JAMMU: A bitter dispute over identity and regional recognition rocked J&K assembly for a second straight day after opposition leader Sunil Sharma of BJP dismissed the existence of the “Pir Panjal region” — triggering protests, walkouts and demands for an apology from lawmakers.CM Omar Abdullah said Thursday that Sharma’s remarks had “angered an entire region” and said it did not suit any politician to deride a region by questioning its name. Sharma had yet to apologise, he said.The row comes weeks after PDP president Mehbooba Mufti pitched for a separate administrative division comprising Rajouri and Poonch in Pir Panjal along with Chenab valley districts, citing remoteness, hilly terrain and lack of infrastructure — a demand BJP opposed.The region refers to the mountainous belt along the Pir Panjal range south of Kashmir valley and close to the LoC. Chenab valley includes Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban — rugged districts carved by the Chenab river. Both often complain they are sidelined between Jammu division and Kashmir valley in development, representation and administrative focus.The controversy began Tuesday when Sharma, who represents Padder-Nagseni in Kishtwar district, responded to a question on whether a proposed National Law University could be set up in Pir Panjal. He said there was no such region and that he had never heard the name “in any dictionary”. He later alleged the term was part of a political conspiracy by regional parties, echoing what he called the idea of a “Greater Kashmir”, which BJP would not allow.Sharma’s comments provoked protests from legislators from Rajouri and Poonch, including deputy CM Surinder Choudhary and forest minister Javed Rana, both from the area. They demanded an apology. Sharma refused.Independent legislator Muzaffar Iqbal Khan of Thanamandi in Rajouri district said Sharma’s statement has hurt public sentiment. “This is not just an insult to Pir Panjal but also to Chenab valley — Kishtwar and Doda,” he said. “We are border-area people. We have made sacrifices even during Operation Sindoor. In Poonch city alone, 16 people were killed. Those sacrifices have been insulted.”The protests resumed Thursday as lawmakers accused Sharma of reflecting “hatred” towards Pir Panjal and Chenab valley. Omar said criticism of a region by questioning its identity was unacceptable in a diverse Union territory.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took a sharp dig at the Congress and the Gandhi family during his speech in the Rajya Sabha, accusing them of being “habitual thieves” and alleging that they had even “stolen” Mahatma Gandhi’s surname.“For some people, stealing is a family profession. What’s shocking is that those habitual thieves have also stolen surname of a Gujarati, Mahatma Gandhi,” PM Modi said amid sloganeering and a walkout by the opposition members.

Further taking a “start up” dig at the Congress party, and and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the prime minister alleged that the party never encouraged a startup culture and mocked its leadership.“Congress never promoted startup culture… They cannot even lift the startup of their own house,” PM Modi said.He also targeted Rahul over his remarks made in the House a day earlier, referring to him as the Congress “Yuvraj”. “What happened yesterday, the ‘Yuvraj’ of Congress who has ‘shaatir dimag’, called an MP of this House ‘traitor’. His arrogance is at its peak,” PM Modi said.Also read: ‘Congress hates Sikhs’: PM Modi slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘traitor’ remarkHe alleged that the comment was selectively directed at a Sikh MP. “He did not call anyone else who has left the Congress a traitor. But he called the MP a traitor, because he is a Sikh. This was an insult to the Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus. This was an expression of the hatred for Sikhs that is filled in the Congress,” the prime minister said.“He is a member of a family who sacrificed themselves for the country. Just because he changed his political ideology, he became a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor?” he added. Calling the episode “highly unfortunate”, the prime minister added, “Such people will sink Congress.”Also read: ‘I eat 2kg of gaalis daily’: In light moment during RS speech, PM Modi reveals ‘health secret’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised The Washington Post’s decision to lay off his son, foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor, describing it as a “perverse act of self-immolation”.Reacting on X, Tharoor wrote: “The bizarre thing about this so-called ‘business decision’ by The Washington Post is that @ishaantharoor’s column flourished on the Internet,” adding that Ishaan Tharoor had “500,000 (half a million plus!) individual subscribers” for his WorldView newsletter. He said he had met foreign ministers, diplomats and scholars around the world who read the newsletter daily, and argued that the newspaper could have tried monetising that reach instead of abolishing it.

