The Hindu (Bangalore)
SIR: 61% of State electors with cutoff age mapped; progress slow in GBA area
Preparations for the Statewide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are gathering momentum in Karnataka, with the election authorities completing more than 61% of voter roll mapping across the State, with Bengaluru being the outlier. As...
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Iran signals at executions, trials amid Trump’s threat
The head of Iran’s judiciary defied a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump and signalled on Wednesday that there would be swift trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests. The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief...
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India, Germany agree to shore up defence cooperation
India and Germany will enhance defence trade with an eye on ‘coproduction and codevelopment,’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, as the two sides signed an agreement to strengthen bilateral defence industrial cooperation. Welcoming German...
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Defying U.S. warning, Iran clamps down on protests
Protests sweeping across Iran neared the two-week mark on Saturday, with the country’s government acknowledging the ongoing demonstrations despite an intensifying crackdown and as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world. With...
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Mamata, ED lock horns over search at consultancy firm
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of removing evidence from two locations during a raid against the political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) in Kolkata. The...
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EC says it has constitutional duty to bar foreigners from voter rolls
The Election Commission of India (EC) began its defence of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls before the Supreme Court on Tuesday by dismissing claims that it is conducting a “parallel” National Register of Citizens (NRC)...
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Maduro pleads not guilty; says he is still President
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narcoterrorism in a New York court on Monday, two days after being snatched along with his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces from Caracas. “I'm the President of the Republic of...
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Venezuela V-P to take over as Maduro held in U.S. jail
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was held in a New York prison on Sunday to face criminal charges after being captured in a nighttime military operation done without approval from the U.S. Congress, even as the South American country’s top court...
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T.N. announces assured pension scheme for State govt. staff
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday announced the new Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS) for State government employees. Under the new arrangement, State government employees will be provided with an assured pension equal to 50% of...
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Centre’s tobacco tax rejig to take effect from Feb. 1
The Union Finance Ministry on Thursday issued a series of notifications that will give effect to the new taxation regime for tobacco products from February 1. The Central Excise (Amendment) Act, 2025, passed in the recently concluded Winter Session of...
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Vodafone-Idea gets relief on AGR dues
The Union Cabinet, at its meeting on Wednesday, approved the freezing of Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL)’s adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, amounting to ₹87,695 crore, for a period of five years. The relief, however, may be partial as a note from the...
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EC gives one more week for U.P. SIR in another extension
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday revised the schedule for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh yet again, extending it by a week. Now the draft list will be published on January 6, instead of...
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‘Alternative housing for families hit by demolition at Kogilu’
Nine days after Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) demolished more than 150 houses in Kogilu Layout in Yelahanka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday announced that the displaced families would be provided alternative houses in...
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Maharashtra police bust 3 drug making units in city
In a major crackdown on synthetic drug manufacturing ahead of the New Year, the Maharashtra AntiNarcotics Task Force (ANTF) busted three illegal drug manufacturing units in Bengaluru. Sources said synthetic drugs worth crores were seized and four...
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In three years, 9,639 cases of missing children reported in Karnataka; 1,094 remain untraced
In the last three years (from 2023 to November 15, 2025), 9,639 children have gone missing across Karnataka and 1,094 of them remain untraced. Bengaluru city accounted for nearly a third of these cases, followed by Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru...
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BNP leader calls for ‘secure’ Bangladesh at homecoming
Bangladesh should be a “secure” home for all communities cutting across religious and regional differences, said the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, on Thursday following his return home after nearly 18 years...
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Dhaka braces for return of BNP leader ahead of polls
After nearly 18 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman will return to Dhaka on Thursday, formally marking the official launch of the party’s campaign for the February 12 general...
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Bangladesh missions in India witness protests
Hundreds of supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal gathered near the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday and demanded safety for the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Protests were also held outside the...
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India, New Zealand wind up FTA talks, set to boost trade
India and New Zealand on Monday concluded discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA) that will give India tarifffree access to the island nation’s markets, bring in $20 billion in investments over 15 years, and help double bilateral trade to $5...
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Keeping a close watch on Bangladesh events: India
ndia on Sunday described the killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh as a “horrendous act”, and expressed “strong concern” about the safety of minority communities in the neighbouring country. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal...
