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The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, carrying gasoline, was struck about five nautical miles off the Muscat coast on March 1, amid escalating tensions in West Asia. The vessel, which departed Europe on February 8, was en route to Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia when an explosion occurred in its engine room following the attack. Police said handover formalities were completed swiftly. "The process took barely 10 minutes, after which the family left with the body," an officer said. Originally from Gh ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court will on Tuesday hear a petition filed by the father and sister of seaman Dixit Solanki, 33, who died in a suspected missile or drone attack on oil tanker MT MKD Vyom in the Gulf of Oman, seeking official DNA verification of the mortal remains handed over to them. The plea, filed by Amratlal Solanki and Mitali Solanki through advocate Satish B Talekar, raises serious concerns over the identification of the remains brought to Mumbai on April 5, 35 days after the fata ...Read More >
MUMBAI: A day after the charred remains of seafarer Dixit Solanki were brought to Mumbai from Sharjah, his family has refused to perform the last rites, insisting on DNA confirmation to establish his identity. Solanki, who was killed in a suspected missile or drone attack on an oil tanker off the Oman coast during the ongoing West Asia conflict, is believed to be among the first Indian casualties in the maritime tensions. His father, Amratlal Solanki, and sister Mitali received the remains at Mu ...Read More >
Mumbai: The kin of Dixit Solanki, who died in Oman in the ongoing Iran-Israel-USA war, have demanded that a DNA test be conducted to identify his mortal remains. His mortal remains arrived at the cargo terminal of the Mumbai International Airport at midnight on April 5. The family was informed of this development by the Ministry of Shipping, V.Ships India Pvt. Ltd., as well as the Indian Embassy and Consulate based in Dubai. However, the family is now raising a crucial question: are the mortal ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: People from Odisha, who travel to Kolkata or other cities for visa-related work, will now get the international visa services at Bhubaneswar. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday inaugurated this centre operated by VFS Global.Majhi at the inaugural ceremony said the establishment of this centre reflects Odisha's growing global connectivity and commitment to citizen-centric services. Such initiatives enhance ease of travel, promote industries and tourism, and support intern ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 2 (UNI) India has secured crude oil supplies for the next 60 days and maintains adequate inventory levels, with refineries operating at maximum capacity, the government said on Thursday, underlining that there is no shortage of key inputs and no increase in domestic fuel prices despite global volatility. Addressing a media briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said crude availability remains stable and sulphur supplies are sufficie ...Read More >
Ghaziabad/Meerut, April 1 (PTI) "We knew there could be an attack on the way, but we had to take that chance," said 27-year-old Ketan Mehta, recalling the moment he and fellow Indian sailors decided to flee a war zone in Iran after weeks of detention and uncertainty. What began as a routine voyage turned into a months-long ordeal that saw them first held on suspicion of smuggling and later caught in the middle of the West Asia conflict, before they finally made their way back home. On December ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): As developments in West Asia continue to unfold, the Shipping Ministry on Wednesday said that all Indian seafarers in West Asia are safe, with no incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the last 48 hours. Speaking at a joint inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in the Gulf region, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mukesh Mangal, stated that all Indian vessels and crew currently in the Persian Gulf are b ...Read More >
In a significant step following the recent thaw in bilateral ties, an Indian business delegation has travelled to China, marking the first such visit in over five years after relations were frozen due to the 2020 Eastern Ladakh military standoff.A delegation from the Punjab, Haryana, Delhi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is currently visiting Shanghai and Jiangsu province--one of China's most industrialised regions--from March 29 to April 4, reported news agency PTI.The visit comes af ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Feb 16 (PTI) The family of a 22-year-old Indian postgraduate student, who was found dead in the US days after he went missing, is still struggling to come to terms with the fact he is no more. They want to visit Berkeley personally to collect the body of Saketh Sreenivasaiah and urge the authorities to speed up the probe. Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a student at the University of California, Berkeley, hailing from Karnataka, had been missing since February 9. "They are unable to believe ...Read More >
Amid the ongoing US visa chaos, a stranded H-1B holder has shared their ordeal after their December visa interview was abruptly rescheduled to March 2026. In a post shared on the workplace forum Blind, the individual said that they are stuck in India because of the mass visa rescheduling. The anonymous user shared that they received an email informing them that their December appointment had been moved months ahead. The user wrote that March was "literally three months away," leaving them unabl ...Read More >
. NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar inaugurated two new Consulates General of India in Russia on Wednesday, in Yekaterinburg and Kazan. Jaishankar hailed the moment as an important day for bilateral ties.Speaking at the event, he said, "I am confident that with the opening of the two new consulates, there will be a further strengthening of India-Russia ties, and this will surely mark a new phase in our relationship." The external affairs minister also said that the two new missio ...Read More >
New Delhi: As ties rebound, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney could visit India for the AI summit and talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February. The trip could push comprehensive economic and free trade partnership for which negotiations were suspended during the Justin Trudeau era. It has been learnt that Carney has been invited for the AI summit and he could also meet Modi for bilateral talks. India's high commissioner Dinesh Patnaik told Canada's leading English daily 'The Globe ...Read More >
The US Consulate General in Chennai announced on Thursday, October 23, 2025, that it has reopened and restarted visa application processing. Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 were allowed to attend, while those affected by the October 22 closure are being rescheduled and will receive new appointment details.The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US ...Read More >
