India

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that India believes that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions in the Middle East.While outlining India’s stand in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the developments and relevant ministries are coordinating to ensure effective responses.“Our…

NEW DELHI: The Indian embassy in Riyadh on early Monday denied reports of any Indian deaths in an incident where an Iranian “military projectile” hit a residential building in Saudi Arabia’s Al Kharj amid crisis in the Middle East region. However, there was an injury reported to one Indian national.In a post on X, the…

NEW DELHI: In a startling disclosure on International Women’s Day, former CJI NV Ramana on Sunday said the govt either lacked intent or determination towards achieving gender parity in constitutional courts, even though there was a healthy 40% representation by women among trial court judges.Speaking at a question-answer session during the first national conference of…

NEW DELHI: With just one out of 33 judges in SC and around 15% of judges in HCs being women, CJI Surya Kant, on International Women’s Day, admitted that their fair and equal participation in the judiciary remained an unfinished task and appealed to HC collegiums to consider elevation of more women to the bench.Of…

NEW DELHI: “I grew up in a family where women were the bosses,” Congress’ Rahul Gandhi told students during an interaction over lunch in Kerala, and mentioned, “the boss of my family was my grandmother and I have always in my family, like on this table, been outnumbered by women”.He added, “Women are generally more…

KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee dug out Sunday an undated picture of PM Modi seated and President Droupadi Murmu standing at an event, flagging it as “proof of who actually shows respect” while contesting his charge that TMC govt had “gravely insulted” the presidential chair with a protocol breach at Siliguri.“Why were you sitting when…

NEW DELHI: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has become a “law unto herself”, BJP said Sunday, claiming that her allegation that the party was using President Droupadi Murmu for political reasons stemmed from a guilty conscience. “It is shameful and nonsense to comment that we are using the President,” BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said, emphasising…

DIMAPUR/SHILLONG: Opposition to Union home ministry’s directive on singing full six-stanza version of Vande Mataram has intensified in Christian-majority Nagaland and Meghalaya, triggering student protests, political objections and appeals to state govts.Several students and research scholars at Nagaland University boycotted singing the national song during the 8th convocation Friday. Videos on social media showed many…

NEW DELHI: Amid reports of two cheetahs from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) moving into Rajasthan’s Baran district, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Sunday said this movement reinforces the strategic rationale for the proposed 17,000 sqkm Kuno–Gandhi Sagar inter-state wildlife corridor spanning seven districts of Rajasthan and eight of MP.Calling the inter-state movement a…

NEW DELHI: India’s maritime regulator, DG Shipping, has advised all Indian seafarers on vessels in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and neighbouring waters to “mai-ntain continuous vigilance and heighten situation awareness”, taking note of unprecedented recent incidents.Referring to two seafarers being trapped inside the accommodation area of a tanker when fire engulfed…