VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html NHL Trade Rumors: Canucks urged to raid Maple Leafs for the $46. 5M winger who could change everything File photo: PM Modi with New Zealand PM Luxon (Picture credit: PTI) India and New Zealand upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership as they signed defence agreements to boost maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, facilitate reciprocal logistics support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force and strengthen hydrographic collaboration.The 18 agreements and announcements that followed PM Narendra Modi’s summit meeting with his counterpart Christopher Luxon included the establishment of a joint working group to combat terrorism and a joint action plan for collaboration in high-performance sports to expand ties beyond cricket. Modi described the two countries as “natural partners” that are “made for each other”.The leaders called for doubling of bilateral trade in the next five years to Rs 35,000 crore on the back of the newly signed FTA, with Modi welcoming New Zealand’s commitment to invest $20 billion in India over the next 15 years – a key takeaway from the trade agreement.Luxon later said the FTA included a “commitment to promote” private investment. “We’ve been through this before – it’s very clearly understood on both sides – it’s a commitment to promote investment into India from New Zealand and vice versa,” said Luxon.PM Modi, Luxon agree to work towards early, effective implementation of free trade pactAccording to PM Modi, this wasn’t just a commitment to investment, but a commitment to becoming a partner in India’s developmental journey. Modi and his counterpart Luxon agreed to work towards early and effective implementation of the FTA.The strategic partnership — which is expected to enhance cooperation in trade, defence, maritime security, tourism, culture, sports and multilateral issues — came coupled with a Roadmap to 2030 to guide structured implementation of the agenda across ministries and stakeholders in the next four years.“India and NZ’s firm belief in democratic values provides us with a natural comfort to move forward together. We have taken the historic decision to elevate India-NZ relations to the level of a strategic partnership. Under this, we will move forward with clear goals and concrete outcomes in every field,” said Modi, adding the FTA will open new doors for industries, farmers, and youth as the two countries also prepare a blueprint for trust, technology, and talent.PM Modi said cooperation between India and New Zealand is vital for peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific and the growing defence and security ties reflected a deep strategic trust.“Today, we have formed a Joint Working Group to move forward shoulder to shoulder on the issue of terrorism,” said Modi, as Luxon joined him in strongly condemning cross-border terrorism, the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the Red Fort “terror incident” in a joint statement. New Zealand backed India’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. The working group on terrorism is expected to facilitate exchange of information also about Khalistan separatists active on foreign soil.Amid concerns in India over the delay in processing of student visas, the leaders recognised education in the joint statement as a “central pillar” of the relationship, underpinning people-to-people links, skills development, research collaboration and long-term economic partnership. Modi said New Zealand has been an important destination for Indian students and invited local universities to open campuses in India.On high rate of rejection of visas for Indians, MEA secretary (east) Rudrendra Tandon said visa is a sovereign issue but added it’s a “loss of opportunity for the speed at which we can build up a relation”.On regional and global issues, according to the joint statement, the leaders expressed concern over renewed escalation of tensions in West Asia and called upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and ensure protection of civilians. They called for full restoration of freedom of navigation and the global flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, while opposing any constraints on shipping.As they underlined the need for an effective multilateral system and bold UN reforms, NZ reaffirmed support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UNSC. New Zealand also reiterated support for India’s NSG membership bid.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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In one corner, 29-year-old Akash Dhar welcomes customers with a smile. His eyes remain open though he cannot see.Two weeks ago, Dhar – whose Kashmiri Pandit family had migrated from J&K as violence peaked in the 1990s – tentatively opened ‘Taste and Treats’ restaurant.However, he was hardly ready for the response he would receive from the local community. “It has been incredible,” he beamed.”My landlord, Bashir Ahmad Beigh, won’t take any rent from me and customers are trooping in,” he told TOI.Starting a business back in Kupwara “felt like a natural step”, said Dhar, who had made several attempts to qualify for the civil services but couldn’t.