The Hindu - International
8 Opposition leaders booked as row over Manikarnika Ghat intensifies
A war of words erupted on Sunday between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition parties after multiple first information reports (FIRs) were lodged in Varanasi against those allegedly spreading AIgenerated images and misleading...
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SC rejects Justice Varma’s challenge to formation of House inquiry committee
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a petition by Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the Lok Sabha Speaker’s constitution of a committee to inquire into a motion for his removal, underscoring that safeguards for judges cannot paralyse the removal...
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Swift executions of protesters likely: Iran
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 sign pact to shore up defence industrial 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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Iran defies U.S. threat, clamps down on protests
Protests sweeping across Iran neared the twoweek 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 raid at IPAC office
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 tells SC it has duty to weed out foreigners
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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Trump asserts India cut import of Russian crude to please him
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday asserted that India cut its oil imports from Russia in recent months in an effort to “make him happy”, and to secure the IndiaU.S. trade deal, even as he threatened more tariffs could “come quickly” if India...
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Maduro in NY jail, V-P to take over in Caracas
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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U.S. captures Maduro after strikes on Venezuela
The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and took him out of the country on Saturday after an extraordinary nighttime operation that was accompanied by a flurry of strikes, following months of escalating pressure on the oilrich...
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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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Indore official axed as deaths linked to ‘unsafe’ water hit 10
An official was dismissed from service and two others suspended even as the death toll climbed to 10 in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh where more than 2,000 people have fallen ill after consuming contaminated water supplied by the municipal corporation,...
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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 ongoing 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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SC pauses Aravalli ruling, moots new panel
The Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance its November 20 judgment upholding a government expert panel definition restricting the world’s oldest surviving mountain system, the Aravalli Range, to hills sporting an elevation of 100 metres or above,...
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EC relaxes order ‘summoning’ Bengal voters
The Election Commission of India (EC), in a fresh set of instructions, has asked district election officials (DEOs) in West Bengal not to summon for hearings those voters identified as “unmapped” but whose names or ancestral connections were present on...
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10.56 lakh names cut on draft rolls in Assam
The names of 10.56 lakh voters have been deleted on the draft electoral rolls of Assam which were published on Saturday after a housetohouse verification of the voter lists during the special revision exercise conducted by the Election Commission in...
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BNP leader returns home, says Bangladesh should be secure home for all communities
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’s leader ahead of general elections
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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Protests erupt near Bangladesh embassy
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 conclude trade talks
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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Watching crisis in Bangladesh closely: India
India 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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India signs pact with Oman for duty-free exports; will also allow labour mobility
India and Oman signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on Thursday, under which Oman will provide India dutyfree access to 98.08% of its tariff lines, covering 99.38% of India’s exports to Oman. India, on the other hand, has...
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LS clears nuclear 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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At least 13 people killed, 60 injured in pile-up on Yamuna Expressway
At least 13 people were killed and 60 injured in a massive vehicle pileup on the AgraLucknow Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Tuesday. Eight buses and three smaller vehicles rammed into each other due to...
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New job guarantee plan to be 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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Gunmen kill 11 at Jewish event in Sydney
At least 11 people were killed and 29 wounded when gunmen fired on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday in what Australian police and officials described as a terrorist attack. One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a...
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Former BJP MLA Guttedar, son named prime accused in Aland voter fraud case
Former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar and his son Harshananda Guttedar have been named as the prime accused in the chargesheet filed by the Karnataka police special investigation team (SIT) that is probing voter fraud in the Aland Assembly constituency ahead...
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EC extends deadline for SIR in 5 States, 1 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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Social media ban for youth takes effect in Australia
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed a worldfirst social media ban for children younger than 16, that took effect on Wednesday, as families taking back power from tech giants but warned the implementation would be difficult. Many...
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Citizenship under CAA only after scrutiny: 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 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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Blaze at Goa nightclub kills 25; four detained
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. sets 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 like the pole star: 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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PM welcomes Putin at airport in warm gesture, hails IndiaRussia partnership
In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival at the Air Force Station, Palam on Thursday evening, ahead of the IndiaRussia annual summit scheduled for Friday. This is Mr. Putin’s first...
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Govt. withdraws order on Sanchar Saathi app
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Wednesday walked back its directions to phone manufacturers ordering them to install a government app starting next year. The reversal caps a controversial episode, in which the government first downplayed...
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Govt. plan to ‘pre-install’ 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 tasks CBI to tackle ‘digital arrests’
The 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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Cyclone Ditwah weakens; torrential rain claims three lives, damages crops in T.N.
Cyclone Ditwah began to weaken on Sunday even as it continued its slow northward movement over the Bay of Bengal, parallel to the coast of northern Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Torrential rain led to three deaths, with two people killed by collapsing...
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Ditwahdriven rain batters south Tamil Nadu
Torrential downpour triggered by Cyclone Ditwah battered several south coastal and delta districts of Tamil Nadu since Friday night, inundating residential pockets, damaging standing crops and submerging salt pans even as the system continued to inch...
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SC asks govt. to regulate 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 hitch in Kerala SIR, 99% forms issued: EC
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 government does a Uturn on ‘permanent’ 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, in...
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UNSC reforms no longer an option but a necessity: Modi at IBSA meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was no longer an option but a necessity, and asserted that the IndiaBrazilSouth Africa troika should send a clear message for changes to institutions of...