Ishaan Tharoor was among those laid off as part of a major restructuring at The Washington Post that affected around 300 employees and significantly reduced the newspaper’s international coverage. Several international correspondents and editors also announced their exits on social media.In a post on X, Ishaan Tharoor said he had been laid off along with much of the international staff, adding that he was “heartbroken” for the newsroom and colleagues he had worked with over nearly 12 years. In a separate post, he called it “a bad day” and shared an image of an empty newsroom. He also wrote about launching WorldView in 2017 and thanked the newsletter’s roughly half-a-million subscribers.The Post is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Washington Post Guild, which represents staff, issued a statement urging continued investment in the newspaper’s journalism.The layoffs at The Washington Post are part of a wider restructuring that has seen the paper sharply scale back its global and national reporting operations. Around 300 employees were affected across departments, with the international desk among the hardest hit.As part of the overhaul, the Post has reduced its foreign bureaus and eliminated several international reporting roles, effectively shrinking its on-the-ground presence in regions including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Multiple senior correspondents and editors confirmed their exits publicly, some noting that entire regional teams had been disbanded.The restructuring has also led to the winding down or closure of several editorial initiatives, including podcasts and specialist sections, as management seeks to cut costs and refocus resources amid sustained financial pressure on US legacy newsrooms.The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has faced declining digital subscriptions and advertising revenue in recent years, prompting repeated rounds of cost-cutting. The newspaper’s union has warned that continued reductions to reporting staff risk undermining its journalistic mission, particularly its ability to cover international affairs comprehensively.The current round of layoffs marks one of the most significant contractions of the Post’s global reporting footprint in its modern history, signalling a strategic retreat from expansive international coverage at a time of heightened geopolitical instability.

Manmohan Singh in Lok Sabha (From a 2005 clip shared by Jairam Ramesh)

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing row over Rahul Gandhi stopped from speaking in Lok Sabha and PM Modi‘s speech being cancelled, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared old videos of Manmohan Singh refering to when the then-Prime Minister “was prevented from replying to the Motion of Thanks on June 10, 2004”.He claimed BJP had blocked then-PM Manmohan Singh from speaking on the President’s Address in 2004, in a series of posts on X, amid the current political deadlock ongoing in the Lok Sabha.Ramesh shared a video on social media platform X showing Singh’s 2005 speech. In that address, Singh had referenced being unable to speak the previous year. Quoting Singh’s words from 2005, Ramesh recalled the former PM saying: “Mr. Speaker, Sir, I deem it a great privilege to be standing here today to express the gratitude of our Government to the respected Rashtrapatiji for his address to members of both Houses of Parliament.“The current parliamentary standoff escalated dramatically on Wednesday. Women opposition MPs rushed towards the Prime Minister’s seat carrying protest banners. They were demonstrating against a US trade deal and former Army chief Naravane’s unpublished book. PM Modi wasn’t present when this happened. The disruption occurred around 5 PM, just when PM Modi was expected to reply to the Motion of Thanks discussion. BJP member P P Chaudhary was speaking when opposition members entered the Well of the House. Despite Chair Sandhya Rai’s attempts to maintain order. Ultimately, the chaos led to adjournment of Lok Sabha and cancellation of PM Modi’s address on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.The row initially started on Monday when Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote excerpts from an unpublished book during a Parliament session. Gandhi sought to raise the issue of the India-China confrontation in August 2020, but was repeatedly interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and later Home Minister Amit Shah, who objected to the use of what they described as an unverified source.General Manoj Mukund Naravane, who authored the book, was serving as Army Chief at the time of the Ladakh confrontation.The situation remains tense following Tuesday’s suspension of eight opposition MPs – seven from Congress and one from CPI(M) – for the rest of the Budget session. While PM Modi is now scheduled to speak in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, his Lok Sabha address stands cancelled with the Motion of Thanks passed in Lok Sabha.

NEW DELHI: Proceedings in Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day seconds after it assembled for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the debate on Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.The House went into chaos as soon as the proceedings began at 5pm. Congress MPs entered the well and aisles and raised slogans over the suspension of eight MPs during the ongoing Budget Session.

