Sharada Kukreja, a Pakistani woman living in Odisha for 35 years after marrying an Indian citizen, has been served a notice to leave the country. She has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi to stop her deportation, citing her long-standing ties to India and family here. Sharada fled Pakistan to escape forced conversion and marriage, and despite having an Aadhaar card and participating in elections, she has not been granted Indian citizenship. The Odisha government has identified 12 Pakistani nationals residing in the state and asked them to leave by April 27. Another Pakistani woman in Bhubaneswar also received a country exit permit on Saturday.
The Inlaks-Ravi Sankaran Internship for field biology, ecology and conservation is inviting applications from young applicants with bold and unconventional ideas for tackling conservation problems.
Ahmedabad civic authorities launched a massive demolition drive on Tuesday, razing over 2,000 illegally constructed houses and properties in the Chandola Lake area. The operation, which involved around 50 teams equipped with earthmovers and 2,000 police personnel, was carried out days after illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were detained from these settlements. The Gujarat High Court declined to stay the action, observing that the dwellings were situated on the periphery of the water body and therefore subject to demolition under the Land Revenue Code. Authorities also demolished the illegal farmhouse of Lalu Pathan, alleged mastermind behind the encroachments, who is suspected to have helped illegal immigrants obtain rental accommodation and Aadhaar cards.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the 2008 Mumbai terror attack marked a turning point in relations with Pakistan when Indians collectively felt that such behaviour from a neighbouring country could no longer be tolerated. Speaking at Charotar University of Science and Technology, Jaishankar acknowledged India's transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last decade, while Pakistan has remained unchanged, continuing with what he termed as its "bad habits."
Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case, has claimed that attempts were made to poison him inside Tihar Jail. A Delhi court has sought a response from the prison authorities on his plea. The court has also directed that James be taken to AIIMS on April 7 for a check-up. James was extradited from Dubai in 2018 and has been in custody since then. He has been granted bail in the ED and CBI cases against him but has refused to accept bail citing security concerns. He has also alleged that he was subjected to an incident at AIIMS, the details of which he is willing to share with the court in private. The court has ordered James to furnish a personal bond and surety of Rs 10 lakh in both cases and surrender his passport. The CBI chargesheet claims an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer due to the deal for the supply of VVIP choppers. The ED chargesheet filed against James alleged he received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.
A Haryana man who paid Rs 35 lakh to agents to facilitate his journey to the USA via the 'dunki' route was deported back to India after being apprehended in the US. The man, Pankaj Rawat, has filed a complaint with the Gujarat police accusing the agents of human trafficking and cheating.
The exit deadline for Pakistani nationals visiting India on SAARC visas ended on April 26, while for the rest, except those on medical visas, it is set to close on Sunday, April 27 amid escalating tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Mahmood has played two Tests, 9 ODIs and 18 T20s for England.
YouTubers Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber on Monday to record their statements in connection with the India's Got Talent case. Maharashtra Cyber is probing an obscenity case registered against Allahbadia and others over alleged obscene remarks during the show on YouTube.
Tata Consultancy Services on Friday said it has been selected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the second phase of the Passport Seva Program. In the next phase of the programme, TCS will refresh existing facilities and systems, and develop innovative solutions to enable the issuance of e-passports and further enhance the citizen experience, using technologies, such as biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, chatbots, auto-response, natural language processing, and the cloud, a statement said. Launched in 2008, the Passport Seva Program saw TCS transforming the delivery of passport-related services, digitising the processes, and setting global benchmarks in timeliness, transparency, and reliability.
A senior official serving in the ministry of external affairs was robbed of his official laptop, passport and other valuables after unidentified men broke his car's window pane when he tried to help a person lying unconscious on the Aurobindo Marg in south Delhi, the police said on Tuesday.
Arjun Erigaisi breathed a sigh of relief after receiving his US visa to compete in the upcoming World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York
Erigaisi also requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to help him get the visa.
The government has to specify what it intends to do with caste census data. It will be closely tracked if the government would simultaneously move towards removing the present 50% bar on reservations using means which are permitted in law. If this is not done, the entire exercise will become meaningless and could boomerang on the BJP, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The passengers alleged biasness against those holding Indian, Pakistani and other Southeast Asian nation passports.
Whether it's navigating the labyrinthine Cu Chi Tunnels, boating on the Mekong, marveling at ancient Champa temples, or the Mekong Bay, Vietnam promises a journey like no other.