‘We want eatery to do well and hope this will encourage other Kashmiri migrants to return’After all, his mother Chandra Dhar is from Handwara, about 4km from Langate, and his father Ashish Dhar is a “Langate native”.The family left for Jammu three decades ago where Dhar was born in a migrant colony.Dhar’s vision began deteriorating when he was a child. His parents took him to Delhi, where doctors diagnosed him with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative genetic eye disease that typically begins with night blindness, eventually leading to total blindness.His younger sister has the same condition. Both, however, pursued higher education. Akash graduated from University of Jammu and completed professional computer courses in Delhi. His sibling is studying music. An accomplished cricketer, Dhar represented the J&K blind cricket team in 2022.“It seems like this (the restaurant) is what I had always been waiting for,” Dhar said, as one of his employees, 22-year-old Yasir Aamir, nodded approvingly. “A neighbour told me about this restaurant,” Aamir said. “I applied for the job and got it. I am happy, so is my family.”The restaurant’s manager, Irfan Ahmad Lone, is upbeat. “We are getting customers from different areas,” Lone said. “Yesterday we had guests from Ganderbal. There were Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. Some came from Srinagar too.”Latief Ahmad Ganai (30), president of the local market association, thinks so too. “We all want Taste and Treats to do well,” Ganai said.“We hope this will encourage other Kashmiri migrants to return.”Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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As they wanted the sacred relics open to the viewing of devotees, his government on the advice of experts turned them over to Patna Sahib Gurdwara, which is at the site of the guru’s birthplace, he said, adding that he was present during the ceremony.PM Modi’s 12 years in office have been marked by his repeated outreach to Sikhs to deepen BJP’s acceptance among the community, which is in a majority in Punjab and has been traditionally lukewarm to the party’s unabashed championing of Hindutva. With assembly polls approaching in Punjab where BJP’s vote share has increased on back of local satraps joining party over last few years, BJP is looking to win over a section of Sikhs to emerge as a strong force.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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lifestyle changes, pollution and delayed diagnosis are fueling the riseAnkur Warikoo’s viral post on love after 20 years of marriage is striking a chord online10 foods that originated in India but became famous around the worldAlia Bhatt elevates a classic silk saree with modern draping at Akansha Ranjan Kapoor’s wedding festivitiesStylish Shubman Gill joins Anjali Sachin Tendulkar at Wimbledon 2026; fans ask, ‘Where is Sara?’World’s 10 most populous cities in 2026 every traveller should know123Hot PicksTravis Kelce and Taylor SwiftBlake LivelyAlex OvechkinJayden Adams DeathAlex PereiraJayden Adams Net WorthNico HischierStrait of HormuzSimone BilesTop TrendingWilliam NylanderVietnam Boat AccidentTelangana Techie Wife MurderFIFA World Cup 2026Chhattisgarh Student MurderTS EAMCET Phase 1 seat allotmentRamesh MhatreDelhi NCR rainGurgaon EncounterIran war ‘Mixed poison in soft drink’: UP man kills son, dies by suicide over wife’s extended stay at parents’ home Quote of the day by Jill Biden: “Good marriages push us — not to become someone else but to become the best version of ourselves” EC sources stated that SIR is a constitutional exercise in accordance with the electoral laws of India (File photo) NEW DELHI: Three United Nations rapporteurs have flagged concerns regarding the special intensive revision (SIR) process completed in 13 states/UTs and ongoing in others, alleging shortcomings like “opaque AI-driven systems, weak ground for deletion of names, inadequate time given to electors for documentation and objections and the exclusion of minorities”.The allegations on Saturday drew a fierce rebuttal from Election Commission officials, who dismissed the charges as “unfounded” and “unwarranted”.A letter written to the government of India, reportedly on May 1, 2026, by the special UN rapporteur on minority issues, special rapporteur on promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, had claimed that the SIR process did not give electors a fair window to get their documents in order to prove their eligibility to be in the electoral roll and that the SIR process had led to a notable exclusion of minorities.It even referred to the “political narrative” ahead of the SIR rollout, recalling how some senior ministers had linked deletion of electors’ names to targeting the “illegal Bangladesh immigrants”.EC sources termed the allegations as “baseless”, asserting that the entire SIR process was transparent and executed by state/UT government employees under the watch of political parties.SIR a transparent process, endorsed by Supreme Court: Poll panelOn the UN rapporteurs concern over what they called: “The large-scale removal of millions of names… particularly affecting members of minority groups”, EC said that ample opportunity was given to electors to challenge the exclusions and that the final voter list did not point to any bias towards minorities. “This is why SC upheld both the intent and process of SIR,” an EC functionary told TOI.Stating that SIR is a constitutional exercise in accordance with the electoral laws of India, EC sources told TOI that the exercise is being conducted across the country by 12 lakh booth-level officers, 4,123 electoral registration officers, nearly 800 district election officers and 36 chief electoral officers.