News that keep you updated
A sharp increase in taxes on cigarettes, along with a new excise duty structure on tobacco products, could trigger a surge in illicit trade and lead to significant revenue losses for the government, experts have warned.Earlier this week, the finance ministry notified amendments to the Central Excise Act, introducing a fresh excise duty ranging from…
GUWAHATI: Hours after Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi alleged that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s family had grabbed around 12,000 bighas (over 3,960 acres) of land, the CM on Wednesday announced that he will file a defamation case against top Congress leaders for making “false and malicious” statements.“I am initiating civil and criminal defamation proceedings…
AHMEDABAD: Amid intensifying geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch on Saturday for India as a preferred investment destination. “India is capable, India is competitive, and India is committed. Today, India has only one message for investors worldwide: India is ready, India is reliable, and India will deliver,” Modi…
In the era of high-speed rail and overnight flights, India’s mountain trains still chug along at a different speed. The chug along slowly, and pause frequently, for you to take in the scenery, which is so jaw-droppingly beautiful from every angle that you would actually want to spend time there. Speed was never in the…
I recently came across a deeply moving initiative by the War Widows’ Association, one that left me both humbled and hopeful. The Association has started a new programme where members of Veer Parivaars are invited to unfurl the national flag during Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. It is a simple act on the surface, yet profoundly powerful…
TOI correspondent from Washington: In a dramatic courtroom reversal, Indian national Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges in a foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Pannun, a pro-Khalistan separatist and US citizen. Gupta, 54, appearing before US magistrate judge Sarah Netburn, admitted to three counts: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murderfor-hire, and conspiracy to commit…
Kent Syverud named University of Michigan president-elect after decades of legal and academic leadership. (Getty Images) Kent Syverud has been named the 16th president of the University of Michigan, set to take office on July 1. The Regents of the university announced his appointment after a unanimous vote, marking his return to his alma mater…
NEW DELHI: O Panneerselvam made a striking political statement on Friday by replacing a photograph of his late mentor J Jayalalithaa with one of Chief Minister M K Stalin in his car, moments before formally joining the DMK in Chennai.The carefully timed gesture, carried out as he arrived at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, underscored…
NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old man died in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area after his motorcycle fell into an uncovered pit dug for construction work, police said on Friday. The victim’s family alleged that they were left in the dark for several hours and spent the entire night visiting multiple police stations before being informed of his…
JAMMU: Fifteen months before Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 25 tourists and a Kashmiri pony handler at Baisaran in J&K’s Pahalgam on April 22 last year, a GoPro action camera now in NIA custody as a “crucial” piece of reconnaissance evidence was first activated in China’s Dongguan, investigators told a Jammu court this week.The special court allowed…
