Kolkata: The recent outbreaks of encephalitis, or severe inflammation of the brain, have killed around 550 people in India this year and the toll is likely to rise, officials have said. The states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Assam and West Bengal are the worst hit. “This is a seasona

NEW DELHI: The biggest threat to this year's monsoon seems to have receded. El Nino conditions that were building up in the Pacific have eased in the past month, prompting the Australian weather bureau to withdraw its El Nino 'alert' on Tuesday. The bureau downgraded its outlook to El Nino 'watch

Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan, was Tuesday celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across India. Thousands of men and children clad in new attire and wearing skull caps offered Namaz-e-Eid in Eidgahs or open grounds and hundreds of mosques. Millions o

MUMBAI: The police action against Marathi-speaking people at Yellur in Karnataka has prompted protests by political parties in Maharashtra, with the Shiv Sena calling it as an act of "terror" and seeking Centre's intervention in the "disputed" region. "It is the reign of goondas. Even we can do t

CHENNAI: Early salary payment, bonus for Eid and greater competition in the funds transfer market have all resulted in a 15% increase in remittances from the Gulf between June and July during the Ramzan month. Federal Bank has seen remittance transactions move up to 2.3 lakh in July compared to 1

New Delhi: Communal flare-up has gripped India in the last two months since the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power. Sikhs of neighbouring Punjab and Haryana are on the verge of clash over formation of a separate Gurdwara management committee, two sects of Mu

SAHARANPUR/NEW DELHI: BJP has accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of promoting communal tension to reap political benefits after three people were killed in clashes in Saharanpur. 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence between two commu

GANDHINAGAR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) — the country's apex auditing agency — has slammed the Gujarat government in its five different reports, for severe mismanagement of the state's financial resources. The reports highlight irregularities amounting to more than Rs 25,000 crore,

AMETHI: In his most vocal attack yet on the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said the saffron party had a "dangerous ideology" and resorted to the "politics of bullying." Expressing his views on Shiv Sena MPs force-feeding a fasting Muslim employee of t

At least 16 children, driver and cleaner in a school bus were killed and 21 children injur­ed when a passenger train rammed the veh­i­cle at an unmanned level crossing near Masaipet in Medak district, about 60 km from Hyderabad, on Thursday. It is alleged that the driver of the bus was listening

Image Courtesy: TOI MUMBAI: Faced by nationwide outrage, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday set up an inquiry into last week's fracas at the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi where a Shiv Sena MP forced a fasting Muslim to eat a chapatti. The inquiry will be conducted by chief secretary J S S

Thiruvananthapuram : CPI(M) will be organising protest demonstrations across Kerala on July 24 against Israel's assault on Gaza. A CPI(M) state secretariat statement yesterday called upon "all peace-loving people" to participate in the demonstrations to be held from 4 AM to 6 PMon July 24 evening

Photo Courtesy: TOI MUMBAI: The ration card — the government issued booklet for availing of subsidized food under the public distribution service — is set to lose its privileged status as a valid document for opening bank accounts. Aadhaar is now set to become the single universal document for op

India's Mars Orbiter spacecraft that left the Earth last November is nearing the Red planet with all its payloads in good condition, ISRO said Tuesday. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's Mars Orbiter or Mangalyaan has travelled over 540 million km on its journ

NEW DELHI: With the Election Commission announcing bypolls for 18 assembly seats in four states including Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, the stage is set for the first major electoral battle after the Lok Sabha polls. Polling will take place on these 18 seats on August 21. Ten seats

SRINAGAR: A youth was killed after a protest against Israel's action on Gaza turned violent on Saturday in Jammu & Kashmir's Kulgam district. Suhail Ahmad Lone (15) was killed after CRPF allegedly opened fire during massive anti-Israel protests here. Police have registered an FIR. IGP Kash

The Allahabad High Court on Friday issued notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a petition filed by Congress leader Ajai Rai challenging his election. The notice was issued by Justice V K Shukla after hearing Rai’s petition. Modi has been directed to file his reply within six weeks and the pe

Tax proceedings have begun against Swiss bank account holders, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha Friday. Responding to a query from BJP member Anurag Thakur during a discussion on the union budget, Jaitley said: "Tax proceedings have begun...". He said that "SIT (Special Investi