Mussoorie: Officials reported that the Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi district was briefly shut down owing to heavy snowfall between Sukki Top and Gangotri Dham, while widespread rains also battered various parts of Uttarakhand on Friday. Snowfall occurred in the Badrinath Dham temple area in Chamoli district. (Photo by HT.) Officials reported heavy rain in at least seven districts—Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh—while areas above 3,000 meters experienced moderate to heavy snowfall with gusty winds of 20.2–214 kmph. Higher Himalayan shrines such as Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Gangotri Dham, and Kharsali on the Yamunotri route also saw heavy snowfall. Meanwhile, lower areas saw heavy rainfall spells all day. District disaster management officials reported that the Gangotri highway was temporarily closed due to snow buildup, with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams sent to clear it. Shardul Gusain, Uttarkashi’s district disaster management officer, stated, “Gangotri Dham had a heavy snowfall, while the Yamunotri highway reopened to traffic on Friday.” In Chamoli district, Badrinath Dham was covered by one to two feet of fresh snow. Sunil Purohit, executive officer of Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, confirmed intense snowfall in the shrine area and rain in other parts of the district. Data from the India Meteorological Department’s Dehradun center indicated that Nainital and Dehradun districts were the main areas of rainfall, with 26 mm of precipitation recorded. Places like Mussoorie and Koti, popular tourist spots, saw 2900 mm of rain each, causing a clear drop in temperatures starting Friday morning. In the plains and foothills, Kotdwar, Bhimtal, and Kaladhungi each recorded 214.4 mm of rainfall, with Gular Bhoj getting 221 mm. In higher and interior areas, Rani Chauri recorded 21 mm of rain, while New Tehri, Satpuli, and Kanatal saw between 224 mm and 229 mm. The state averaged 24.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am Friday, which was 1,285% above normal levels. 

 New Delhi: Ahead of the Kerala assembly polls, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said he is not a chief ministerial probable as he is not a candidate in the election and believes that ideally the chief minister should be picked from among the elected MLAs.. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo). In an exclusive interview with PTI, Tharoor said since he is not a candidate, he does not have to worry about one particular constituency and that his role in the state polls is a “mixed bag”.. ALSO READ | Shashi Tharoor responds after skipping Congress rally: ‘Everything is fine from my side’. He added that he is looking forward to going “up and down the length and breadth of the state” to campaign.. Tharoor also referred to former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s advice to UDF leaders recently in which he metaphorically asked them to “dance together”, and said it was a “good message” to give and now “everyone is dancing together”.. ALSO READ | Rumblings in Congress as Tharoor shares survey showing him as top CM pick. Tharoor also said that while he would be happy with a majority, a figure between 85-100 seats would be good for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 140-member assembly. Using cricketing analogy, Tharoor said the UDF is bowling “googlies” particularly to the CPI(M)-led LDF because “they are on a sticky wicket and we can catch them on that”.. ALSO READ | BJP releases 2nd list of 39 candidates for April 9 Kerala assembly polls. He also said that with elections becoming more and more presidential in nature, he personally favours projecting a probable chief ministerial face ahead of the polls, but in Kerala, the Congress has the ability to deliver results not around an individual face or a name but around an agenda, a mission and the party logo. 

 “Restraint is not surrender. Restraint is strength… it shows that we know what our interests are and we will act first of all to protect our interests,” Tharoor said in an interview with news agency ANI.. He said countries like India should take a constructive diplomatic role to reduce tensions. “What many countries like us ought to be doing… is to actually take an initiative to call for peace, to give both sides a ladder to climb down,” he said.. While he supported the government’s approach to the crisis, he also said India should have expressed condolences earlier after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, while still maintaining a careful diplomatic position.. “There is a difference between condemnation and condolence… condolence is an expression of sympathy,” he said.. BJP attacks Congress over Tharoor’s backing. The BJP was quick to target the Congress party over Tharoor’s comments supporting India’s “restraint” approach to the West Asia situation.. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan said senior Congress leaders recognising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s balanced approach during current global conflicts marks a shift from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s repeated criticism of the government.. It is “indeed a welcome change compared to Rahul Gandhi’s mindless criticism of the government. For PM, the welfare of Bharat and its people has always been paramount,” he told ANI.. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also praised Tharoor’s remarks and slammed Congress’ Gandhi for “reactive and politically driven” comments.. “Notably, senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari have articulated a more nuanced and responsible view on the issue, underlining the importance of strategic autonomy and diplomatic balance,” he said.. Congress reacts to Tharoor’s remarks. Reacting to Tharoor’s comments backing the government’s stand, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said she disagrees and described India’s “silence” on the crisis as “condemnable.”. She said, “It is shameful. It raises questions about our morality. It is not India’s history to remain silent on a targeted assassination in a sovereign nation. India distanced itself from Iran and sat in the lap of Israel.”. “Your diplomacy is such a failure that Russia, Pakistan and China stand together today. Your diplomacy is such a failure that Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz for several nations but not for us. I think India’s diplomacy is an utter failure. Diplomacy doesn’t run with ‘red laser eyes’. It doesn’t run with forcible hugs,” she added.. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also reacted to Tharoor’s statements and said the senior party MP “thinks differently.”. He told ANI, “We have been seeing this for many days, that Shashi Tharoor thinks differently. It’s okay. It’s his own opinion… I don’t think he understands very many things… If someone says something without understanding and ju 

