New Delhi: The issuance of visas is a sovereign right of a government, and the United States reserves the right to take a decision on a visa based on its assessment of its national security implications, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He said the recent announcements made by the…
Kolkata/ Baharampur: West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, who had triggered a storm with the proposal to build ‘Babri Masjid’ in Murshidabad district. Kabir, who has hogged the limelight over the last few years with his controversial statements on various matters, including the party’s internal affairs, had announced…
Mumbai: Pilots’ body Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, “inexplicably” adopted a “hiring freeze.” FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, DGCA, not to approve airlines’ seasonal flight schedules unless…
New Delhi: Fitch Ratings on Thursday raised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.4 per cent, from 6.9 per cent, on increased consumer spending and improved sentiment boosted by GST reforms. It said falling inflation gives the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) room for one more policy rate cut in December to…
Colombo: India has sent a Bailey bridge and hundreds of water-purification units to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka as part of its ongoing humanitarian support to reconnect isolated communities and restore essential services in the island nation. Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, leaving several districts…
Guruva Reddy Dharam India’s civil aviation sector today stands at a critical crossroads. As a country of 140 crore people, our domestic air travel is shockingly dependent on just two airline groups—IndiGo and the Air India Group. This excessive concentration of market power has created an ecosystem that is dangerously susceptible to operational shocks, regulatory…
New Delhi: A sliding rupee is not a weak rupee even as it breaches the psychological barrier of 90 per US dollar, but it is expected to recover with a trade deal likely to be completed before March 2026, a report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India this week for a summit with…
Kathmandu: Nepal is holding discussions with India on supplying aviation fuel through the cross-border petroleum pipeline to Nepal, officials said. Officials from the two countries are set to hold a meeting next week in New Delhi, said an official at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Nepal government approved the participation of a Nepali…
Jammu: Security forces and police conducted a joint search operation in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district as part of heightened vigilance along the International Border (IB), officials said on Wednesday. “BSF troops and the Border Police Post carried out a joint search operation in village Bhattal Chak, the depth area of…
New Delhi: European Union Ambassador to India Herve Delphin on Wednesday said that there is “strong political commitment” from both sides to conclude the revamped India-EU Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025. “Of the 23 chapters under discussion, 11 have already been closed. Important chapters still under negotiation include market access for cars,…
