Beyond Mussoorie and Rishikesh: Uttarakhand’s new wedding frontier

As per a UN Motorcycle Helmet Study, motorcyclists are 26 times more likely to die in road crashes than drivers of cars and wearing an appropriate helmet “improves their chances of survival by 42% and helps avoid 69% of injuries to riders.” Similarly, as per World Health Organisation, seat-belts are approximately 50% effective in preventing fatalities in crashes in which motorists would otherwise die.

Cities must prioritize people and their needs, according to Housing Minister Manohar Lal, as BRICS nations adopted a declaration for inclusive urban development. The 'Cities for People' forum stressed equitable access to housing and services, with India facing significant future urbanization. Strengthening local governments and embracing digital solutions were also key takeaways for creating sustainable, liveable urban centers.

Indian stock markets soared as US-Iran peace hopes ignited global optimism, with Sensex and Nifty surging significantly. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee faces an FIR for an alleged provocative speech. Talks for a US-Iran deal are intensifying, with Geneva reportedly a potential signing venue. The nation also marked the anniversary of the Air India AI-171 crash, and cricket legend Kane Williamson retired.

One year after the Air India Flight AI-171 crash, the AAIB issued an interim statement, expressing condolences and assuring a comprehensive investigation focused on safety enhancements, not blame. The probe has made significant progress in analyzing technical, operational, and human factors. The Civil Aviation Minister reiterated commitment to a thorough and objective determination of the accident's causes.

Jaishankar criticized Western nations' double standards on sanctions, particularly regarding India's purchase of Russian oil. He highlighted that the US itself encouraged India to buy Russian crude to stabilize global markets, emphasizing India's decisions are driven by affordability and availability, not geopolitics. Jaishankar pointed out the inconsistent application of sanctions, urging a pragmatic approach.

Speaking at the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) among the Centre, govt of Assam and govt of Nagaland for oil and mineral exploration along the Assam-Nagaland border, Shah said that in PM Narendra Modi’s efforts to establish lasting peace and push development in the north-east, a dozen peace pacts had been signed since 2019, with violent incidents down 80% and the total area under AFSPA shrinking by 80%.

According to the model proposed, Kerala and Tamil Nadu will account for 22 of the 59 proposed two-way splits. In cases of three-way splits, the lion’s share will be in UP (17), followed by Maharashtra (12), Bihar (10), and Bengal (10). As a result, the number of seats in southern states is expected to rise — in Telangana from 17 to 26, Andhra from 25 to 38, Karnataka from 28 to 42, TN from 39 to 59, and Kerala from 20 to 30.

The letter, which has been submitted by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in her capacity as “chief whip”, has given Bengal assembly Speaker’s recognition of Ritabrata Banerjee-led TMC rebels, who are also over two-third of the party MLAs, as an example, sources confirmed on a day when the party suffered another setback as its RS member Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from it and the Upper House, making him the third to do so since Monday.

Senior advocate AM Singhvi sought urgent hearing and stay of declaration of results at least for 24 hours, saying this would facilitate effective hearing before the court to adjudicate validity of the returning officer’s decision to reject Natarajan’s candidature. The plea for urgent mentioning was opposed by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who said the only option open for Natarajan is to file an election petition after the declaration of results on Thursday.

​​Sources in ED said that this goes against their understanding that when an investigation is under way in a PMLA case, a court cannot quash a related predicate offence till the probe is concluded. They also said that the HC judge has either completely overlooked or not fully addressed ED’s crucial contentions despite having kept the judgment reserved for five months. At the stage of determining the merit of the FIR, the court just needed to verify if the allegations made in th