 GUWAHATI: Prateek Bordoloi stepped down as the Congress candidate citing “changed circumstances” on Thursday, a day after his father and Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi quit the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Assam assembly elections.. Prateek Bordoloi with Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi. Prateek said he would continue to work for the Congress. (X/@prateekbordoloi). A political debutant, Prateek was named by the Congress as its candidate for Margherita, a seat his father had represented in the assembly for four terms, in its first list released earlier this month. However, the elder Bordoloi’s defection to the BJP appears to have upended the party’s plans in the constituency.. ALSO READ | BJP fields new joinee Pradyut Bordoloi from Dispur, CM Himanta from Jalukbari in first Assam election candidate list. In a letter to Congress president and chairman of the Central Election Committee Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, Prateek said it would be inappropriate for him to continue as a candidate in the present situation and said he would continue to remain a party member.. “In the present circumstances, following my father’s decision to join another political party, I feel it would not be appropriate for me to continue as a candidate,” he wrote in the letter, which was shared with reporters on Thursday.. “I believe the people of Margherita and the countless dedicated Congress workers deserve absolute clarity and confidence in the party’s candidate. It would be unfair to them if any confusion or perception arises regarding my commitment or the party’s position,” he added.. Prateek said he would continue to work for the Congress and the people of Margherita “in whatever capacity the leadership deems appropriate”.. A day earlier, Pradyut Bordoloi had said he had asked his son to take an independent call, without being influenced by his decision to switch sides.. Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi struck a sympathetic note, saying, “I have sympathy and moral support for Prateek Bordoloi. Whatever decision he wishes to take, I will speak on behalf of the party.” 

 In the midst of surging oil prices, a worldwide energy crisis, and escalating tensions in the Middle East from the ongoing Iran-US conflict, India has denounced attacks on commercial vessels in international waters and urged de-escalation via dialogue and diplomacy. An Indian LPG carrier, Shivalik, has reached Mundra Port after transiting the Strait of Hormuz (REUTERS). At the 36th extraordinary session of the IMO Council in London, Indian envoy Vikram Doraiswamy highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation and seafarer safety, while voicing concerns about the blockade of routes in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital channel carrying one-fifth of global oil shipments. The strait has experienced disruptions since the Iran-US war began, causing a sharp global rise in oil prices and worries in nations like India. Follow live updates on the US-Iran war here. “Targeting commercial shipping and attacks on civilian maritime infrastructure is unacceptable.” These attacks have caused the deaths of innocent people, injuries, and increased dangers, including to seafarers. India ranks among the top three countries supplying seafarers, accounting for about 13 percent of the world’s seafaring workforce. “We remain deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of all seafarers,” said Doraiswamy, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, as quoted by news agency ANI. “The exercise of navigational rights and freedom by merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law must be respected,” he added. Indian ships stuck at sea. Although numerous Indian-flagged vessels have received clearance to pass amid the ongoing war, many continue to be stranded at the vital strait in the Persian Gulf. A Bloomberg report states that 22 India-flagged vessels are stranded in the Persian Gulf, including six LPG carriers, one liquefied natural gas ship, and four crude oil tankers. However, some fuel carriers have proceeded to India under escort, as India deploys additional warships to the Gulf of Oman to ensure their safe passage, according to an earlier HT report. India anticipates that Iran will permit safe ship movements despite its conflict with the US. External affairs minister S Jaishankar previously noted there is no “blanket arrangement” for ship movements, and Iran receives “nothing” in return. Iran insists the vital waterway remains accessible to all operators except those from the US and Israel. Will the oil crisis intensify?