National News

Panama-flagged cargo ship sinks in Bay of Bengal, rescue ops underway

A Panama-flagged cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, about 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast in Odisha, officials said. The ship, with 24 crew members on board, was heading towards Singapore carrying iron ore from Odisha, they said. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have launched a rescue operation, they added "We are not sure how many of the crew members have been rescued," a senior IPS officer told PTI, adding that most of the crew members were Chinese. Other vessels in the vicinity have been alerted to assist in the rescue effort, he said. "The ship left the Odisha coast on Friday," the officer said.

BCI chief rejects co-chair's allegations, says charges have 'no value'

Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday rejected allegations levelled against him by senior advocate and the bar body's co-chairman, Y R Sadasiva Reddy, saying the charges have "no value" among lawyers and asserting that he is a man of "honesty and integrity". In a letter dated August 22, Reddy called upon Mishra to resign within 15 days and sought a special meeting of the BCI, along with an independent audit of its accounts and the BCI Trust PEARL-First. The letter mentioned Reddy's designation as the bar body's co-chairman. Reddy alleged that the statutory body has drifted away from the standards expected of it under Mishra's leadership. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Mishra, however claimed that Reddy is no longer a member of the BCI as he did not contest the last bar council polls in his home state, Karnataka. He said Reddy was a BCI member for eight years but did not raise such complaints during that time. "Lawyers know me and know that I am a

Centre forms panel to finalise 'permanent political solution' for Gorkhas

The Centre on Saturday constituted a committee to draft an agreement and finalise modalities for a "permanent political solution" to the Gorkha identity issue in the Darjeeling hills and its adjacent areas, officials said after a key tripartite meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gorkha leaders and the West Bengal government. The meeting aimed to find a roadmap for the BJP-promised "permanent political solution" to the long-standing issues and demands of the hill people and their recognition under the ambit of the Constitution. "All issues relating to the hill population of West Bengal were discussed in detail. Their demands pertaining to a distinct identity, a permanent political solution and recognition under the Constitution of India were taken up. The Union home minister promised a permanent political solution soon under the umbrella of the Constitution," a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. "To finalise modalities, it was decided to form a .

Gandhi's writings common heritage, shouldn't be auctioned: Gandhi Museum

Days after a number of letters, manuscripts and personal artefacts of Mahatma Gandhi were sold in an auction, A Annamalai, director of National Gandhi Museum, said that such items are not merely private possessions but part of India's common heritage while appealing to those who possess such articles to hand them over to the institution for preservation. On August 19, a total of 86 items, including a collection of Gandhi's 688 handwritten reflections, was sold at a Saffronart auction. The collection written over a span of nearly two years to his close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, titled "A Thought for the Day", was sold for Rs 16.20 crore, setting the world record for an Indian historical document sold at an auction. In a statement issued on Saturday, Annamalai termed the news as "deeply distressing and painful". "A few days ago, some letters written by Mahatma Gandhi and a few articles used by him were put up for international auction. It has been reported that

K'taka orders MUDA to cancel illegal allotment of 1,100 alternative sites

The Karnataka government has directed MUDA to cancel all allotments of alternative sites made in violation of its March 2023 directive and initiate legal proceedings for cancellation of sale deeds wherever such sites have already been registered. With this order, about 1,100 illegally allotted alternative sites worth Rs 2,000 crore will be cancelled in Mysuru city by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), authorities said. The Urban Development Department, in a letter dated August 19, directed the MUDA and other concerned authorities to implement the recommendations of a High-Level Technical Committee with immediate effect. The government said the directions "shall be strictly complied with and implemented with immediate effect". "In case of any failure to comply, appropriate action will be initiated as per the rules," the order warned officials. The department has specifically ordered cancellation of all allotment orders through which alternative sites have been allotted

KABIL expects to start lithium production in Argentina in 4-5 years

India's state-owned KABIL is expected to start lithium extraction in Argentina in ​the next four to five years after completing project ​feasibility, a parliamentary panel report on its ops said

