The Hindu (Kolkata)
Iran grants Hormuz passage to India and 4 other nations
India and four other “friendly nations” were allowed to move their ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that Tehran has established its “sovereignty” over the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf...
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Iran dismisses U.S. bid to end conflict, sets its own terms
Iran on Wednesday dismissed a U.S. proposal to end the war and set out its own terms for peace, even as it continued trading fire with Israel. The U.S. proposal offered a ceasefire and sanctions relief in return for the Islamic Republic abandoning its...
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SC status only for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs: top court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday held in a judgment that a person professing any religion other than Hinduism, Buddhism, or Sikhism should not be considered a member of a Schedule Caste community. The court concluded that conversion to any other religion...
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From gold to piggy banks, Kashmir stands by wartorn Iran
Largerthanlife images of slain Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dotted central parks in Srinagar’s Shiamajority localities of Zadibal and Hasanabad for the second consecutive day on Monday, even as a donation drive for the medical aid...
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Will completely close Hormuz Strait: Iran after Trump’s threat
The Iranian military on Sunday threatened to completely shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz and attack U.S. infrastructure, including energy facilities in the Gulf, if U.S. President Donald Trump acts on threats to target the country’s power...
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Trump mulls ending war, eases curbs on Iranian oil
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he is considering “winding down” the war on Iran, adding that securing the Strait of Hormuz — now under Iran’s control — is the responsibility of other nations, even as Washington temporarily eased...
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Delhi HC restores plea on absence of IPC Section 377-like provision in BNS
The Delhi High Court on Friday said it will consider a public interest litigation seeking penal provisions in the criminal law for nonconsensual unnatural sex, akin to section 377 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code (IPC). A Bench of Chief Justice D.K....
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Israel won’t hit key Iran gas facility again: Trump
Distancing himself from an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said Tel Aviv would not target the “extremely important and valuable” site again and warned Tehran against attacking Qatar’s energy...
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22 India-bound ships on Hormuz evacuation list
Twentytwo Indiabound vessels in the Persian Gulf region have been identified for evacuation for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz by the Indian government. Of these, 20 vessels have been assessed as critical to India’s energy security,...
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Afghanistan says Pakistani attack in Kabul killed 400
Rescuers recovered more bodies from the rubble of a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on Tuesday after officials said an overnight airstrike killed more than 400 people, in a dramatic escalation of a conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan that...
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India to sign U.S. deal only after clarity on tariff rates
India will sign a trade deal with the U.S. only after the country settles its “tariff architecture” and clarifies country-wise tariff rate, sources in the government have said. “Any deal that we finalise and sign has to be seen against the tariff...
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Assembly polls begin on April 9; West Bengal to vote in two phases
Polling will be held in Assam, Puducherry, and Kerala on April 9 and in Tamil Nadu on April 23, while West Bengal will vote on April 23 and 29; poll panel announces byelections to eight Assembly seats in various States; counting of votes on May 4 The...
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U.S. bombs Kharg Island; Iran hits back
Amissile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility in the UAE, while U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. destroyed military sites on an island vital to...
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LS clears grant demand with ‘stabilisation’ fund
Amid the $100perbarrel oil shock and fears of energy shortage and supply chain disruptions arising out the West Asia conflict, the Centre has allocated ₹57,381 crore for an Economic Stabilisation Fund that would provide it fiscal space to address...
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No fuel shortage, supply secure, Minister tells LS
here is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation turbine fuel in the country, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday, adding that India’s crude supply has been secured amid the conflict in West...
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Iran targets commercial ships; global energy concerns mount
Iran attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted Dubai International Airport in the UAE on Wednesday, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oilrich region as global energy concerns mounted and American and Israeli airstrikes pounded...
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Gas from new sources to end shortage, say officials
Importing natural gas from U.S., Norway has now become viable, though the shipping distance may prolong shortage of the cooking fuel, they say; domestic LPG production has been increased The current crunch in India’s natural gas supply is likely to be...
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Trip to nowhere: IndiGo’s U.K. flight returns to Delhi after 14 hours in the sky, as Eritrea flags permit issue
An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Manchester was forced to turn back from Eritrea after being airborne for nearly eight hours. Though the aircraft had skirted the conflictaffected Persian Gulf, the flight effectively took 14 hours and ended where it...
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Centre seeks report from Bengal on President’s visit
Aday after President Droupadi Murmu expressed disappointment over the Mamata Banerjee government’s arrangements for the International Santal Conference in Darjeeling, the Union Home Ministry on Sunday sought a report from the West Bengal Chief...
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Iran vows not to attack neighbours
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran would no longer target these countries unless attacks originated from their territory. However, he vowed that Iran would not surrender in its war against the United States and Israel,...
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A.P., Karnataka set to ban social media use by minors
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have become the first Indian States to announce a ban on the use of social media by children, albeit for different age groups. Australia and Indonesia have effected similar bans, amid a global debate over the need to...
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Iran launches a new wave of attacks against Israel, U.S.
Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Israel, American bases and countries around the region on Thursday, even as Israel and the U.S. hammered the Islamic Republic for a sixth day. The war keeps escalating each day, affecting additional 14...