Ryan Peake, a former member of an outlawed motorcycle gang who served five years in jail for assault, hit a five-under-par 66 to win the 104th edition of the New Zealand Open by a shot in Queenstown on Sunday.
Sri Lankans queued up to apply for fresh passports outside the department of immigration and emigration office in Colombo.
A pregnant Sri Lankan woman, who had been in a queue for two days to obtain a passport to leave the crisis-hit country for employment overseas, went into labour while waiting for her turn on Thursday and delivered a baby girl.
The Delhi high court granted bail to alleged middleman Christian Michel James in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case on Tuesday. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, while granting the reprieve to James, said it was an "exceptional situation" where the accused was in custody for over 6.2 years but the trial had not yet commenced due to incomplete investigation. James, who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018, can now walk out of prison subject to compliance with the conditions.
To begin with, the consulate in Bengaluru will not offer visa services.
Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been issued a passport to return to his home country from the UK where he was seeking treatment, a media report said on Monday.
'When I went out to bat, it was nearing the end of play. The West Indies players honoured me, and the crowd gave me a warm reception. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I had to stay focused.'
The high court said disclosing such information will not only compromise the functioning of the Special Branch of the Delhi police, but could also jeopardise ongoing and future investigations, adding that it falls within the scope of 'exempted information' under the RTI Act.
Josh Inglis smashed a maiden ODI century (120 not out) to lead Australia to a thrilling five-wicket victory over England in a high-scoring Champions Trophy match.
Bill Aitken came to India nearly 60 years ago. He never returned. An Indian citizen since 1972, he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how India changed his life forever.
'Parents are forced to provide their children to Russian re-education camps in occupied territories and in different parts of Russia, for example, in Chechnya, where Ukrainian children wearing military uniform are taught to use weapons.'
Sixty-seven Indians who were trafficked and forced to work in cyber-scam centres in Laos have been rescued by the Embassy of India in Vientiane, officials said on Monday.
Elkatohchoongo was the best Indian cyclist at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, reaching to the quarter-finals.
Why has a Reddit user's post -- where the user warns that 'even an IIM tag won't save you' -- created a storm online?
Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, the man arrested for stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan, slept soundly after the attack and changed his clothes before heading to Worli, a police official said. The accused, a Bangladeshi national, had entered Khan's home in Bandra with the intention of theft. The police have remanded the accused in five-day police custody.
In a letter to the People's Democratic Party president, the passport officer has informed Mehbooba that her application for an Indian passport has been rejected as the Criminal Investigation Department of the Union Territory had recommended against granting the document to her.
Several Indian immigrants, including 30 from Punjab, were deported from the US after being apprehended at the border. They had paid hefty sums to travel agents who promised them a better life in America, only to be met with illegal crossings and harsh detention conditions. Their dreams are now shattered, leaving them with heavy debts and a bleak future.
The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was an active-duty United States Army Green Berret, according to sources reported by CNN.
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. The court noted that they had been in jail since 2018 and the trial was yet to start. The court said the two had spent more than six years in jail as under-trial prisoners. The NIA, the prosecution agency, did not seek a stay to the HC order. Eight other activists have been granted bail in the case, which pertains to provocative speeches allegedly delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017.
The Delhi high court on Friday directed the Centre to place its stand on Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs to decide over Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into allegations of Pakistan links of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's British wife Elizabeth Colburn. Sarma alleged that Colburn had visited Pakistan after her marriage and that there are apprehensions of ISI infiltration into the Chief Minister's Office when Gogoi's father, the late Tarun Gogoi, was the chief minister. Sarma also shared screenshots of social media posts by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an advisor of the Pakistan Planning Commission and a former colleague of Colburn, claiming that the relationship between the Gogois and Sheikh appeared to be "deeply rooted." Sarma's allegations have been rejected by the Congress as "laughable and entertaining."
A mechanical engineer in Faridabad was held 'digitally' hostage for six days by cyber fraudsters who duped him of Rs 3.46 lakh. The fraudsters forced him to lock himself in a room and monitored his activities through his mobile camera. They convinced him that he was involved in a drug smuggling operation and threatened him with legal action. The victim eventually realized the scam when the fraudsters forgot to switch off their mics and started talking to each other. Police have registered an FIR and are investigating the matter.
The SC questioned the language used by Allahbadia during the show, saying society has some values.
The Allahabad high court has directed the Centre to place before it on December 19 the decision taken on a representation moved against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that claimed he concealed his British citizenship in contesting the parliamentary election from Raebareli seat this year.
