The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
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 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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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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U.S. bombs Iran’s Kharg Island; Tehran hits back
Amissile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad of Iraq and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility in the UAE on Saturday while U.S. President Donald Trump claimed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s...
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Centre sets aside ₹57,381 cr. to offset ‘global headwinds’
Amid the $100perbarrel oil shock and fears of energy shortage and supply chain disruptions arising out of 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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Crude supply secure, no shortage of fuel: Minister
There 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 oil 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 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
The Indian government tried reaching out to the Iranian leadership after the U.S.Israel attack on February 28 killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but could not establish contact because of the ongoing conflict, External Affairs Minister...
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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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Ahead of crucial Assembly elections, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal Governors changed
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday appointed Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi as the Governor of West Bengal, while Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was given the additional charge of Tamil Nadu. The appointments come ahead of the...
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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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War widens in West Asia as Iran, allies strike back
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 sides....
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CM inaugurates Wayanad township’s first phase
Hailing the reconstruction efforts in landslideshit Wayanad as the latest instance of the ‘Kerala model,’ where people beyond all religious differences come together to support each other in distress, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday...
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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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AkkulamChettuva waterway a milestone in inland navigation: CM
The 280km AkkulamChettuva waterway, a milestone in inland navigation in Kerala, will contribute significantly to the making of a new Kerala and redefine the tourism prospects of the State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. After inaugurating...
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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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Union Cabinet nod for ‘Kerala’ to become ‘Keralam’
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Kerala government’s proposal to change the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, the name used in the Malayalam language.
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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
nstead 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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YC workers trespass on Veena’s residence, lay funeral wreath
A group of Youth Congress (YC) workers stormed the official residence of Health Minister Veena George on Saturday morning, catching the Thiruvananthapuram City police unawares and eliciting strong protest from the Communist Party of India...
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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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Ahead of SC hearing, LDF, UDF spar over women’s entry to Sabarimala
The ruling front and the Opposition appeared poised to draw new battle lines over the contentious issue of allowing women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a series of petitions challenging...
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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, 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 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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Logjam over Rahul’s speech leads to LS face-off; eight MPs suspended
The face-off between the Union government and the Opposition in the Lok Sabha escalated on Tuesday with the suspension of eight Opposition MPs — seven from the Congress and one from the CPI(M) — for the rest of the Budget Session over unruly conduct...
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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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Balagopal serves a populist treat in poll-bound Kerala
Presenting the final Budget of electionbound Kerala’s incumbent CPI(M)led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on Thursday, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal unfurled a populist mix of bigticket announcements and welfare sops, notably a proposal to...
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Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, 4 others dead in plane crash; 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 Delhibased 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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Only double-engine govt. will benefit Kerala: PM
Appealing to the people of Kerala to provide a “decisive mandate” to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the State needs a “double-engine government” for it to draw the entire...
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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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ED freezes Unnikrishnan Potti’s assets worth ₹1.3 crore in Sabarimala theft case, seizes gold bar from Chennai firm
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday froze eight immovable properties of Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, valued at approximately ₹1.3 crore under Section 17 (1A) of the the Prevention of Money...
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Governor altered policy address, says Kerala CM
The Kerala Legislative Assembly saw extraordinary scenes on Tuesday after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had made changes to the policy speech prepared by the State government while delivering the customary...
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SIT report shows need for deeper inquiry into affairs of Sabarimala temple for two decades: HC
The scientific findings in an interim report submitted on Monday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple ‘disclose suspicious and disturbing circumstances surrounding the...
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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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CM attributes State’s secular harmony to efforts of LDF govt.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday asserted that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government succeeded in preventing communal clashes and preserving secular harmony in Kerala, even as several parts of the country grappled with deepening communal...
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Devotion peaks at Sabarimala as thousands witness Makaravilakku
Amid an unprecedented surge of devotees who had been camping in and around the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple for the past several days, the Makaravilakku festival was celebrated at the hill temple on Wednesday. Braving the massive crowds, thousands of...
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India, Germany agree to shore up defence ties
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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PM urges investors to seize India opportunities
India is the world’s fastestgrowing economy and is rapidly on course to become the third largest globally, amid rising international expectations for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday after inaugurating the Vibrant Gujarat...
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Mamata, ED lock horns over search at consultancy firm
The Directorate of Enforcement ( ED) on Thursday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of removing evidence from two locations during a raid against the political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) in Kolkata. The...
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EC says it has constitutional duty to bar foreigners from voter rolls
The Election Commission of India (EC) began its defence of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls before the Supreme Court on Tuesday by dismissing claims that it is conducting a “parallel” National Register of Citizens ( NRC)...
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Maduro pleads not guilty, says he is still President of his country
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narcoterrorism in a New York court on Monday, two days after being snatched along with his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces from Caracas. “I'm the President of the Republic of...
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