The Congress on Thursday said the true intent of the bills being brought by the government in the garb of implementing women's quota law is mischievous and they have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the three bills are being taken up in Lok Sabha and the packaging and marketing is women's reservation but the fundamentals have to do with delimitation.

Hours before the convening of a special Parliament sitting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India was set to take a "historic step" towards women's empowerment.

"Starting today, in the special session of Parliament, our country is all set to take a historic step towards women's empowerment. The respect for our mothers and sisters is the respect for the nation, and with this very spirit, we are moving forward resolutely in this direction," the PM posted on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed condolences over the road accident in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district that claimed eight lives, and announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the victims' families.

"The mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh is deeply painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Prime Minister's Office posted on X.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday burnt a copy of the delimitation bill and dubbed it a "black law" and alleged it seeks to make the Tamil people "refugees" in their own land.

Stalin hoisted a black flag and burnt a copy of the bill on delimitation circulated by the union government and raised slogans condemning the move, hours before the Parliament was to sit for a special session.

The United States and Iran have agreed “in principle” to extend their week-old ceasefire, even as tensions intensified over Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports and fresh threats from Tehran, Associated Press (AP) reported on Wednesday, citing officials.

According to the report, officials familiar with the mediation efforts said both sides were making progress and appeared willing to prolong the truce to create space for continued diplomatic engagement.

Air India Ltd. racked up a wider-than-expected annual loss of more than ₹22,000 crore($2.4 billion), prompting the company to seek financial aid from its shareholders, according to people familiar with the situation.

The loss for the fiscal year ended March 31 — a period punctuated by the deadly crash of a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that once the BJP assumes power in West Bengal, it will prioritise resolving the Gorkha issue in Darjeeling and withdraw all cases registered against community leaders and workers for violent agitations in the past.

Shah, who was unable to reach the upper reaches of Lebong in the Darjeeling hills due to unfavourable weather conditions.

At least four people were killed and 18 others were injured in a powerful explosion here in Sri Sathyasai district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, a police official said.

Though the explosion, which demolished at least two houses, was being attributed to a gas cylinder blast, it may not be limited to a gas cylinder, given the intensity of the blast, the official said.

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted raids at business entities linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA probe, offiicials said.

Mittal, a 61-year-old businessman and educationist who heads the Lovely Group including an university by this name, was recently made the deputy leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha.

BJP leader Samrat Choudhary was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar on Wednesday, the first from the saffron party to hold the post. Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) administered the oath of office and secrecy to Choudhry.

Top leaders of the ruling NDA in Bihar, which comprises the BJP, JD(U) and three other parties, attended the ceremony.

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