The Hindu (Kozhikode)
21 dead in Delhi hotel fire, foreigners among victims
Twentyone people, foreign nationals among them, died in a blaze that ripped through a hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, officials said. At least 47 persons were pulled out from the fire and taken to nearby hospitals for...
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CBSE officials transferred, panel to probe OSM tender
With the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) facing flak for its controversial new onscreen marking (OSM) system, the Centre on Tuesday replaced the Board’s Chairman and Secretary and set up a onemember committee to inquire into its...
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Industrial output slows to 4.9% in new data series
India’s industrial output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production, grew 4.9% in April 2026 under the revised series with 202223 as base year released on Monday. The growth rate was slower than 5.8% recorded in the same period last year with...
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Vulnerabilities in marking platform ‘contained’: CBSE
After public posts by ethical hackers exposed vulnerabilities in the OnScreen Marking platform OnMark for Class 12 answer sheets, the Central Board of Secondary Education on Sunday said the identified vulnerabilities “have been contained and other...
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Proposed high-speed rail to link capital with Kannur in 3½ hours
The new interim report on a highspeed rail project, submitted by technocrat E. Sreedharan to the Kerala government on Friday, envisions connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Kannur in just three hours and 30 minutes, envisaging the project as the world’s...
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NEET leak left students, families traumatised: SC
Students and entire families have been traumatised by the National EligibilitycumEntrance TestUndergraduate (NEETUG) paper leak case, the Supreme Court said on Friday. The court observed that years of hard work and emotional investment had gone...
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SC upholds SIR, says it is EC’s constitutional duty
he Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an exercise done by the Election Commission (EC) in furtherance of its constitutional obligation to conduct free and fair elections. “SIR bears a direct...
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India, U.S. draw up deal on rare earth elements
On the sidelines of the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM), India and the United States on Tuesday firmed up an important framework for cooperation in ensuring steady supplies of critical minerals, in a move that follows growing concerns over...
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SC blames NTA for repeated NEET question paper leaks
The Supreme Court on Monday squarely blamed the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the National Eligibility cum Entrance TestUndergraduate (NEETUG) 2026 paper leak, saying the exam body sadly had not learnt its lesson even two years after the previous...
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Rubio, Jaishankar stress need for ‘unimpeded’ maritime trade
The United States works with many countries at a “tactical” level, but those relations will not disturb the strategic partnership with India, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said here on Sunday. Addressing a joint press conference at the Hyderabad...
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Petrol and diesel prices hiked third time in 8 days
Prices of petrol and diesel were raised for the third time in eight days on Saturday, this time by an average of 90 paise per litre across all variants. The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) in several parts of North India also rose for the third...
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Maharashtra is India’s growth engine: Shinde
Maharashtra is the country’s growth engine, and MumbaiMMR is on track to be a $1.5 trillion economy, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, speaking at Hindu’s flagship The Infrastructure Conclave in Mumbai on Friday. He said that the government...
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Sedition trials can go on if accused is willing: SC
Four years after putting on hold trials in sedition cases in courts across the country, the Supreme Court on Thursday said that they could proceed with trials and appeals involving the offence of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code...
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SC says nothing wrong in caste count, rejects plea against move
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said there was nothing wrong in the government of the day ascertaining caste as part of the nationwide Census exercise. “Any government of the day must know how many people are backward and how many need welfare. This is...
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Delhi Police suggest larger SC Bench to review UAPA bail curbs
The Delhi Police on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the question of whether prolonged incarceration and delay of trial could override the statutory restrictions on bail under antiterror laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,...
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V.D. Satheesan sworn in as Kerala CM
Congress leader V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala along with 20 Ministers at a ceremony held at a packed Central Stadium here on Monday. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to...
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With ordinance, SC judge strength up from 33 to 37
resident Droupadi Murmu has promulgated an ordinance increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 37 — excluding the Chief Justice of India. The May 16 Gazette notification says “Parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied...
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Manipur protest on; Kukis want President’s Rule back
Thousands of KukiZo people took to the streets in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts of Manipur on Saturday, demanding the unconditional release of Kuki hostages and justice for three church leaders killed in an ambush by extremists on May 13. In a...
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99.07% pass in Kerala SSLC results
As many as 99.07% of students in Kerala who sat for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in March have qualified for higher studies. The pass percentage was 0.43 percentage points less than the 99.5% last year. General...
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Uneasy truce in Beijing as Trump and Xi discuss trade, Taiwan
The United States and China appeared to come to an uneasy truce — at least for now — on trade, Taiwan, and the future of an increasingly contested relationship, as their leaders met for talks in Beijing on Thursday. Chinese President Xi Jinping told...
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Vijay wins floor test with 144 votes; AIADMK divided
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay comfortably won the floor test in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday with 144 votes as 25 rebel All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs and the lone Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) MLA...
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NEET-UG 2026 cancelled after question paper leak
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the National EntrancecumEligibility TestUndergraduate (NEETUG) conducted on May 3 after evidence emerged that the paper was leaked. The NTA is expected to announce the schedule for the retest...
