VIJAYAWADA: Untimely heavy rains accompanied by gale winds lashed multiple regions of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday. While the showers brought much-needed relief from the scorching heat, they also caused severe damage to crops and disrupted normal life, as several trees were uprooted, resulting in power outages. The sudden downpour, which lasted for at least three hours, inundated several low-lying areas in Vijayawada, Machilipatnam, Guntur, and Eluru. In Vijayawada, the intense do

VISAKHAPATNAM: In the heart of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, a remarkable talent has emerged from the Bagatha tribe. Pangi Chitti Babu, a 32-year-old karate champion, currently serves as a Village Revenue Officer (VRO) in Iragai Panchayat at Araku Valley. His journey from a small agricultural family to the international karate stage is truly inspiring. Born and raised in Lotheru village, Chitti Babu developed an interest in martial arts as a child, inspired by action movies. His fascinati

After stormy weather in the past 24-hours in North India, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange alert for Northwest India, including the Delhi-NCR region, as well as East and Central India, for the next four days. The regions are expected to experience heavy rainfall, accompanied by lightning, hailstorms, and strong winds, occur throughout the week. Following it, the IMD has issued an agromet advisory to protect crops and orchards. They also urged residents of vulnerabl

BENGALURU: Heavy rain that lashed Bengaluru on Thursday has once again exposed BBMPs apathy in clearing silt from drains, addressing encroachments on water bodies, and the lack of preparedness. Fayazabad and Krishnanagar areas of the Yelachenahalli BBMP ward in Bengaluru South were flooded following the rain. A mere 17.8-mm of rainfall within an hour was enough to turn roads into rivers. Gulab Pasha, a social activist, said, The matter was brought to BBMPs attention last year. Around 1.5 acres o

CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday inaugurated the construction of a six-lane, access-controlled highway, from Tiruvallur Bypass to Sriperumbudur. The stretch is part of the 132.87 km Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) project. This third phase of the road works will cover a 30.1 km stretch and include two-lane service roads on either side, with a total project cost of Rs 2,689.74 crore. Highways Minister EV Velu and other officials were present during the function he

COIMBATORE: In a bid to ease traffic congestion and make travel safer for commuters, the State Highways Department, in coordination with the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), has begun widening the stretch near the Vadakovai Flyover on Mettupalayam Road. Currently, the Mettupalayam Road is 7.5 metres wide, but the section between the Vadakovai Flyover and the Central Theatre narrows abruptly to just 5.5 m, creating a bottleneck that has contributed to several accidents. Acting on the

RANCHI: Heatwave swept parts of Jharkhand with Daltonganj sizzling at 43 degrees Celsius, an official said on Thursday. A 'yellow' alert of heatwave was issued for Simdega, Saraikela-Kharswan, East and West Singhbhum districts till April 26, he said. Ranchi Meteorological Centre's Deputy Director Abhishek Anand said the maximum temperature is hovering around 40 degrees Celsius across the state. He said a heat wave alert has been issued for the southern region. The Santhal Pargana region is also

BENGALURU: As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully docked two low-orbit satellites SDX-01 and SDX-02 (Target and Chaser) -- as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) on Monday morning, scientists said there is no time to relax as challenges are still on. The scientists are now monitoring the transfer of energy from one satellite to the other. This work is more crucial than docking and undocking. The success and progress of transfer of energy, which is also one of th

PRAYAGRAJ: A fire broke out in the warehouse of a company, which supplied tenting materials for the recently-concluded Maha Kumbh, in the Parade Ground area early on Saturday, an official said. He added water tenders were rushed to the spot and efforts were underway to bring the blaze under control. There were no reports of any casualties. #WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Firefighting continues at a tent house godown in Prayagraj, where a fire broke out early in the morning. More details awaited. pic.tw

CHANDIGARH: A squall accompanied by heavy rain and hailstorms lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, causing widespread damage and power outages were across the state. Shimla remained without electricity for several hours. The weather department has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in parts of the state on April 18 and 19. Meanwhile, heavy rains also lashed Punjab and Chandigarh. The squall struck Shimla around 11:15 PM plunging the town into darkness,