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U.S. wants India’s nuclear norms globally aligned
Two days after Parliament cleared the SHANTI Bill, which allows private participation in India’s nuclear sector and eases liability norms by capping operator liability for a nuclear incident to ₹3,000 crore, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed...
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Consider ‘ground realities’ in various States, SC tells EC
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (EC) to take a “sympathetic view” of representations to extend the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, taking into consideration the “ground realities”...
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LS passes nuclear energy Bill allowing privatisation
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, despite demands by several Opposition parliamentarians for referring the legislation to a parliamentary...
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Sydney beach shooter was Indian citizen, say officials
Sajid Akram, one of the two Bondi Beach attackers who killed at least 16 people at a Jewish event in Australia on Sunday, was an Indian citizen from Hyderabad, government officials who ran a background check on the deceased told The Hindu. He last came...
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With new Bill, demand-led job scheme set to turn supply-driven
The Union government is set to introduce the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 in the Lok Sabha. The move will mark a shift from...
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La Niña, cold dry air from Siberia contributed to the winter chill
Several districts in north interior Karnataka and Bengaluru experienced a steep drop in temperatures in the past week between December 8 and 14. What contributed to this? An India Meteorological Department (IMD) and a Bangalore Professor have decoded...
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PROPERTYPLUS Bengaluru family attacked in Velankanni over interfaith marriage; nine arrested
Nine persons were arrested after a Bengalurubased family was brutally attacked with sickles in Velankanni on Wednesday, following the marriage of a 22yearold man to a woman against the wishes of her relatives. According to the Velankanni police,...
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EC extends deadline for SIR in five States, one U.T.
The Election Commission has extended the schedule of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five States and one Union Territory: Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar...
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Illegal immigrants will be detected, deported: Shah
The National Democratic Alliance government will “detect, delete and deport” illegal immigrants from the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday, as the Lok Sabha witnessed a faceoff during a discussion on electoral reforms, leading...
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Citizenship under CAA only if claims verified: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said conferment of rights associated with Indian citizenship to people claiming to be religious minorities who fled persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and protected under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act,...
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Govt., Opposition spar in LS over Vande Mataram
The Centre and the Opposition on Monday sparred in the Lok Sabha over Vande Mataram, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming it the voice of the freedom movement that had been “fragmented” by the Congress in its “surrender before the Muslim...
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25 dead in fire in Goa nightclub; probe finds fireworks use; 4 held
Amassive fire erupted at a nightclub in north Goa just before midnight on Saturday, leaving 25 people dead and six injured. The initial police investigation found that the blaze was caused by a fire show with “electric firecrackers”, organised without...
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As crisis continues, govt. imposes cap on airfares
The Union government imposed caps on airfares, set a timeline for refunds, and announced special trains to help stranded passengers on Saturday, as IndiGo, the country’s largest domestic airline, began a slow return to normalcy. The airline has...
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India-Russia friendship remains steady like the pole star, says PM
Appreciating Russian President Vladimir Putin for taking the IndiaRussia relationship to “new heights” over the past quarter of a century, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out an expansive canvas of energy and trade collaborations between the two...
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SC tells States to replace distressed BLOs for SIR
The Supreme Court on Thursday put the onus entirely on State governments to substitute employees unable to bear the work pressure of a boothlevel officer (BLO), while refusing to let the reported distress of the workforce “hamper” a tightly wound...
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Govt. withdraws order to install Sanchar Saathi app
The Department of Telecommunications on Wednesday walked back its directions to phone manufacturers ordering them to install a government app starting next year. The reversal caps a turbulent episode, in which the government first downplayed the nature...
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DoT order to ‘pre-install’ govt. app triggers storm
The Union government’s mandate on Monday for smartphone makers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app sparked backlash from the Opposition and from digital rights activists. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X that...
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SC gives CBI free hand to stop ‘digital arrest’ scams
he Supreme Court on Monday tasked the Central Bureau of Investigation with cracking down on ‘digital arrest’ scammers and their associates, giving the agency a “free hand” to launch an anticorruption probe into bankers involved in the opening of mule...
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SIR form deadline extended to Dec. 11 amid BLO distress
Amid widespread reports of boothlevel officers (BLO) facing severe stress, the Election Commission on Sunday extended the schedule of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine States and three Union Territories by a...
