At least eight people were killed in a car explosion near the landmark Red Fort in the Indian capital New Delhi, city police said.
The blast occurred in a Hyundai car near the Red Fort, though the cause was not immediately known. The owner of the car has been arrested, broadcaster NDTV reported.
India's interior minister Amit Shah said authorities were exploring all possibilities, with detectives ordered to examine CCTV cameras nearby. “All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public," he
Police commissioner Satish Golcha said a slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light before "an explosion happened in that vehicle". Forensic and counter-terrorism personnel were at the scene, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered a message of condolences to the bereaved.
"May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities," Mr Modi said.
At least 11 people were injured, TV channels reported. The explosion occurred shortly before 7pm local time, as people were returning home from work in a densely populated district of New Delhi.
Ambulances streamed into a nearby public hospital, carrying several injured people. Images broadcast showed flames and smoke billowing from several vehicles in a congested street near a metro station.
At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said, with the flames being doused by firefighting teams.
"We heard a big sound, our windows shook," one resident who did not give a name told NDTV.
Police tried to clear crowds that gathered at the site of the incident. Local media said a state of high alert was declared in New Delhi as well as in Mumbai.
Delhi's Red Fort, known in India as the Lal Qila, is a 17th-century, Mughal-era structure in the old city, visited by tourists throughout the year. The prime minister addresses the nation from the fort's ramparts every year on August 15, India's independence day.
India was rocked in April by a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, which prompted an exchange of military fire with Pakistan. India has also suffered fatal accidental explosions, notably at chemicals and fireworks factories.
Delhi was the target of blasts during the 1980s and 1990s, with public places such as bus stations and crowded market areas hit in attacks blamed on Islamist militants or on separatists from the state of Punjab. About a dozen people were killed in a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi High Court in 2011 - the last such major incident in the city.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