India@80: Tricolour flies high worldwide as diaspora celebrates I-Day

From the Pacific islands and East Asia to Europe, the Gulf and the Americas, Indians and "friends of India" joined celebrations marking the country's 80th Independence Day on Saturday, as key partners including France, Russia and Australia extended greetings and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties with New Delhi. The celebrations unfolded across Indian missions and diaspora communities around the world, featuring flag-hoisting ceremonies, renditions of the national anthem and "Vande Mataram", cultural performances, community gatherings and a range of activities. At the centre of the global celebrations was the "Suryapath Tiranga" initiative, under which the Indian Tricolour was hoisted successively at Indian missions as the day moved across time zones, beginning in Fiji and scheduled to culminate in San Francisco. The initiative, part of the broader "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign, sought to create a shared, continuous celebration stretching from one sunrise to the next. T

Caste count returns to Census after 1931 as Centre notifies 40 questions

Census 2027 will seek caste details across all groups for the first time since 1931, alongside information on Aadhaar, voter ID, bank accounts and digital literacy

President Murmu approves 78 gallantry awards, including 13 posthumously

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday approved 78 gallantry awards, including 13 posthumous, to defence forces and central armed police forces personnel on the eve of the 80th Independence Day. The awards included nine Kirti Chakras, 19 Shaurya Chakras, five Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry) and 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry). Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award after Ashoka Chakra. Shaurya Chakra is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award. The Kirti Chakra awardees are Lt Col Manoj Francis of 21 Para (Special Forces) and Major Jitendra Rathee of 2 Para (Special Forces). Seven other Kirti Chakras were conferred posthumously. The armed forces personnel granted the prestigious awards posthumously included Havildar Gajendra Singh of 2 Para (Special Forces); Head Constables Jagbir Singh and Bashir Ahmad; Constables Jaswant Singh, Balvinder Singh and Tariq Hussain; and Inspector Sunil Kumar. The Shaurya Chakra awardees are Major Paramveer from 36 Rashtriya Rifles

Panel reiterates recommendation to examine statutory status for NSC

Finance panel says statutory backing could strengthen the NSC's authority to enforce uniform standards and methodologies across public and private data producers.

NDMC to take over Central Vista road upkeep after nearly two decades

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will now take over the maintenance of major roads in the Central Vista area, including Janpath, Rafi Marg and Man Singh Road, from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), according to officials. An order issued by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on August 7 said the NDMC would be responsible for the upkeep, resurfacing, cleaning and other municipal works on the roads, while Kartavya Path would continue to be maintained by the CPWD. The move changes an arrangement that had been in place since March 2007, when the maintenance of roads in the Central Vista area was transferred from the NDMC to the CPWD through a 2006 ministry order, officials said. According to officials, the move marks a shift towards a more localised system of civic management in Lutyens' Delhi, with the council taking over the upkeep of roads in the Central Vista area from the CPWD, except Kartavya Path. "The arrangement will bring road maintenance, cleaning,

'Honey-trapped' IAF officer held on charges of sharing defence information

A wing commander of the Indian Air Force allegedly passed defence information to a woman suspected to be a Pakistan intelligence operative

Variable speed limits to be tested on Delhi-Meerut Expressway from Aug 15

In a first-of-its-kind project, commuters using the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will encounter different speed limits depending on the travel hour from August 15, officials said on Wednesday. Passing through the key NCR cities such as Ghaziabad and Noida, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) has had the same speed limits for cars and heavy vehicles. Under the 'variable speed limit' pilot project, speed limit on the Delhi side of the expressway will be subject to the congestion on the road. "The variable speed limit project will be implemented from August 15 between the Akshardham and Sarai Kale Khan stretch of the expressway in the first phase. This will be first such project in the country," Satish Chandra, professor, Civil Engineering Department, IIT Roorkee, told PTI. As per the plan, between 12 and 7 am, the speed limit will be 65 kmph for cars and 50 kmph for heavy vehicles (HVs). From 7 am to 5 pm, it will be 55 kmph for cars and 45 kmph for HVs. Between 5 pm and 12 am, it will be 6