“All these officers executing SIR on the ground are state govt employees, who are on deputation to EC in line with Section 13 of the RP Act,” said an EC official.The official cited Article 326 of the Constitution — which requires an elector to be at least 18 years of age, a citizen of India and not legally disqualified — to underline that SIR ensures that every citizen who meets these criteria is included, while the “absent, shifted, dead, duplicate and foreigners” are weeded out.The UN report mentions SIR in Bengal, particularly its impact on Nandigram. “Muslim voters were reportedly disproportionately impacted… In Nandigram, allegedly 95% of the deleted voters were Muslims, even though Muslims only make up 25% of the constituency’s electorate,” notes the report. It called the ‘targeted deletions’ “serious violations of multiple human rights obligations”.Highlighting that political parties are an integral part of SIR, EC said while field verification of electors is done by BLOs, the voter list in concurrently audited by booth-level agents appointed by six national parties and 67 state-level parties. The decision regarding registration of voters and deletion of ineligible persons is taken by the ERO.“SIR is based on actual field verification of electors, checking of data and verification of documents by electoral staff. No artificial intelligence is used at any stage,” an EC official said, rejecting claims of UN rapporteur regarding the use of AI-driven systems in SIR.The official said after the publication of electoral roll for every booth and assembly constituency, objections can still be raised by anyone against any wrong entry and claims filed for inclusion of eligible electors as part of continuous updation.An EC functionary said the enthusiastic and full-scale participation of nearly 95 crore electors as well as all political parties in “the transparent SIR process” and its endorsement by Supreme Court, is the biggest validation of the exercise.The six assembly polls not only clocked record high voter turnouts since Independence, but the actual number of votes polled too were the highest since Independence.Bengal had recorded 93.7% polling, Puducherry 91.2%, Assam 86.3%, Tamil Nadu 86% and Kerala 79.5% in the April-May polls. Before that, Bihar assembly polls too saw a record 67.3% turnout.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorBharti JainBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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But a part of this problem has effectively been cured through a parallel judicial proceeding through which I have been able to impress upon the Union govt to establish exclusive special courts for conducting trials in UAPA, PMLA and NDPS cases.””A beginning has been made. Now that govt has agreed and started establishing special courts exclusively for UAPA, PMLA and NDPS cases, if we are able to conclude trials within one year or expeditiously, this entire controversy will come to an end. Coming years would yield the desired result of fast-tracking the trials. This will address the grievances of accused,” he said.Bringing credibility to tribunals is the other challenge, says CJIAsked about the challenges he faced as head of judiciary, CJI Kant said, “I consider that dealing with pendency of cases is the ultimate challenge.” This comes on a day when the total pendency in trial courts crossed five crore mark and stood at 5.05 crore cases Saturday, of which 1.1 crore were civil and 3.9 core were criminal cases.“The second challenge, to my mind, is to dismantle the distance between common man and Supreme Court. The bar has to play a proactive role along with the bench. They need to discharge this responsibility through leadership roles to reach out to people,” CJI Kant said.The Supreme Court’s image is normally intimidating to a common man because of his apprehension that his case may remain pending without being heard or he may not get adequate legal assistance or afford a lawyer. These negative feelings about Supreme Court must be eliminated, he said. During the last one year there has been a remarkable qualitative change in the free legal assistance given to poor litigants with empanelment of competent lawyers in the legal aid services.Expressing disappointment over the functioning, working and image of quasi-judicial bodies like National Green Tribunal, National Company Law Tribunal, NCLAT, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and Central Administrative Tribunals, the CJI said that the other challenge is how to bring and maintain credibility of tribunals, which have been established as an alternative forum to judiciary.“People are building an image of the judiciary after seeing what is happening in these tribunals, which are manned by retired Supreme Court or HC judges. But the problem is that because of the revised service conditions, not many retired judges are willing to take up the assignments of heading tribunals. I’m requesting the retired judges with impeccable track record to head the tribunals as a service to the society and the country,” the CJI said.“It is a assignment that would help former judges to continue repaying the society and help reinforce the faith and trust of people in quasi-judicial bodies, which play a very important role in adjudicating disputes relating to crucial sectors — economy, environment and electricity, public perception of quasi-judicial bodies is reflective of the perception about judiciary and vice versa” CJI Kant said.