NEW DELHI: Govt on Sunday released a set of frequently asked questions on its bill, now defeated in Parliament, for fast-tracking women’s quota in legislatures with a 50% hike in Lok Sabha seats, as part of its campaign to debunk what it called a ‘false and misleading narrative’ by Congress and its allies. Govt said…

KOLKATA: PM Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on Trinamool Congress, declaring in rallies across Bengal that “mothers and sisters” would punish it for stymying the women’s reservation bill and urging voters to deliver “maha-punishment” to what he called “maha-jungleraj”, reports Rohit Khanna. Addressing four rallies in six hours Sunday — Bankura’s Barjora, Purulia, Jhargram and…

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: Visiting US national Jeffrey Scott, who was stopped at Srinagar airport after a satellite phone-like device was detected in his baggage — a prima facie violation of provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act — was allowed to fly out of the Valley after it became clear that he had carried the device as…

A Punjabi TV host in Canada has been sentenced to 5.5 years in jail for importing drugs from the US. A 47-year-old woman who worked as a Punjabi radio and TV host in Canada for the past 10 years has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison after she was caught red-handed while smuggling meth…

A 44-year-old Iranian businesswoman with a life split between luxury travel and alleged covert deals is now at the centre of a serious US federal case.Authorities say Shamim Mafi was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night for allegedly trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government.According to the US Attorney’s Office for…

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday raided the residence of a Kolkata Police DCP (Special Branch), Shantanu Sinha Biswas and arrested city businessman Joy Kamdar in a moneylaundering probe linked to alleged illegal land deals and extortion . The ED action during the Bengal poll season came days after I-T searches at the home…

US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that the navy has forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, after it allegedly attempted to bypass a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.In a post on Truth Social he wrote, “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA… tried to get past…

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has started the process for procurement of a compact unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for the elite IAF special forces unit that can operate in extreme environmental conditions, and at altitudes up to 16,400 feet above mean sea level.The ministry recently issued a request for information (RFI) for procuring a…

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh is on an official three-day visit to Germany from Tuesday to strengthen the strategic defence partnership between the two countries. Rajnath is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius and other senior leaders of the govt.Though there is no official statement, Rajnath is likely to…

Kudankulam nuclear power plant NEW DELHI: India has moved closer to opening its nuclear power sector to foreign investment, with the Atomic Energy Commission approving a new foreign direct investment (FDI) framework, an official indicated.Speaking at a workshop in Delhi recently, Seema S Jain, member (finance) from the Department of Atomic Energy, said the policy…