Several women MPs from the opposition blocked the seats in the treasury bench, including the seat of the Prime Minister. They also displayed a large banner which read “Do what is right.”Subsequently, BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was the acting speaker, adjourned the proceedings.‘PM Modi got scared’While walking out of the Parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed that PM Modi did not arrive at the House because “he got scared.”“He (PM Modi) got scared and that’s why he did not arrive at the house…Union Railway Minister and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey ran away like a bullet train.” Priyanka said.Also Read: Rahul Gandhi ‘traitor’ remark against Bittu snowballs into huge controversy, protests – top developmentsRahul Gandhi also launched a broadside against the Prime Minister and said that he “doesn’t want to face the truth,” “As I said, PM Modi won’t come to Parliament because he’s scared and doesn’t want to face the truth,” Rahul wrote in a social media post on X.Earlier in the day, Gandhi said he would present Prime Minister Modi with General Naravane’s book, claiming it reveals how political leadership left the Army to act alone during the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.In another post on X, he said the book was written by India’s former Army Chief and not by any opposition leader or foreign author.“Today, if the Prime Minister comes to Parliament, I will present him with a book. This book is not by any opposition leader. This book is not by any foreign author. This book is by the country’s former Army Chief, General Naravane, and the surprising thing is that, according to the Cabinet Ministers, this book does not even exist,” he wrote.‘Behaving like kids’Meanwhile, the ruling side slammed the opposition MPs for not letting the House to function. Union minister Giriraj Singh said, “This is unfortunate. This is the first time such a ruckus has been created during the President’s address. They are behaving like children. What do they think? Do they think this is the Nehru family’s kingdom, or the Congress party’s office, or Sonia Gandhi’s house?”Union minister Chirag Paswan also criticised the opposition MPs for their conduct in the Lok Sabha and said that the chaos in the Parliament prevented any meaningful discussion.“This is extremely unfortunate. The way the Opposition behaved during the President’s address prevented any meaningful discussion. Because of the Congress, even other Opposition parties were denied the opportunity to present their views. The President’s address is a platform to raise every issue. With elections due in several states, regional parties should have been allowed to speak,” Chirag said.“This is extremely unfortunate. The way the Opposition behaved during the President’s address prevented any meaningful discussion. Because of the Congress, even other Opposition parties were denied the opportunity to present their views. The President’s address is a platform to raise every issue. With elections due in several states, regional parties should have been allowed to speak,” he added.Also Read:Oppn, BJP MPs spar in Speaker office as Nishikant Dubey flashes ‘Bofors’ book in LS to target Gandhi familyThe Lok Sabha has witnessed repeated showdowns between the opposition and the ruling party after Rahul Gandhi, in his address, raked up India-China border skirmishes during August 2020..Rahul Gandhi, leading the Congress charge, raised the issue of Chinese aggression during Galwan stand-off while citing ‘uncomfortable facts’ from the memoirs of former Army Chief Naravane, where he is understood to have written about ‘political indecision’ about response mechanism to the then Chinese misadventures.This drew strong counter from Union ministers and also rejection from Speaker Birla, who rebuffed Rahul Gandhi’s repeated reference to Galwan, on grounds of violation of Parliamentary norms.On Tuesday, eight Congress MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Parliament session after ruckus erupted in the Parliament over Rahul Gandhi’s address.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre whether there was any possibility of it rethinking or relooking at the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, saying that “his medical condition is not that good”.The top court also asked the Centre to brief it on the government’s stand on the next date of hearing and directed the authorities to place before it the original file related to Wangchuk’s detention.The observation came a day after the Centre and the Union Territory administration of Ladakh told the top court that Sonam was detained for allegedly instigating people in a sensitive border area.Justifying the detention, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale that all procedural safeguards were followed while invoking the National Security Act (NSA).“This court is dealing with a person who is instigating people in a border area, adjacent to Pakistan and China, where regional sensitivity is involved,” Mehta said, adding that all provisions of the NSA had been “scrupulously complied with” and that Sonam was being treated fairly.The arguments remained inconclusive and will continue on the next date of hearing, PTI reported.Earlier, the Centre had claimed that Sonam attempted to instigate Gen Z and had referred to protests such as those seen in Nepal and Bangladesh, including mentions of “Arab Spring-like agitations.”The court was hearing a plea filed by Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, challenging his detention under the NSA.She has alleged that the detention is illegal, arbitrary and violative of his fundamental rights. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Angmo, argued that the police relied on “borrowed material” and selective videos to mislead the detaining authority.The plea further said it was wholly “preposterous” that Sonam was being targeted after more than three decades of work and recognition at the state, national and international levels for his contributions to grassroots education, innovation and environmental conservation in Ladakh and across India.Sonam, who is lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail, was detained on September 26 last year, two days after violent protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh left four people dead and 90 injured.The government has accused him of inciting the violence, a charge Angmo has denied, stating that Sonam had himself condemned the violence and said it would lead to the failure of Ladakh’s peaceful movement.

