The Hindu (Tiruchirapalli)
India’s rainfall deficit at 35% as monsoon progress stalls
Over a week past the monsoon’s normal arrival date, the rain clouds have yet to reach Mumbai, driving India’s nationwide monsoon deficit to 35% as of Tuesday. The shortfall in rainfall is concentrated in the regions the monsoon has failed to cover —...
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U.S. and Iran reach agreement to end war, re-open Hormuz Strait
The U.S. and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end the war, lift blockades in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, and launch substantive negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme and the Western sanctions, the two countries announced...
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Modi, Macron bilateral talk stresses economic security
India and France adopted an ‘Innovation Roadmap 2030’ and established a Dialogue on Economic Security during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held in Nice on Sunday. A press release from the...
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An-32 cargo plane crash kills 5 IAF men in Assam
Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed after an An32 cargo aircraft met with an accident while landing at the Jorhat airbase in eastern Assam on Saturday. The deceased were Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar,...
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Attacks on ships ‘unacceptable’, says India; Trump blames Iran
While condemning the U.S. attacks on three ships with Indian crew that killed three Indian seafarers, Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Friday, described them as “attacks on Indian commercial vessels.” Publicly...
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BJP’s RS candidates in M.P. elected unopposed; EC yet to decide on Congress plea
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates Tarun Chug, Rajneesh Agrawal, and Mahesh Kewat were on Thursday declared elected unopposed to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, even as the Congress challenged in the Supreme Court the rejection of...
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20 Trinamool MPs plan to form a separate bloc, support NDA
The rebellion in the Trinamool Congress reached the national capital on Monday as several of its MPs held a meeting at the residence of Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal observer Bhupender Yadav. There are 29 MPs of the...
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Not seeking mediation on border dispute: Nepal FM
Kathmandu is focused on establishing Nepal’s claim on the KalapaniLipulekhLimpiyadhura trijunction and is not “asking for mediation” by third parties, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said here on Sunday. At a press conference at the Embassy...
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Russian oil imports, prices jump; U.S. share goes down
Russia’s share in the value of India’s oil imports jumped back up to an 11month high of nearly 38% in April 2026 as India continued to increase its dependence on it against the backdrop of the ongoing West Asia crisis. This increasing dependence was...
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GDP growth estimated at 7.7% in 2025-26: govt.
The growth in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been estimated at 7.7% in 202526, according to data released by the government on Friday, compared with 7.1% in the previous financial year of 202425. GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 202526...
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5 killed, several injured in Bihar hospital blaze
At least five patients died in a fire which broke out at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Muzaffarpur, north Bihar, in the early hours of Thursday. Several injured have been admitted in nearby hospitals and are said to be in a...
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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. It also set up a onemember committee to inquire into the...
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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 (IIP), grew 4.9% in April 2026 under the revised series with 202223 as the base year released on Monday. The growth rate was slower than 5.8% recorded in April 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 (CBSE) on Sunday said the identified vulnerabilities “have been contained and...
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Shivakumar will take oath as Karnataka CM on June 3
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar will take oath as the Chief Minister at the Lok Bhavan on Wednesday after being unanimously elected the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Saturday. Governor Thaawarchand...
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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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Power shift in Karnataka as Siddaramaiah resigns
Twotime Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tendered his resignation on Thursday, paving the way for transition of power to his deputy D.K. Shivakumar. The formation of the next government is likely to be discussed in Delhi on Friday. After...
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SC upholds SIR, says it is EC’s constitutional duty
The 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 EligibilitycumEntrance 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 the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is on track to be a $1.5trillion economy, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, speaking at Maharashtra InThe Hindu frastructure Conclave on Friday. He said the...
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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 ongoing nationwide Census exercise. “Any government of the day must know how many people are backward and how many need welfare....
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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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T.N. tourist killed as elephants clash at Kodagu camp
A tourist from Tamil Nadu died after being caught in a clash between two captive elephants at the Dubare Elephant Camp near Kushalnagar in Kodagu district on Monday. The incident prompted the Karnataka government to start a safety review at the...
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With ordinance, SC judge strength up from 33 to 37
President 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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Petrol, diesel retail prices increased by ₹3 per litre
Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by ₹3 per litre across all variants on Friday, in the first major increase in more than four years. The move will help Staterun oil marketing companies (OMCs) stem some of their losses caused by global price and...
