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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Greater Noida: Two youngsters die as Ducati bike crashes, breaks guardrail of under-construction underpass
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Two youngsters put for a midnight ride on a Ducati Scrambler lost their lives after the bike broke through an iron guardrail and plunged into a seven-foot-deep pit dug for the construction of an underpass on the Taj Highway near Char Murti roundabout in Greater Noida on Tuesday, reported police said that the rider was speeding and may have lost control of the bike. Sandbags placed beyond the safety rails could not break their Singh (28) had picked up his friend, Kashish (25) at around around 2.30 am from her flat in 14th Avenue society, about 2.4km from Gaur Chowk, minutes before the were likely headed to Singh's apartment in Panchsheel Green 2, which is in Greater Noida police received a call in the early hours of Tuesday and rushed a team Bisrakh to the spot. "It appears the bike smashed into a safety railing of the underpass site and fell into the pit," a senior officer told officer is that it is likely that the two landed on construction materials and machinery left at the site and suffered severe injuries. They were rushed to District Hospital in Sector 39, but died on the way."Both had died by the time they were brought to the hospital," District Hospital CMS Renu Aggarwal the victims were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, police said. With no eyewitnesses at that hour, investigators are relying on CCTV footage and forensic examination of the crash motorcycle, a premium model priced at Rs 9 lakh, was left largely undamaged, they Singh and Kashish were employed in private companies. The police could not reach Singh's family on Tuesday. Kashish's family members, on the other hand, were on their way to Noida from say the investigation is ongoing, and they are working to determine the precise sequence of events leading to the Noida Authority additional CEO Prerna Singh told TOI that there are diversions and barricades in place around the Char Murti roundabout for the construction of the underpass."It appears the bike was speeding. We have ordered immediate reinforcement of safety measures at the site, including the installation of reflective tapes, stronger barriers, and better lighting. "A coordination meeting with the traffic police will be convened soon to ensure personnel are present at the site during night hours," she under-construction underpass at the Char Murti roundabout, also known as Gaur Chowk, is part of a major infrastructure project to ease traffic congestion in Greater Noida 700-metre, six-lane underpass on the Taj Highway is designed to help commuters from Surajpur bypass the roundabout and directly connect to Gaur City and the Delhi-Meerut traffic in the area was temporarily stopped even as the construction continued. Key sections of the carriageway have been blocked due to digging at the main intersection, forcing vehicles to take detours via service lanes and U-turns.
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Economic Times
Divine delays: How seven lives dodged the Air India disaster
On June 12th, fate intervened for seven individuals scheduled to board Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London, which tragically crashed. A mother's plea, visa issues, a sudden feeling of unease, traffic delays, and business obligations all conspired to keep them off the ill-fated flight, unknowingly saving their lives from impending disaster. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A mother's tears Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Turned away at the gate A feeling he couldn't name Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Stopped by the streets The business that bought time A seat deferred Fate doesn't always arrive with a thunderclap. Sometimes, it slips quietly into our lives—a mother's trembling voice, an unexpected traffic jam, a phone call made without reason. On June 12, seven people who were meant to be aboard Air India Flight 171 discovered just how loud a whisper from destiny can be, reported flight, which was to take off from Ahmedabad en route to London, never made it. And for these would-be passengers, a twist of timing, intuition, or sheer inconvenience became the line between life and to the report, Yaman Vyas had everything ready. After two years working in the UK, the warehouse employee was concluding a long-overdue visit to his family in Vadodara. His return ticket to London was confirmed, his documents in order, and his bags as he prepared to leave for the airport, his mother broke down. 'Thhoda divas rokai jaa ne, beta,' she voice, heavy with emotion, cut through his resolve. His father quietly echoed her plea. In that moment, Yaman made a snap decision—he cancelled his that day, the news broke. 'My phone started buzzing with messages about the crash. I just stood there, stunned. My mother's tears had saved my life.'For Jaimin Patel, 29, and Priya Patel, 25, their flight to London was meant to mark the start of a joyful vacation with a friend abroad, TOI noted. Their visas were sorted, their bags packed, said the news outlet. But when they reached the Air India check-in counter, things staff flagged discrepancies in their paperwork. Without clearance, they couldn't issue boarding couple pleaded, insisting there wasn't time to resolve the issue before departure. The staff refused to budge. 'We begged them,' Jaimin said. 'We were so angry, so frustrated. We just wanted to board the plane.'After a tense hour at the airport, they returned home— the phone rang.'A friend said, 'Turn on the TV—now.' When I saw the news, I couldn't breathe. That plane we were desperate to board… it had crashed. I've never been so thankful for being denied something," she told Timbadia had seat 1A reserved, TOI reported. His bags were packed, his mind set on visiting his son in London. But early that morning, a quiet discomfort crept in. There was no panic, no warning—just picked up the phone and called his son. 