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We’ll abide by high command decision, say CM and DKS post breakfast meeting
After months of tussle over the Chief Minister’s post in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar appear to have reached a temporary truce ahead of the Winter Session of the State legislature in Belagavi...
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SC asks govt. to regulate user content on Internet
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to work on guidelines for usergenerated content to protect innocents from becoming victims of obscene, even perverse, “antinational” or personally damaging online...
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No problem in Kerala SIR, 99% forms given: EC to SC
The Election Commission (EC) expressed confidence that it can conduct the special intensive revision (SIR) of poll rolls in Kerala in the midst of local body elections, telling the Supreme Court on Wednesday that there is “no problem” whatsoever, and...
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Assam proposes jail term, heavy fines for polygamy
An antipolygamy Bill tabled by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the State Assembly on Tuesday prescribes imprisonment and heavy fines for people entering into, or hiding, a second marriage while the first continues to be valid. The Assam...
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Goa govt. does a Uturn on tiger presence in State
The answer to whether tigers “reside” in Goa, depends on who is asking the question. The Goa government, earlier this year, argued before a Supreme Courtappointed committee that there was “...no permanent presence of tigers” in the State. However,...
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Mind your ‘administrative’ language, says SC report
Halalkhor, cycle sawar, dhobi, coolie, scavenger, masalchi, malan, basta bardhar, chowkidar, and bundle lifter are among the job titles a Supreme Court report wants the judiciary to get rid of. The report from the court’s Centre for Research and...
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Delhi blast toll hits 13; Pulwama doctor likely sole car occupant
As the death toll in the Red Fort blast rose to 13 on Tuesday, a doctor from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as the likely sole occupant of the car which exploded in the national capital on Monday, senior government officials told The...
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Highintensity explosion in capital kills at least 9
Ahighintensity explosion in a slowmoving car outside the Red Fort in central Delhi left at least nine people dead and more than 20 injured on Monday, sparking a nationwide alert and a probe involving multiple agencies. A person in whose name the car...
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Doctor, two held in Gujarat over a ‘terror conspiracy’
The Gujarat AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a Hyderabadbased doctor and two of his accomplices near Gandhinagar on Sunday over an alleged plot involving chemical weapons and connections with a global terror network. The accused were allegedly...
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Motherhood should bring neither shame nor trophy, it should bring care, says expert
“It takes a village to raise a baby,” goes the old saying. But in today’s hyperconnected world, it can also take a village — both real and virtual — to stress out a mother. This irony set the tone for a session on maternal health at Manotsava, the...
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Remove stray dogs from public places, orders SC
Expressing concern over the “disturbing increase” in dogbite incidents across the country, the Supreme Court on Friday directed all the States and the Union Territories to “forthwith” remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, sports...
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CM writes to PM seeking meet to address FRP concerns
As the sugarcane growers’ protest demanding a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of ₹3,500 per tonne in the State’s northern sugar bowl turned the heat on the government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday blamed the Centre for the problem and...
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Rahul alleges ‘vote theft’ took place in Haryana with EC help
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday made another major allegation of “vote theft”, saying 25 lakh fake voters were added to the electoral rolls of Haryana ahead of the Assembly election in the State in 2024, which the Bharatiya Janata Party...
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Bengaluru among 3 Indian cities of 33 worldwide to reimagine urban spaces for a hotter future
As Indian cities experience recordbreaking temperatures, three major urban centres i.e. Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai, have joined a global coalition of 33 cities committed to addressing one of the most serious impacts of the climate crisis:...
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19 dead as gravel truck ploughs into govt. bus near Hyderabad
Nineteen passengers, including a 40dayold infant, were killed and 14 injured when a gravelladen lorry rammed a State transport corporation bus at Chevella near Hyderabad on Monday morning, the police said. Around 7.10 a.m., the lorry driver, likely...
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Indian women script history, clinch maiden World Cup title
Indian women created history before a packed D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Sunday, winning the Women’s ODI World Cup defeating South Africa by 52 runs. If the team’s astounding run to the final in 2017, slaying giant Australia en route, is often cited as...
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Nine devotees killed, 15 injured in Srikakulam temple stampede
Nine devotees — eight women and one child — were killed and 15 injured in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday morning. Thousands thronged the temple, managed by a private...