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Top Cong. leaders for Delhi to finalise CM choice
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has summoned top leaders from Kerala to New Delhi, ostensibly to finalise the party’s choice for Chief Minister. Those attending the crucial meeting with the party’s high command include former Kerala Pradesh...
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Vijay sworn in as CM, promises transparent, clean governance
Ushering in a change in Tamil Nadu’s bipolar Dravidian political landscape that has been in existence since 1967, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president and actor C. Joseph Vijay, 52, was sworn in as Chief Minister at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in...
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Threehour meeting in Delhi fails to end impasse in Cong. over Kerala CM
The Congress’s bid to name a Chief Minister for Kerala remained inconclusive despite party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi holding consultations with the three main contenders, AICC general...
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Uncertainty continues in T.N. over govt. formation
Uncertainty prevailed over government formation in Tamil Nadu on Friday night as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) remained undecided on backing actor C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), though the Communist Party of India and...
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Flex boards appear for leadership change in Dharmadam, Taliparamba
Amid the continuing debate within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] following its election setback in Kannur district, the party’s district secretariat on Thursday criticised campaigns using photographs and names of senior leaders after...
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T.N. Governor asks Vijay to give proof of majority
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is learnt to have asked Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay, who on Wednesday evening staked claim to form the next government, to produce letters demonstrating support of 118 MLAs,...
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Won’t resign as we did not lose, it is a forceful attempt to defeat us, says Mamata
A day after her party suffered a massive setback in the Assembly election in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday she would not resign as Chief Minister as “we did not lose the election”. “The question does not...
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Change and churn in Kerala, T.N., Bengal
Voters in Kerala delivered a decisive victory to the Congressled United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 2026 Assembly election, ending 10 years of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule. Riding an antiincumbent wave, the UDF won 102 seats after counting of...
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Parties brace for verdict; EC promises transparency
The Election Commission on Sunday said it would uphold the “highest standards of transparency, security and efficiency” when votes polled in the elections to the Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry and the bypolls in...
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SC rejects Trinamool claim of bias by Central govt. staff
The Supreme Court on Saturday called it a “fallacy” nursed by the Trinamool Congress that West Bengal Government services’ employees owe allegiance to it and Central employees were loyal to or controlled by the party ruling the Centre. They are...
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Iran vows to safeguard its nuclear capabilities
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that the country would “safeguard” its “nuclear and missile” capabilities and lay down new rules for managing the Strait of Hormuz, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said a blockade of...
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92% polling in Bengal phase two
There was a record turnout of 92.5% in the second and final phase of polling for the West Bengal Assembly election on Wednesday, amidst isolated incidents of unrest and violence. This is in tune with the record turnout in the first phase, where 93.19%...
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Growth in industrial output at 5-month low of 4.1% in March
Growth in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) slowed to a fivemonth low of 4.1% in March 2026, the first month of data after the West Asia crisis began, pulled down by a nearhalving in construction sector growth rates and low growth in...
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India, New Zealand sign ‘historic’ free trade deal
India and New Zealand on Monday signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that Prime Ministers of both the countries hailed as a “historic” step towards deepening trade, investment, and peopletopeople ties. The FTA, signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal...
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Trump safe after shooting in Washington; man held
Aman armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom in a chaotic encounter with Secret Service agents as...
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U.S. envoys not to travel to Pakistan, says Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had ordered his envoys not to travel to Pakistan to continue talks with Iranian officials on ending the war. “I have told my people a little while ago... Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go...
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IsraelLebanon ceasefire extended by three weeks
Israel and Lebanon have extended their fragile ceasefire by three weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday after meeting representatives from both countries in Washington. “The Meeting went very well! The U.S. is going to work with...
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T.N., Bengal see massive turnout
Tamil Nadu made electoral history on Thursday as it recorded its highest polling percentage in an Assembly election — 85.14% (as of 10. 30 p.m.). According to provisional figures, over 4.85 crore people voted from 7 a.m. in all the 234 Assembly...
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Iran seizes two ships hours after Trump extends truce
Iran has seized two vessels, one of them claimed to be affiliated with Israel, in the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was extending the ceasefire with...
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Sabarimala gold case: SIT speeds up inquiry into Dwarapalaka sculptures’ refurbishment
The Kerala High Courtappointed special investigation team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has reportedly expedited its preliminary inquiry into whether the controversial removal and transport of goldplated copper overlays embellishing...
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Row over opening of ‘polling material room’ Thekkady in for a bleak tourist season as Periyar Lake’s water level plummets
The opening of one of the rooms at JDT Islam Complex at Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode city, where electronic voting machines (EVM) used for the recently concluded Assembly elections are kept, kicked up a controversy on Monday. The EVMs from six Assembly...
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23 killed in explosion at fireworks factory near Virudhunagar in T.N.
In one of the deadliest accidents at a fireworks factory in Tamil Nadu in recent times, 23 workers were killed and eight injured in an explosion at Vanaja Fireworks Unit at Kattanarpatti near Virudhunagar on Sunday. A second explosion at the unit...