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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Not economic privilege, but the ultimate privilege of having two parents in the home’ Representative image NEW DELHI: The personnel department (DoPT) on Friday afternoon cancelled a food ministry order to suspend an executive director of Food Corporation of India (FCI), treating it as “non-est” — which means legally non-existent from the beginning.Officials said such an order is a rare instance. ED in FCI is equivalent to a joint secretary level officer at Centre.The DoPT order that came just four days after the food ministry suspended the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) officer said “placing Ashutosh Joshi under suspension is treated as non-est”. DoPT ordered his immediate repatriation to the parent cadre.TOI has learnt that the food ministry had gone ahead with disciplinary proceedings following a “neutral committee” probe that found alleged irregularities, including diversion, in the sale of rice to North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) under the Open Market Sale Scheme (domestic) by FCI’s Delhi region.The DoPT order mentioned that the Controlled and Auditor General of India, on Thursday, had requested the DoPT for repatriation of the officer to parent cadre.There was no response from the food ministry to repeated query on why its suspension order was treated null and void.Officials said that while four other executives of FCI have also been suspended based on the findings of the “neutral committee”, it remains to be seen what happens to their fate after the recent development.Meanwhile, on July 6 itself, the food ministry set up a “review and restructuring” of the organisational framework in FCI to “improve administrative efficiency, eliminate ambiguity in decision making and fixing responsibility in future”.The four-member committee has been asked to submit its recommendations in six weeks. It has been tasked to review the functional responsibility of the ED level and other intermediary officers.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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She was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a dupatta Friday.Police said the exact cause of death was yet to be officially established. Her body was sent to the mortuary for postmortem.Vanita Rani’s alleged suicide death comes days after another woman constable, 23-year-old Bishnu Priya Roy from Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, died by suicide in her official residence in Jammu’s Paloura on June 29.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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Linda Noskova becomes third Czech woman in last four years to win Wimbledon | Tennis News Kranti Gaud’s six-for, Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten fifty leave India in complete control on day 2 at Lord’s MIT developed a tiny origami robot that folds itself and it could one day work inside the human body Watch: Gang uses Thar to uproot ATM, escapes with cash in Odisha Rajinikanth, CM Vijay, Kamal Haasan and others pour tributes as legendary singer S Janaki passes away at 88: ‘Irreplaceable loss to the Indian music world’ Quote of the day by German physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss: “When a philosopher says something that is true then it is trivial. When he says something that is not trivial then it is false” – a simple explanation of why truth is often simpler than it seems ‘Be your own hero’: Sonam Wangchuk rejects ‘modern Gandhi’ tag amid hunger strike | India News Microsoft defends Asha Sharma, says she is an American CEO and Xbox layoff had nothing to do with H-1B Arvind Kejriwal NEW DELHI: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday visited a petrol pump and service station in Delhi to interact with vehicle owners over their experience with E20-blended petrol, claiming that several consumers complained of reduced mileage and vehicle performance. During the visit, Kejriwal spoke to people who had come for refuelling as well as those who had brought their vehicles for servicing. He said the interaction helped him understand the concerns being raised by some vehicle owners regarding the use of ethanol-blended fuel. In a post on X after the visit, Kejriwal said, “Today, I went to a petrol pump and a service station in Delhi to understand the ground reality. Many people told me that their vehicles’ mileage has reduced, and some also complained about mechanical issues.” The AAP leader said the government’s claims on E20 fuel are “white lies,” alleging that the ground reality differed. He said public concerns on issues affecting daily life should be heard and addressed. “We live in a democracy. The government should listen to people’s grievances and work towards resolving them,” Kejriwal said. The AAP leader also referred to the criticism faced by people who have raised concerns over E20-blended petrol, saying that those expressing their views on the issue should not be labelled or dismissed. “Those raising concerns about E20 petrol are citizens who are sharing their experiences. Their concerns should be heard,” he said. Kejriwal said his visit was aimed at understanding the experiences of ordinary consumers and bringing their feedback into public discussion. He added that decisions affecting people should take into account their feedback and concerns. Last week, the government issued a detailed rebuttal to what it described as misinformation circulating on social media about the country’s E20 ethanol blending programme, rejecting claims ranging from engine damage to insurance invalidation and environmental harm.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBig Setback To Mamata Banerjee As Loyalist Anubrata Mandal Joins Ritabrata-Led Rebel CampOperation Lotus In Kashmir? 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