The Hindu (Madurai)
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 denies Bengal’s plea to delay locking of poll rolls
The Supreme Court on Monday declined the West Bengal government’s appeal 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 judicial officers after being...
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Over 100 translocated trees along the national highway battling for survival in harsh summer
The tree translocation initiative undertaken to preserve native species removed for the construction of a new wholesale market in Tiruchi has failed to deliver the intended results. The Tiruchi Corporation had translocated around 110 fully grown...
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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 Kerala on Saturday. The Centre is...
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Russia assures steady oil and LNG supply to India
Amid the oil shock and supply chain disruptions triggered by the U.S.Israel war on Iran, Russia has assured that its energy companies have the capacity to “steadily increase” the supply of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India, and also...
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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
Staterun 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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Trump threatens Iran’s oil, power sites over deal
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration was engaging in talks with Iran and threatened to strike its oil, power and water infrastructure if Tehran did not quickly agree to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied...
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To make electoral debut from Perambur and Tiruchi East; Aadhav Arjuna fielded in Villivakkam
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday announced candidates for all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu and 30 constituencies in Puducherry for the Assembly elections scheduled for April. Mr. Vijay will make his...
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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 on petrol and diesel by ₹10 a litre each, effectively bringing down the duty on diesel to zero and on petrol to ₹3 a litre. However, the move will not translate into lower fuel...
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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; U.S. eases curbs on Iran 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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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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193 INDIA bloc MPs submit notice for removal of CEC
The INDIA bloc MPs on Friday submitted a notice in both the Houses of Parliament seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. This is the first time that such a notice has been formally submitted in Parliament. The 10page...
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Custodial death case: Murder charge, SC/ST Act invoked
The State government on Thursday informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that the case of the death of R. Akash Delison, allegedly in police custody in Sivaganga district, had been altered to that of murder under Section 103 of the...
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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 will end shortage, say officials
The current crunch in India’s natural gas supply is likely to be short-lived as the prevailing higher prices make imports from distant sources economically viable, according to government sources. However, such shipments typically take longer to...
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Conversations with Iran to continue: Jaishankar
Investors in the Indian stock market sold big on Monday, triggering a 1.4% decline in the benchmark indices as crude skyrocketed to $100 a barrel amid tension in West Asia. India will not be raising the retail price of petrol, despite benchmark crude...
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India routs New Zealand, defends T20 World Cup
ndia kept its date with cricketing history as Suryakumar Yadav’s men claimed the ICC T20 World Cup with a stirring display at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday. In a onesided summit clash against New Zealand, India’s batting might allied with a...
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Iran vows not to attack neighbours
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran would no longer target its neighbouring countries in West Asia unless attacks originated from their territory. However, he vowed that Iran would not surrender in its war against the...
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U. S. ‘allows’ India to buy Russian oil for 30 days
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday issued an order that would “allow” India to import Russian oil for 30 days, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said while sharing the order on X. Analysts say this will help mitigate the spike in the price of...
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Nitish files his RS papers ahead of exit as Bihar CM
Marking the end of an era, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He was accompanied by the other four candidates of the ruling National Democratic Alliance,...
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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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Battered Iran attacks oil infra targets in West Asia
Iran stepped up its attacks on economic targets and U.S. missions across West Asia on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S.Israel strikes have inflicted wide damages on the Islamic Republic while warning it was “too late” for it to seek...
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West Asia war escalates, spikes oil, strands flyers
Iran and allied armed groups fired missiles at Israel, Arab states, and U.S. military targets around the region on Monday, while Israel and the U.S. pounded the West Asian country as the war expanded to several fronts and death toll grew on all...
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‘T.N. Ministers competing among themselves to indulge in scams’
BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that Ministers in Tamil Nadu were in stiff competition among themselves to indulge in scams. Sharing the dais with the BJP’s allies, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K....
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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 U.S. 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 West Asian nation since...
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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 it. 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 farreaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda. The 63 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 bureaucrats,...
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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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Om Birla to attend the swearing-in of Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh premier
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearingin of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Sunday. Mr. Rahman’s BNP swept 209 of 297...
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New Urban Challenge Fund to tap market for infra push
The Union Cabinet has 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 on Saturday, the government said the...
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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, of former 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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Centre mandates label for photorealistic AI content
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’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 miningrelated tragedies since July 2012, when 15 miners died in a flooded...
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Manipur President’s Rule ends; Khemchand new CM
The 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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U.S. tariff on India reduced to 18%, say Modi and Trump
Indicating a positive turn in a bilateral relationship that had been under strain because of multiple issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that “Made in India” products would “now” attract a “reduced tariff of 18%” in the U.S., after a...
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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 of 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
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 6.5%. However, it simultaneously outlined a relatively grim...
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Ajit Pawar, 4 others dead in plane crash; State govt. denies foul play
Chartered jet carrying NCP leader crashes while landing in Baramati, his home constituency; forensic teams deployed at crash site, investigation to be launched; last rites will be held today; State government declares a three-day mourning
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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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India, EU close in on FTA as negotiations conclude
A“successful India” is in the world’s interest, said visiting European Union (EU) leaders who attended the Republic Day parade on Monday, as officials here confirmed that negotiations for the EUIndia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have been...
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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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3.5 lakh voters in West Bengal yet to appear for SIR hearing
About 3.5 lakh voters marked as “unmapped” under the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal have not turned up for hearings, raising concern among election officials. During the first phase of the SIR in the State, about...
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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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