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India, U.S. sign pact to boost defence ties
India and the United States have unveiled a 10-year defence framework, marking a new phase in their strategic cooperation aimed at “advancing peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacic”. The “Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defence...
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India gets 6-month waiver for Iran port
India has received a waiver on the United States’ sanctions against Iran’s Chabahar port for six months, the Ministry of External Aairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced on Thursday. Ocials said that the sanctions waiver had come into eect from...
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U.S. is doing a trade deal with India, says Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington is “doing a trade deal with India”, and emphasised that he has “a great relationship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as both sides continue negotiations on a proposed pact. “If you look at...
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Cyclone Montha makes landfall; rain batters several parts of A.P.
The severe cyclonic storm Montha began its landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The storm triggered very heavy rain in the State as well as Odisha. In Andhra Pradesh,...
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SIR 2.0 to begin in 12 States, U.T.s, cover 51 crore voters
he Election Commission on Monday kicked off the second phase of the special intensive revision of voter lists in 12 States and Union Territories, including pollbound Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, and Puducherry. The revision will cover 51 crore...
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India-ASEAN ties making steady progress, says PM
India-ASEAN strategic partnership has continued to prosper despite the prevailing “era of uncertainties”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. Delivering his opening remarks virtually at the 22nd ASEAN-India summit being held in the Malaysian...
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Cong. seeks probe into LIC’s Adani investment
The Congress on Saturday demanded an inquiry by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament into what it described as a “disturbing misuse” of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) funds to benefit the Adani Group. The party alleged that...
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19 passengers burnt to death as sleeper bus catches fire in A.P.
Nineteen people, including two children, were burnt to death, their bodies charred beyond recognition, after a HyderabadBengaluru sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle at Chinna Tekur village, on the outskirts of Kurnool...
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U.S. sanctions Russian oil majors; Indian refiners poised to cut buy
U.S. President Donald Trump hit Russia’s two biggest oil companies with sanctions in his latest policy shift on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, prompting global oil prices to rise by 3% on Thursday. Mr. Trump also reiterated his claim that India has agreed...
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Deepavali fireworks send Delhi air quality inching to a fiveyear low
Following Deepavali, pollution in Delhi inched close to a fiveyear low with average concentrations of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 across several locations crossing 400 microgram per cubic metre (µg/m3) — levels not seen since 2021. On Deepavali day,...
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In Doha, Pakistan and Afghanistan agree on ceasefire
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and setting up of “mechanisms” to ensure lasting peace after days of violent clashes along the border that left several soldiers, civilians, and terrorists dead on both sides, officials...
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Rain fury causes massive damage in Kerala’s Idukki
The highrange villages of Kerala’s Idukki district witnessed extremely heavy rainfall on Friday night and Saturday morning, causing widespread damage. The water level rose by nearly six feet in the Mullaperiyar dam in 24 hours, prompting Tamil Nadu to...
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U.S. trade body moves court over Trump’s H-1B fee hike
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit challenging the Donald Trump administration’s $100,000 fee on new H1B visa applications, saying it overrides existing provisions in current laws that apply to the H1B programme. The fee hike on fresh...
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Trump and MEA at odds over Russian oil imports
India and the United States continued to differ publicly over Russian oil as U.S. President Donald Trump said he had been assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India will stop buying oil from Russia, while the Ministry of External Affairs...
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SC questions if ED is overstepping in T.N. liquor-scam probe
Extending the stay on the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into money laundering cases registered against the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) in connection with an alleged liquor retail scam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday orally...
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Gaza declaration inked as Hamas sets hostages free
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed a “tremendous day for the Middle East [West Asia]” as he and regional leaders signed a declaration on Monday meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and...
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Ready for talks with Pak., but options open: Muttaqi
fghanistan is open to dialogue and diplomacy for a peaceful resolution of its conflict with Pakistan, but if the efforts do not succeed, it has “other means”, the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban administra Ation, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said here on...
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Trump envoy meets PM, raising hopes of a thaw
In an effort to repair bilateral ties and fasttrack the IndiaU.S. trade agreement, U.S. Ambassadordesignate to India and President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, Sergio Gor, arrived in Delhi on Saturday and met with...
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India’s Kabul mission to be upgraded to embassy
India will upgrade its ‘technical mission’ in Kabul to the status of an embassy, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Friday. The announcement came during Mr. Jaishankar’s meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Taliban...
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