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7:31 PM

Kejriwal questions why no 'big leader' of Congress arrested in National Herald case

On Thursday, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged a collusion between the BJP and the Congress, raising questions over why no "senior leader" of the Congress had been arrested in the National Herald case. Kejriwal, who met AAP MLAs and councillors at the Constitution Club, also referred to the Enforcement Directorate’s raids at the residence of the party’s Delhi unit chief, Saurabh Bharadwaj.

6:35 PM

Pahalgam attack: NIA says terrorists targeted Baisaran due to high tourist footfall

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said terrorists targeted the scenic Baisaran meadow in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam because of its heavy tourist footfall and relative seclusion. According to NIA officials, three terrorists were directly involved in the April 22 attack, in which 26 people were mercilessly killed.

5:58 PM

Bihar SIR: Over 195,000 demands for inclusion, exclusion in voter list

The Election Commission announced that it has received over 195,000 applications from individuals seeking inclusion or removal of names from Bihar’s draft voter list, with nearly 25,000 already resolved. Among political parties, the CPI (ML)-Liberation has submitted 79 pleas, while the RJD has filed three. Both are recognised state parties in Bihar.

5:44 PM

Number of school teachers crossed 10 mn for first time in 2024-25: Education ministry

For the first time in any academic year, total number of school teachers across country crossed one crore mark during 202425, Ministry of Education's UDISE data showed. Unified District Information System for Education Plus is a data aggregation platform maintained by the education ministry to collate school education data from across the country.

4:45 PM

Government committed to protect interests of Marathas and OBCs: Maharashtra CM Fadnavis

Facing a fresh agitation for Maratha reservation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said his government was committed to protect the interests of both the Marathas and OBCs. The BJP-led government did not intend to pit the two communities against each other, he told reporters, as Maratha leader Manoj Jarange is set to launch an indefinite hunger strike for quota in Mumbai from Friday.

4:25 PM

Diamond polishers stare at up to 30 pc loss in FY26 revenue due to US tariff: Crisil Ratings

India's natural diamond polishing industry faces a 28-30 per cent fall in revenues to $12.50 billion in this financial year as the steep 50 per cent tariff imposed on Indian exports by the US kicks in, a report said on Thursday. During 2024-25, the revenue of the natural diamond polishing industry in India stood at around $16 billion, Crisil Ratings said in a report.

 

 

 

4:19 PM

NCAP target of 40 pc cut in pollution can add 2 yrs to people's lives in 130 cities: Study

Residents of 130 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) could see their life expectancy increase by two years compared to 2017 if India achieves its revised target of a 40 per cent reduction in particulate pollution by 2026, a new report said on Thursday. Launched in 2019, NCAP aimed to cut 2017 particulate pollution levels in 130 highly polluted cities by 20-30 per cent by 2024. In 2022, the government revised the target to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026.

 

3:55 PM

SIT probe in Dharmasthala case should be time-bound, demands BJP

Karnataka BJP on Thursday demanded that the SIT probe into allegations of multiple murders, rapes and burials in Dharmasthala over a period of the past two decades should be "time-bound". The party's state President B Y Vijayendra, rejecting allegations that the BJP was trying to politicise the case, questioned the Congress government's inaction against the conspirators and those behind the smear campaign against Dharmasthala.

3:28 PM

Trying to expedite rollout of export promotion mission to help exporters, says govt official

Diversification of exports will help exporters sustain trade trajectory in long run, a government official said today.

3:17 PM

Union minister Pradhan attacks Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi's mother

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav over abuses allegedly hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother during the Gandhi-led "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar. The BJP on Thursday alleged that the yatra has crossed all "limits of insult, hate and tastelessness", as it said abuses were directed at Prime Minister Modi's mother during the campaign.

1:35 PM

Arunachal launches first outbound air cargo service

Arunachal Pradesh Civil Aviation minister Balo Raja on Thursday flagged off the first-ever outbound air cargo service from Donyi Polo Airport here, in a step aimed at boosting the state's agri-horticultural economy and linking local farmers to wider markets. Raja said the initiative, themed 'Empowering Farmers, Connecting Markets', will create new opportunities for cultivators by ensuring their produce reaches national markets faster.

1:14 PM

India must impose higher tariffs on US imports: Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday demanded that India impose higher tariffs on US imports, asserting that the whole country will support this decision. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP-led Central government has decided to waive off 11 per cent duty on cotton imported from the US, which could impact the business of local farmers here. There was no immediate reaction from the Central government.

12:20 PM

Revamped ‘U’ Specials make a comeback in Delhi; CM flags off 100 new buses

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday flagged off 100 new buses, including 50 revamped ‘U’ Special buses returning after 30 years, now equipped with advanced features such as DTC Radio. She said,“We are working to offer concessions to students for their Metro tickets. We are introducing 100 new buses, including the upgraded ‘U’ Specials with DTC Radio.”

11:54 AM

Zelenskyy says deadly attack on Kyiv shows Russian answer to diplomacy

A Russian overnight attack on Kyiv killed at least eight people, including a child, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. "Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table," Zelenskyy said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. "It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war."

11:22 AM

Delhi colleges, including DU’s JMC, receive hoax bomb threat emails

The threats were declared a hoax after investigation. Police suspect that the sender may have used a VPN.

11:00 AM

Trump administration to change H1B programme, Green Card process: US secretary of commerce

The Trump administration is planning to change the H1B programme, the most sought after non-immigrant visa among Indian IT professionals, and also bring changes to the Green Card process, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has said. “I'm involved in changing the H1B programme. We're going to change that programme, because that's terrible,” Lutnick said in an interview to Fox News on Tuesday.

10:46 AM

CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than month on job

The director of the nation's top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the US Department of Health and Human Services wrote in a social media post Wednesday.

10:40 AM

Putin, Kim Jong Un among 26 foreign leaders to take part in China's V-Day parade

Twenty-six foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will attend China's V-Day commemorations on September 3, China announced on Thursday. The presence of foreign leaders at the parade in what Beijing describes as the “war of resistance against Japanese aggression in World War II” has become a diplomatic spat between Japan and China after Tokyo urged the world leaders to refrain from attending, saying it has “anti-Japanese overtones”.

10:33 AM

Amit Shah to arrive in Assam on two-day visit, take stock of BJP organisation

Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Assam on Thursday to take stock of the party's organisation ahead of the assembly elections, which would be due next year. After reaching Guwahati, Shah will attend a meeting of the state BJP's core committee, and later have dinner with party members.

"He will discuss the preparation for the forthcoming Assam assembly elections, which is very important for the party. The home minister takes a keen interest in it," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.