BHARUCH: A massive fire broke out at the premises of a chemical manufacturing unit in Bharuch on Monday, an official said. Several fire tenders have reached the spot, and dousing operations are underway at the Jal Aqua Company. As of now, no casualties have been reported in the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, an official said. As per the visuals from the spot, a massive black smoke was seen coming out of the building. This is a developing story. Further details are awai

BHOPAL: A village in eastern Madhya Pradesh's Dindori district is hoping for an end to its water woes, courtesy of a woman who refused to put up with the water scarcity and left her husband in protest. The man, Jitendra Soni of Devra village, took his water-induced marital grievance to the district administration during the weekly 'Jansunwai' (a public outreach programme) on Tuesday. Acting on Soni's complaint, the Dindori collector directed officials from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) dep

AHMEDABAD: A devastating fire broke out at a firecracker factory and warehouse on Dhuva Road in Deesa, resulting in the death of seven workers. Deesa Municipal firefighters and 108 ambulances rushed to the scene immediately after receiving information about the incident. According to preliminary information, it is suspected that a massive explosion occurred in the gunpowder unit used for making firecrackers, triggering the fire. The explosion was so powerful that a nearby warehouse collapsed, an

PALANPUR: Three persons were killed and six sustained injuries after a blaze broke out at a firecracker factory in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Tuesday, officials said. Several workers are feared trapped as parts of the factory near Deesa town collapsed after the fire led to a series of explosions, inspector Vijay Chaudhary Deesa rural police station said. He said firefighters from the Deesa municipality are at the scene to rescue workers trapped in the rubbles. An official of the district

NEW DELHI: Two minor siblings were killed in a massive fire that broke out due to gas leakage from an LPG cylinder at their home in west Delhi's Manohar Park, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said on Monday. The incident occurred around 8:20 pm on Sunday at WZ-7, Manohar Park. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The team that visited the spot confirmed that the fire started from the LPG cylinder, a DFS official said. Three persons were injured in the fire and were rushed to Acharya Bhikshu Ho

DEHRADUN: Forest officials discovered the lifeless body of a tigress in the Dhela range of Ramnagars Corbett Tiger Reserve on Sunday morning. According to them, the carcass bore visible signs of injury, with significant blood loss from the head. Speculation is rife that the tiger may have been killed by an elephant, as sources claim the presence of a herd of jumbos in the vicinity. Dr Saket Badola, Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, told this daily, A post-mortem examination of the tigress is cu

BHOPAL: A 31-year-old medical student found hanging at her hostel room in the Gajra Raja Government Medical College in Madhya Pradeshs Gwalior district on Saturday night. The deceased has been identified as Dr Rekha Raghuvanshi. She was pursuing a Doctor of Medicine (Neurology) premises at around 11.30 am, just a few hours after having dinner. According to the Gwalior district police superintendent Dharmaveer Singh, Rekha was engaged to a boy of her familys choice and their marriage was fixed fo

NEW DELHI: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers and immunity from prosecution unless approved by the Centre, was on Sunday extended for six months in entire Manipur, except the jurisdictions of 13 police stations, in view of the law and order situation there. The AFSPA, under which a particular state or some areas are declared disturbed, has also been extended to eight districts in Nagaland and 21 police station areas in fiv

BHOPAL: A teenage couple who had been missing from Kanpur Dehat district in Uttar Pradesh since 25 January 2025 were found dead in a rented house in Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh. The 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, both students of the same school, died by suicide in the same room, police said. The two had been living in the Panagar area of Jabalpur with the help of the boys uncle for the past month and a half. While the girl was in Class XI, the boy was in Class XII in the same schoo

