Nation

New Delhi: Amid a political storm over the recent demolition activity near Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque at Delhi’s historic Turkman Gate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly hit back at opposition parties, rejecting allegations that the mosque was damaged during the bulldozer drive. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla expressed regret that even the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs made similar claims and labeled the opposition coalition, “INDIA”, as the “Rawalpindi Bloc.” Poonawalla described the allegations as fabricated propaganda and clarified that no part of the mosque structure was harmed. The demolition, he said, was carried out under the directive of the Delhi High Court and targeted illegal commercial structures—including a diagnostic center and a wedding hall—built adja...

New Delhi/Kolkata: Political tensions escalated on Friday following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on multiple locations in Kolkata, including the offices of IPAC, the political consultancy firm managing Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s election campaigns. The move sparked widespread protests, reaching the national capital. Eight TMC MPs staged a demonstration outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to protest the raids. During the protest, Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra were taken into police custody while raising their objections against the ED action. Addressing the media, Moitra said: “We will defeat the BJP. The country is witnessing how the Delhi Police are treating elected MPs.” TMC MP Pratima Mandal alleged: “Amit Shah used ED officials to seize our politic...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday emphasized that if a pet dog attacks a neighbor, even unintentionally, it amounts to a criminal offense. The Court expressed concern over the poor implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) program and stressed the critical roles of Gram Panchayats, Municipal Councils, and Municipal Corporations in managing stray and domestic animal populations. During the hearing on stray dog issues, the bench listened to arguments from senior advocates C.U. Singh, Krishnan Venugopal, Dhruv Mehta, Gopal Sankarnarayanan, Shyam Dikhan, Siddharth Luthra, and Karuna Nandi. The proceedings will continue on Friday. Concerns Raised by Amicus CuriaeSenior Advocate Gaurav Agrawal, appearing as amicus curiae, informed the bench that four states had submitted comp...

New Delhi: Amid escalating U.S. tariff threats, India is set to accelerate its self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing efforts. Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V. Anant Nageswaran has identified ten critical areas requiring domestic development, highlighting five strategic clusters that will serve as pillars for India’s self-sufficient economy. The remarks come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to wield tariffs as leverage, with India-U.S. trade talks yet to yield a resolution. Strategic Gaps in Semiconductors and Defence ManufacturingAccording to a report in The Economic Times, the five clusters include semiconductors and defence manufacturing, where India currently faces significant strategic gaps. These areas demand urgent focus to strengthen domestic capabilities. Nageswaran ...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Justice Yashwant Verma of Allahabad High Court, challenging the validity of a parliamentary panel investigating corruption allegations against him. A bench led by Justice Deepankar Datta raised a significant question regarding parliamentary procedure: “If the Vice President can perform the duties of the President in their absence, why cannot the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha perform the duties of the Chairperson in their absence?” Contention Over Powers of the Deputy ChairpersonThe Supreme Court declined to accept Justice Verma’s argument that the Deputy Chairperson lacks the authority to reject a proposal. Representing Justice Verma, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi contended that under the Jud...

New Delhi: Recent events have underscored the dangerous potential of AI. X (formerly Twitter) AI, Grok, demonstrated the ability to remove clothing from images on user command, exposing serious risks of AI misuse. This incident highlights how AI is being made overly accessible, contributing to the spread of misleading information and objectionable content. A Disturbing TrendExperts Nimish Dubey and Aakriti Rana compare the incident to the infamous Mahabharata episode in which Dushasana tried to disrobe Draupadi. Similarly, Grok allowed users to generate partially or fully nude images from ordinary pictures, often without raising objections. While the AI occasionally refused certain requests, in many cases, it complied, resulting in the circulation of AI-generated explicit images on the ...

New Delhi: The political temperature in the country has soared following a key Supreme Court decision last Monday, which denied bail to Delhi riot accused Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both of whom are currently in jail. The case, deeply intertwined with communal narratives, has sparked intense debate across political circles. AIMIM Chief Targets CongressAIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi strongly criticized the Congress party over the development. He highlighted that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)—under which the bail applications were denied—was amended during the UPA government, adding provisions to the definition of terrorism that he had previously questioned in Parliament. In 2007–08, Owaisi had asked about the meaning of phrases such as “in any other manner, of whateve...

New Delhi: Following Operation Sindhur, India has rapidly strengthened its defence capabilities. In recent months, the Indian Army has signed multi-crore deals with domestic defence firms while continuing to leverage advanced military technology from the U.S. and Russia. Now, the Army is undertaking a major upgrade of its indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL). Under this initiative, leading private sector companies Tata Advanced Systems and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which have previously manufactured components of the Pinaka system, have received contracts to support the modernisation effort. The firms will collaborate closely with Army base workshops to upgrade critical components, provide continuous technical support, and replace older parts. The upgraded Pinak...

New Delhi: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is currently on an official visit to France. On Friday, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss ways to further strengthen the India-France strategic partnership. During the meeting, both leaders highlighted growing cooperation in defence, security, trade, and global forums, and Macron’s upcoming visit to India was also discussed. Sharing details of the meeting on X, Jaishankar expressed appreciation for Macron’s positive views on contemporary global developments and India-France strategic cooperation. “I greatly value his perspectives on current global events and his positive sentiments towards our strategic partnership,” he said. Earlier in the week, Jaishankar met with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barro...