NEW DELHI: An eyewitness in the Ghaziabad case said that one of the three minor sisters appeared to have jumped deliberately, while the other two fell while trying to stop her.Arun Kumar, a resident of Bharat City Society, said he noticed something amiss around 2.00am when he saw the girls sitting on a glass balcony in the dark.

“It looked quite abnormal,” he said. “It was around 2 am, and if there’s no light on, it’s a bit suspicious and if someone is sitting on the balcony it’s even more suspicious.”Moments later, the tragedy unfolded.“I saw all three of them jumping from the front. Before I could even understand what was happening or call out, the whole incident was over,” Kumar said.He added that while one of the sisters seemed intent on jumping, the others appeared to be trying to pull her back.“They were repeatedly trying to fall from the back, and the other person was trying to catch them,” he said. “The planning was of one – that’s what it looked like to me. From what I saw, one of them planned to jump, and the others fell while trying to save her.”After the fall, Kumar said he rushed downstairs and alerted emergency services.“I just came downstairs, called my wife, called the police, called the ambulance, and immediately informed everyone.”The deceased were identified as Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12), residents of Tower B-1 under Tila Mod police limits.Assistant commissioner of police Atul Kumar Singh said police received information around 2.15am. “On reaching the spot, it was confirmed that the girls had died due to the fall. They were taken to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead,” he said.Singh added that a window in the room that had a temple was found open. The sisters allegedly used a chair placed near the window and jumped one by one.Police sources said the girls were reportedly addicted to a Korean task-based online gaming application and had begun addressing each other by Korean names. Their parents had repeatedly reprimanded them over excessive gaming and had recently barred them from using the app.Investigators said the sisters had quietly stepped out of their bedroom early Wednesday, moved to the temple room window and allegedly jumped into the darkness below.Parents also found a handwritten note pasted on a glass panel, titled “True Life Story” and bearing a sad emoji. Written in a Hindi-English mix, it read: “Is diari me jo kuch bhi likha hai wo sab padh lo kyunki ye sab sach hai. Read now!!! I’m really sorry. Sorry papa.”Police further revealed that all three sisters had not attended school since the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite being 16, the eldest was enrolled only in Class 4, indicating prolonged educational disruption.Residents rushed out after hearing the impact. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.Officials said they are analysing the handwritten note, the diary referred to in it and digital evidence linked to the gaming app. All aspects, including online activity, family circumstances and mental health, are being examined as part of the ongoing probe.(With inputs from agencies)

MUSSOORIE: Padma Shri award-winning travel writer Hugh Gantzer passed away at his Mussoorie home late Monday evening at the age of 95. Apart from one of India’s highest civilian honours, Hugh, along with his wife Colleen Gantzer (who passed away in 2024 at age 90), was recognised with six national awards, the National Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the All India Anglo-Indian Association, and two gold awards from Pacific Asia Travel Association.In 2017, the couple also received commendation from the Prime Minister’s Office for their pioneering contributions to travel writing.The couple began their career after being commissioned to write a book on Kerala for the India Tourism Development Corporation. Over the next five decades, the Gantzers produced 52 documentaries for Doordarshan, authored more than 30 books, and wrote travel columns for several leading English newspapers.“My father was a passionate man, defined by his love of writing and deep curiosity about the world. He lived with great pride in what he had built and gratitude for the blessings he had received. He and my mother were inseparable, spending their lives weaving together their love for one another with their zeal for travel. I can only hope they are together again now, at peace,” said Peter Gantzer, the author’s son.The burial will be held on Wednesday at Camel’s Back Cemetery in Mussoorie.Hugh Gantzer served in the Indian Navy as Commander and Judge Advocate of the Southern Naval Command. Since 1990, he had been a member of the monitoring committee constituted by the Supreme Court to track environmental issues in Doon Valley and Mussoorie.Gantzer, who was born and brought up in Mussoorie, hailed from an influential Danish family. His great-great-grandfather was an officer in the Danish court who came to India in the early 19th century. His father, Joseph Francis Gantzer, served as the director of survey in Bihar and Orissa under the British govt and, after retirement, chose to settle in Mussoorie.In 1941, Joseph was elected chairman of Mussoorie Municipal Council (MMC) and later served as its administrator.As news of Hugh’s death spread, residents gathered to bid a tearful farewell to a writer who had chronicled India with rare warmth and wit.