Amid growing political backlash over stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra 's recent remarks about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers arrived at Mumbais Habitat Studio on Monday and began demolishing parts of the venue, citing rule violations, NDTV reported. According to the report, the exact nature of these alleged violations remains unclear, as BMC authorities have not provided official details. However, several civic officials were seen e

NEW DELHI: Taking swift measures, the Supreme Court collegium on Friday commenced an initial inquiry against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma from whose official residence a large stash of cash was allegedly discovered during a fire incident, aside from reportedly calling for his transfer to the Allahabad High Court. The initial inquiry, which is not an in-house inquiry as envisaged in Supreme Court judgements, would entail seeking of a primary report on the incident from the Chief

CHURACHANDPUR: A nine-year-old girl was found dead at a relief camp in Manipur's Churachandpur district in the early hours of Friday, officials said. She went missing from the camp on Thursday evening, following which her family started searching for her, they said. Her body was found in the relief camp compound later in the night, they added. She had multiple injury marks on her body, especially her throat, besides blood stains, officials said. It is suspected that she was raped, they said, add

MAHARASHTRA: Curfew has been imposed in several areas of Maharashtra's Nagpur city after a protest against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb triggered violence in Nagpur during which several houses and vehicles were vandalised, officials said on Tuesday. The situation in the city is peaceful at present, they said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and leaders from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) targeted the Devendra Fadnavis government over Monday's violence in Nagpur and demanded stringent

BIRBHUM: The West Bengal government has suspended internet and voice-over-Internet telephony services in at least five Gram Panchayat areas of Sainthia town in Birbhum district to prevent the spread of rumours and unlawful activities, officials said on Friday. The shutdown, which came into effect on March 14 (Friday), will remain in place until March 17 (Monday). The prohibitory order was issued by the Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, on March 14.

SRINAGAR: One of the three tribal youth, who went missing under mysterious circumstances nearly a month ago from south Kashmirs Qazigund area, has been found dead. His body was recovered from a nallah on Thursday. The other two who were accompanying him to a marriage function are still missing. There is also no trace of two tribal minor boys who went missing in J&Ks border district of Kathua since February 27. A police official said a body was recovered from Veshow Nallah in Mah area of south Ka

BOKARO: A 28-year-old medic was found dead in her hostel in Jharkhand's Bokaro district, police said on Monday. A preliminary investigation revealed that the medical student died allegedly by suicide as she was not satisfied with her chosen field, a senior officer said. The deceased was identified as Arya Kumari Jha. Bokaro City DSP Alok Ranjan said, A suicide note has been recovered from Arya's hostel room in which she expressed dissatisfaction with her medical trade. Arya, a first-year Diploma

SRI NAGAR: Three residents of the Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, who had gone missing three days ago, were found dead in a waterfall in the upper reaches of Billawar. Their bodies were recovered after security forces employed drones for aerial surveillance. Darshan Singh (40), Yogesh Singh (32), and Varun Singh (15) went to Lohai Malhar village in Billawar on March 4 to attend a marriage function. When the wedding procession reached Surag village, the three were found missing. One of them

CHANDIGARH: With an eye on the 2027 assembly elections, the Punjab Congress today launched the Judega Block, Jittegi Congress campaign from Dera Bassi and Sanaur to strengthen the partys grassroots network in the state. Addressing gatherings at Dera Bassi and Sanaur, Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring highlighted the significance of grassroots connections and on-ground efforts. The strength of any political party lies in its grassroots network, Warring said. T

PATNA: Strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Friday charted out plans for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections due in October-November this year. He launched a five-point agenda to transform Bihar if the Jan Suraaj Party is voted to power. Five important schemes will be implemented in Bihar if the Jan Suraaj Party forms the next government after the assembly polls. The schemes are aimed at making Bihar one of the 10 leading states in the country. The new government will focus on improvi

RANCHI: A third-year Electronics Engineering student, Tanmay Prajapati, was found dead in the washroom of the Aquamarine Hostel at IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad on Thursday morning. Preliminary investigations suggest that he died by suicide, though the exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained. Tanmay, a student from the 2022-2026 batch, hailed from Indore. According to the students, the bathroom door was locked from inside. We tried a lot but the door did not open following which

