Taira from Kanhirampara, Mannoor in Palakkad district.

Several individuals sustained injuries in the accident, including Jasna’s husband Muhammed Haneefa, Geetha’s husband Shoji Isaac and her son Abel, and Riya’s husband Joel and her son Travis. According to Joel, Geetha’s elder son, his brother Abel suffered a compound fracture requiring surgery. Shoji Isaac, who works in Qatar, had not yet been informed of his wife’s death.

The High Commission of India in Nairobi expressed profound sorrow over the incident.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic road accident on Ol Jororok-Nakuru Road in Nyandarua County, in which five Indian nationals have lost their lives,” the High Commission posted on X.

Officials from the High Commission of India in Nairobi are actively on the ground, extending all necessary assistance.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/5-from-kerala-among-several-tourists-killed-in-kenya-road-accident-9378780.html

The Reddit user shared a disturbing experience that happened while working at his father’s furniture showroom in Delhi.

If you are running a business, it is only natural that you will need to hire employees to help things run smoothly. But before bringing someone on board, it is important to do proper background checks. Skipping this step can lead to serious problems, something one Reddit user recently experienced. In a Reddit post titled “I got threatened by a prospective job candidate,” the user shared a disturbing experience that happened while working at his father’s furniture showroom in Delhi.

“I work at my father’s business in Delhi. It’s a furniture showroom (not that big though),” he wrote. This was his first time hiring someone, so he decided to bring in an accountant through a popular job site. “I hired an accountant from Naukri.com to do day-to-day work on Tally, such as recording sales, purchases, generating invoices, e-way bills, as well as preparing quotations, etc.,” the user wrote.

Things took a strange turn right from the start. According to the Redditor, the new hire didn’t show up on the agreed-upon joining date and kept delaying for 3–4 days, citing health issues. When he finally turned up after four days late, the user wasn’t in the office.

“He called me and said he only came to talk to me,” the post explained.

The next day, the man showed up, did some work and then made an unusual request. “He asked for 500 rupees at EOD, stating he needed them for an ultrasound which is weird because—1. Who the hell asks their employer for such a favour? 2. He has called me multiple times in between saying ‘Sir aap mujhe 500 Paytm kardo, mai kahi fass gaya hu, mai ghar jaake kar dunga (Sir, please send me Rs 500 on Paytm. I’m stuck somewhere, I’ll return it once I reach home),’ to which I refused every time.”

The Redditor finally gave in and handed over a 500-rupee note. But the man vanished the next day. “He didn’t come for 3 more days,” the post read. Then, out of nowhere, he called and said, “Sir mai aapke saath kaam nahi kar paaunga, mera per day 850 banta hai, aap 350 aur dedo (Sir, I won’t be able to work with you. My daily wage comes to Rs 850, so please give me Rs 350 more).”

When the Redditor refused, things took a threatening turn. “He threatened me and said “Mai jaat hu, office ke bahar 10 bande le aaunga kal (I’m a Jaat, I’ll bring 10 men outside your office tomorrow),” called me multiple times as well,” he wrote.

This left Redditor shaken so he turned to the platform and asked for help and advice: “What should I do in this situation? And how should I check someone’s background before I hire someone so that I don’t make this foolish mistake of hiring a guy like this?”

In the comments section, many users urged the Redditor to take action and not let the matter slide.

One user suggested, “File a police complaint. Let the police handle this. Get an employment contract in place in future if you didn’t.”

Another said, “You my friend ended up hiring a fraud. Anyway, he will not do anything. Block him and do your work. Hire someone else and do a proper background check.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/viral/i-am-a-jaat-i-will-bring-10-men-delhi-man-threatens-boss-over-rs-350-dispute-ws-l-aa-aa-9377903.html

Former Pakistani Ambassador and Pakistan People’s Party senator Sherry Rehman had a tense conversation with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim. Rehman was asked about Brigade 313, which the TRAC (Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium) analysts identify as an al Qaeda-affiliated umbrella group active in Pakistan.
“Brigade 313 is al-Qaeda in Pakistan,” Hakim said.
Trying to dodge the question, the Pakistani leader said, “I don’t know who told you this, but I can produce any number of pages saying all this.” “Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India?” she said.

The Sky News anchor also cited ‘Operation Sindoor,’ which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She said that Jaish-e-Mohammed head Masood Azhar has confirmed the death of 10 family members, signalling that the incident stands as evidence for terrorists’ presence on Pakistani soil.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Brussels during a joint Press Conference with European Union High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas made a big statement in front of foreign media.

Responding to a question on the longstanding conflict between India and Pakistan, Jaishankar said, “This is not a conflict between two states per se. This is actually a response to the threat and to the practice of terrorism.”

He further urged the media person to think not think of the conflcit as India-Pakistan but as India-Terroristan, “So, I would urge you to don’t think of it as India- Pakistan, think of it as India and ‘Terroristan’, you would then appreciate,” Jaishankar said.

The EAM on Tuesday met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and VP Kallas and thanked them for their “strong condemnation” of the Pahalgam attack and solidarity in combating terrorism.

Earlier in an interaction with American news website POLITICO, the EAM revealed the real reason behind the India-Pakistan ceasefire earlier last month.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/india-terroristan-issue-s-jaishankar-slams-pakistan-over-conflict-at-joint-press-conference-with-eus-top-diplomat-video

The launch of the Axiom-4 mission, which will carry Indian astronaut Shubhsanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed yet again.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 launch has been postponed again. SpaceX, which is executing the mission, said in a statement that a liquid oxygen leak was noticed during post static fire booster inspections and hence, the launch has been postponed.
Shubhanshu Shukla and three others were earlier scheduled to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), but the same has been postponed a few times.

“Standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – We will share a new launch date,” SpaceX said in an X post on Wednesday.

In an official statement with the title “Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS”, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that a leak was found during inspection during the booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

“As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test,” it said.

“Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed,” it added.

On Wednesday, SpaceX, NASA and Axiom Space said they were closely watching weather patterns at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, where Shubhanshu Shuklaand three others look forward to their travel to the ISS. SpaceX Vice President William Gerstenmaier said in a pre-launch press conference that engineers had fixed some snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that were discovered during the static fire test and had gone unnoticed during the post-flight refurbishment of boosters.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/shubhanshu-shukla-axiom-4-mission-postponed-again-due-to-liquid-oxygen-leak-spacex-falcon-9-article-151841308

Following the tragic incident near the Mumbra railway station on Monday morning, which resulted in the loss of four lives due to overcrowding on local trains, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra addressed the situation on Tuesday. In a media interaction, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis discussed the limitations of the local train’s capacity during peak hours.

Talking about the more AC local trains and new non-AC trains, CM Fadnavis mentioned “Our Railway Minister has emphasised that as these trains do not have a door, the possibility of an accident is high. So, he will work to put doors in such trains. Ventilation will also be taken care of. Efforts are underway to bring AC trains to suburban Mumbai.”

CM Fadnavis added, “In the last 11 years, PM Modi’s government has invested a large amount in Mumbai’s suburban region in passenger amenities, broadening of roads, escalators, and drinking water facilities. However, it is true that during the peak hours, our carrying capacity is low. So, we need to strengthen that. We will work on this,” as reported by the news agency ANI.

“After detailed discussions, it was decided that new non-AC trains will be designed and manufactured where the key issue of ventilation will be resolved using three design changes—first, the doors will have louvres. Second, coaches will have roof-mounted ventilation units to pump in fresh air. And third, the coaches will have vestibules so that passengers can move from one coach to another and balance out the crowd in a natural way,” according to ANI report.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-local-train-tragedy-cm-fadnavis-assures-strengthening-of-carrying-capacity-during-peak-hours

Four men accused of killing Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi have confessed to the crime, the Indore Crime Branch said on Tuesday. According to ACP Poonam Chand Yadav, who spoke exclusively to India Today TV, the accused not only admitted to carrying out the murder but also revealed that Raja’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was present at the scene and “watched her husband die.”

“All four accused have confessed to killing Raja Raghuvanshi,” Yadav said. “The first blow was struck by Vishal alias Vicky Thakur.”

During the interrogation, the accused revealed how the group attacked Raja Raghuvanshi and later threw his body into a deep gorge.

As per the Crime Branch’s investigation, three of the accused, Vishal, Akash, and Anand, left Indore by train. They changed several trains to reach Meghalaya, first going to Guwahati and then on to Shillong, ACP Yadav explained.

Raj Kushwaha, who is alleged to be Sonam’s lover and co-conspirator, stayed behind in Indore but is alleged to have financially supported the three with Rs 40,000-50,000 each for their travel expenses.

The accused told the police that Sonam was present on the spot when Raja was killed and watched on.

What remains unclear is whether Sonam stayed back in Meghalaya after the killing or returned to Indore. “That detail is yet to be confirmed by Meghalaya Police,” ACP Yadav noted.

ABOUT THE CASE

Raja Raghuvanshi had married Sonam on May 10 in Indore. Just days later, the couple arrived in Shillong for their honeymoon. On May 21, the couple hired a scooter to visit the scenic Sohra region. They went missing the following day. On June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was recovered from a gorge near Cherrapunji, bearing multiple sharp injuries, including two fatal head wounds.

The case took a dramatic turn when Sonam surrendered at a dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district on June 9. Though her father has maintained her innocence and accused police of “fabricating stories,” the accused have now confessed to Sonam’s presence during the killing.

Sonam was allegedly in constant contact with Raj Kushwaha over the phone throughout the trip, raising suspicion of an ongoing affair and a joint conspiracy to kill Raja.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/raja-raghuvanshi-murder-accused-confess-sonam-watched-husband-murder-raj-kushwaha-2738814-2025-06-10

Shoaib Ibrahim shared a video on YouTube on Monday, in which he showed Dipika Kakar’s first appearance on camera after surgery.

Actor Dipika Kakar made an appearance on her husband Shoaib Ibrahim’s Vlog for the first time after undergoing a 14-hour-long surgery for her stage 2 liver cancer. She got emotional while giving an update about her health, saying she is recovering from the pain and is grateful for the outpouring of love and support.

Dipika Kakar gives health update

Shoaib shared a video on YouTube on Monday, in which he showed Dipika’s first appearance on camera after surgery. She was seen getting emotional and thanked fans for their prayers and good wishes.

The plan is not only for e-waste recycling but the Eco Park will feature dedicated zones for dismantling, refurbishing, plastic recovery, and a second-hand electronics market

The Delhi government has decided to build India’s first E-Waste Eco Park at Holambi Kalan which will process 51,000 metric tonnes of e-waste annually to recover critical and rare earth materials in a scientific and environmentally safe manner.

Spread across 11.4 acres, the park will be a major step towards sustainable development and circular economy. The park will process e-waste from 106 categories notified under the E-Waste Management Rules 2022.

In a statement, the Delhi Government on Monday said the E-Waste Eco Park will be backed by a Rs 150 crore investment and will generate Rs 350 crore in revenue, apart from creating thousands of jobs.

Speaking to News18, a Delhi government official said that this will help in positioning Delhi as a national leader in responsible e-waste management and green industrial innovation.

The government will issue a global tender for the park. Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) will invite the world’s best green technology partners to build this benchmark project, the government said.

The project will be developed under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model, on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis, with a 15-year concession period. Once the tender is final, the project will be ready in 18 months.

When fully operational, the Eco Park is projected to process up to 25% of Delhi’s total e-waste annually within the next five years.

The park will transform Delhi into a model of circular economy and green jobs, Delhi Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

“The era of irresponsible dumping is over… This park is about making Delhi future-ready — industrially, environmentally, and socially,” he said, adding that by bringing informal recyclers into the formal system, the government is not just improving their livelihoods but also making the entire ecosystem cleaner, safer, and technologically competent.

