Entertainment

[ad_1] Chief minister M K Stalin explains the rationale for his government's opposition to delimitation and the three-language policy in written replies to TOI's questions. The DMK chief also speaks about the role of the governor and Centre-state relations. Excerpts:Why do you oppose delimitation?A small correction. The DMK is not opposing delimitation as such. What we strongly oppose is delimitation based on the upcoming population census. Population control was introduced in India 50 years ago for the sake of the nation's economy, welfare of people and development. Since Tamil Nadu was keen on national welfare, we effectively implemented the family planning programme, along with other southern states. Is it fair to punish states such as TN that successfully implemented a national population control policy by reducing the parliamentary constituencies based on the same population metrics? It is this yardstick that […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Alleging that fake rent agreements, advance rent payments and bogus advertisements were used for money laundering in the National Herald case, BJP on Saturday rebutted Congress's claims that the charges against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had no substance. BJP spokesperson Pratyush Kanth said National Herald was launched in 1938 to voice the sentiments of the people but the Nehru-Gandhi family sought to turn in into a private property by eying its real estate. He claimed that Young Indian, an NGO with 76% of its share owned by Sonia and Rahul, received Rs 18 crore in donations from people and entities not found genuine. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: With Tesla set to launch cars in India soon, and satcom venture Starlink in the final phase of goverment approval process, American tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday said he will be visiting the country later this year, the comments coming a day after he spoke to PM Narendra Modi over telephone."It was an honour to speak with PM Modi. I am looking forward to visiting India later this year!" Musk said on X, as he responded to Modi's post on their conversation. On Friday, Modi had posted on X, "Spoke to Elon Musk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year. We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US […]

[ad_1] Jawaharlal Nehru's greatest legacy was giving Indians the courage to resist oppression and claim freedom, Congress's Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday as he emphasised that it is the "pursuit of truth" that drives him and how that pursuit is inspired by his great-grandfather - the first PM of India."That's what Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel, and Bose were really teaching: how to befriend fear. Not socialism, not politics - just courage," he said. "Gandhi stood up to an empire with nothing but truth. Nehru gave Indians the courage to resist oppression and ultimately claim freedom. Any great human endeavour - science, art, resistance - it all begins with confronting fear," he added in a post on X where he shared the link to a free-wheeling conversation he had with party member Sandeep Dikshit. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency Saturday released the final results of JEE Main 2025 for BE/ BTech (Paper 1), which showed that another 10 candidates secured a 'perfect 100 NTA score', or a 100 percentile, in the April session (Session 2). With 14 top scorers already announced in Jan (Session 1), the total number this year stands at 24, reports Manash Gohain.The 10 candidates who scored a 100 percentile in the April session are Md Anas, Ayush Singhal, Archisman Nandy, Devdutta Majhi, Aayush Ravi Chaudhari, Lakshya Sharma, Kushagra Gupta, Harssh A Gupta, Aadit Prakash Bhagade, and Daksh. Among these toppers, there's only one girl.Of the 24 students with 100 NTA scores across both sessions, Rajasthan leads with 7, followed by Maharashtra (4), Telangana (3), and UP (3). Among the 10 candidates with a 100 percentile, one belongs to […]

[ad_1] KOLKATA: The SIT and Bengal STF on Saturday arrested one of the key conspirators in the murders of father-son duo Haragobindo Das and Chandan Das in Jafrabad on April 12. This is the fourth arrest in the double murder case. Overall, the total number of FIRs in the Murshidabad violence crossed 100, with 276 arrests till now.The accused was identified as Ziaul Sheikh (45), a resident of Sulitala Purbapara, a village adjoining Jafrabad. SIT sources claimed Sheikh instigated the mob and was one of the main "organisers". He was on the run and detained from Chopra in North Dinajpur, where he was questioned extensively before being arrested.DIG (Murshidabad) Syed Waquar Raza confirmed the arrest and said the accused was present at the place of occurrence at the time of the murders. Several pieces of technical evidence, including CCTV footage, […]

[ad_1] In an open four-page letter addressed to the people of Bengal late Saturday, CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that BJP and RSS were plotting to incite riots in the state and trying to create divisions through false propaganda. She appealed to all to maintain peace and not fall into this "dangerous trap", doing so against the backdrop of the Murshidabad flare-up stemming from protests against the new waqf law,. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Energy, trade, investment and defence ties, along with a focus on addressing regional and global issues like the West Asia situation and Russia-Ukraine war, will dominate PM Narendra Modi's agenda for his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia starting Tuesday. Modi and Crown Prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman will hold bilateral talks in Jeddah during which they will also look to discuss projects to facilitate the India Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), work on which has continued despite the conflict in West Asia.Several MoUs, including one on green hydrogen, are expected to be signed by the two sides following the talks, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said at a press conference Saturday. There will be an effort to infuse a "strategic" dimension to India-Saudi Arabia energy cooperation, he added.The foreign secretary said that Modi's visit will provide an […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Indian trade negotiators, who head to Washington DC this week ahead of formal launch of talks, may explore an "early tranche" that covers a limited set of issues, even as New Delhi and Washington seek to close negotiations quickly, possibly ahead of the fall deadline.The terms of reference or modalities for the proposed deal, running into 19 chapters, will include regulatory issues such as those related to digital tax, in addition to tariff cuts and non-tariff measures. The modalities have identified issues which are to be taken up and how the technical aspects of the negotiations, such as rules of origin or customs facilitation, would work. But firm offers will be made later.In early March, US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi agreed to launch talks for a bilateral trade deal, but since then, reciprocal tariffs […]

[ad_1] MUMBAI: Airfares to the US have dropped — a first in many summers — and is being described by many as the effect of US president Trump's policies.The most noticeable drop is for flights out of Mumbai, with the cheapest one-way ticket to New York, available on Saturday for travel around mid-May, priced as low as Rs 37,000 (see box). Although the cheapest return is priced at Rs 76,000, it involves a long transit halt at a Middle Eastern airport. However, for Rs 85,000, you can get a ticket via Delhi or London with a wait time of no more than four hours.Indians form the second-largest immigrant community in the US, but it is not only children flying back home to visit their parents or parents flying to and fro to see their children. India also sends the largest […]