Advises them against ‘dying’ by merging with Congress Nandurbar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday advised the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) to join hands with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde after Lok Sabha poll results instead of “dying by merging” with the Congress. “A big leader here who is active for 40-50 years is worried after polling in Baramati (Lok Sabha seat). He says that after June 4, smaller parties, in order to survive, will merge with the Congress,” Modi said, without naming Sharad Pawar. “This means the nakli NCP and nakli Shiv Sena have made up their minds to merge with the ..read more

Bijapur: As many as 12 Naxalites were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday, police said, taking the number of left-wing extremists killed so far this year in the state to 103. Two security personnel were also injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists during the operation, they said. This was the third major strike on Naxalites by security forces in the last one month and comes three weeks after 29 extremists were killed in an encounter in Kanker district. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated sec ..read more

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday ordered framing of sexual harassment and other charges against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case lodged by six female wrestlers, observing there was “sufficient evidence” against him. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot directed framing of charges against Singh, a six-time Lok Sabha MP, under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). “There is suf ..read more

Panaji: Forecasting thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds on May 12 and 13, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning to the residents of Goa. According to IMD, winds could reach speeds of 30-40 kmph in isolated areas across North Goa and South Goa districts on Sunday and Monday. Residents should exercise caution during any thunderstorm activity and avoid being outdoors. Sudden lightning strikes and gusty winds can create hazardous conditions, the IMD has said. The inclement weather condition is a result of two separate cyclonic circulations – one over Sout ..read more

New Delhi: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks on Pakistan sparked a political row on Friday, with his party quick to dissociate itself from the comments while the ruling BJP latched on to them, accusing the Congress of being an apologist for Pakistan and the terrorism emanating from its soil. Aiyar said the video was old and dredged up now, as the BJP’s election campaign is faltering. In comments that have gone viral on social media, Aiyar is heard saying that India should give respect to Pakistan, as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it, as it also possesses an atom bomb. He ..read more

Pune: Nearly 11 years after rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune, a special court on Friday convicted his two assailants and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the murder, and acquitted three others, including alleged key conspirator Virendrasinh Tawde, for want of evidence.  Reading out the order in a packed courtroom, Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court) P P Jadhav, presiding over Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) cases, said the prosecution had proved the charges of murder and conspiracy against shooters Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar. The court ..read more

Win top honours at global robotics competition Arpita Srivastava Mapusa: Bringing glory to their state by winning laurels, two Goan students showcased extraordinary talent and determination at the prestigious ‘AI Robo City Challenge’ held at Codeavour 5.0 International, an event that was recently organised at GEMS Dubai American Academy in Dubai. Vedang Kamat from Saraswat Vidyalaya High School, Mapusa, has emerged as the Global Champion of the ‘AI Robo City Challenge’ in junior category, while Usha Matadin Kumawat of Progress High School, Panaji, has won gold medal in a senior category compet ..read more

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday reprimanded Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over his allegations on voter turnout data, calling it an “aggression” on the vitals of live conduct of elections and a deliberate attempt to spread confusion, and said it can have a negative impact on voter turnout. The commission also said allegations in Kharge’s letter to leaders of opposition parties on the ‘delay’ by the EC in sharing voter turnout data was an attempt to “push a biased narrative” under the guise of seeking clarifications. In a five-page response with a series of annexures, the poll ..read more

New Delhi: The world experienced the warmest April ever and the eleventh consecutive month of record-high temperatures, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Friday.  Sea surface temperatures have been record high for the past 13 months, it said. The WMO said this is happening due to naturally occurring El Niño — unusual warming of waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean — and the additional energy trapped in the atmosphere and ocean by greenhouse gases from human activities. A similar streak of record high temperatures happened previously during the strong El N ..read more

New Delhi: Air India Express cabin crew members on Thursday decided to withdraw their strike and the airline agreed to reinstate 25 staff members who were terminated from service, according to sources. The decisions to end the strike and withdraw the termination letters were agreed upon during a conciliation meeting between the representatives of cabin crew and the airline management at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in the national capital on Thursday ..read more