The Project 

The plan is not only for e-waste recycling but the Eco Park will feature dedicated zones for dismantling, refurbishing, component testing, plastic recovery, and a second-hand electronics market.

It will also house skilling and training centres to formally upskill thousands of informal workers engaged in unregulated and hazardous e-waste handling.

The DSIIDC, as the nodal agency, will ensure that the park acts as a one-stop hub for manufacturers, refurbishers, and recyclers, enabling the safe recovery of key metals and materials, encouraging reuse, and reducing reliance on virgin resources.

One project, Many Solutions

The e-waste park will create thousands of green jobs, formalise the informal sector, and reduce Delhi’s e-waste pollution load by empowering recyclers, dismantlers, and refurbishers.

“This is not just a facility — it is a commitment to the future. The E-Waste Eco Park symbolises Delhi’s transition into a circular economy where no resource is wasted, and no worker is left behind. Through this, we are not just managing waste; we are building a future-ready city powered by innovation, employment, and sustainable industry,” Sirsa said.

It is important to note that India is the world’s third-largest e-waste generator, producing over 1.6 million metric tons annually, with a growth rate of 23 per cent per annum.

Source : https://www.news18.com/cities/new-delhi-news/delhi-to-become-recycling-hub-with-indias-first-e-waste-park-ws-l-9376810.html

In a shocking incident, a car ended up hanging off the edge of an under-construction flyover in Bihar. A video of the car hanging from the edge of the bridge circulated on the internet and the video of the incident is going viral on social media. There are reports that the driver was following the directions from Google Maps and mistakenly drove onto the unfinished flyover.

There are reports that the incident occurred in Bhaiya-Farenda area of National Highway-27. Google Maps and the driver of the car was unaware that construction was still going on. Due to lack of safety measures and no clear route diversion signs, the car reached a point where the road was incomplete. When the driver realised there was no road ahead, he hit the brakes, causing the car to hang dangerously over the edge.

The video shows that the people present at the spot rushed to help. With the help of locals and the police, the car and its driver were safely pulled back. Luckily, no injuries were reported in the incident.

As the incident unfolded, the internet users are blaming the two things: wrong directions by Google Maps and negligence by the construction company.

People said that there were no warning signs and the entry to the flyover was not properly blocked. They demanded that proper safety arrangements be made at construction sites to avoid such incidents in the future.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/narrow-escape-car-hangs-off-under-construction-flyover-after-google-maps-misleads-driver-in-ups-maharajganj-video

The Uttar Pradesh government’s Shop Construction/ Operation Scheme has enabled 1,046 persons with disabilities (PwDs) to establish independent businesses in the current fiscal year. Under the program, beneficiaries receive ₹20,000 support which comprises of 75% loan and 25% grant, for setting up retail ventures ranging from stationery stores to mobile repair units.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s Shop Construction/ Operation Scheme has enabled 1,046 persons with disabilities (PwDs) to establish independent businesses in the current fiscal year. Under the program, beneficiaries receive ₹20,000 support which comprises of 75% loan and 25% grant, for setting up retail ventures ranging from stationery stores to mobile repair units.

Official data shows 99% utilization of the allocated ₹1.06 crore budget, with funds directly reaching beneficiaries across the state. The initiative provides ₹15,000 loan plus ₹5,000 grant for shop construction, while operational support offers ₹7,500 loan and ₹2,500 grant.

State officials report successful implementation of the rehabilitation-focused scheme, with beneficiaries establishing businesses in 23 districts so far. The program forms part of broader efforts to enhance economic participation of PwDs, complementing skill development initiatives launched in 2022.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/uttar-pradesh-govt-empowers-1046-persons-with-disabilities-through-shop-construction-operation-scheme

The fatal train mishap near Diva on Monday has once again showcased the grim reality of Mumbai’s suburban commute overcrowded trains, reduced non-AC services, and dangerous infrastructure. Commuter representatives and activists alike have pointed fingers at poor train management, while data from Government Railway Police (GRP) reveals a worrying trend of fatalities from overcrowding, particularly on the Thane–Dombivli stretch. Survivors battling for life in Kalwa Hospital and grieving relatives now question whether these deaths could have been prevented with better planning and safety measures.

Amol Dhanraj Kendre, a commuter representative, highlighted that the absence of a direct local train from Diva to CSMT has significantly contributed to the tragic incident. As the population around Diva continues to grow, morning trains bound for CSMT have become unbearably overcrowded. On Monday, a train from Kasara arrived already full, and additional passengers attempted to board, further increasing the crowd inside the compartments.

Meanwhile, passenger activist Sameer Zaveri pointed out another contributing factor: the introduction of AC local trains, which has reduced the number of non-AC services—exacerbating congestion on those still running. He suggested a practical solution: convert all first‑class coaches in non‑AC locals into second class, since first‑class commuters can use AC trains. He also recommended expanding all non‑AC train rakes to 15 coaches to prevent overcrowding and the tragic incidents that follow.

Data from the Government Railway Police (GRP) for 2024 shows that 107 passengers died after falling from moving trains in the Thane and Dombivli jurisdictions, with more than 200 injured. The Thane–Dombivli stretch records a higher fatality rate from such incidents compared to other suburban sections of the Central Railway.

Sudden jerk on the curved stretch may be one of the reasons —– GRP official A sudden jerk on the curved stretch may be one of the reasons behind the accident, said a Government Railway Police (GRP) official.

“Passengers who were standing on the footboards of both trains experienced a strong jolt, which caused the trains to tilt slightly. As a result, those standing near the doors were thrown off when the trains brushed against each other,” the official added. “This particular section, especially around the curve near Mumbra station, is known for such incidents,” he said. “Even seated passengers feel the impact when the train takes that turn. For commuters standing at the edge or near the doors, it’s extremely dangerous. In Monday’s case, passengers hanging near the door might have lost their balance due to the jerk and collided with the adjacent train, leading to the tragic fall.”

Tushar Bhagat, a data entry operator, battling in ICU 

Tushar Bhagat, a 22-year-old data entry operator, is currently battling for his life in the ICU at Kalwa Hospital. He had left for work around 8:15 AM from his home in Balyani village, Titwala, where he lives with his parents, brother, and sister. His mother, Laxmi Bhagat, shared that she was informed by a co-passenger about the accident involving her son. Upon receiving the news, she alerted her family and rushed to Kalwa Hospital, where Tushar was undergoing treatment. She also mentioned that Tushar had joined the job about a year ago and is the sole breadwinner of the family.

Another victim, Machindra Gotarane, is also admitted to the ICU at Kalwa Hospital. He has been working as housekeeping staff for the past five years in a company in Turbhe. Gotarane resides in Vashind with his wife Kunda and their three children. His daughter, Kalpana Machindra Gotarane, had recently passed her HSC exams with 65 percent, which had brought great joy to the family. Gotarane’s brother-in-law, Kishor Partole, said the family was informed of the accident by a fellow passenger, after which they immediately rushed to the hospital. Gotarane usually leaves home at 6:45 AM, travels to Titwala, and boards the train from there.

Manish Saroj, a labourer living in Diva with his wife, was also injured in the incident. He used to commute with his friend Shailesh Jaiswal. According to Jaiswal, he boarded a different train while Saroj took the Kasara fast local. Saroj later called him from Ghatkopar, informing him that he had met with an accident. Jaiswal quickly returned to Kalwa Hospital, where Saroj explained that he had been standing on the footboard, and due to the pressure of the crowd, he leaned out and collided with a passing train, injuring his fingers.

Sneha Dhondhe, a 21-year-old call center employee from Navi Mumbai, was also injured in the incident. She was about to alight at Thane before heading to her office when the accident occurred. She suffered injuries to her head and body and is currently being treated at Kalwa Civil Hospital.

Deceased family/ relatives voices 

If Mayur had not gone to look for a home, he might still be alive,” said Santosh Doshi, brother-in-law of Mayur Shah. Santosh was commenting on the tragic train accident in Mumbra involving Mayur—a 44‑year‑old IT engineer who lived with his mother in Ghodbunder, Thane. On his usual commute from Mumbai to his office in Ghatkopar, Santosh believes Mayur may have stopped in Dombivli to meet the owner of a flat he had been negotiating for over several months—shortly before the tragedy struck. The Shah family was informed by the GRP.

Another victim, 23‑year‑old Ketan Dilip Saroj, who had joined a call center just three months , boarded the Kasara local from Shahad. According to eyewitness Dipak Shirsath, Ketan was standing on the footboard when he tragically fell off after another bag’s of commuter from Karjat train was hit him.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbra-train-tragedy-overcrowding-ac-locals-and-a-dangerous-curve-why-commuters-fell-to-their-deaths

Sonam married Raja Rajhuvanshi on May 11, and the couple went for their honeymoon in Meghalaya. However, they went missing on May 23.

Sonam Raghuvanshi, arrested for allegedly planning her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder, had reportedly told the Dhaba owner that she was kidnapped. Sonam was nabbed from an eatery near Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, after her family informed the police about her presence.
According to the latest information, Sonam told the eatery owner that she was a victim and had been kidnapped. “I was kidnapped, I am the victim?”.
Sonam married Raja Rajhuvanshi on May 11 and the couple went for their honeymoon in Meghalaya. However, they went missing on May 23 and after days of search, the police found Raja Raghuvanshi’s decomposed body on June 2.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/sonam-raghuwanshi-said-she-was-kidnapped-raja-raghuvanshi-murder-indore-couple-meghalaya-honeymoon-up-dhaba-owner-article-151818572

The government of Singapore, under whose flag the vessel is registered, expressed deep gratitude to India for the timely and effective response.

In a swift and high-stakes Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the Indian Navy on June 9 rescued 18 crew members from the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire following a reported internal container explosion in the Arabian Sea.
The distress signal was received by the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at around 0930 hours. Promptly responding, the Navy deployed INS Surat and a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft, coordinating with the Indian Coast Guard, Directorate General of Shipping, and other maritime stakeholders.
By 1630 hours, INS Surat had successfully evacuated 18 of the 22 crew members from the fire-stricken ship. The Indian Navy provided immediate medical assistance to the injured, and the vessel is now proceeding to New Mangalore Port for disembarkation and further treatment.

The government of Singapore, under whose flag the vessel is registered, expressed deep gratitude to India for the timely and effective response. In an official statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said:

“We are thankful to the Indian Navy and all associated agencies for their quick response and professionalism in rescuing the crew of MV Wan Hai 503. Singapore appreciates the strong maritime cooperation with India and the unwavering commitment to ensuring safety at sea.”
The status of the remaining four crew members is currently being assessed, and investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/indian-navy-rescues-18-crew-members-from-blaze-hit-mv-wan-hai-503-in-high-stakes-operation-singapore-thanks-india-article-151823551

This year, the commemorative events promise to go beyond ceremonies — embracing communities, honouring Next of Kin of war heroes, and reviving the legacy of courage and sacrifice that defines India’s armed forces.

In a powerful tribute to the valour and sacrifice of India’s armed forces, the Indian Army has rolled out an extensive two-month-long commemoration to mark the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas, culminating on July 26, 2025. The remembrance honours the heroes of Operation Vijay, who valiantly defended India’s sovereignty during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
Every year, July 26 is etched in the nation’s memory as a day of solemn pride — a day when Indian forces reclaimed strategic peaks in the Kargil-Siachen sector after a fierce and arduous military campaign against Pakistani intruders. The Kargil War remains a milestone in India’s military history for its swift and decisive response, strategic restraint, and heroic ground action under extreme conditions.
This year, the commemorative events promise to go beyond ceremonies — embracing communities, honouring Next of Kin of war heroes, and reviving the legacy of courage and sacrifice that defines India’s armed forces.

