Rajnath; moving with speed & consensus for theaterisation: CDS

NEW DELHI: Exhorting defence scientists to accelerate R&D work, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the “battlefield of tomorrow will reward those who can shorten the time between an idea, a prototype and operational deployment”.Addressing defence strategic dialogue Kalam & Kavach 3.0 in a video message here, Rajnath said, “A nation’s strength will increasingly…

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Mamata appears as lawyer in HC, BCI seeks advocate status details

NEW DELHI: Hours after former chief minister Mamata Banerjee appeared in an advocate’s attire before Calcutta high court on Thursday, the Bar Council of India (BCI) asked the West Bengal Bar Council to furnish details of her enrolment as an advocate, whether the licence to practise was kept suspended during her tenure as CM, and…

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HC seeks govt stand on Cong’s 7, Jantar Mantar Road plea

NEW DELHI: Delhi HC on Thursday sought the Centre and Delhi govt’s stand on a plea by Indian National Congress seeking execution of a sale deed in the party’s favour for its former headquarters at 7, Jantar Mantar Road.Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued notice to authorities but refused to pass any interim order. Even as…

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BRICS consensus on West Asia uncertain as Iran, UAE spar at meeting

Talks for a BRICS foreign ministers’ joint statement seemed balanced on a knife-edge on the first day of the meeting, with a consensus on the West Asia situation remaining uncertain. Diplomatic sources said efforts to find common ground between the UAE and Iran were still on, even as the 2 countries held on to their…

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Congress condemns killings in Manipur, says governments failed to use constitutional powers properly

NEW DELHI: The Manipur unit of the Congress on Thursday alleged that the recurring violence in the state was due to the inability of both the state and Union governments to properly exercise their constitutional powers.The statement came a day after three suspected militants gunned down three church leaders in Kangpokpi, while a man was…

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Why Donald Trump cosying up to Xi may leave India out in cold?

NEW DELHI: As Donald Trump is in Beijing for his first China visit as US President in nine years, the optics were striking. The visit came after months of tariff tensions, strategic posturing and sharp rhetoric between Washington and Beijing. Yet, as Trump exchanged warm words with Xi Jinping, calling him a “great leader” and…

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VD Satheesan named Kerala chief minister; EC expands nationwide SIR exercise, and more

VD Satheesan has been chosen as Kerala’s next chief minister after the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive election victory. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping projected a cooperative tone during their Beijing summit amid efforts to stabilise US-China ties. The Election Commission of India has announced Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision exercise covering 16…

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Why this show-off about independence in appointment of CEC/ECs when it can be decided by govt? SC to Centre

NEW DELHI: Questioning the appointment process for chief election commissioner/election commissioners where a panel of PM, a Cabinet minister and the leader of opposition, pick the candidate, Supreme Court on Thursday said that the present system allows the govt to appoint a person of its choice as two out of three member would favour it…

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Care, courage & clinical excellence take centre stage

Judging excellence in maternal healthcare is not like judging most things. The numbers, whether around delivery volumes, success rates, bed counts, etc., are the starting point, far from the verdict. When the jury members for the Times Future of Maternity Awards 2026 convened for final evaluation of nominees across 13 categories, the tougher questions were…

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Who pays for motherhood in India?

Despite a mandate for free maternal services in public healthcare, out-of-pocket expenditure for maternal care remains a significant burden on Indian families, primarily incurred for medications and diagnostic procedures, as per a journal published at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine last year. In public health centres, the largest proportion of…

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