Chennai: The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US Consulate General Chennai will re-open and restart visa application processing services on Thursday, October 23, 2025. Please note: Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 may come in on that date." It added, "Applicants whose appointments were canceled due to visa service closures on October 22 are cur ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 23 (ANI): The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US Consulate General Chennai will re-open and restart visa application processing services on Thursday, October 23, 2025. Please note: Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 may come in on that date." Chennai/status/1981025439675302352" rel="noopener" target="_blank" ...Read More >
New Delhi: A young Indian diplomat, Petal Gahlot, has made global headlines after delivering a sharp and uncompromising response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Representing India's stance on cross-border terrorism, Gahlot's intervention stood out for its clarity, boldness and firm message. Speaking in India's Right of Reply to Sharif's address, Gahlot challenged Pakistan's claims of seeking peace. She stated, "If he is indeed sincere, th ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Starting now, if you want a US nonimmigrant visa (NIV), you must apply either from your home country or the country where you live legally. Nationals of countries where the US is not conducting routine visa operations must apply at a designated embassy or consulate, unless they reside elsewhere. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their residence if applying based on residency. The department warned that scheduling visa interviews outside one's country of nationality or residenc ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 15: The U.S. visa interview waiver policy, which was put in place during the pandemic to help reduce the backlog of applications, officially ended on September 2, 2025. There are only a few exceptions. This change impacts Indian travellers in various categories, such as tourist visas, student visas, and work visas. With long wait times for appointments likely returning, it's important for anyone planning a trip to understand the updated U.S. visa interview rules. Al ...Read More >
PNN New Delhi [India], September 15: The U.S. visa interview waiver policy, which was put in place during the pandemic to help reduce the backlog of applications, officially ended on September 2, 2025. There are only a few exceptions. This change impacts Indian travellers in various categories, such as tourist visas, student visas, and work visas. With long wait times for appointments likely returning, it's important for anyone planning a trip to understand the updated U.S. visa interview rules ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The special court for NIA cases in Chennai has summoned a 58-year-old Pakistani diplomat in connection with the 2014 espionage case as part of the procedure to declare him a proclaimed offender.Amir Zubai Siddiqui of Karachi, Pakistan, who worked for ISI and was posted in the Pakistan high commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a key accused in the 2014 espionage case. He recruited a Sri Lankan national, Sakir Hussain, to develop a network of spies in India and carry out bomb blasts at th ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The special NIA court in Poonamallee has issued a proclamation, directing a Pakistani official working in the country's high commission in Sri Lanka to appear before it on October 15, to respond to charges of conspiring to bomb the American consulate in Chennai and Israeli consulate in Bengaluru. The official summoned has been identified as Amir Zubair Siddiqui with a permanent address in Karachi, Pakistan, and working as a visa counsellor in Colombo. According to the proclamation, he ...Read More >
Chennai: A special NIA court here has issued a proclamation asking Amir Zubair Siddiqui, a Pakistani intelligence official who was working years ago in the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo as a visa counsellor to appear before it on October 15 to answer charges in a terror-conspiracy case. Siddiqui is an absconder in the UAPA case of conspiracy to strike terror by bombing American consulate in Chennai and the Israel Consulate in Bengaluru. He was a "visa counsellor" at the Pakistani High Com ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) BLS International Services on Tuesday said it has been awarded a work order amounting to Rs 2,055.35 crore from Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for being the service provider for establishing and running district-level Aadhar Seva Kendra. BLS International Services works in the domain of visa, passports, consular, citizen, e-governance, attestation, biometric, e-visa, and retail services since 2005. These Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs) will function as cor ...Read More >
China and India are continuing talks at various levels, but Beijing has not yet confirmed whether Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit New Delhi on August 18 to meet India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that the two countries are "maintaining interactions at various levels" and are ready to work together on key issues. He said China is willing to act on agreements reached between their leaders, support high-level t ...Read More >
New Delhi/Kabul: After Mumbai, another Afghan Taliban representative has taken charge of the consular work in Hyderabad as the regime in Kabul continues to express its keenness on expanding diplomatic presence in India. A top source told IANS on Wednesday that M. Rehman, the Taliban regime's new representative, has been heading Afghanistan's Hyderabad consulate since June this year. Ikramuudin Kamil had last year taken charge of Afghanistan's Mumbai Consulate while the Afghan Embassy in New De ...Read More >
Washington DC [US], August 2 (ANI): The new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) are located in Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edison, Orlando, Raleigh, and San Jose, bringing the total number to 16 nationwide. A 17th centre is planned to open in Los Angeles later this month. The expansion, announced jointly by the Indian Mission and VFS Global, aims to make essential services more accessible to Indian Americans and other applicants seeking India-related documentation. The centres w ...Read More >
Berlin/New Delhi: Germany has introduced a visa that allows people from outside the European Union (EU), including Indians, to live and work in the country as freelancers for up to one year. Known as the Freelance Visa or Freiberufler visa, it is designed for self-employed professionals such as writers, designers, consultants and artists. The visa can later be extended for up to three years if the individual continues to meet the necessary requirements. It offers a chance to explore Germany's cu ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Motihari in Bihar Tomorrow on July 18 where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth Rs 7,200 crore. In a post on X, PM Modi said, 'Will be in Motihari, Bihar, tomorrow, 18th July. Development works worth Rs. 7200 crore will be dedicated to the nation or their foundation stones would be laid. These works cover Software Technology Parks, four new Amrit Bharat trains, road proje ...Read More >
BENGALURU -- Police in India are trying to piece together the story of a Russian woman who was found living in a cave in the southern state of Karnataka with her two young daughters. Nina Kutina was rescued on 9 July by policemen who were on a routine patrol near Ramteertha hills in the Gokarna forest, which borders the tourist paradise of Goa. Authorities say the 40-year-old and her daughters - six and five years old - do not have valid documents to stay in India. They have been lodged in a d ...Read More >
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