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U.S. sinks Iranian vessel near Sri Lanka
AU.S. submarine attacked an Iranian warship on Wednesday, which sank in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, bringing the West Asian conflict closer to the Indian subcontinent. At least 83 people were killed in the torpedo attack. U.S. Defense...
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When art wilts under the sun
uring the Tamil months of Chithirai and Vaikasi (April to June), temple festivals gather momentum across Tamil Nadu. On festival days, village squares and temple grounds slowly fill up even as the sun beats down mercilessly through the afternoon. By...
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Iran hits Israel, U.S. bases after killing of Khamenei
Iran vowed revenge on Sunday after the killing of its Supreme Leader, and traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a U.S. and Israeli bombardment a day earlier. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any retaliation would only...
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U.S., Israel launch strikes on Iran
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump called upon the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran...
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Kejriwal, 22 others walk free in excise policy case
In a major victory for the Aam Aadmi Party, a special court on Friday discharged party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the politically charged liquor policy case. Mr. Kejriwal hailed...
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SC bans Class 8 textbook, orders seizure of copies
The Supreme Court on Thursday said there was a “deeprooted conspiracy” behind the “very, very calculated move” to portray the judiciary as a venal institution in a Class 8 social science textbook with “selective reference” about “corruption” in the...
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India ‘stands firmly’ with Israel, Modi tells Knesset
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the Knesset on Wednesday, extended a firm hand of friendship to Israel and condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 as a “barbaric terrorist attack”. Speaking at the Israeli parliament, the Prime...
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SC expands judicial team to aid Bengal SIR process
The Supreme Court on Tuesday moved in quickly to swell the ranks of judicial officers deployed to aid the Election Commission (EC) in the completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal, even alerting neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand...
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Centre unveils policy to tackle terrorism threats
The Union Home Ministry on Monday released the country’s firstever antiterror policy, emphasising that other than terror sponsored from across the border, “criminal hackers and nation states continue to target India through cyberattacks”. The...
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Time for nations facing tariffs to unionise: Lula
Instead of negotiating with the U.S. on tariffs separately, countries should form “negotiating blocs”, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said here on Sunday, advocating for “unionisation” of those suffering from the tariffs. Mr. Lula,...
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India ‘studying’ U.S. tariff moves: Commerce Ministry
While the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on various countries, including India, several other tariffs remain that continue to hurt various sectors, trade analysts and export data show. In a...
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U.S. Supreme Court halts Trump’s sweeping tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda. The 6-3 decision centres on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law,...
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SIR in 22 States and U.T.s expected from April: EC
The Election Commission (EC) has informed State poll authorities that the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists in the 22 States and Union Territories, where it has not yet been conducted, is expected to begin in April. The 22 remaining...
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DGCA proposes swift ban on disruptive passengers
Airline operators may soon be empowered to directly impose a flying ban of up to 30 days on unruly or disruptive passengers without referring the matter to the competent authority. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has proposed...
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Political leaders, officials must foster fraternity: SC
Political leaders must foster fraternity and high public officeholders should live up to the ideals of the Constitution, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. The court was hearing a petition highlighting instances of Chief Ministers, senior...
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NGT clears ₹92,000cr. Great Nicobar project
ABench of the National Green Tribunal(NGT) on Monday cleared the way for the ₹92,000crore Great Nicobar Island megainfrastructure project, noting that “considering the strategic importance” of it and “other relevant considerations”, “we do not find...
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Trade deals made from a ‘position of strength’, says Modi
India recently entered into a slew of trade agreements, including with the European Union and the United States, “from a position of strength”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, adding that these deals were designed to expand global market...
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New Urban Challenge Fund to tap market for infra push
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the launch of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF), a new Centrally sponsored scheme of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry with ₹1 lakh crore Central assistance. In a statement, the government said the scheme...
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BNP secures landslide victory in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by chairman Tarique Rahman, is set to return to power in Dhaka after two decades, following a landslide victory in the February 12 parliamentary election, winning an absolute majority of seats, according to the...
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Zero tariff textiles exports to U.S. possible for India: Goyal
India will receive the same benefits on textiles exports under its interim trade agreement with the U.S. as Bangladesh gained through its own deal, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. “Just as Bangladesh has a facility that if raw...
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Centre plans guidelines for books by defence personnel
Amid the controversy surrounding the unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny, off ormer Army chief General M.M. Naravane ((retd), the Defence Ministry is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces personnel who wish to publish...
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Label all photorealistic AI content online, says Centre
The Union government has notified amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2021, requiring photorealistic AIgenerated content to be prominently labelled. The changes, which will come into force on February 20, also significantly shorten timelines...
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‘Restrictive’ software tools being used for SIR, says SC
The Supreme Court on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) was using “very restrictive” software tools, at least in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, with scant tolerance for “natural” differences and inconsistencies...
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India, Malaysia ink pacts to expand strategic ties
India and Malaysia on Sunday vowed to expand their ties in the highpriority sectors of trade and investment, defence, energy, advanced manufacturing and semiconductors with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that both sides are committed to peace...