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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 trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday with the support of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and the IUML, as well as that of 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs and the lone AMMK MLA. The...
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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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India has sufficient stocks of fuel, commodities: govt.
India faces no shortage of petroleum products and commodities despite the escalating conflict in West Asia, the fifth meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi, was...
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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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Vijay to take reins today; T.N. set for coalition govt.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of a coalition government in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, putting an end to almost six decades of alternating rule by the State’s two dominant Dravidian parties —...
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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 VCK remained undecided on backing actor C. Joseph Vijay’s TVK, though the Communist Party of India and the CPI (Marxist) offered “unconditional support” to the party....
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DMK explores backing rival AIADMK in hung T.N. House
The post-election political climate in Tamil Nadu turned upside down on Thursday after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leadership began toying with the idea of extending outside support to its arch-rival, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra...
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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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Congress offers support to TVK but with a condition
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actorturnedpolitician C. Joseph Vijay, on Tuesday reached out to the Congress and the CPI(M) — constituents of the DMKled Secular Progressive Alliance — seeking support to form the government in Tamil Nadu,...
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Change and churn in T.N., Kerala, Bengal
Tamil cinema’s top actor C. Joseph Vijay’s fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday made a stunning electoral debut, emerging as the single largest party with 107 seats in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly election. In doing so, it disrupted a...
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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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Commercial LPG, 5-kg cylinders to cost more
Oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Friday sharply hiked the price of commercial LPG by ₹993 per cylinder and that of 5kg free trade LPG by ₹261 per cylinder. Further, the price of bulk diesel was raised by over ₹149 per litre. Whilst the OMCs did not...
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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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Heavy polling in Bengal Phase 2
There was a record turnout of 92.6% 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 just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with...
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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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Record 93% polling as 152 Bengal constituencies vote in first phase
West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of 92.88% in the first phase of Assembly election on Thursday, amidst isolated incidents of violence. The election, which saw the highestever polling in the State, is being held amid a fourmonthlong...
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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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U.S. violated truce, says Iran as uncertainty clouds talks
With the twoweek truce in the U.S.Israel war on Iran due to expire on Wednesday, Iran said on Tuesday the U.S. blockade of its ports and the seizure of a tanker in the Gulf of Oman amounted to violation of ceasefire. Iran added that it has yet to...
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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) Bill, which sought to redistribute Lok Sabha seats on the basis of the 2011 Census to expedite the implementation of women’s reservation, Prime Minister Narendra...
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T.N. Interior districts, coastal areas to sizzle till April 21
Interior districts of Tamil Nadu will continue to experience scorching heat for a few more days, while coastal areas, despite near normal daytime temperatures, are likely to experience oppressive conditions due to high humidity, pushing the heat index...
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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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States’ seats will rise 50% after delimitation: Centre
All States will have their number of Lok Sabha seats increase by half after delimitation, and no State will lose its current proportional strength in Parliament, a senior government functionary told on The Hindu Wednesday. He said Union Home Minister...
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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 (EC) that the right to be on the electoral roll and to vote in one’s own country was not only constitutional but also 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 in the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets. The White House confirmed the direct...
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10 killed as overcrowded boat capsizes in Yamuna
Aboat carrying devotees from Punjab capsized in Yamuna river in Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, leaving at least 10 dead. About 18 people were rescued with some sustaining injuries. Efforts were being made to locate the others, Mathura’s...
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Record turnout in Puducherry, Assam; Kerala near all-time high
here was record poll participation in the Assembly elections on Thursday, with the highestever voter turnout of 85.91% in Assam and 89.87% in Puducherry, crossing the previous highs of 84.67% for the State in 2016, and 86.19% for the Union Territory...
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Fragile U.S.-Iran truce kicks in
The twoweek ceasefire announced by the U.S. and Iran hung in the balance on Wednesday with each side offering divergent accounts of its terms and Israel launching one of its heaviest air strikes on Lebanon since the war began, drawing swift...
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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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9 policemen get death in T.N. custodial murder case
A trial court in Tamil Nadu on Monday awarded death penalty to nine policemen found guilty of custodial torture and murder of a trader and his son during the COVID19 lockdown at Sattankulam in Thoothukudi district. The custodial torture meted out to...
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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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