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NDA will remove hurdles before women’s quota: PM
Aday after the government failed to secure passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Act and the Delimitation Bill — which sought to implement 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the...
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Soaring consumption: KSEB proposes TAM option, seeks regulatory commission’s nod
With electricity consumption soaring in the State this April, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is exploring more effective power procurement options for bridging peakhour power deficits in the coming weeks. Specifically, the KSEB is looking...
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South’s seat share won’t be cut, say PM and Shah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that the Bills to amend the women’s reservation law and carry out a fresh delimitation exercise will keep current proportional representation of southern...
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Centre moots inter-State redistribution of Lok Sabha seats based on 2011 Census
States that have stabilised their populations could see their share of representation in Parliament shrinking if proposals in the drafts of a Constitution Amendment Bill and a Delimitation Bill circulated by the Centre become law. The Budget Session...
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SC raps EC on SIR ‘discrepancies’, says voting is a sentimental right
The Supreme Court on Monday told the Election Commission of India (EC) that the right to be on the electoral roll and to vote in one’s own country is not only constitutional but sentimental. The top court was referring to lakhs of voters excluded for...
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Iran, U.S. blame each other as talks end without a deal
The United States and Iran ended facetoface talks in Pakistan on Sunday without an agreement, each side keeping the onus on the other without narrowing their differences and leaving a fragile twoweek ceasefire in the war in West Asia in doubt. U.S....
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U.S., Iran hold direct negotiations in Pakistan as fragile truce holds
The United States and Iran began facetoface negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday, days after a fragile, twoweek ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. The White...
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Record turnout in Puducherry, Assam; Kerala near all-time high
Incumbents express confidence after increased voter turnout There was record poll participation in the Assembly elections on Thursday, with the highestever voter turnout of 85.74% in Assam and 89.87% in Puducherry as of 10 p.m., crossing the previous...
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Bengal electorate shrinks 12% as 27 lakh out after judicial reviews
Over 27 lakh West Bengal voters who were put under adjudication were excluded from the electoral rolls following the completion of the judicial reviews on Tuesday, with over a quarter of such deletions occurring in two Muslimdominated districts. In...
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SC declines Bengal’s plea to delay voter roll freeze
The Supreme Court on Monday disagreed with the West Bengal government which pleaded with the top court to wait for a few more days before freezing the electoral roll so that many of the over 20 lakh voters, who could not pass the verification by...
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Trump hails airman rescue; Iran says U.S. assets blasted
AU.S. Air Force officer whose F15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down in Iran on Friday was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in U.S. history” on Saturday night, President Donald...
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All States will benefit from proposed delimitation: PM
States that have stabilised their populations will not lose their Lok Sabha seats, and all States will benefit from a proposed increase in the size of the House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally in in Kerala on Saturday. The Centre...
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Gherao of judicial officers in Bengal a challenge to SC: CJI
The Supreme Court on Thursday said a mob gherao of seven judicial officers, confining them without food or water for more than nine hours at a government office in Malda district of West Bengal, reportedly after several voters were struck off the...
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Commercial LPG, jet fuel rates up amid Iran crisis
taterun oil marketing firms hiked the price of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders by more than 10% in major metro cities on Wednesday, while the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) was more than doubled for international air travel...
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Trump blasts allies, tells them ‘go get your own oil’
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at allies on Tuesday telling them to fend for themselves regarding oil supplies, adding to the pressure within the Western military alliance, NATO, whose members have not joined the U.S. and Israel in their war on...
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At central Travancore rally, Rahul pledges to raise rubber price to ₹250
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took out a whirlwind tour of Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, addressing election rallies organised by the United Democratic Front (UDF). The campaign trail, which began from Adoor in the morning, also saw...
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BJP is the ‘A team’ of Kerala, says Modi at election campaign meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday intensified the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s campaign for the April 9 Kerala Assembly election with a sharp attack on both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front...
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March economic data shows slowing growth
Economic indicators are beginning to show signs of slowing growth in response to the constraints created by the war in West Asia, the Ministry of Finance has said in a new report. The Monthly Economic Review for March, released on Saturday by the...
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Petrol, diesel excise duty cut; prices won’t change
The Union government on Thursday reduced the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) on petrol and diesel by ₹10 per litre each, effectively bringing the duty on diesel to zero and on petrol to ₹3/litre. The move will not, however, translate into lower...
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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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Trump pauses strikes on Iran, says deal is possible
U.S. President Donald Trump, who issued a 48hour ultimatum to Iran on Saturday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power infrastructure, said on Monday that he would postpone the attacks for five days after “very good and productive”...
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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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Iran steps up attacks on Israel, Gulf energy sites
Iran defiantly insisted on Friday that it would deny its enemies their security and that it was still building missiles nearly three weeks into U.S.Israeli strikes that have killed a slew of Tehran’s top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy...
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K. Sudhakaran puts an end to his rebellion, to abide by Cong. decisions
After 48 hours of uncertainty that left the Congress party in Kerala on the edge ahead of a crucial Assembly election, senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, MP, on Thursday night put an end to a rebellion that he initiated after the All India Congress...
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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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