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India, U.S. unveil framework for deal
India will remove or reduce tariffs on all industrial goods and a “wide range” of agricultural goods imported from the United States, according to the joint statement issued by the two countries on Saturday morning. In return, the U.S. will reduce its...
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India’s oil imports from Russia hit 38-month low
The value of India’s crude oil imports from Russia fell to a 38month low of $2.7 billion in December 2025, with Russian oil making up less than a quarter of India’s imports, down from 34% just a month before, an analysis of the latest official data...
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18 killed in blast at illegal coal mine in Meghalaya
An explosion in an illegally operated rathole coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district killed 18 miners on Thursday, officials said. This is one of the biggest mishaps since July 2012, when 15 miners died in a flooded mine in the State’s...
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Manipur President’s Rule ends; Khemchand new CM
he installation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)led National Democratic Alliance government, with a Meitei leader at the helm, brought an end to nearly a year of President’s Rule in Manipur on Wednesday. Around 6 p.m., Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar...
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U.S. deal will not include sensitive sectors: Goyal
The trade deal with the United States, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media late on Monday night, will exclude sensitive agricultural items and dairy, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday,...
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Bulk requests for deleting names of voters in Barmer
Subhan Khan, a Bharatiya Janata Party worker at the sleepy village of Janpaliya in Barmer district in Rajasthan, was stunned when his booth-level officer informed him that an application had been filed seeking the deletion of his name from the State’s...
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Simpler process Budget 2026:
While acknowledging the strains created by the external global environment, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament, with the aim at increasing productivity across sectors and ensuring...
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Sunetra Pawar sworn in as Deputy CM of Maharashtra
Aday after the conclusion of the threeday State mourning for late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who died in an air crash in Baramati on January 28, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra...
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Menstrual health in schools is integral to right to life: SC
The Supreme Court on Friday declared that the right to menstrual health and access to menstrual hygiene management (MHM) measures in educational institutions is part of the fundamental right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the...
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Economic Survey predicts bright India, increasingly darker world
FY26 Survey raises mediumterm growth outlook to 7% from 6.5% The Economic Survey 202526 on Thursday painted a relatively rosy picture of India’s domestic growth outlook, raising the country’s mediumterm forecast to 7% from the earlier estimate of...
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Ajit Pawar, 4 others dead in plane crash; State govt. denies foul play
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party supremo Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday morning, along with four others on board. The Learjet 45 aircraft, belonging to Delhi-based charter company VSR...
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‘Mother of all deals’: India and EU finalise FTA
After almost two decades of negotiation, India and the European Union (EU) finalised a free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday billed as the “mother of all deals”, that will see the EU drop tariffs on 99.5% of Indian exports to the 27nation bloc. India...
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Parties allege plot to exclude Assam voters
Leaders of the Congress and five other Opposition parties in Assam on Sunday submitted a memorandum to the State’s Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that fake objections were being filed to remove voters from the draft rolls during the special revision...
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Migrant worker from Beldanga died by suicide: police
Migrant worker Alauddin Sheikh whose unnatural death in Jharkhand last week had triggered violent protests in West Bengal’s Beldanga had died of suicide. The postmortem report of the deceased migrant worker as well as investigation by Murshidabad...
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NDA double-engine govt. will be formed in T.N.: PM
In his first major message in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the State needs an “NDA double-engine government”, which would march “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the Union government to achieve overall...
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Tension rises in Manipur after Meitei man’s killing
A29yearold man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Churachandpur district of Manipur on Wednesday night, security officials said. The killing was recorded on camera. Mayanglambam Rishikant Singh, a resident of Kakching, belonged to the...
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EC discretion during SIR is not unregulated power: SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the Election Commission (EC) is blessed with the “widest discretions” but its “deviations” while revising electoral rolls, as in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, cannot be “untrammelled or...
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SC flags ‘stress and strain’ by SIR to Bengal’s people
The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the Election Commission (EC) for the “stress and strain” caused, through its ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, to the ordinary people of West Bengal, where around 1.36 crore people, almost 20% of...
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PM launches ₹6,957crore Kaziranga corridor work
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cited the outcome of the Bihar Assembly election and the Mumbai civic polls to claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become the first choice of the people in the country. After laying the foundation...
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Highest annual spike saw 44,000 start-ups added in 2025, says PM
Nearly 44,000 startups registered with the government in 2025, the highest annual addition since Startup India was launched, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday at an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the scheme. Launched on January...
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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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Retail inflation at 3month high of 1.33% in December
India’s retail inflation quickened to a threemonth high of 1.33% in December 2025, which is still significantly below the lower comfort level of 2% set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), official data released on Monday showed. Data on the Consumer...
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Defying U.S. warning, Iran 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 search at consultancy firm
The Directorate of Enforcement ( ED) on Thursday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of removing evidences 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 in U.S. court; interim leader offers to work with Trump
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York court on Monday, just days after being seized in Caracas in a U.S. military operation that paved the path for Washington’s plans to control the oilrich country. Mr. Maduro, 63, faces...
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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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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
he 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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