Page 17 - Bs Reads

Two EC officials relieved of poll duties over BJP seal issue in Kerala

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar on Saturday sent the Deputy CEO and a section officer back to their parent departments over an EC document sent to political parties that bore a BJP seal. The decision was taken following an inquiry into the incident conducted by Additional CEO P B Nooh, IAS, a statement from EC said. Based on the inquiry report, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer and the section officer were relieved of their election-related duties and sent back to their parent departments, the statement added. The controversy surfaced after the CPI(M) flagged the issue on the social media platform 'X', sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019, letter sent to political parties that bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the Election Commission's official seal. The EC had termed it a "purely clerical error" and said it had been rectified immediately. It also said that the official responsible for the error had been placed under suspension.

Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills 3 journalists covering conflict

An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed three journalists who were covering the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, their TV stations said. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said that its longtime correspondent Ali Shoeib was killed Saturday in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said that it had targeted Shoeib, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence. Meanwhile, Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV said reporter Fatima Ftouni was killed in the same airstrike in the southern district of Jezzine along with her brother Mohammed, a video journalist. She had just been on air with a live report from southern Lebanon before the strike. Top officials in Lebanon condemned the strike, with President Joseph Aoun calling it a "flagrant crime that violates all laws and agreements that protect journalists." Al-Manar said in a report that an Israeli airstrike targeted journalists, leading to the "martyrdom of the icon of resistance media." A ..

Table Space leases 1.45 lakh sq feet commercial space in Gurugram

According to transaction documents accessed by Propstack, the company will pay rent for a chargeable area of 145,181 square feet, putting the monthly rent rate at ₹185 per square foot

Yellow alert in Delhi for Sunday; light rain, thunderstorms, winds likely

The national capital saw a slight decrease in the minimum temperature and a slight increase in the maximum temperature on a cloudy Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Sunday, predicting a spell of light rain and thunderstorms. The Safdarjung weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 18.8 degrees Celsius, which is 0.7 degrees above normal and a decrease of 1.8 degrees from the previous day. The maximum temperature was recorded at 33.6 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal and an increase of one degree from Friday. Other weather stations reported similar trends, with Palam recording a maximum temperature of 32.1 degrees Celsius - 1.3 degrees higher than the day before. Palam's minimum temperature was 18.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which is 1.1 degrees lower than the previous day. While no rain was recorded on Saturday morning, IMD officials noted that cloudy skies persisted in parts of the city throughout the day. A yellow

India warns of growth risks from Middle East conflict as energy costs rise

This is raising concerns over inflation and growth in ‌India, the government review said

MEA denies report of Elon Musk joining Modi-Trump call on West Asia

On Friday, the NYT reported that the Tesla CEO joined the phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump that took place on Tuesday

Zelenskyy meets UAE President, discusses West Asia security concerns

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the UAE and met his Emirati counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday, to discuss regional security in the Middle East. "For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere," Zelenskyy said in a post on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader. He said they discussed "the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market." The Emirates News Agency said the two leaders discussed "security developments in the region amid ongoing military escalation and their implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on international navigation and the global economy." During his visit to Saudi Arabia a day before, Zelenskyy said the two countries have agreed to "an important arrangement" on defence cooperation. Zelenskyy

Jaishankar meets French President Macron on sidelines of G7 Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of theG7 Foreign Ministers' Summit here and said he valued the discussion and his many insights. The external affairs minister paid a formal visit to President Macron on Friday. "An honour to call on the President @EmmanuelMacron of France last night," Jaishankar said in a social media post on Saturday. The external affairs minister said he conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Value the discussion and his many insights," Jaishankar added. He arrived in Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay in France on Thursday to participate in the two-day G7 foreign ministers' meeting with partner countries. While India is not a G7 member, it has been invited as a partner country by France, the current chair of the powerful bloc. In an address at a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in France on Thursday, Jaishankar flagged the concerns of Global South nations over energy, food, and fuel securi

Germany to review restarting coal plants as Iran conflict hits energy costs

While Germany is due to phase out coal by 2038, the review shows Europe's biggest economy may still fall back on the dirty fossil fuel in times of crisis

Travel crisis deepens as jet fuel shortage grips Asia, may spread to Europe

The amount of jet fuel lost because of the conflict is ultimately too much for the world's refiners to offset

Behind the Big Screen: After-lives of juvenile stars, journeys beyond sets

A revealing account of Bollywood's child actors-tracing their rise, struggles, and life beyond fame, while spotlighting exploitation, resilience, and the need for stronger safeguards