INDORE: The second round trial of incineration of Union Carbide factory's waste at a disposal plant in Madhya Pradesh's Pithampur has begun and a consignment of 10 tonnes will be burnt in this phase, an official said. As part of the plan to dispose of 337 tonnes of waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, the site of the 1984 industrial disaster, the hazardous material was transported on January 2 to the waste disposal plant operated by a private company at Pithampur industrial ar

NEW DELHI: Heavy rains and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh triggered landslides and caused roadblocks on Saturday, disrupting normal life in the state, as several other parts of north India received showers. In Uttarakhand, 50 workers trapped in an avalanche in the Chamoli district were rescued, but four of them died on Saturday as rescuers raced against time to save the remaining five. The strategic 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was shut on Thursday evening following heavy snowfall

BHOPAL: A five-year-old girl with severe wounds across her body is battling for life in the ICU of Gwaliors Kamla Raja Hospital, five days after being raped and brutally assaulted by a teenage neighbour in Madhya Pradeshs Shivpuri district. The child is in excruciating pain, unable to sleep due to multiple wounds across her body, including severe tears in her privates, face, and jaw. Even the slightest movement on the hospital bed makes her scream in agony. The 17-year-old accused has been taken

SURAT: A massive fire broke out in a four-storey textile market in Surat city on Wednesday morning, for the second time in less than 24 hours, an official said. Efforts to douse the flames were underway and several of more than 800 shops located in the building were damaged though no casualty has been reported so far, a fire department official said. Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, a fire broke out in the building's basement where textile stock was stored, leading to the death of a worker due to a

RANCHI: The suspense over the leader of opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly continues, even after the Budget Session began on Monday. The BJP is still undecided on who will take on this crucial role. Notably, after the crushing defeat of the BJP in the Assembly Elections, the party leadership wants to hand over the responsibilities of the top posts in the state BJP to the young and energetic leaders, thus, the decision is getting delayed. As the main opposition party, the BJP needs to appoint i

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned former Union rail minister Lalu Prasad in connection with the land-for-jobs scam. Special Judge Vishal Gogne also summoned Prasad's son and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, and daughter Hema Yadav. The judge issued fresh summonses to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo's younger son and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. The accused have been directed to appear before the court on March 11. CBI to file supplementary charge sh

CHANDIGARH: Environmentalists, heritage conservationists, and local residents staged protests onm Sunday against the Chandigarh Administrations decision to demolish parts of the world-famous Rock Garden. The garden, created by Nek Chand, is renowned for its innovative use of recycled materials and holds immense cultural and emotional significance for the citys residents. The demolition is part of a project to widen roads and create additional parking space near the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

NEW DELHI: General (Gen) Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), on Sunday departed on an official visit to France. The Indian Army in a statement said the visit aims to strengthen the military collaboration between India and France, exploring new avenues of cooperation and enhancing strategic partnerships between the two nations' armed forces. The four-day visit, from 24th to 27th February, as part of efforts to bolster India-France defence cooperation, will involve Gen Dwivedi meeting

PATNA: A police constable's wife was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the staff quarters of Patna's Pirbahore police station in the wee hours of Saturday, an officer said. The deceased has been identified as Deepika (30), wife of constable Dhananjay Kumar, who was posted at the Pirbahore police station, the officer said. Based on the statements of the deceased's family, the police have registered a case against Dhananjay Kumar who is absconding. Talking to PTI , the Sub-Divisional Po

ALIGARH: A 25-year-old masters student at Aligarh Muslim University allegedly died by suicide outside his hostel room on Friday, police said. Mohammad Shakir, a first-year student of MA Theology student, was found dead outside his room in 'Mumbai Hostel' on the university premises, according to AMU Proctor Mohamad Waseem Ali. Shakir was seen in his room till around 10 pm last night had also eaten his evening meal as usual, he said, adding that his roommates reported that he appeared to be normal