Sonam Raghuvanshi was arrested for allegedly killing her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, when the newly married couple were on their honeymoon in Meghalaya. What started as a probe to find the couple, who went missing on May 23, turned into a murder investigation when Raja’s body was found in a gorge on June 2. The search continued for Sonam.

A week later, the woman, who was missing, “surrendered” to the cops in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, which unravelled many chilling details in the case. Speaking to NDTV, UP Police’s Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash made several revelations regarding the case, including Sonam’s claim that “She was drugged and brought to Ghazipur” to present herself as the victim.

Mr Yash said, “Sonam presented herself as a victim before the police, claiming she was drugged and brought to Ghazipur. She informed her family about this, knowing the police would eventually reach her. Around 3 am on Monday, she told her family that she was at a dhaba on the Ghazipur-Varanasi road. Her family immediately contacted the Madhya Pradesh police, who informed the local police, leading to Sonam’s arrest. She was sent for a medical checkup and then to a One-Stop Centre. The Meghalaya police are now interrogating her and completing legal formalities.”

‘She Is A Very Poor Planner’

The investigation, which stretched for two weeks from May 23, reached a climax when she was caught in Ghazipur. Meghalaya cops believe she was in an extramarital affair that led to Raja’s murder. She orchestrated the murder in connivance with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, and surrendered under pressure on June 8, according to them. Both were later arrested.

Mr Yash said, “Sonam is a poor planner. She lacked knowledge of police procedures and thought she could escape by posing as a victim, but she failed. The Meghalaya police have done excellent work and are currently handling the case. If they seek assistance, we will provide it.”

Uttar Pradesh has not joined the probe, and the case is being investigated by Meghalaya Police. The senior UP police officer said the woman, now a prime suspect in the case, came to Ghazipur alone, adding that “CCTV footage and other evidence are being examined, and the truth will soon emerge.”

“This case is unique due to the extensive planning to avoid detection by taking the body to Meghalaya and dumping it in an inaccessible location. However, the plan failed,” he added.

Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s alleged boyfriend, is also a suspect in the case. The victim’s family said Raj was Sonam’s employee, and they would speak on the phone a lot, claimed Vipul Raghuvanshi, Raja Raghuvanshi’s brother. “I’ve never seen Raj Kushwaha; I’ve just heard his name,” he told ANI.

While he didn’t accuse Sonam directly of the murder, he said she could be involved in the murder if Raj Kushwaha was involved.

The police official, Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem, who cracked the case, in an exclusive conversation with NDTV, described how the police tracked her down.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sonam-claimed-she-was-drugged-brought-to-up-top-cop-on-meghalaya-honeymoon-murder-8628308?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to make history by becoming the second Indian to fly into space, nearly four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma did in 1984, the Chief of the Air Staff and Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel wish him and the Axiom-4 crew the best.

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh spoke to Group Captain Shukla through a video call and wished him luck for a “safe and successful trip” to space.

In a picture shared on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Singh can be seen speaking to Mr Shukla, through a big screen. Sharing the photo on social media, the Indian Air Force (IAF) wrote, “As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to embark on Axiom-4 space mission tomorrow, Chief of the Air Staff and all Air Warriors of IAF wish him and the entire crew of Axiom-4 all the best for a safe and successful trip to the International Space Station. This will add a new chapter to the Indian Space Odyssey.”

“Touch the sky with glory!” said IAF.

India will take its cosmic leap of faith on June 11 when Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will lift off for the International Space Station for the Axiom-4 mission aboard the SpaceX rocket and Crew Dragon.

As a mission pilot, Group Captain Shukla will fly with three other astronauts — Dr Peggy Whitson from the United States as mission commander, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, both serving as mission specialists — as part of the Indo-US mission.

The spacecraft will now lift off at 8:00 am ET (5:30 pm IST) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after it was postponed by a day due to bad weather.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/touch-the-sky-with-glory-air-forces-big-shout-out-to-shubhanshu-shukla-8630201#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

Delhi baked in extreme heat on Monday (June 10, 2025) as the real-feel temperature – or heat index – shot up to a scorching 48.9°C, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert for the next two days, warning people to stay cautious and take steps to protect themselves from the ongoing heatwave.

The actual maximum temperature in the city touched 43.4°C on Monday, 3.4° higher than the seasonal average.

The minimum temperature settled at 27.6°C while humidity levels fluctuated between 48 and 25 per cent, making the weather feel even hotter.

According to the IMD, very hot weather will persist in Delhi until at least June 12.

The daytime temperature is expected to hover around the 44°C mark, while the nights will also be warm at around 28 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Strong surface winds of 20-30 kmph are expected over the next two days but they are unlikely to bring much relief.

The IMD has confirmed that heatwave conditions have settled over the Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi subdivision, with cities like Hisar, Sirsa, Rohtak and Ayanagar (Delhi) reporting temperatures close to the 45°C mark.

Monday marked the second consecutive day of heatwave conditions in the region, including Delhi, the IMD said.

Delhi is also experiencing warm nights with the temperature remaining high even after sunset. This can make it harder for people to cool down besides increasing the risk of heat-related illness, especially for the elderly, children, and those with health issues.

There may be some relief starting June 12 with the IMD forecasting light rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of Delhi, along with gusty winds between 30 and 40 kmph.

While the rain may not be heavy, it could bring about short-term relief from the excessive heat, the weather office said.

The humidity levels may increase after rain, which can make the weather feel uncomfortable, officials warned.

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhi-temperature-shoots-to-49c-orange-alert-issued-amid-heatwave/article69677297.ece

Doctors from the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) reportedly set a 24-hour deadline for state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane to personally apologise to the senior doctor whose suspension he ordered in public view.

Rane had allegedly berated Rudresh Kuttikar, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Goa Medical College and Hospital on June 7.

According to news agency ANI, Kuttikar has demanded that Rane must issue a public apology “immediately” in the same casualty department, where the minister allegedly humiliated the senior doctor during an inspection.

What had happed exactly

A massive protest broke out at Goa Medical College (GMC) on Monday as doctors, Heads of Departments, interns, and medical students united in anger against Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, demanding a public apology and an end to VIP culture in hospitals.

The protests came after an incident in which Health Minister Rane used harsh language against Dr Rudresh Kuttikar during a visit to GMC. The Health Minister was accused of humiliating and disrespecting a senior doctor, Dr Rudresh Kuttikar, during an inspection.

Kuttikar informed that the incident escalated after someone’s relative, who came asking for a B12 injection in the emergency department, was invited to visit the outpatient department (OPD) instead.

“The incident on June 7 was when someone’s relative came asking for a B12 injection. It was not an emergency injection. We said you have to go to the OPD,” the CMO was quoted by ANI as saying.

The protest saw widespread participation from medical professionals across departments.

Amid the ongoing Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, the Defence Ministry is going to take up Rs 10,000 crore proposal to buy three sophisticated spy planes to help Indian Air Force get a clear air-to-ground picture to carry out precision strikes against enemy ground targets like radar stations, air defence units and other mobile objects.

The Rs 10,000 crore project for the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (I-STAR) is expected to be taken up for clearance at a high-level defence ministry meeting scheduled to be held in the fourth week of June, defence officials told ANI.

The ISTAR provides air-to-ground surveillance to the forces to help them in carrying out precision strikes.

The spy aircraft project being developed by the Defence Research and Development includes the acquisition of three aircraft through an open tender from foreign manufacturers, including Boeing and Bombardier.

The onboard systems on the aircraft would be completely indigenous, as the DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems has already successfully developed them, they said.

The systems have already been proven and developed by the CABS and they will just have to be integrated with the three aircraft which would be acquired and modified for the purpose, they said.

The development of an ISTAR system would also add India to a select club of nations with such a capability, including the US, UK, Israel and a few others.

ISTAR thus provides dynamic and time-sensitive targeting capability and contributes significantly to meeting the nation’s security goals.

It will aid in limiting the scale and complexity of undetected hostile threats. It has multi-spectral surveillance capability to detect, locate and monitor irregular forces.

The I-STAR system shall be for carrying out intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting by day and night from stand-off ranges.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/iaf-to-get-rs-10-000-crore-indigenous-i-star-spy-planes-report-8619320

Raids are underway at his official residence, from where Rs 47 lakh cash has already been recovered

The Odisha Vigilance Department on Sunday caught an IAS officer allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a businessman, an official release said.

Raids are underway at his official residence, from where Rs 47 lakh cash has already been recovered, it said.

“The IAS officer, who is posted as sub-collector, Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district, has been caught red handed while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a local businessman, as an instalment of the overall demand of Rs 20 lakh bribe…,” the department said in the release.

The accused officer, in his mid-30s, “called the complainant to his official government residence at Dharamgarh, received the bribe amount… and kept the same inside his table drawer”, it said.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/ias-officer-caught-while-accepting-rs-10-lakh-bribe-in-odisha-9375166.html

He claimed that he wouldn’t have engaged in the act if he had known that the sindoor can be only applied by the husband and that it has a deep significance in marriage.

Kerala-based travel vlogger Maheen Shajahan has come under fire on social media after posting a video of himself visiting a Hindu temple with a few foreign women and applying sindoor (vermilion) to their foreheads—a gesture that drew criticism.

In response to the backlash, Shajahan issued a clarification, stating that his actions were not meant to offend. Speaking to Brut India, he explained, “I was very aware that married people put this (sindoor), but I wasn’t aware that this was such an important thing and no other person can put it.”

“I try to respect all religions…”

He claimed that he wouldn’t have engaged in the act if he had known that the sindoor can be only applied by the husband and that it has a deep significance in marriage.

“I wouldn’t have done that, cause I’m a traveller and I try to respect all religions even though I don’t believe in religion,” he said. He also pointed out that none of the women featured in the video objected to the act at the time.

The video, originally shared on Shajahan’s Instagram handle, shows him entering a temple in Kerala with a group of foreign women. He applies sindoor on their foreheads, a practice traditionally reserved for married Hindu women. The gesture quickly sparked a wave of criticism online, with many calling it disrespectful and culturally inappropriate.

In the caption of the video, the vlogger wrote: “Muslim boy in Kerala Temple; In Kerala, faith isn’t a barrier – it’s a bridge. As a Muslim visiting a Hindu temple with my foreign friends, I felt nothing but warmth, welcome, and peace. Here, in this lush corner of India, religious harmony isn’t just an idea – it’s lived every day. We respect. We celebrate. We share. Different paths, one love.”

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/viral/i-wasnt-aware-kerala-vlogger-clarifies-after-his-sindoor-video-from-local-temple-triggers-outrage

Hearing a petition by Uday Pratap Singh, whose wife allegedly died in the chaos, the bench of Justices S.D. Singh and Sandeep Jain criticized authorities for failing to provide autopsy reports or clear documentation about her death.

The Allahabad High Court has demanded accountability from the Uttar Pradesh government regarding deaths and injuries during this year’s Kumbh Mela stampede, emphasizing the state’s constitutional duty to ensure public safety at mass gatherings. Hearing a petition by Uday Pratap Singh, whose wife allegedly died in the chaos, the bench of Justices S.D. Singh and Sandeep Jain criticized authorities for failing to provide autopsy reports or clear documentation about her death.

The court ordered the state to submit comprehensive records including date-wise casualty lists from all hospitals involved, current status of compensation claims, and doctor-attested details of each deceased individual. Officials revealed during proceedings that 305 beds across government and private facilities had been reserved for the event, with two authorized centers handling postmortems.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/kumbh-mela-stampede-allahabad-hc-slams-up-govt-over-lapses-delayed-compensation

In a major step towards strengthening defence cooperation, India and Mongolia have commenced the 17th edition of their joint military exercise, Nomadic Elephant 2025, in Ulaanbaatar, focusing on counter-terror operations and UN-mandated missions.