Delhi raises commercial LPG allocation from 20 to 50% of daily consumption

The Delhi government has increased the commercial LPG cylinder allocation from 20 per cent to 50 per cent of average daily consumption, raising the supply from 1,800 to 4,500 cylinders (19 kg equivalent) per day. This announcement was made by Minister for Food and Supplies Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday. The decision follows directives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, according to officials. The enhanced supply is effective immediately and aims to cover critical sectors, including essential services, hotels, industries, and support for migrant labourers. This adjustment builds on the previous policy to meet demand without disruption, officials added. Sirsa expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government, stating, "We thank the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji for this timely increase to 50 per cent allocation. Thanks to his proactive support, residents of Delhi will face no hurdles in the .

Elon Musk's X loses case alleging advertiser boycott of its platform

The order is the latest rejection of attempts by organisations and politicians to force advertisers and social media platforms to loosen content restrictions

Gulf conflict may have global consequences like Covid, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said no one, including the perpetrators of the Gulf conflict, can foresee its grave consequences for the world, comparable only to the Covid pandemic. Addressing the delegates of the congress of the powerful Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the Russian leader said the escalation of the conflict incited by the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran has jeopardised a wide range of industries, and there's no telling what further consequences may follow. "The armed conflict in the Middle East is increasingly impacting the current situation and causing significant disruption to international logistics, manufacturing, and supply chains," he said. Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, which in turn retaliated, spreading the war to the entire Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important choke point for the world's energy supplies. The strait, a narrow shipping lane that connects

WTO chief calls for overhaul of global trade rules as world order shifts

Okonjo-Iweala said the body's problems over decision-making needed to be tackled. Its current consensus-based model has been regularly stalled by objections from some countries

DGCA is looking to ease rules for airlines to help them grow: Chief

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is trying to promote ease of doing business for airlines to help them grow and flourish as well as taking steps for passenger rights, its chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said on Thursday. There are big challenges for airlines, including taking longer routes and higher operational costs due to airspace restrictions, he said, expressing hope that there would be "better days". The ongoing West Asia conflict is posing more challenges for airlines, which have curtailed services to the region. "It is not only passenger rights which we are looking at... we are trying to ease things for the airlines also and the rules and regulations which are there, promote ease of doing business because we want our airlines to grow and flourish," Kidwai said. He said many airlines have gone bust in India and emphasised the need to support carriers. India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and the DGCA as well as the civil aviation minist

Every Last Girl: How a grassroots push brought 2 million back to school

From a handful of team members to thousands of full-time employees, how a grassroots movement has brought over 2 million girls in rural India back to school

Trump says Iran's 'present' to US was letting 10 oil tankers pass Hormuz

Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he had previously described as a "present" from Iran

Delhi PWD waives road restoration charges to fast-track PNG rollout

The Delhi Public Works Department (PWD), to ensure faster laying of PNG pipelines, has decided to approve road-cutting permission within 24 hours from receiving the request, an official order said on Thursday. The PWD, which is the main road owning agency in the national capital, has also waived off road restoration charges for three months, in a fresh order issued. "It is further directed that permission for road cutting for laying of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) pipelines shall be accorded within 24 hours of receipt of a complete request, along with directions to commence the work immediately," the order said. The road restoration charges applicable for laying of IGL pipelines for PNG connections are hereby waived for a period of three months up to June 30, 2026, it added. The road restoration charge is levied by the road-owning agency on any service provider cutting a road or footpath to lay down the lines. "In view of the prevailing circumstances and in public interest, the

Indian airlines to operate 10% fewer domestic flights in summer: DGCA

Indian airlines are set to operate a little over 23,000 weekly domestic flights during the summer schedule starting from March 29, which is 10 per cent less than the services flown during the same period a year ago. Aviation watchdog DGCA has published the domestic flights summer schedule, which is from March 29 to October 24, for nine scheduled airlines. A senior DGCA official on Thursday told PTI that the airlines would be operating around 10 per cent fewer flights in 2026 summer schedule compared to the previous summer schedule. During the 2025 summer schedule, there were 25,610 weekly flights and this time, a 10 per cent reduction would mean the number of services will come down by 2,561. Accordingly, the total count will be about 23,049 weekly flights, as per an analysis. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has put out the airline-wise domestic summer schedule for 2026 on its website but has not provided a consolidated figure and comparison with the previous summe