'Strategic autonomy' in AI key, avoid reliance on single-source: IT secy

India should pursue "strategic autonomy" by building enough domestic capability in key parts of the AI ecosystem and avoid overdependence on any single technology source or location, while remaining firmly integrated into trusted and verified global supply chains, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Tuesday. Krishnan said India has an opportunity to emerge as a global leader in building AI-powered applications and solutions for the world. He said India should leverage inputs from multiple sources while avoiding overdependence on any single country or source, and build sufficient capabilities to become an indispensable part of the global AI value chain. "Sovereign has a particular context. I think in the Indian context, even in a global context today, the appropriate term would be strategic autonomy. So, we need to have autonomy in the way in which we build these structures," Krishnan said. He was speaking at the launch of an independent multimodal AI evaluation platform by AI4Bharat ..

OMCs regularly monitoring fuel quality at retail outlets, says govt

The government said only two cases of chloride contamination were found in the entire country

'No third-party insurance, no fuel': SC asks Centre to launch pilot project

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Tuesday took serious note of a large number of vehicles plying without third-party insurance cover and directed the Centre to evolve a pilot project by which fuel for vehicles can be refused at petrol pumps until valid insurance is obtained. The top court took note of the number of road accidents on national highways and also the effect of long queues at toll plazas, and directed the Centre to implement pilot projects on certain corridors, substituting the process of stopping at toll plazas with automatic detection of vehicles passing through toll points. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, which flagged the lack of compliance of provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act requiring all vehicles to have a valid insurance policy covering third parties, said it is shocking to learn that nearly 56 per cent of vehicles plying on Indian roads remain uninsured according to the Report of the Standing Committee on Finance ...

NIA court frames charges against Sachin Waze, others in Antilia case

A special NIA court here on Saturday framed charges against ten persons including former policemen Sachin Waze and Pradeep Sharma in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare and businessman Mansukh Hiran murder case. The accused will face trial for offences under the Indian Penal Code related to muder, extortion, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy as well as relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act. Special National Investigation Agency court judge Chakor Baviskar framed the charges after the accused pleaded not guilty. Besides Waze and Sharma, the other accused in the case are Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Vinayak Shinde, Anand Jadhav, Satish Tirupati Mothkuri, Manish Vasantbhai Soni, Naresh Gaur and Santosh Shelar. Kazi, Mane and Shinde are also former policemen. The prosecution has accused all ten persons of forming a "terrorist gang" and entering into a criminal conspiracy between February and March 2021. An SUV with ...

Karnataka HC's Dharwad bench holds rare all-women Bench and Bar sitting

The Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court held a rare all-women sitting, with women judges presiding over every Bench and an all-women government legal team representing the State

Air Marshal Tejpal Singh takes charge as new Deputy Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Tejpal Singh, a fighter pilot with over 3,500 hours of flying experience, on Saturday took charge as the new Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, officials said. The air officer succeeds Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, who superannuated on Friday after 39 years of distinguished service to the nation. Air Marshal Singh laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and paid homage to soldiers who laid down their lives in service of the nation. Air Marshal Singh who was commissioned on June 16, 1990, as a fighter pilot has over 3,500 hours of flying experience, the defence ministry said in a statement. He is a Cat 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot. The air marshal has held key operational, command and staff appointments in the Indian Air Force.

Tehseen Poonawalla alleges house arrest ahead of march against E20 policy

Activist Tehseen Poonawalla on Saturday alleged that he was placed under house arrest, without any written order, in Greater Kailash by the Delhi Police ahead of his proposed solo march and hunger strike against the BJP-led Centre's E20 fuel policy. Poonawalla had announced on July 27 that he would walk alone from APJ Abdul Kalam Marg to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg - the site where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated - and observe a day-long hunger strike on Friday against the policy. Sharing several videos on his X account, Poonawalla claimed that around 9.30 am, about half an hour before he was scheduled to leave for the march, several Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, arrived at his house and stopped him from stepping out. He said that the police neither showed him any order nor provided any documents for detaining him. Poonawala further alleged that officers told him they were preventing him from leaving because thousands of people were expected to join the ..