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Blast toll hits 13; doctor ‘sole occupant’ of car
Home Ministry hands over the probe to NIA; ‘powerful explosives’ used in the bombing Raids that had led to the arrest of accomplices may have pushed suspect to act much sooner Police collect DNA samples from the family to match remains of the...
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High-intensity 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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Three held in Gujarat over ‘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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Centre rules out Kuki-Zo groups’ U.T. demand
During talks with Centre on Nov. 7, insurgent groups said that coexistence was not possible MHA terms proposal ‘unacceptable’; talks will continue; ‘need to consult other communities’ The tribals had never been an organic part of Manipur before...
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Remove stray dogs from public places, says 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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Record 64.66% turnout in Bihar phase 1 polls
Voting was peaceful, says the EC; turnout surpasses 62.57% recorded in the 2000 Assembly election; BJP says high polling proves people’s faith in NDA; an unprecedented wave of change is visible in favour of the grand alliance, says RJD’s Tejashwi...
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EC complicit in Haryana ‘vote theft’: Rahul
In presentation titled ‘Hfiles’, Congress leader alleges there had been 25 lakh fake voters on electoral rolls ahead of polls, says a Brazilian model’s photo was used 22 times; he claims ‘EC is in partnership with the BJP to destroy democracy’; the...
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EC kicks off SIR 2.0 in 9 States and 3 U.T.s
The Election Commission on Tuesday launched the second phase of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine States and three Union Territories, covering around 51 crore voters, with boothlevel officers distributing enumeration forms...
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19 dead as truck rams bus near Hyderabad
An infant and two drivers were among the dead, while 14 people were injured; the lorry, likely trying to avoid a pothole, swerved and hit an RTC bus coming from the opposite direction; many of the victims died under gravel that the lorry was carrying;...
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Indian women script history, win World Cup
Shafali Verma makes a sensational comeback, with a 50, two wickets to seal the coronation 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...
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Households are piling on debt faster than creating assets, RBI data show
The annual financial debt accumulated by Indian households has grown faster than their annual financial assets since the prepandemic year 201920, an analysis of Reserve Bank of India data has found. The amount of financial assets added each year has...
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India, U.S. sign pact to enhance defence ties
Hegseth says coordination is being stepped up, and defence ties have never been stronger India and the United States have unveiled a 10year defence framework, marking a new phase in their strategic cooperation aimed at “advancing peace, security, and...
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Trump, Xi seek trade war truce, take a step back in war over taris, rare earths
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed on Thursday to calm the trade war between China and the U.S. that has roiled global markets, with Washington cutting some taris and Beijing committing to keep supplies of critical rare earths §owing. Mr. Trump called...
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Cyclone Montha leaves two dead, flattens crops in Andhra Pradesh
Severe cyclonic storm Montha left a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh, leaving two persons dead and inundating agricultural crops across 87,000 hectares. It also damaged roads, bridges and culverts, and uprooted trees, officials said after a...
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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. Between 11.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m., the storm moved with a speed of 17 kmph. It was positioned...
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Cyclone set to cross the Andhra coast on Tuesday evening; red alert in 16 districts
Cyclone Montha is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, the...
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India-ASEAN ties making steady progress: PM
IndiaASEAN 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 ASEANIndia 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.
ineteen people, including two children, were burnt to death, their bodies charred beyond recognition, after a HyderabadBengaluru sleeper coach bus caught fire after a collision with a motorcycle at Chinna Tekur village on the outskirts of Kurnool in...
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U.S. sanctions Russian oil; Indian refineries poised to cut imports
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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Modi, Trump speak; U.S., India versions vary
Days ahead of a possible meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and amidst intense ongoing trade negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to extend Deepavali greetings, the leaders said. However, the two sides differed...
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New H-1B visa fee will not apply for change of status: U.S. govt.
In a further relaxation of its rules relating to the new $100,000 fee on H1B visas, the United States government said on Monday that the fee will not apply to applications for a change of status or an extension of stay in the U.S. On September 19,...
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Monsoon wreaks havoc in Idukki, Theni, more water released from Mullaperiyar
The intensifying northeast monsoon claimed its first life in Kerala’s mountainous Idukki district on Sunday, as intense overnight rain inundated roads and homes, swept away parked vehicles, and triggered mudslides. Traffic came to a halt while power...
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Rain fury causes massive damage in Kerala’s Idukki
The highrange villages of the hill district of Kerala’s Idukki witnessed extremely heavy rainfall on Friday night and Saturday morning, causing widespread damage. The water level rose by nearly 6 ft in the Mullaperiyar dam, prompting Tamil Nadu to...
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210 Maoists lay down arms in Chhattisgarh; the largest ever surrender by group
In a mass surrender, 210 Maoist cadres from the Dandakaranya region laid down arms and joined the Chhattisgarh’s rehabilitation programme on Friday. This is the first time in the history of the antiNaxal movement that such a large number of senior...
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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 allows sale of green fireworks in Delhi
Both NCTD and Centre are seeking relaxation of the ban at least during festivals, court says Ahead of Deepavali, the Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the blanket ban on firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and allowed the sale...
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SC questions ED actions in 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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Open to Pak. talks, but have options: Muttaqi
Taliban say Pakistan harbouring IS fighters from West Asia and must look into its ‘internal failures’ Pakistan has been claiming that the TTP is using Afghan support and territory to launch attacks Minister says women journalists were left out of...
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