'I said I wouldn't be coming. I didn't feel like flying today,' he recalled. 'He asked why, but I had no answer. I just felt off," he told he later turned on the television, his inexplicable hesitation made perfect sense. 'I realised what that feeling meant. Lord Swaminarayan saved me.'Bhoomi Chauhan was running late. Ahmedabad's infamous traffic had thrown her journey to the airport into chaos. Detours, bottlenecks, jams—by the time she arrived, it was 12:20 p.m. The boarding gates had closed at 12: pleaded with the staff. They were and angry, Bhoomi turned around and began the long journey back to Bharuch. Minutes later, the crash was all over the news.'I couldn't believe it. Ten minutes of traffic changed everything. I was leaving my son behind in India—I think Ganpati Bappa kept me back.'Jayesh Thakkar is known in Vadodara as the man behind some of the city's biggest garba events. He had every intention of boarding AI 171. But business took him to Kolkata, and delays there made it impossible to return in time.'I realised I wouldn't make it, so I rebooked for later,' he said. That logistical hiccup—frustrating at the time—turned out to be a life-saving Patel had been through enough, noted TOI. In May, he lost his daughter Bharti to cancer. Her husband, Arjun Patoliya, was flying back to their daughters—ages 8 and 4—in London, after completing her final asked Ravji to come along, to help him cope, to see the girls. 'He wanted me to come, but I had work here,' Ravji said softly. 'I promised I'd fly out in two weeks. He agreed," he told the news barely 20 days after losing his daughter, Ravji was left to mourn his son-in-law too.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gurgaon's Bristol Chowk becomes the costliest liquor zone with license allotment at nearly Rs 100 crore
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Gurugram's Bristol Chowk situated on the posh Golf Course Road went for almost Rs 100 crore in the liquor licensing auction held on Saturday. At Rs 98.6 crores it is almost double from last year's Rs 49.3 crores, a 4.2% increase from its reserve price of Rs 94.6 crores. This was Haryana's most expensive excise auction till Chowk is a part of Gurugram's West excise zone.'This year's license auction under the new excise policy was for 22 months(June 2025- March 2027) compared to 12 months in the last 2024-25 auction,' as told by officials to winning bid was placed by a G-Town Wines , it was the lone bidder for this Zone. The terms of the license dictate that it can only open two vends in this second place in the 'highest bids table' went to DLF-3 at Rs 63 crores against a reserve price of Rs. 60 crores. The third highest bid came from Shankar Chowk where the winning bid was the same as its reserve price of Rs. 62 lowest amount that anyone can bid for obtaining the liquor license is its reserve price." 50 out of 79 zones in Gurgaon East were auctioned over the weekend. Govt made revenue of Rs 1,270 crore, almost 6% higher than the combined reserve price of Rs 1,198 crore set for these zones," said Amit Bhatia, deputy excise and taxation commissioner to TOI. Horizon Plaza went for ₹46.2 crore, slightly above its reserve price, making it the second-highest bid in Gurgaon East. Bids for Signature Tower, World Mark, and Jalsa remained close to their base with the highest gains over reserve prices included Nawada (+30%), South City (+25%), American Express on SPR (+24.3%), Badshapur (+20.9%), Sikohpur and Kankrola (both +20.5%), Sohna Road (+16.9%), and Banni Square (+12%).The remaining 21 zones in Gurgaon West will be auctioned on June 3, followed by 29 zones in Gurgaon East on June added that the third round of the excise auction saw a stronger response than the previous one, reflecting broader participation in the zone auctions and a favourable reception to the state's excise makes up for approximately two-fifths of Haryana's excise government has set a revenue target of ₹14,064 crore for the current year. In the previous fiscal year (2024–25), collections reached ₹11,491 crore, achieving about 90% of the ₹12,650 crore state cabinet approved the new liquor policy for 2025–2027 on May 5, introducing earlier closing hours for urban vendors, a ban on live performances in ahatas, and prohibiting alcohol sales in villages with populations under 500.(With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
A father's arms, a daughter's last breath: What Pakistan's shelling left behind in Poonch
Grief grips the border district of Poonch as families mourn the loss of 14 civilians killed during intense shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) in early May. Over 65 others were wounded in the relentless assault, which reduced homes to rubble, displaced hundreds, and shattered the fragile calm in this conflict-weary region. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The shelling began in the early hours of May 7, raining down destruction on villages like Sukha Kattha, where Javid Iqbal held his five-year-old daughter Mariyam as shrapnel tore through her small body. 'She died in my arms,' he said, struggling to speak as he held up her photograph. His older daughter, eight-year-old Iram Naaz, was also injured in the the district at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, a 52-year-old religious seminary that also houses boarding students, a shell exploded near an under-construction building beside the room of Quran teacher Qari Mohammad Iqbal. The 46-year-old cleric was killed instantly, and four students sustained serious injuries, reported barrage, which lasted for three days, claimed the lives of students, teachers, shopkeepers, homemakers, and even ex-servicemen. With the blasts came a wave of panic. Families fled en masse, streets fell eerily silent, and entire communities were displaced overnight.'Not even in 1965 did we witness this kind of bombardment,' said Zulfikhar Ali, a shopkeeper in Poonch's central market. 