The Indian government is considering a significant tightening of drug-testing requirements for commercial pilots, with a proposal that could require every pilot to undergo at least one random test each year. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is consulting stakeholders on possible changes to...
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over the proposed method of collecting caste-related information in the upcoming Census. The two senior opposition leaders have objected to the use of open-ended questions for recording caste identities, arguing that the approach could result in fragmented and...
A campaign aimed at highlighting deficiencies in Maharashtra’s government schools has taken a contentious turn after an FIR was registered against Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke over his visit to a government school in Latur district. The development has brought renewed attention to the condition of public-school infrastructure as well as questions over...
The United States has imposed sanctions on Singapore-based oil trading company Wellbred Capital and several affiliated businesses, citing their links to Iran and alleged connections to a wider network involved in international oil and petroleum trading. The latest measures form part of Washington’s broader effort to restrict Iran’s access to international financial channels and disrupt...
US Vice President JD Vance sparked attention during a political appearance in Maine after referring to Canada as a “state” while discussing increasingly tense trade relations between Washington and Ottawa. Vance made the remark on Monday, August 24, during an event in Brewer, Maine, as he defended the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive position on Canadian...
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the country’s senior security and intelligence leadership to adopt a tougher approach towards infiltration, terrorism and other threats to India’s internal security. The directive came during the National Security Strategies Conference in New Delhi, where senior officials reviewed a wide range of challenges, including illegal immigration, terrorism, cybercrime,...
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has announced that his government will abandon the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur, bringing a major policy shift to Chennai’s long-pending plans for a second airport. The decision, announced in the state Assembly, has triggered a political confrontation, with the opposition DMK accusing the government of undermining...
India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is in Beijing for a high-level diplomatic engagement with China at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are attempting to stabilise relations while several sensitive issues remain unresolved. Doval’s two-day visit includes the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the India-China boundary question with Chinese Foreign Minister...
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has intensified the political controversy surrounding recent unrest at Jadavpur University by declaring that anyone who wants to remain in West Bengal will have to sing “Vande Mataram”. The statement came amid heightened tensions on the university campus following clashes between Left-leaning student organisations and activists associated with the...
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi used his “Chhatron Ki Goonj” outreach programme in Pune to launch a sharp attack on patriarchal social norms, criticise the traditional interpretation of women’s roles and question Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks about abusive language allegedly used by girls during a protest....