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Charanjit Channi takes oath as Punjab CM, 2 deputies
New Delhi: Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as Punjab’s new Chief Minister today after Amarinder Singh’s dramatic weekend resignation just four months before an election in the state. Punjab’s first Dalit Sikh Chief Minister took charge with two deputies, both carefully chosen to fortify the Congress’s poll...
BJP’s MeToo dig at Channi
New Delhi: The BJP today took a swipe at the Congress over its Punjab chief ministerial pick Charanjit Singh Channi, citing reported allegations that he had sent an inappropriate text to an IAS officer in 2018. BJP leader Amit Malviya, who is its IT department head, tweeted, “Congress’s CM...
Amarinder tells Sonaia ‘can’t continue with such humiliation’
New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, facing fresh trouble with an unprecedented meeting of MLAs called by the Congress this evening, has told Sonia Gandhi he “can’t continue in the party with this kind of humiliation”, sources say. The meeting of MLAs has spurred intense speculation about a...
Ex-Union minister Babul Supriyo joins Trinamool
Kolkata: Former Union Minister Babul Supriyo joined Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress today, two months after he was asked to resign as junior minister in the Environment Ministry. The former BJP MP, a month after stepping down from the central post, had said he would not...
Congress calls key meeting of Punjab MLAs
New Delhi: There is fresh sparking in the Punjab unit of the Congress. Citing “representation from a large number of MLAs”, the Congress, in a late night tweet, has called for a key meeting of its Punjab legislators today. “The AICC has received a representation from a large...
Row over Rajasthan marriage registration law amendment
Jaipur: Amid uproar, the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday passed the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 by voice vote to amend a 2009 Act on mandatory registration of marriages within 30 days of the union. The new legislation, opposition BJP has claimed, will legitimise child marriages. According...
US admits drone strike error in Kabul killed 10 civilians
Washington: A top general admitted the United States had made a “mistake” when it launched a drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants in the Afghan capital Kabul on August 29, confirming that it killed 10 civilians instead. US Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie said that the strike...
Time not yet ripe for petrol, diesel under GST, says FM
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday stated that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council discussed the topic of inclusion of petrol and diesel under the tax structure after the Kerala High Court order. “On the direction of court it was brought on to table but...
Modi flags radicalisation, cites Afghanistan at SCO summit
New Delhi: Increasing extremism and radicalisation are the biggest threat to global peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today at the nine-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, and drew attention to the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister highlighted India’s concerns over regional stability and asked the SCO...
Amazon, Microsoft swoop in on $24-billion Indian farm data
[ad_1s Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. are among technology giants lining up to harness data from India’s farmers in an ambitious government-led productivity drive aimed at transforming an outmoded agricultural industry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, which is seeking to ensure food security in the world’s...
Govt rejects NYT Covid report as ‘provocative’, Cong seeks probe
NewDelhi: The Congress on Thursday cited a recent media report to allege “criminal culpability” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and senior officials of the ICMR in fudging COVID-19 data “to build a false narrative that everything was normal” ahead of the second wave, and...
Academics, lawyers slam raids against activist Harsh Mander
Following the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on three locations linked to activist Harsh Mander, over 600 people, including academics, journalists, filmmakers, activists and lawyers, have come out in his support. In a joint statement, they have said the “Constitution of India and the law of the land shall prevail, exposing...
Telangana Cong chief’s remarks on Shashi Tharoor draw fire
Telangana Congress chief’s unparliamentary comments on Shashi Tharoor – reported by a section of the media — have incensed some of the senior leaders of the party. Manish Tiwari and Rajeev Arora went public with their objections today about the remarks of Revanth Reddy, who according to media reports,...
Modi, Mamata, Adar Poonawalla on TIME 100 list
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla have been named among the world’s 100 most influential people of 2021 by TIME magazine. TIME on Wednesday unveiled its annual list of ‘The 100 Most Influential People of...
Rain alert again in Delhi after record showers
New Delhi: An orange alert has been issued in Delhi for today, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rain and strong winds in the national capital, days after the city witnessed a record spell that helped it breach the 1,000 mm mark for the first time in...
Supreme Court slams Centre for ‘cherry picking’ tribunal names
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today criticised the government for “cherry picking” from its recommendations for tribunals across the country. The government has been given two weeks to complete tribunal appointments with the Supreme Court sternly saying: “Return with the appointment letters.” “We are a democratic country. You...
Diwali firecrackers banned in Delhi again
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday banned the storage, sale and use of firecrackers in the national capital due to concerns over hazardous air pollution levels during Diwali. The move mirrors that announced by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party last year, when the horrendous pollution levels were also linked...
India criticises talk about Quad’s limited agenda
New Delhi: Ahead of a meeting called by US President Joe Biden in Washington later this month, India said Quad should not be perceived as a grouping with limited agenda as it has a broad and substantive agenda. Speaking to US-based academician Ashley Tellis on the Indian Ocean and...