In a major boost to bilateral defence ties, the 17th edition of the India-Mongolia joint military exercise Nomadic Elephant 2025 is currently underway at the Special Forces Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar. The exercise marks a significant step forward in enhancing military cooperation between the two nations.
Focused on conducting counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain, the drill is being held under the framework of a United Nations mandate. The joint training aims to enhance interoperability and operational synergy between the Indian Army and the Mongolian Armed Forces.
Sources say the participating contingents are engaged in a series of tactical drills, including precision sniping, urban warfare strategies, and high-altitude combat simulations. Special emphasis is being placed on sharing best practices and refining joint operational capabilities in complex environments.

Top defence officials highlight that the exercise underscores the growing strategic partnership between India and Mongolia. Both nations are not only working closely to improve tactical coordination but also focusing on real-world peacekeeping scenarios—mirroring operations often carried out under UN mandates.

Apart from military coordination, the exercise is also fostering strong cultural ties. Troops from both countries have been participating in cultural exchange programmes, showcasing traditional dances, music, and cuisine—a move that has further deepened mutual respect and friendship between the forces.
Military experts believe such joint exercises are crucial in preparing troops for contemporary security challenges and humanitarian missions across the globe. The ongoing drills are expected to yield vital lessons for future joint operations and reinforce the commitment of both nations to global peace and regional stability.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/india-mongolia-strengthen-defence-ties-with-high-altitude-military-exercise-nomadic-elephant-2025-article-151813051

SpaceX has rolled out its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft in preparation for the launch. The mission is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, carrying Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the ISS.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to fly into space as part of the Axiom Space, Ax-4, mission, marking a significant moment for India’s space programme. It is likely to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 11 at about 10 pm IST, after a journey that is likely to be 28 hours long.
The Ax-4 mission will “realize the return” to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years, stated the official page of the mission. It said that while Ax-4 marks these countries’ second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the International Space Station.

“This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally,” it added.

Manipur is experiencing renewed violence following the arrest of the leader of an ethnic group, Arambai Tenggol, leading to mass protests where demonstrators burned vehicles and threatened self-immolation. The authorities have suspended internet services in five districts and imposed curfews to manage the unrest.

The northeastern state is witnessing a fresh round of violence that erupted after the arrest of a leader of an ethnic group, Arambai Tenggol. Angry protesters marched to the streets, burnt tyres, vehicles and even tried to self-immolate themselves by pouring petrol on their heads. The authorities havesuspended internet, VPN and messaging services in five districts and imposed prohibitory orders as well. In the Bishnupur district, a total curfew has been imposed by the District Magistrate.
Ravaged by floods, the violence has further deteriorated the condition of the state, which has been witnessing incidents of violence for the past two years. Earlier this year, in February, the President’s rule was imposed in the state following the resignation of then-CM N Biren Singh.

Now, visuals coming from the state show burnt cars, buses, furniture and bikes hours after the violence rocked Manipur. In one of the videos doing the rounds, some youth were seen pouring petrol on their heads, threatening to self-immolate.

The violence broke out Saturday night as the news of Arambai Tenggol’s arrest spread. Locals gathered at different places, burnt vehicles and held protests to build pressure on authorities to free Tenggol.

As a precaution, prohibitory orders have been clamped in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts. Officials said the protesters also clashed with security forces at different places in Imphal on Saturday night. A mob also set a bus on fire at Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East district, they added.

The personnel of the security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters who were present in front of Kangla Gate, nearly 200 metres away from the Raj Bhavan. Meanwhile, the security along the roads leading to the Raj Bhavan has been strengthened with additional deployment of central forces.
“Violent protests broke out after the arrest of a leader of Arambai Tenggol. Three people have been injured in the clash with agitators and personnel. All preventive measures are in place,” a police officer said, quoted PTI.

Protesters also gheraoed the Imphal airport gate at Tulihal after the arrest of the Arambai Tenggol leader, and blocked a thoroughfare to prevent any possible attempt to take the arrested leader outside of the state.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/manipur-tense-protesters-pour-petrol-on-head-burn-vehicles-curfew-meitei-arambai-tenggol-arrest-article-151813910

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the overwhelming cause of deaths among men and women in India, with urban areas witnessing a slightly higher number of such fatalities than rural areas, according to a report.

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the overwhelming cause of deaths among men and women in India, with urban areas witnessing a slightly higher number of such fatalities than rural areas, according to a report.

The Cause of death in India 2019-21 report released by Sample Registration System (SRS) recently states that nearly 30.2 per cent of all non-communicable diseases deaths were due to heart related ailments. At a distant second were respiratory infections (9.2 per cent).

Respiratory diseases (6.1per cent), malignant and other neoplasm (6.0 per cent), fever of unknown origin (5.5 per cent), digestive diseases (4.7 per cent), diabetes mellitus (3.7 per cent), unintentional injuries: other than motor vehicle accidents (3.3 per cent) and unintentional injuries: motor vehicle accidents (2.9 per cent) come next in the list.

Nearly 32.0 per cent of male and 27.7 per cent of female deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases. Death due to heart ailment is the leading cause in all regions, with the highest proportion in the north (34.2 per cent) and lowest in central (22.5 per cent) India.

The report prepared by the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of Union Ministry of Home Affairs states the main aim of the exercise is to record statistics on most probable causes of death.

“Understanding the root causes of mortality is crucial for evaluating the public health implications of particular health concerns and formulating effective approaches to lower death rates. Accurate data on the types and frequencies of causes of death is crucial for policymakers to prioritise health initiatives appropriately,” says the report.

The report also states that non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of death in the country, constituting 54.9% of all deaths. Communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions constitute another 23.9% of deaths. The government claims that compared to 2018-20, the non-communicable and communicable mortality rate has come down by nearly 2%.

Child mortality

The report also highlights high mortality among infants within 29 days of birth. Highest number of deaths in this category occur due to prematurity and low birth weight, followed by birth asphyxia and birth trauma, pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhoeal disease and others.

In the 15-29 age group, motor vehicle accidents are resulting in higher deaths, especially male, followed by suicide, unintentional injuries, cardiovascular disease, digestive disease, tuberculosis, fever of unknown origin and respiratory infections among others.

The report notes that death in early age is decreasing and mortality is shifting to higher age groups. “It shows the impact of proper health facilities, which is suggestive that proper prevention programmes and healthcare facilities can certainly result in improving the situation,” it says.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/cardiovascular-diseases-top-cause-of-deaths-in-india-report-3576866

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday said that three accused from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested. He added that a woman has “surrendered”.

Three suspects from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested and one woman has surrendered in connection with the killing of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist who went missing with his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced the arrests in a post on X, saying a major breakthrough had been made within a week. “Three assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch one more assailant,” Sangma wrote. “Well done Meghalaya Police,” he added.

Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, had gone missing on May 23, just hours after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village, East Khasi Hills. They had arrived in the state on May 20, days after their wedding on May 11. Raja’s body was recovered on June 2 from a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, about 20 kilometres from where the couple was last seen.

A gold ring and chain were missing from the body, with the authorities suspecting foul play. A bloodstained machete was recovered near the scene a day later. Other personal items, including a woman’s shirt, medicine strip, smartwatch, and part of a mobile phone screen, were also found in the area.

The couple had reportedly parked their rented scooter at Mawlakhiat village before trekking down to visit the iconic living root bridges in Nongriat. The scooter was found abandoned on May 24 along the road between Shillong and Sohra.
The search for Sonam Raghuvanshi continues, but adverse terrain, heavy rain, and poor visibility have hampered efforts. Despite this, authorities say they are continuing operations to locate her.
Meanwhile, Sonam’s brother-in-law, Govind, who is in Shillong assisting with the search, accused officials of treating the case as if she were already dead.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/indore-couple-missing-case-three-assailants-from-mp-arrested-woman-accomplice-gives-in-says-meghalaya-cm-article-151816599

The viral video showcases an astonishing railway crossover scene where three “Vande Bharat trains” navigate an X-shaped junction with curved tracks.

A stunning animated video showing three high-speed trains seamlessly crossing each other at a railway junction has gone viral on social media, sparking fascination and debate. The video, widely circulated with patriotic captions, claims to showcase India’s advanced railway infrastructure, crediting Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. However, what many viewers may not realize is that this is not real footage but a 3D animation. The trains featured are not actual Vande Bharat trains, but realistic 3D models created for visual impact.

The viral clip portrays a remarkable scene where three trains approach a large, X-shaped railway junction, each taking a looping track and crossing paths with flawless synchronisation. The sequence appears to show a feat of rail engineering — no delays, no halts, just a graceful dance of trains crossing each other in what looks like perfect harmony.

The video has been shared widely on platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). A popular tweet accompanying the video reads: “3 Vande Bharat trains crossing each other, not possible in any other country. We’re proud of our Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ji.”

However, a closer inspection reveals that this video is entirely computer-generated. The trains depicted are not actual Vande Bharat trains, but rather 3D models. The smooth textures, exaggerated rail layout, and perfectly looped paths are characteristic of high-quality animation, not real-world engineering. The junction itself is an idealised design, not one currently found in India or elsewhere.

Posted on June 6, the video on X has already racked up more than 2.1 million views and attracted numerous comments. A user questioned, “Is this AI?” while another remarked, “Did no one catch the sarcasm?” Someone else joked, “That was a close call—what kind of science is this?” Another comment read, “Even in India, this isn’t possible, brother.”

During Operation Sindoor, IAF fighters, S-400 system and missiles downed six Pakistani aircrafts and destroyed four radars.

Even as national security planners and military chiefs celebrated one month of Operation Sindoor on Saturday evening, HT has learned that the Defence Ministry has given the green signal to the three services to replenish their inventory with longer-range loitering ammunition, artillery shells, kamikaze drones, and beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles that out-range the Chinese missiles used by Pakistan during the four-day high-intensity skirmish.

According to people familiar with the matter – and based on action taken reports and damage assessments undertaken by the three services – there is digital evidence to conclude that the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters, surface-to-air missile batteries, and S-400 air defence system downed four Pakistani Chinese-made fighter jets and two large aircraft (possibly one C-130J and one SAAB 2000 airborne early warning system) during Operation Sindoor.

There are also indications, the sources added, that two F-16 fighter aircraft may have been partly damaged during the IAF’s missile assault on 11 airbases, including those at Sargodha, Rafiqui, Jacobabad, and Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi). The reports indicate that India’s Rafale fighters, S-400 missile systems, and M777 howitzers acquitted themselves well during the four-day conflict, with the Russian air defence system taking down three enemy aircraft.

They also show that India destroyed one Chinese LY-80 fire radar, two AN/TPQ-43 US-made automatic tracking radars, and one fire unit of the Chinese HQ-9 radar at Chaklala during the retaliatory strike on May 10. Intelligence inputs now suggest that Pakistan has four HQ-9 (the Chinese equivalent of the Russian S-300 air defence radar systems), instead of the two originally estimated by national security planners.

The Pakistanis used the Chinese version of the PL-15 air-to-air missile, which has a range of 180 km. There are also inputs that the Pakistanis, by mixing two fire units of the 250 km-range HQ-9 air defence system with two other 150 km-range systems at Chaklala and Malir Cantonment near Karachi, respectively, may have tried to catch the Indian Air Force by surprise.

The action taken reports also show that the IAF fired 19 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles at Pakistani airbases, along with nearly an equal number of French SCALP subsonic cruise missiles. In turn, the Pakistanis fired CM-400 AKG air-launched supersonic missiles at Indian airbases using Chinese JF-17 fighters, but these failed to cause any damage.

