New Delhi: After Air India, IndiGo will also cut down its wider operations due to expensive jet fuel, longer routes following airspace restrictions and forex volatility. IndiGo will “temporarily cease its flight operations to and from Manchester from August 31, 2026” and return one of the six damp lease (hired along with operating crew) Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Europe’s Norse Atlantic Airways. The budget airline says it will “continue to operate all its remaining long-haul flights as planned.”IndiGo has leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from Norse Atlantic in early 2025 to “make strategic inroads to establish the IndiGo brand in the European market, ahead of the launch of services using its own Airbus A350 aircraft.” But it “has become much higher than originally envisioned” due to increased operating costs following the US-Iran war.Abhijit Dasgupta, IndiGo senior vice president (network planning and revenue management, IndiGo) said: “We inducted these wide-body aircraft on a short-term basis to fast-track our connectivity to high potential long-haul destinations like Manchester, and saw a very encouraging demand response. Therefore, it is unfortunate that due to the shortage of airspace with the dramatically increasing costs of flying long haul we have had to temporarily suspend our India – Manchester services. Was forced to take the decision to close. This amputation is temporary in nature.Air India is also making significant cuts to its wider operations for the same reasons. AI and IndiGo are also temporarily reducing domestic flights.

Siddaramaiah (file photo)

New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday announced the appointment of former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah addressed the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top decision-making body of the party. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said in a statement, “Hon’ble Congress President has appointed Shri Siddaramaiah as a member of the CWC with immediate effect.“ The appointment comes just days after Siddaramaiah stepped down as chief minister, marking the end of his record-long tenure of more than eight years across two terms.His appointment as CWC member came on the eve of the swearing-in ceremony of his long-time rival and now former deputy DK Shivakumar, who is set to take oath as the new chief minister.Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were involved in an internal tussle over the post for a long time, often taking veiled digs at each other. Their rivalry stemmed from a reported understanding with the Congress leadership following the party’s victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2023. Under this alleged arrangement, Shivakumar was said to have been assured the chief ministership for the latter part of the government’s five-year term, while the party had initially chosen veteran leader Siddaramaiah to lead the government.The tussle escalated after Siddaramaiah continued to reach the first 2.5-year mark in November 2025.Last week, the Congress leadership finally resolved the matter, deciding to honor its “commitment” to Shivakumar, who also serves as the party’s Karnataka unit president.Siddaramaiah had reportedly refused to seek a Rajya Sabha seat and instead opted to remain active in state politics.

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday appointed senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as the new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education.CBSE) amid a major controversy over the board’s new on-screen marking (OSM) system.he will succeed Rahul SinghWho was transferred a few hours ago along with the then CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta.According to an official notification, Singh will now be posted as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.(This is a developing story)

New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Tuesday announced that the worker Sonam Wangchuk Will participate in its protest on June 6. The protest on Saturday is part of the CJP’s campaign demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister. Dharmendra Pradhan.“Prominent educationist and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner @wangchuk66 will join the peaceful protest on June 6 demanding the resignation of the Education Minister,” the party wrote on Twitter.Wangchuk also confirmed his participation onWangchuk had earlier indicated his support for the CJP, calling himself an ‘honorary cockroach’.He said, “I have been asked from many quarters to speak on this. Some people are saying that I should also become its member.” Wangchuk said in May, “I feel that I am not eligible – I am neither unemployed nor lazy. Sadly, I am not a member. But I consider myself an honorary cockroach.”

CJP founder will return on June 6

A day earlier, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Dubke had announced that he would return to Delhi on June 6 to launch a peaceful protest demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged exam-related failures. In a video shared on social media, Dipke urged students and supporters to join him at the airport before going to Sansad Marg police station to seek permission to protest at Jantar Mantar. He cited controversies involving NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSCGD to argue that millions of students have been affected by systemic shortcomings and accountability is needed. Emphasizing that the campaign would remain non-violent, Diepke said it would adhere to constitutional and democratic principles, despite his family’s concerns about possible legal action upon his return.

Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal President Rabi Lamichhane met BJP National President Nitin Nabin during his visit to BJP headquarters as part of ‘Know BJP’ initiative in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI photo/Sumit)

New Delhi: Nepal’s ruling Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chief Rabi Lamichhane met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Nabin On Tuesday. Although pre-scheduled, Lamichhane’s visit comes amid the ongoing controversy over recent comments by Nepalese Prime Minister and RSP leader Balendra Shah on the border dispute between India and Nepal.Read this also Nepal PM Balendra Shah’s ‘encroaching’ remarks on India spark controversy: What is the border dispute about?Upon reaching the BJP headquarters in the capital, the RSP delegation, including its senior leaders, was given a grand welcome.Sharing a video and photos from the meeting, Nabeen posted onHe said, “It also highlighted how development and public welfare are at the center of our governance model under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji.”According to BJP external affairs department head Vijay Chauthaiwale, Nabeen stressed that such talks help “strengthen democratic dialogue and deepen party-to-party engagement” between the two parties.Chauthaiwale said Nabeen shared insights about the BJP’s journey, ideology, organizational structure and people-centric approach to political engagement.The RSP delegation is visiting India at the invitation of Nabin. Its members reached New Delhi on Monday.(With PTI inputs)

New Delhi: Coming into action, the government on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)CBSE) Two top officials amid controversy over the board’s new on-screen marking (OSM) system.CBSE chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta have been transferred, while a committee has been formed to probe the purchase of the OSM facility.(This is a developing story)

Photo credit: IANS

New Delhi: Electricity consumption in May increased by nearly 11% year-on-year due to hot weather conditions across the country throughout the month, which led to increased use of air conditioners in domestic and commercial sectors.Grid India data showed that 165 billion units (BU) of electricity was consumed in May this year, compared to 148.7 BU in the same month last year. Consumption increased by over 7% compared to April, which saw consumption of 154 BU.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the number of heat wave days in the second fortnight of May was higher than in previous years, resulting in increased power demand. Demand began rising on May 11 and reached a record high of 270.8 GW on May 21, surpassing the previous all-time high for four consecutive days. However, it witnessed a steady decline in the latter half of the month. Before May, the highest electricity demand was recorded at 256.1 GW on April 25.There were 10 days in May when the maximum demand was more than 250 GW. Last May, bad weather kept power demand under control and crossed the 230-GW mark only twice during the month. Peak demand in May 2025 was 231 GW, while the season’s highest demand was recorded in June at 242.7 GW. The total power consumption in June 2025 was 150 BU.The government has predicted a scorching heat this year due to El Nino conditions, with power demand likely to be higher in June. However, maximum demand this month is unlikely to set another record, as the southwest monsoon is expected to reach Kerala in the next few days.