Koppal, May 15 (IANS) In a tragic incident, six persons, including a one-year-old baby, were killed, and two others are in critical condition after a truck collided with a tractor on National Highway 50 at the border of Koppal and Vijayapura districts on Friday. According to the police, the impact of the collision caused the tractor to fall off a bridge.Nine people sustained injuries in the accident.The deceased have been identified as 25-year-old Gowramma, 20-year-old Geetha, 18-year-old Mahant…

Bhubaneswar, May 15 (IANS) Amid long queues at petrol pumps across the state, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led double-engine governments at the Centre and in the state, alleging that the government has pushed common people to wait in long queues to refuel their vehicles.​ Addressing a press conference here, the regional party leaders alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “double-engine government”, known as a “…

Agartala, May 15 (IANS) Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Friday said the state is moving rapidly towards expanding solar energy and announced that all offices of the eight Zila Sabhadhipatis would be brought under solar power by the end of this month. The Minister made the announcement after chairing the 29th Governing Body Meeting of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency here on Friday.Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nath said that all eight Zila Sabhadhipatis are mem…

New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday held that amounts received by accident victims under medical insurance policies cannot be deducted from compensation awarded under the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA).A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi dismissed an appeal filed by New India Assurance Company Limited challenging a Bombay High Court ruling which had held that reimbursement of medical expenses received by a claimant through a Mediclaim policy cannot be deducted while…

Mumbai, May 15 (IANS) The Maharashtra government announced a significant reduction in the Value Added Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel, effective from May 15 and applicable until November 14, 2026. The state Finance Department issued a notification lowering the tax rate to 7 per cent, down from the previous 18 per cent.This 11-percentage-point cut is intended to provide temporary relief to airlines and help stabilise surging airfares during the peak summer travel season.Finance Department sources sa…

Hyderabad, May 15 (IANS) A fire broke out in an empty train coach of Hyderabad-Jaipur Special Train stationed at Nampally Railway Station here on Friday. However, there were no casualties. The fire broke out in an airconditioned coach and spread to the adjoining coach.The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m., ahead of the train’s scheduled departure at 7:50 a.m.Railway staff noticed smoke emanating from the coach and alerted fire services department.Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection…

Ahmedabad, May 15 (IANS) Ahmedabad Civil Hospital has reported a total of 1,032 organs and tissues donated through its organ donation programme over the past six years, officials said on Friday, as it continues to be recognised as a leading centre for cadaveric organ donation in India. In the latest case, a 29-year-old man from Mehsana district, identified as Dharmendra Darbar, who worked as a driver, was declared brain dead at the hospital on May 14 after sustaining severe injuries in a road ac…

Jerusalem, May 15 (IANS) Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir and other senior officers secretly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the recent war with Iran, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News reported on Friday.The channel said that during his visit, Zamir met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and senior security officials.The channel did not specify the exact date of the visit during the war, which broke out on February 28 and lasted until a ceasefire on April 8, Xinh…

Mogadishu, May 15 (IANS) The Somali National Army (SNA) killed 50 al-Shabaab fighters and wounded others during a coordinated military operation on the outskirts of Baidoa in Southwest State, authorities said on Friday.The Ministry of Defence said the forces destroyed multiple technical battle vehicles, weapons caches, and operational equipment used by the militant group during the assault on Thursday.The ministry also accused armed militia loyal to the former Southwest State leader Abdiaziz Has…

Washington, May 15 (IANS) The West Asia conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has destabilised the security architecture in the region with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences. For years, the Gulf countries had depended on the US for their security, hosting American bases on their soil and procuring expensive US weaponry. However, Iranian attacks on these bases during the conflict raised questions over the effectiveness of US air defence systems, which have not delivered …