The Turkish-built YIHA loitering ammunition, which Pakistan fired in large numbers, was either jammed by the Indian electronic warfare suite, missed its targets, or was taken down by India’s robust air defence system. Even the FATAH-1 rockets fired by Pakistan were either off the mark or intercepted by Indian air defence systems.

HT has learned that there is now adequate evidence that India’s first counter-terror strike on May 7 was a success. Markaz-e-Taiba (the LeT headquarters at Muridke) was hit by four to five Crystal Maze missiles, which leave a small entry point but inflict heavy internal damage. The Jaish-e-Mohammed facility at Markaz-e-Subhan Allah was hit by six SCALP missiles launched from Rafale fighters and was totally destroyed through a pinpoint strike using bunker-busting techniques.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/19-brahmos-crystal-maze-missiles-details-of-how-india-brought-pakistan-to-its-knees-during-operation-sindoor-101749345012318.html

Nearly two dozen paintings by one of the world’s most celebrated modern artists – once part of a record-breaking art deal – are set to hit the auction block for the first time next week.

On 12 June, 25 rare MF Husain paintings will go under the hammer at an art gallery in Mumbai city, more than two decades after he painted them.

This will be the first public glimpse of the paintings, locked away in bank vaults since 2008 after authorities seized them from a prominent businessman over an alleged loan default.

“It’s like the paintings have come full circle,” says Dadiba Pundole, director of Pundole Art Gallery, where the auction is set to be held.

Husain used the gallery as his studio for many of these works, part of an ambitious 100-painting series he never finished. Often called the “Picasso of India,” he was one of the country’s most celebrated – and controversial – artists. His works have fetched millions, but his bold themes often drew criticism. He died in 2011, aged 95.

Titled MF Husain: An Artist’s Vision of the XX Century, the 25 paintings at Pundole’a gallery offer a glimpse into his take on a transformative century shaped by leaps in technology, politics, and culture. Pundole has estimated that the auction could fetch up to $29m (£21m).

This comes months after another Husain painting, Untitled (Gram Yatra), sold for an unprecedented $13.8m at a Christie’s auction in New York, becoming the most expensive Indian artwork to be auctioned.

The oil-on-canvas masterpiece had adorned the walls of a Norwegian hospital for almost five decades, forgotten by the art world, until the auction house was alerted about its presence in 2013.

The latest paintings to be auctioned seem to follow a similar trajectory.

Husain began working on them in the early 2000s, with great excitement and vigour, recalls Pundole.

“When he was painting, nothing could disturb him. It didn’t matter what was happening around him,” he adds.

In 2004, Husain sold 25 paintings to a Mumbai businessman as the first instalment of a billion-rupee deal.

Kishore Singh, author of MF Husain: The Journey of a Legend, wrote about this agreement in the Indian Express newspaper.

“He [Husain] wasn’t jealous of fellow artists, but he was competitive,” Singh writes, noting that Husain struck the deal soon after Tyeb Mehta’s Kali [an Indian goddess] set a new record for India’s most expensive painting in 2002, selling for 15 million rupees.

Husain struck a billion rupees deal with businessman Guru Swarup Srivastava for this series of paintings. Media dubbed it “India’s biggest art deal,” catapulting the little-known Srivastava into overnight fame as a celebrity collector.

But two years later, India’s top crime agency, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), began investigating Srivastava’s business, alleging he and associates had misused a loan from a government-backed agricultural body.

The CBI alleged Srivastava diverted the funds into real estate, mutual funds, and Husain paintings. He and his company deny all charges; the case remains in court.

In 2008, a tribunal allowed the government-backed agricultural body to seize one billion rupees in assets from Srivastava, including the 25 Husain paintings.

In February this year, a court cleared the way for the paintings to be auctioned to recover part of the loan. And so, after years locked away in bank vaults, the 25 paintings are finally stepping into the spotlight.

In a 2018 interview to author and journalist Tara Kaushal, Srivastava spoke about his stalled deal with the artist.

“I had planned to pay Husain for the rest of the paintings by selling the first 25. But legal complications meant that, when Husain called me in 2008 saying the paintings were ready in London and Paris, and to pick them up at the agreed price, my funds were not ready. He understood,” he said.

Asked why Husain had chosen to sell his paintings to a person who almost nobody knew in India’s elite art circles, Pundole says, “He didn’t care. As long as his paintings were sold.”

There’s no way to know how Husain felt about the failed deal or his unfinished 20th Century series – but the episode remains a striking footnote in his bold, eventful career.

The 25 paintings in this series, vibrant acrylics on canvas, showcase Husain’s bold style while reflecting key 20th-century events and social attitudes.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy62zn0nxgo

A Chinese university’s job posting requiring a PhD for a canteen manager has gone viral. Southeast University is offering a ₹20.8 lakh annual salary for the role, which includes administrative and food safety duties. The listing has ignited debate on credential inflation and the value of academic qualifications in China’s tightening job market.

A university in Nanjing, China, has stirred controversy after posting a canteen manager job that requires a PhD—a qualification many felt was excessive for the role.

The listing, put up by Southeast University, a top institution in China, appeared on its official website and quickly went viral. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), among the requirements for the position is overseeing canteen activities, guaranteeing food safety, controlling contractors, doing administrative tasks, and monitoring food-making procedures.

But it was not the job description that left people surprised—it was the qualifications.

Apart from a doctoral degree, candidates need to be well-versed in English, familiar with office software, and ideally possess a degree in food, nutrition, or culinary arts. The advertisement also stated that membership in the Communist Party would be an added benefit.

The job pays a salary of 180,000 yuan (approximately ₹20.8 lakh) every year. But the social media in China was filled with outrage and criticism asking why one would require such a sophisticated academic degree for a job that appears to be mostly managerial.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/job-post-requiring-phd-for-canteen-manager-at-chinese-university-goes-viral-offers-208-lakh-salary

PM Narendra Modi had attended all five previous summits of the G7 grouping.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday confirmed that he will attend the G7 summit in Canada this month. Canadian PM Mark Carney extended an invitation to the Indian Prime Minister during their first phone conversation, which he accepted. The G7 comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. Canada is holding the current presidency of the G7 and is hosting the summit in that capacity. PM Modi had attended all five previous summits of the grouping.
PM Modi accepted the invitation that came over a week before the summit of the influential grouping kicks off. The summit will be held in Canada’s Alberta province from June 15 to 17.
The phone call was initiated by the Canadian side, clearly signalling Ottawa’s intent to repair the ties with New Delhi that nosedived during Justin Trudeau’s tenure.

A postgraduate doctor’s mysterious death inside his parked car in a forest near Kodaikanal has raised many questions.

A young doctor pursuing his postgraduate medical degree was found dead inside his car near the hill town of Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, Dr Joshua Samraj died by suicide after administering intravenous fluids to himself and was believed to be in debt.
As per an NDTV report, Dr Samraj was pursuing his MD (Doctor of Medicine) in Salem while working at a hospital in Madurai. His car was discovered parked for three days in a remote forested area in Poomparai near Kodaikanal, which led local residents to alert the police.
Authorities recovered a suicide note from the vehicle. “The doctor has apologised to his family in the suicide note, but has neither blamed anyone nor given any reason. His family has said he was depressed because of an issue in a relationship,” the police said.

Investigators also revealed that Dr Samraj was reportedly in debt, though the exact cause remains unclear. Amid social media speculation that the doctor had lost money in online gaming, police clarified, “We have not found any such detail in his suicide note, nor do his parents say so. We are investigating.”

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/mystery-surrounds-tamil-nadu-doctor-joshua-samraj-death-iv-fluids-a-suicide-note-and-a-parked-car-article-151812503

For now, only a limited number of devotees will be allowed to visit the Ram Darbar, and entry will be regulated through passes, which will be issued free of cost.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya continues to draw attention withe devotees thronging the religious site with the consecration of the Ram Dabar on the first floor of the temple.

Meanwhile, Ram Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra has revealed that a total of 45 kilogram of pure gold has been used in the construction of the grand temple. He said the estimated value of the gold, excluding taxes, is around Rs 50 crore. Gold has been used extensively in the doors on the ground floor of the temple and the throne of Lord Ram.

Additional goldwork is still underway in the Sheshavatar Temple, also part of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple complex.

Public Access Restricted To Ram Darbar
Following the consecration of the Ram Darbar, Mishra said arrangements are being made for controlled public access to the sacred space.

The consecration of the Ram Darbar on June 5 marked a spiritual milestone, however, public access to the newly consecrated first-floor sanctum will initially be restricted. Due to ongoing works and soaring summer temperatures, entry will be permitted only via free passes issued to a limited number of devotees.

As the Ram Darbar is 20-feet-high and requires devotees to climb about 40 steps, there are limited arrangements for going up, and the lift’s construction will take time.

“A lift is being constructed for elderly devotees, but it will take time to complete. Devotees will have to wait to visit the Ram Darbar due to unfavourable conditions and after the rainy season, public visits may be possible,” Ram Temple Trust Secretary Champat Rai said.

Mandir Construction To Be Completed By Dec 2025
While the main structure of the Ram Temple has been completed, other parts of the temple complex, including the museum, auditorium, and guest house, are still under construction. These are expected to be completed by December 2025.

The final task will be to hoist the flag on the temple’s peak, likely in October or November, once the weather is favourable. Until then, minor works will be completed.

Consecration Of Ram Darbar
On Thursday the consecration ceremony of seven idols was completed at the temple.

The idols installed on the first floor above the sanctum sanctorum include Ram Darbar in the middle, a Shivalinga in the north eastern corner, a Ganapati idol in the southeastern corner, Hanuman idol in the middle of the southern side, Surya in the south western corner, Bhagwati in the north western corner, and Annapurna Mata in the middle of the northern side.

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/45-kg-gold-worth-rs-50-crore-used-in-ayodhya-ram-temples-doors-throne-9373997.html

Despite only having an MBBS degree, Sharma had been performing serious cardiac procedures, including surgeries, which he was not qualified to do. Several patients reportedly experienced complications, and some died after treatment, according to police.

An MBBS-qualified doctor allegedly posed as a cardiologist and performed more than 50 heart procedures over eight months at a government hospital in Faridabad. The doctor, identified as Dr Pankaj Mohan Sharma, is accused of using the registration number of a licensed cardiologist with the same name to carry out surgeries at the heart care centre in Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, reports PTI.
Police said the case came to light when a patient contacted the real cardiologist, prompting an internal inquiry. Despite only having an MBBS degree, Sharma had been performing serious cardiac procedures, including surgeries, which he was not qualified to do. Several patients reportedly experienced complications, and some died after treatment, according to police.
Sharma was hired by Mediterina Hospital, which runs the heart centre under a public-private partnership, in July 2024. He worked there until February 2025. During that time, police said he used a forged stamp and falsely claimed to have a DNB in Cardiology. He also allegedly used another doctor’s registration number 2456 instead of his own MBBS number , 28482.

Authorities launched an investigation after complaints were filed, including one on April 11 by advocate and social activist Sanjay Gupta, who accused Sharma of using fake documents to claim additional qualifications.

The real Dr Pankaj Mohan, whose registration Sharma allegedly used, filed a formal complaint with the Indian Medical Association and sent Sharma a legal notice in January.
Hospital officials have not confirmed how many patients were treated or operated on by Sharma. However, family members of some patients have come forward raising concerns. One of them, Raja Ram from Palwal district, alleged that his father died a day after undergoing a stent procedure performed by Sharma on January 10.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/faridabad-shocker-mbbs-doctor-performed-50-cardiac-surgeries-using-anothers-license-article-151811588

The criminal, identified as Abhishek alias ‘Shooter’, livestreamed the entire incident on social media, before he was rescued by firefighters and subsequently arrested by police.