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old woman was killed and three other people are hospitalised due to suffocation after a fire broke out on an 11-floor building in Mumbai on Sunday morning, a fire official said. The blaze erupted at 6.11 am at the Panna Ali Mansion building, located in Masjid Bandar area in south Mumbai, he added. The fire was confined to the electric wiring and installations at a common meter box place and electric wiring in the common passage on the ground floor of the building, the official

NEW DELHI: With the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbing to 18 on Sunday, porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts amid the chaos. Describing the situation, Krishna Kumar Jogi, a porter at the station, said the crowd swelled when a train bound for Prayagraj arrived. A massive crowd gathered on the (footover) bridge. People were packed so tightly that many suffocated. Around 10-15 people lost their lives right there, he

NEW DELHI: Two BA second year students were found dead in separate locations late Friday night at Ashoka University in Sonipats Rai, raising serious concerns about campus security. Dhruv Jyoti Sahu (20), an undergraduate student from Bengaluru, allegedly jumped from the 10th floor of a university building in a case of suspected suicide. The police recovered a handwritten note from his room, though it did not offer reasons for his actions. Another student, Vignesh Guda Sahu (19), from Telangana,

KOLKATA: One person died in a blaze that gutted at least 30 shanties in Narkeldanga area of the metropolis, a fire brigade official said on Sunday. Seventeen fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, which were first spotted around 10 pm on Saturday, he said. The fire left around 200 people homeless, officials said. The charred body of Habibullah Mollah (65) was recovered from a godown adjacent to the shanties after fire brigade personnel managed to douse the blaze around 3 am,

SRINAGAR: A massive fire broke out in the market of the famous resort town of Sonmarg in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said. The fire, which started from a restuarant quickly spread to the adjacent shops in the Sonmarg market, they said. Fire tenders are on the spot, working to bring the fire under control, officials added. #WATCH | Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir: Fire breaks out at the main market in Sonamarg. Several fire tenders have reached the spot. Further de

CHANDIGARH: A court in Haryana's Sonipat on Wednesday summoned AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on February 17 on a complaint over his claim that the BJP-ruled state was mixing poison in the Yamuna river. The court of Sonipat Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Goyal issued a notice to Kejriwal in the matter. He is directed to appear in-person before this court on the next date of hearing, if he has to say anything in the matter. If he does not appear before this court on next date of hearing, it is deeme

CHANDIGARH: Farmers from various organisations under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday took out a tractor parade at multiple locations across Punjab in support of their demands. These demands include a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP), which is based on the C2 plus 50 per cent formula given by the Swaminathan committee, a comprehensive loan waiver scheme for farmers and farm workers, no privatisation of electricity, withdrawal of the National Policy Framework o

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held meetings on Sunday with his counterparts from Australia and Japan in Washington. They discussed bilateral issues as well as matters related to the four-member QUAD group, which also includes the United States. A QUAD ministerial is in the offing, and it would be one of the early multilateral assignments for the incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio under the second term of the Donald Trump administration, once he is confirmed by the US Co

LUCKNOW: A major fire broke out in to the tents of Sector 19 at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj on Sunday. There was no report of any casualty. The fire which engulfed around 40 tents was triggered by the leakage of gas cylinder. It was then followed by a series of blasts in the gas cylinders. Two cylinders exploded in Sector 19 of the Maha Kumbh Mela, causing a massive fire in the camps. Akhara Police Station In-charge Bhaskar Mishra said. Firefighters have been pressed into service to douse the blaze,

NOIDA: A fire broke out following an explosion at Shri Banke Bihari chemical plant in the Badalpur area of Greater Noida on Saturday. A thick column of black smoke, visible from a distance, billowed into the sky from the chemical plant on Dujana Road. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Shakti Mohan Awasthi, Upon information over two dozen fire services unit have been deployed to put out the blaze. Efforts are underway to ensure no one is injured in the incident, he added.