Poll panel steps in to allow launch of book on Rafale deal

A few hours after an election flying squad in Chennai served a letter banning the release of a book on the Rafale fighter aircraft scam, the publishing house managed to launch the book by obtaining the nod from the Election Commission of India.

U.S. State Department approves sale of 24 MH-60R choppers to India worth $2.6 bn

The U.S Department of State has approved the sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to India under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The value of the potential is $2.6 billion, as per a statement released on Tuesday by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the body that administers the FMS program. The principal contractor for the deal will be Lockheed Martin.

A ‘contaminated’ alliance: Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) leaders mahamilavati (contaminated), “who are asking for proof of our brave sons’ attack on terrorists in their own turf.” He addressed two meetings in Bihar during the day.

IPL 2019 | RR vs RCB: Rajasthan Royals get into the points mix, finally

Shreyas Gopal got it right with a stunning series of wrong ’uns. The Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner came up with a dream spell that helped his team post its first win after three straight defeats. For Royal Challengers Bangalore, which lost by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here, the nightmare continues. Virat Kohli’s men are the only ones without a win after four games.

Congress fields former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal from Chandigarh, Preneer Kaur from Patiala

The Congress on Tuesday fielded former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s wife and former Union Minister Preneet Kaur from Patiala for the upcoming parliamentary polls.

India space debris may have doubled after Mission Shakti

The amount of Indian space debris may have almost doubled in the aftermath of the Mission Shakti anti-satellite strike but this is still significantly less than the existing space debris generated by China, Russia and the United States.

News Analysis | Wealth and welfare: Congress plots a comeback

The manifesto of the Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha election is an attempt to revive a social contract the party had achieved with its 2004 aam aadmi — common man — slogan and later lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindutva plank.

This is an open election; there is no wave as such: Asaduddin Owaisi

If there is one thing that rankles, it is being branded as the BJP’s “B-Team”, says All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi,saying the party is contesting only three seats countrywide. Mr. Owaisi discussed his party’s prospects and the need for an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.

Pakistan airspace closure hits Afghan, Kazakh, Russian airlines

Thousands of passengers travelling this summer are likely to face longer flights and pay higher airfares due to the closure of Pakistan airspace, in place for more than a month now after the Balakot airstrike. Among the worst affected are airlines from West and Central Asia as their proximity to India and Pakistan means that they have to now take a much longer route to comply with the ban.

Super Kings has the edge over Mumbai Indians

As the yellow army and the blue brigade trained on either side of the Wankhede Stadium here ahead of their Wednesday’s clash, while CSK could well be thinking “we cannot do anything wrong”, the Mumbai Indians camp may well have started mulling over whether “what more can we do wrong?”