A dramatic arrest unfolded in Ahmedabad as a wanted criminal tried to escape police by climbing onto a fifth-floor ledge and threatening to jump. The accused, identified as Abhishek alias ‘Shooter’, even livestreamed the incident on social media, demanding that police back off. In a video captured by a police officer, Abhishek declared that he would rather choose death than surrender to the authorities.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch had received a tip-off about Abhishek’s presence at his residence in Shivam Awas. When officers arrived and knocked on the door, which was locked from inside, he refused to open it. Instead, he attempted to flee through the kitchen window and stood on a narrow ledge, drawing a crowd below.

As tensions escalated, emergency responders and firefighters were called to the spot. After a prolonged standoff, they managed to rescue him safely. Abhishek was then taken into custody. Police said further investigation is underway to probe his criminal links.

After several tense minutes, the police forced open the door to find Abhishek standing precariously on the ledge of the fifth floor, livestreaming the incident on social media via his mobile phone. He also threatened to jump, which put the police on high alert.

In a separate video recorded by a Crime Branch officer, as the officers tried to persuade Abhishek to surrender, he was heard saying, “I know how you will treat me. It’s going to be really bad. It’s better that I die than surrender to you.” Despite their repeated assurances that he would be treated fairly and with dignity, Abhishek remained unyielding.

The Crime Branch promptly contacted the fire department, urging them to arrive quickly to assist in the rescue. After a prolonged and delicate three-hour negotiation, firefighters successfully rescued Abhishek from the ledge and handed him over to the police, who immediately took him into custody.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/ahmedabad/story/criminal-abhishek-shooter-climbs-ledge-evade-cops-in-ahmedabad-arrested-after-rescue-2737314-2025-06-07

The Manipur government has suspended internet and mobile data services across five valley districts including Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching for five days starting 11:45 pm on Saturday, citing law and order concerns.

Curfew has been imposed and internet services suspended in several areas across five valley districts of Manipur after tensions and protests erupted on Saturday night following the arrest of a leader of the Meitei outfit, Arambai Tenggol.

The incident has been for five days, citing law and order concerns, affecting districts including Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts.

According to an official notification issued by Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) N Ashok Kumar, the move was prompted by fears that anti-social elements could misuse social media platforms to spread hate messages, provocative images, and videos, potentially disrupting public order.

“In view of the prevailing law and order situation, especially in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur districts, there is apprehension that some anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video messages to incite the passion of the public,” the order stated.

“The order is being passed ex-parte in view of the emergent situation,” it read further.

The directive warned that any individual found violating the order would face legal consequences.

The decision came after widespread protests erupted in Imphal East and Imphal West on Saturday night following the arrest of a leader of the Meitei group Arambai Tenggol.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/manipur-internet-suspended-five-districts-meitei-outfit-leader-arrest-2737436-2025-06-08

India was led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with a high-level Parliamentary Delegation, the official statement observed.

Representatives of the Parliaments of 10 member countries, including India, participated in the annual meeting of the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in Brasilia on June 4-5, 2025. India was led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with a high-level Parliamentary Delegation, the official statement observed.

The statement noted that the Parliaments of 10 BRICS countries strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attacks and agreed to cooperate on a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against terrorism. Notably, the next conference will take place in India and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has been appointed as the Chairperson.

According to the official statement, this year, the 10 member countries participating in the BRICS Parliamentary Forum were India, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Representatives of these countries’ Parliaments actively participated in the Conference and played a significant role in drafting the joint declaration.

Notably, after several rounds of intense discussions and deliberations during the conference, broad consensus was reached on key topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), global trade and economy, inter-parliamentary cooperation, global peace, and security.

As per the statement, the perspectives presented by India on various issues were appreciated by all countries and were unanimously included in the final joint declaration. In particular, India’s decisive stance on terrorism was taken seriously. India strongly condemned terrorist attacks and emphatically called for adopting a “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism.

Significantly, the joint declaration strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, and it was agreed that the Parliaments of all BRICS countries would work together united against terrorism. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla emphasised joint efforts on cutting off financial assistance to terrorist organisations, sharing intelligence, preventing misuse of modern technologies, and cooperating in investigation and judicial processes.

India’s policy and leadership were specially commended, and the BRICS Parliaments recognised that the active participation of all nations is essential to maintain global peace and security. At the conference, Om Birla effectively presented India’s clear and strong role on various topics — especially global cooperation against terrorism, a just and balanced global order, participation in technological innovations, and democratic exchanges.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/10-brics-nations-condemn-pahalgam-attack-back-zero-tolerance-on-terror-8607196

Vijay Mallya hinted at the possibility of returning to India but only if he is promised a fair trial.

Vijay Mallya is back in the spotlight. Recently, the 69-year-old appeared in a podcast where he opened up about his journey from the rise and fall of Kingfisher Airlines to becoming the owner of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He also addressed the financial allegations against him for the first time in years, hinted at the possibility of returning to India but only if he is promised a fair trial.

“If I am assured, absolutely I will. I will think about it seriously,” Mallya said on the podcast hosted by YouTuber Raj Shamani.

During the discussion, Mallya shared his concerns about India’s legal system, especially around how people are treated while awaiting trial. “There are other people the government of India is targeting for extradition from the UK… where the High Court of Appeal has found Indian detention conditions violative of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR),” he said.

Referring to what he sees as prolonged detention without due process, he said, “They just lock you up and throw away the key.”

The interview, which is over four hours long, has triggered a wave of reactions online. Some were impressed with how open Mallya was, while others questioned the sudden buzz around him.

One user commented, “Raj Shamani’s pod with Vijay Mallya is top notch. Like a cinema. Full of emotions, arguments and counter-arguments… Also, my prejudices about Raj Shamani cluttered a lot.”

Another said, “So my generation has now seen demonetisation, Covid, lockdown, India-Pak war, RCB winning the IPL, Covid coming back and Vijay Mallya on a podcast.”

Someone pointed out, “Which is the PR agency that is employed by Vijay Mallya? Suddenly, for a week, there is so much content around him on this app.”

“Everyone is making a comeback in 2025, including even Vijay Mallya,” a person remarked while another added, “Vijay Mallya on Raj Shamani was not on my 2025 list. 4 hours long.”

“Vijay Mallya has done a podcast. First time he’s facing any media since leaving India. Four hours eighteen minutes podcast. WHAT THE HELL I think man has opened up and spoke everything that he felt was unsafe to speak so far,” an individual said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/viral/netizens-cant-keep-calm-over-mallyas-return-to-india-buzz-covid-pak-war-to-this-podcast-ws-l-aa-aa-aa-9371581.html

The evacuation was carried out in four helicopter sorties using MI-02, MI-39, and MI-49 helicopters, with landings and departures coordinated from Pakyong Greenfield Airport. The airlift rescued 63 tourists and 17 local residents who had been stranded for days due to road blockages and continuous rain.

In a determined effort to rescue those stranded in the flood-affected region of Chaten, North Sikkim, the state government on Friday completed a critical round of air evacuations. Braving adverse weather conditions and challenging terrain, helicopters lifted 80 individuals to safety, marking a successful conclusion to the day’s operations.
The evacuation was carried out in four helicopter sorties using MI-02, MI-39, and MI-49 helicopters, with landings and departures coordinated from Pakyong Greenfield Airport. The airlift rescued 63 tourists and 17 local residents who had been stranded for days due to road blockages and continuous rain.
In the second round of the day’s rescue, 44 people were brought to safety from Chaten, including 17 locals. Each sortie was executed with precision under the close supervision of state authorities, prioritizing the safety and well-being of all passengers.

To ensure a smooth continuation of their journey, the state government arranged Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) buses for the evacuees from the airport to Gangtok.

With this operation, all stranded tourists have now been successfully evacuated from Chaten. The administration has officially called off evacuation sorties for the day.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/sikkim-after-being-stranded-days-63-tourists-rescued-from-landslide-hit-chaten-by-air-article-151805638

The highest railway bridge of the world has opened in India. Located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, the bridge is expected to significantly boost tourism and economic activity in the region, especially benefiting pilgrimage sites like Vaishno Devi and destinations across the Kashmir Valley.

According to the SIT report, Bhole Baba Dairy was operating behind two suppliers – AR Dairy and Vaishnavi Dairy. They provided ghee to the TTD.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief has submitted a report stating that the ghee used in preparing laddus for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was adulterated and not pure. According to the SIT report, Bhole Baba Dairy was operating behind two suppliers – AR Dairy and Vaishnavi Dairy. They provided ghee to the TTD. Investigators found that Bhole Baba Dairy lacked the infrastructure to produce milk or ghee. Local farmers informed the SIT that they never supplied milk to the dairy.
The report stated that the adulterated ghee was manufactured using palm oil and chemicals, raising serious concerns about food safety.
Following these findings, the TTD has blacklisted Bhole Baba Dairy.

During court proceedings, the SIT counsel opposed bail for the accused, arguing they are financially well-off and wield significant influence, which could pose a threat to witnesses.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/adulterated-ghee-supplied-to-ttd-sit-report-indicts-bhole-baba-dairy-article-151803771

The 29-year-old was identified by a “Raja” tattoo on his right hand. His body bore injuries consistent with foul play. Police recovered a bloodstained weapon and Raja’s belongings scattered around the site, including missing gold jewellery and his wallet—raising strong suspicion of a robbery-cum-murder.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continues relentless efforts in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills as the search for missing tourist Sonam Raghuvanshi stretches into its third week. Mounting evidence suggests her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder may be tied to a local dispute that spiralled into violence.
A highly trained NDRF unit joined the multi-agency search in Sohra earlier this week, working alongside the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Meghalaya Police, and Special Operations Teams in increasingly treacherous terrain. Their mission has taken on a new urgency after Raja’s body was discovered in a deep gorge on Monday, nearly 20 kilometers from Nongriat village, where the couple last stayed on May 22.
The 29-year-old was identified by a “Raja” tattoo on his right hand. His body bore injuries consistent with foul play. Police recovered a bloodstained weapon and Raja’s belongings scattered around the site, including missing gold jewelry and his wallet—raising strong suspicion of a robbery-cum-murder.

“We are using drones, mountaineers, and special police units to speed up the search,” confirmed East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem, emphasizing the scale of coordination now underway.

But the weather has proven a formidable adversary. Torrential rain over the past three days nearly 500 mm, equal to Mysore’s annual rainfall has triggered landslides and flash floods, halting operations and claiming at least six lives in the region. Visibility in the Sohra area dropped dangerously low on Thursday, forcing teams to temporarily suspend the search.
The couple from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, checked out of their Nongriat homestay on May 23, planning to explore the iconic living root bridges. They parked their rented scooter at Mawlakhiat and descended 3,000 steps into the gorge, after which they were never seen again.
A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed, and police have officially registered a murder case. Among the critical evidence collected from the area are a white women’s shirt, broken mobile phone parts, medicine strips, a smartwatch, and other personal items offering hope for clues to Sonam’s fate.
Meanwhile, Sonam’s family clings to hope. Her brother Govind made an emotional appeal, urging authorities to intensify efforts: “We believe Sonam is alive. We request the Chief Minister to accelerate the search.”

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/meghalaya-honeymoon-tragedy-desperate-search-for-missing-tourist-sonam-raghuvanshi-enters-third-week-article-151804814

In a major breakthrough, Zeeshan Akhtar alias Jassi Purewal, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, has reportedly been arrested by the Surrey Police in Canada. However, it remains unclear which specific case led to his arrest.

In a major breakthrough, Zeeshan Akhtar alias Jassi Purewal, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, has reportedly been arrested by the Surrey Police in Canada. However, it remains unclear which specific case led to his arrest. A senior officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch stated that no official confirmation has been received yet from their end, and they are currently seeking details from central agencies.

Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai on the night of October 12, 2024. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility for the killing, stating that Siddique was targeted due to his close ties with Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the murder was orchestrated by Zeeshan Akhtar, a native of Jalandhar, who was present at the crime scene when the shooting occurred. Akhtar fled India shortly after the murder, allegedly with the help of Pakistani underworld figure Shehzad Bhatti, a key member of the Farooq Khokhar gang.

In a surprising turn, the Lawrence gang later disowned Akhtar, distancing themselves from him and even threatening to eliminate him. Following his escape, Zeeshan Akhtar released a video at the beginning of 2025, admitting to being wanted in connection with the murder of Baba Siddique and other criminal cases in India. In the video, Akhtar credited Shehzad Bhatti for aiding him, referring to him as a “big brother.”

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/baba-siddique-murder-case-zeeshan-akhtar-alleged-mastermind-arrested-in-canada-mumbai-police-seek-official-confirmation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received an invitation from his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on Friday to attend the upcoming G7 summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday confirmed his upcoming participation in the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, following an invitation from Canadian counterpart Mark Carney.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark J Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month.”

This will be the first official interaction between Modi and Carney since the latter assumed office after a decisive victory in Canada’s federal elections.

Chaotic celebrations turned into a full-blown tragedy in Bengaluru on Wednesday as 11 people, mostly youngsters, were killed in a stampede that broke out outside the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium. with over 190 lives lost at religious gatherings, public events, and even railway stations.
Let’s take a look at the other major stampedes that have taken place in the country in the past year:
Chinnaswamy Stadium Stampede – Eleven people were killed and 33 others were injured after a stampede broke out outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where cricket fans had gathered to celebrate the maiden IPL victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. CM Siddaramaiah has announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

New Delhi Railway Station Stampede – On February 15, a stampede broke out at New Delhi Railway Station’s platforms 14 and 15. Eighteen people were killed and 15 injured, mostly pilgrims visiting Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

Kumbh Stampede – During the Maha Kumbh, a stampede on January 29 at the Sangam area as millions as pilgrims were jostling for space to take a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya resulted in the death of 30 people and injuries to 60.
Goa and Tirupati Stampede – In January this year, six people were killed and dozens more were injured at a stampede at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala Hills. The stampede broke out as hundreds of devotees jostled for tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam. Later in May, at least six people died at a stampede at the annual festival of Sri Lairai Devi temple in Goa.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/5-stampedes-that-claimed-over-190-lives-in-less-than-a-year-from-hathras-to-bengaluru-article-151791901

A dedicated facility will be set up in Hyderabad, where key sections of the Rafale fuselage — including the front, central, rear fuselage and lateral shells — will be produced. The state-of-the-art plant will play a critical role in Dassault’s global supply chain for Rafale fighter jets.

In a major boost to India’s defence manufacturing sector, Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) have signed landmark agreements to produce the fuselage of the Rafale fighter aircraft in India. This marks the first time in history that major components of the advanced French-origin fighter jet will be manufactured outside France.
A dedicated facility will be set up in Hyderabad, where key sections of the Rafale fuselage — including the front, central, rear fuselage and lateral shells — will be produced. The state-of-the-art plant will play a critical role in Dassault’s global supply chain for Rafale fighter jets.
The production is expected to commence in FY2028, with the facility aiming to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month. Officials say this marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards defence self-reliance and high-end aerospace manufacturing.

“This is a proud moment for India’s defence and aerospace sector. It represents a powerful endorsement of India’s capabilities and supports the vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” said a senior official involved in the agreement.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/india-to-manufacture-rafale-fuselage-for-the-first-time-dassault-tata-join-hands-article-151796172

Vijay Mallya addressed the Kingfisher Airlines crisis in a podcast, expressing regret for the unpaid salaries owed to thousands of employees. Although he acknowledged responsibility, he cited legal obstacles that prevented him from disbursing salaries.

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya has set the record straight on the rise and fall of the Kingfisher Airlines. In a recent podcast with Raj Shamani, Mallya was asked whether he had anything left to say to the thousands of unpaid employees that went through the Kingfisher Airlines crisis. It is believed that Kingfisher Airlines owes its former employees more than Rs 300 crore in dues.
When asked by Shamani, Mallya replied, “Apologetic? What do I apologise for? After putting Rs 3,000 crores of my own money into the business, I should apologise?”
He was then asked if he had an apology, not for anyone else, but only for the staff of Kingfisher Airlines. To this Vijay Mallya said, “I would say I am deeply sorry for what happened to them. I would say I am deeply sorry that some of them didn’t get paid their salaries. I have no excuses to offer.”

He explained further, “I take full responsibility, but for those who care to listen, there was money lying in the deposit with the Karnataka High Court. I specifically applied to court to pay their salaries, of Kingfisher Airlines staff. But the banks rejected it, and the courts rejected the permission. There was really nothing I could do beyond that.”

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/vijay-mallya-sets-record-straight-after-13-years-with-message-for-kingfisher-staff-money-was-there-but-article-151799006

A day after the stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives, the Karnataka government suspended the city police commissioner and three other senior police officials.

Initiating a series of disciplinary actions, in a big move, the Siddaramaiah-led government decided to suspend Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, along with an additional commissioner (West) Vikas Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Central Bengaluru, Shekar H Tekkannanavar and assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Balakrishna.

From 1981 to 2021, the number of vehicles in Delhi-NCR rose 21-fold, while road infrastructure only doubled, dangerous imbalance choking the city.

Delhi becomes unlivable for three months a year, noted G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, underlining the severe economic and health burden of air pollution.

Speaking at a high-level event (Urban Adda) on World Environment Day, he noted that air pollution is cutting life expectancy by 6.3 years and costing the economy Rs 100,000 crore annually – nearly 3% of India’s GDP.

Mr Kant laid out a clear and urgent roadmap for Delhi and other urban centres to tackle pollution head-on:

* Electrify all 2-and 3-wheelers within a year

* Mandate electric for all new taxis and convert current fleets within 24 months

* Ensure all school buses are electric or retrofitted in 2 years

* Shift all brick kilns to cleaner zigzag technology

* Install FGD and DSI units in all thermal power plants

* Adopt electric boilers in SMEs, powered by rooftop solar

“We must leapfrog to clean energy. Don’t waste time or money on legacy technologies. Go electric, go now,” he urged.

Backing this call, Rajesh Verma, Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), revealed how Delhi’s infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the vehicle explosion.

From 1981 to 2021, the number of vehicles in Delhi-NCR rose 21-fold, while road infrastructure only doubled, dangerous imbalance choking the city.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/go-electric-go-now-message-from-g20-sherpa-amitabh-kant-to-tackle-pollution-8598158

According to police, the incident occurred on late Wednesday night when the girl, daughter of daily wage labourers, was sleeping under a metro station.

A three year old girl was allegedly raped and is said to be in a critical condition, police here said on Thursday.

According to police, the incident occurred on late Wednesday night when the girl, daughter of daily wage labourers, was sleeping under a metro station.

The accused took the girl away while her parents were sleeping and raped her at a secluded place, police said.

Following the report, senior officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Ashish Kumar Srivastav inspected the crime scene on Wednesday night itself. The girl was rushed to a hospital and was then referred to a higher medical centre for treatment. She is said to be in a critical condition, police sources said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/3-year-old-girl-sleeping-under-metro-station-in-up-raped-cops-8598635

India won’t withdraw WTO complaints against US tariffs unless resolved, as intense trade talks begin in New Delhi to finalize a bilateral deal.

India will not withdraw its World Trade Organization complaints against US tariffs on steel, aluminium and automobiles unless the dispute is resolved even as negotiating teams from both sides began intensive talks in New Delhi on Thursday to finalise an early bilateral trade deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

A team led by assistant US trade representative Brendan Lynch arrived in Delhi late on Wednesday for discussions with a ministry of commerce team that began on Thursday. The talks are scheduled for two days of engagements as both countries work toward an announcement on an early portion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), potentially this month itself.

The negotiations come against a critical July 9 deadline when an additional 16% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods is set to take effect, adding urgency to the bilateral talks.

According to two officials aware of the matter, the parallel dispute at the World Trade Organisation is expected to not interfere with the BTA negotiations and India expects the issues to be resolved through mutually agreed solutions (MAS) mechanism, as was done for seven other disputes in June and September 2023.

“India is unlikely to withdraw its complaints against the US for illegally imposing safeguard tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium and automobiles at the World Trade Organisation,” said one of these people, asking not to be named.

“It is hoped that this matter will be resolved amicably under MAS as the trade negotiation is all about greater market access for both parties,” he added

The stance reflects India’s determination to challenge what it views as violations of multilateral trade rules while stressing on the need to get the BTA done. In a notice to the World Trade Organisation, India indicated it would respond to the metals tariffs by proportionately suspending concessions given to American imports. Washington rejected the notice on May 9.

The controversy around the steel, aluminium and automobile and auto components tariffs stems from the Trump administration’s decision on February 10 to impose 25% levies on these imports effective from March 12, forcing India to approach the World Trade Organisation on May 9. The matter escalated when the Trump administration doubled tariffs on the metals to 50% effective from June 4, citing national security.

Besides metals, the US on March 26 raised tariffs on imports of passenger vehicles, light trucks and certain automobile parts from India to 25%. The deadline for India’s one-month notice to the US on the steel and aluminium issue ends on June 8, after which it would be free to retaliate.

In its latest notice dated June 2 regarding automobile tariffs, New Delhi again sought resolution before potential retaliation after a month.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/wto-dispute-remains-amid-us-trade-talks-101749149327329.html

The killing of Sudhakar, a member of the Maoists’ Central Committee, comes a fortnight after CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70) was neutralised by security forces in the Bastar region, dealing a severe blow to the banned outfit.

Bijapur: Senior Maoist leader Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, who had a bounty of Rs 40 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, police said, days after the elusive chief of CPI (Maoist) Basavaraju was gunned down.

The killing of Sudhakar, a member of the Maoists’ Central Committee, comes a fortnight after CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70) was neutralised by security forces in the Bastar region, dealing a severe blow to the banned outfit.

Originally hailing from Andhra Pradesh, the 67-year-old Sudhakar was involved in indoctrination and radicalization of youth and also responsible for numerous Naxal attacks in Chhattisgarh, resulting in the death of civilians and security personnel, police said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo said Sudhakar and several others Naxalites were neutralised in the operation, though he did not give numbers.

Braving difficult terrain and inhospitable conditions, security personnel have been taking forward the campaign to eliminate Naxalism towards a historic success, Sai added.

The latest exchange of fire broke out in the forest of Indravati national park area when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

The Special Task Force, District Reserve Guard, both units of the Chhattisgarh police, and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (an elite unit of CRPF) were involved in the operation that was launched on Wednesday, he said.

“The offensive was launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoist leader Sudhakar, Telangana State Committee member Bandi Prakash, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member Pappa Rao and few others. The body of a senior Maoist cadre along with an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the spot,” he said.

“The deceased was later identified as Sudhakar, also known as Anand, Chanti Balakrishna, Ramaraju, Aravind and Somanna. He was a resident of Pragadavaram village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. He was a member of the Central Committee, the topmost governing body of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). He was also in-charge of RePOS (Revolutionary Political School) and Central Regional Bureau (CRB),” he said.

Sudhakar, who was responsible for various violent incidents that resulted in the death of numerous innocent tribal civilians and security personnel, was, as in-charge of the Maoist ideological training school (RePOS), involved in misleading and radicalizing youths with violent and anti-national ideologies, Sundarraj said.