'Everyone who could afford to leave, left.'From the night of May 6 to May 10, five shells landed near the residence of BJP functionary Pradeep Sharma. 'It began at 1:45 am and didn't stop for days,' Sharma recounted. 'Doctors did their best, but without ventilators, six to eight lives were lost that could've been saved. We need a trauma center, a medical college here.'By May 10, Sharma estimated 80% of the district had fled. He called for immediate government action — bunkers for each household and permanent jobs not just for the deceased's kin, but also for the wounded. 'Thirty-five of them are carrying wounds they'll never recover from. They're traumatized, forgotten.'Yet even as Poonch grappled with its wounds, another blow came, this one not from across the border, but from national newsrooms. Hours after Qari Iqbal's death, several TV channels falsely identified him as a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist killed in " Operation Sindoor ."His brother Farooq Ahmad, sitting quietly at the seminary on May 30, described the pain of the slander. 'We were already mourning, and then came the WhatsApp forwards,' he said. 'People asked, 'Why are news channels calling your brother a terrorist?' He had a beard and a Muslim name, that's all it took. Even in death, he was humiliated.'Poonch police swiftly condemned the reports as 'baseless and misleading,' and warned of legal action against those spreading disinformation. Both J&K's former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited the seminary to offer condolences and discuss the media many, survival has come at a heavy price. Nazira Kousar, a mother from Poonch, risked her life running through shellfire on May 7 to reach the hospital where her 14-year-old son, injured at the seminary, had been taken. 'Nothing could stop me,' she said. 'He survived, but now hides under a blanket, terrified. My husband is ill. We can't afford his treatment.'She returned on May 30, seeking help, hoping someone in power might listen this May 31, Union Home Minister Amit Shah distributed job appointment letters to the next of kin of those killed. Among the recipients was Dalbir Singh, whose brother Ranjit Singh, a grocery shop owner, was one of the victims. 'He never married. He was calm and lovable,' Dalbir said, his voice breaking. 'It feels like the sky has fallen. I just want this to end.'At least five members of the local Sikh community were also among the dead, including former Army officer Amarjeet Singh, homemaker Ruby Kaur, and their neighbor Amreek Singh. A gurdwara wall bears the impact of the shelling, a permanent reminder of the violence that swept the smoke clears and silence returns to the hills of Poonch, what remains are stories of heartbreak, resilience, and injustice, and a community struggling to recover not just from war, but from wounds both physical and unseen.
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What is TACO Trade? The term that angers Donald Trump every time it's mentioned
TACO trade, (Trump Always Chickens Out), is reportedly irritating US President Trump. This term highlights Trump's pattern of threatening steep tariffs, causing market panic, and then softening or delaying them. Investors have started buying the dip after Trump's tariff threats, anticipating he won't follow through. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How the TACO Trade Works Tariff Threat: Trump announces high tariffs, sparking fears of economic disruption. Market Reaction: Stocks—especially those linked to global trade—drop sharply. Walk-Back: Trump postpones or scales down the tariffs, often citing negotiations. Market Rebound: The market rebounds as investor confidence returns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Trade Threats Became a Trader's Playbook Donald Trump Reacts to TACO Trade FAQs Wall Street has a new buzzword, and it's one that's getting under US president Donald Trump's skin: the 'TACO trade', as per reports. The term was coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong, which stands for 'Trump Always Chickens Out,' according to term TACO trade was used to highlight a pattern that has become predictable for investors since Trump started his second term. The US president has, multiple times, threatened steep tariffs on imports, sparking panic across markets, only to later soften the blow or delay the move altogether, as per how it typically works: first, Trump drops a bombshell announcement, like the recent 50% tariff on European goods, rattling global markets. Just a few days back, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on European goods from June 1, causing a market fall, as per TOI. However, he later extended the deadline to July 9 to allow for more negotiations, triggering a rally in stock futures, reported READ: Who is Bryan Johnson, the billionaire known for anti-ageing experiments and plans to live until 2140 to see Bitcoin's last halving? Tom Essaye of the Sevens Report wrote in a note to clients, that, 'The thesis behind the TACO trade is: Buy the Trump tariff dip,' quoted Bloomberg. Essaye said, 'Essentially, Trump has proven to investors that he won't actually follow through with draconian tariffs. As such, any sell-off following a dramatic tariff threat should be bought,' as quoted in the new term has angered Trump and even pointed out that TACO trade misrepresents his approach, he told reports on Wednesday in the Oval Office, according to said, 'They wouldn't be over here today negotiating if I didn't put a 50% tariff on,' adding, 'The sad thing is, now, when I make a deal with them - it's something much more reasonable - they'll say, 'Oh, he was chicken. He was chicken.' That's unbelievable,' as quoted in the reportIt stands for " Trump Always Chickens Out ", it used to describe Trump's habit of backing off from bold tariff Armstrong, a columnist for the Financial Times, introduced the term, and it quickly caught attention.