“His death marks a major success for security forces and is a significant blow to the Maoist leadership, particularly in Dandakaranya region (that covers south Chhattisgarh and border areas of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha). His neutralization will cause considerable setback to the already weakening Maoist organization,” he asserted.

Search operations were underway to track down other Maoist cadres who might have fled the spot and to recover additional material evidence, he said, adding that number of casualties and recoveries will be shared once the operation concludes.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/chhattisgarh/big-success-in-fight-against-naxalism-top-ultra-sudhakar-gunned-down-in-chhattisgarhs-bijapur-3573258

Instagram influencer Sukhmeet Kaur posted a video showing multiple almost-finished Zepto cafe tubs. Ants can be spotted between the leftover noodles in the tub.

An Instagram influencer has claimed that she received insect-infested Maggi that she ordered from Zepto Cafe. Instagram influencer Sukhmeet Kaur posted a video showing multiple almost-finished Zepto cafe tubs. Ants can be spotted between the leftover noodles in the tub.

“Reality of 10 mins from Zepto cafe,” was the text written on the video. “This is disgusting. However, I’m shocked to see their cafe still operating with deceptive offers like ‘Buy 1 get 1 free’ – serving food with insects is unacceptable! They’re prioritizing fast delivery over hygiene and health.” Kaur’s caption read.

Mumbai-Mumbai based influencer’spost also drew reactions from netizens on Instagram. One of the users said, I think it’s your mistake because it’s bowl get finished and in last the last ants seen . It’s mean that you put it any where and ants gone into it. Clearly there is no fault of zepto.” (sic)

Another user said, “Extra taste kaha hai ye toh yaha hai.”(sic) Another user made a comment claiming they fell ill after consuming food ordered from Zepto cafe. “I swear two days back i had veg puff and suffered gastrointestinal problem and motions and its still gng bad never ordering anything from there ever again.”

The Madras High Court recently observed that while same-sex marriage has not been legalised in India, that does not mean that people from the LGBTQIA+ community do not form families [MA v. Superintendent of Police, Vellore and ors].

A Bench of Justices GR Swaminiathan and V Lakshminarayanan acknowledged that in the case of Supriyo @ Supriya Chakraborty Vs Union of India, the Supreme Court refused to hold that LGBTQIA+ couples have a fundamental right to marry.

However, marriage is not the only way to form a family, the High Court observed.

“While Supriyo @ Supriya Chakraborty Vs Union of India (2023 INSC 920)may not have legalised marriage between same sex couples, they can very well form a family. Marriage is not the sole mode to found a family. The concept of ‘chosen family’ is now well settled and acknowledged in LGBTQIA+ jurisprudence,” it said.

The Court also pointed out that a single-judge of the High Court, Justice N Anand Venkatesh, had also called for taking steps to recognise civil unions between LGBTQAI+ partners,

The division bench made these observations while coming to the rescue of a lesbian couple who were made to part after one of the partners (detenue) was forcibly detained by her family.

The detenue’s partner (petitioner) moved the High Court for relief after the police declined to come to the couple’s aid. Rather, the police forced the detenue to go with her parents, who were accused of then beating her up and forcing her to undergo certain ‘rituals’ to make her ‘normal.’

The detenue’s mother claimed that her daughter was a drug addict who was led astray by the petitioner. The Court interacted with the detenue and debunked her mother’s claim.

“It would be unfair to accuse her (detenue) of any kind of addiction …She made it clear that she wants to go with the petitioner. She confirmed the allegation that she is being detained against her will by her natal family. It appeared that she was forcibly taken to her home and beaten,” the Court noted.

The Court went on to observe that the detenue’s mother was ‘no Leila Seth’, while recounting how Justice Leila Seth once wrote a heartfelt note to express support and acceptance for her son, author Vikram Seth.

The Court noted that in the present case, the petitioner was understandably hesitant to even disclose that she was in a relationship with the detenue.

“We can understand the hesitation on her part. Our Society is still conservative … Not every parent is like Justice Leila Seth. She could acknowledge and accept her son’s sexual orientation … Unfortunately, Leila Seth J did not live to see the decriminalisation of homosexuality through the historic judgment in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India ((2018) 1 SCC 791). The mother of the detenue is no Leila Seth,” it said.

The Court went on to observe that sexual orientation is one of the most basic aspects of self-determination, dignity and freedom.

“It is an integral part of personal autonomy and self-expression and falls within the realm of personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” it said.

It also questioned the use of the word “queer” to describe LGBTQ+ persons.

“We feel a certain discomfort in employing the expression ‘queer.’ Any standard dictionary defines this word as meaning ‘strange or odd.’ Queering one’s pitch means spoiling the show. To a homosexual individual, his/ her/ their sexual orientation must be perfectly natural and normal. There is nothing strange or odd about such inclinations. Why then should they be called as queer?” the Court asked.

The Court eventually ruled that the detenue is entitled to unite with her lesbian partner and that she cannot be detained by her family against her will.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/same-sex-marriage-not-legal-but-lgbtq-couples-can-make-families-madras-high-court

The IIAS, a global non-profit organisation, is a federation of 31 member countries, 20 national sections and 15 academic research centres jointly collaborating for scientific research on public administration.

In a first, India has won the presidency of the Belgium-based International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), an official statement said on Wednesday.

The IIAS, a global non-profit organisation, is a federation of 31 member countries, 20 national sections and 15 academic research centres jointly collaborating for scientific research on public administration.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has represented India as a member state of the IIAS since 1998.

For the 2025-2028 presidency of IIAS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated the Indian candidacy of DARPG Secretary V Srinivas in November 2024.

The hearings for the IIAS presidency were held in February 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Four nations — India, South Africa, Austria and Bahrain — submitted their nominations for the IIAS presidency for the period 2025-2028 and participated in the hearings before the Council of Administration of IIAS, which were held on the sidelines of the Annual IIAS Conference 2025.

Following the hearings, the candidacy of India, South Africa and Austria was forwarded to the General Body of IIAS for the next round by the Council of Administration, according to the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

South Africa withdrew its candidacy in May 2025.

The election was held between India and Austria on June 3. Of 141 votes polled, India got 87 votes (61.7 per cent of total), and Austria registered 54 votes, the statement said, adding that “India’s candidacy received widespread support from across the membership”.

This is the first time in the 100 years history of IIAS that the election to the post of president was held by ballot process and it is the first time that India has secured the “historic mandate” for the presidency of the IIAS, the statement said.

In his acceptance speech delivered via video conferencing on Tuesday, Srinivas said the country’s presidency will be an inclusive one which will seek to bridge the north-south divide.

“India’s administration works under the policy ‘maximum governance – minimum government’ under which we pursue next-generation administrative reforms using technology to bring citizens and government closer. Contemporary administrative theory has documented this transformation with a focus on a digitally empowered citizen and a digitally transformed institution,” he said.

Srinivas said India had outlined its vision for “Resource Rich, Publications Rich, Digitally Agile IIAS” which will seek to integrate the best practices of digital public infrastructure to transform governance models.

“The Indian presidency of the IIAS will strive for harmonious and futuristic governance models and improvements in the implementation of public policy. It will be an inclusive presidency with a focus on unity which emerges from our Gandhian values, which will seek to bridge the north-south divide,” he added.

The IIAS congratulated India and DARPG Secretary Srinivas on getting elected as the global organisation’s president.

“Your role as a member of the IIAS Council of Administration, including as Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee, has been marked by your vision, commitment, and capable leadership. Your victory, with a significant margin of 62% to 38% against Austria’s state member representative, Dr Alexander Balthazar, is a testament to the respect and trust you command within the international governance community,” read a letter written by IIAS Director General Sofiane Sahraoui to Srinivas.

Sahraoui said the election underscores the global recognition of India’s growing prominence in international governance circles.

“Your instrumental role as the host of the 2025 IIAS International Conference, organized at the Bharat Mandapam on behalf of the Government of India, showcased India’s commitment to fostering international collaboration in public administration and governance.

“We are confident that, with your exceptional expertise and visionary leadership, you will steer IIAS to new heights during your tenure. Your presidency will undoubtedly enhance the Institute’s global impact and further strengthen its mission of advancing administrative sciences and governance worldwide,” the letter said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-wins-presidency-of-international-institute-of-administrative-sciences-8589287

Police officials suspect the detainees are part of a Chakma outfit with past ties to a movement that wanted a separate state out of Bangladesh.

Tripura Police on Tuesday night detained 13 injured members of a Bangladesh-based group, including two women, from a rented house near Agartala. The detainees, suspected to be part of a Chakma community organisation active in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, will be pushed back to Bangladesh soon, officials told news agency IANS.

According to preliminary reports, the group crossed the international border illegally through Raishyabari in Dhalai district following a violent clash with a rival outfit in Bangladesh’s Panchari region last week. Several members have visible injuries, with bandages on their legs and arms.

Senior police officials interrogated the group throughout Wednesday before handing them over to the Mobile Task Force (MTF), which later transferred them to the Border Security Force (BSF). A joint repatriation effort is expected soon.

The armed clash they fled from is believed to be part of the long-running tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a region historically affected by ethnic insurgency. The Shanti Bahini insurgency, driven by the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), ended formally with a peace accord signed with the Bangladesh government in 1997.

The PCJSS, formed in 1972 under Manabendra Narayan Larma, initially pushed for autonomy for the indigenous Jumma peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their demands included a separate legislative body for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, constitutional protection for tribal customs, and preservation of traditional leadership.

Although the group officially sought autonomy within Bangladesh, elements of its armed wing, the Shanti Bahini, reportedly pursued full sovereignty. Larma had also protested the Bangladesh Constitution’s draft, calling for complete separation.

The insurgency waged by the Shanti Bahini ended with the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, which granted limited autonomy and led to the group’s disarmament. The PCJSS has since operated as a political party, demanding full implementation of the agreement.

However, reports of sporadic violence and tension have persisted, particularly following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024.

Since then, there have been multiple allegations of attacks on indigenous communities in the CHT by security forces and illegal settlers. Many Chakmas continue to live under fear of reprisal and political marginalisation.

The Chakma people, predominantly Buddhist, are native to the CHT in southeast Bangladesh, as well as Myanmar’s Chin and Arakan regions, and several northeastern Indian states.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/bangladeshi-rebels-demanding-separate-state-detained-by-tripura-police-ws-kl-9369104.html

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found multiple safety violations in the operations of Turkish Airlines during inspections at four airports from May 29 to June 2.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found multiple safety violations in the operations of Turkish Airlines during surprise inspections of passenger and cargo flights in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru airports from May 29 to June 2, 2025.

According to an official statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the DGCA conducted a Safety Oversight and Ramp inspections under international aviation rules, where it found multiple safety violations.

Among these lapses was marshaller competency in Bengaluru. According to the Ministry, the marshaller, who guided aircraft on the ground, lacked proper authorisation and a valid competency card for marshalling functions.

Another serious breach was when the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was found unavailable during the arrival of the aircraft, and the arrival procedure was carried out by a technician instead, which went against aviation safety regulations.

A cargo carrying dangerous goods, including explosives, was transported by Turkish Airlines without the required permission from the DGCA, nor was it mentioned in the documents.

The aviation regulator also raised violations in ground handling, saying there was no Service Level Agreement (SLA) was in place between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA).

Equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked proper accountability and monitoring at Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where Globe Ground India was providing ground services without a formal handover from Celebi Aviation, which provides services at nine major Indian airports.

Turkish Airlines has been directed to address these findings promptly and ensure full compliance with Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices as well as DGCA regulations.

Following Turkey’s support for Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd on 15 May, citing national security concerns.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/dgca-flags-multiple-safety-violations-after-surprise-inspection-of-turkish-airlines-ws-kl-9369049.html