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Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat on Wednesday said the upcoming polls to four States were unlikely to be held together with that of the Lok Sabha in December due to various procedural issues and a shortage of election machinery. “All the four States [Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan] have …

The Tamil Nadu government has taken the stand that there was no need to reduce the water level of the Mullaperiyar dam below the present 142 ft. In response to reports of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart Edappadi K. Palaniswami, requesting him to lower …

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, seeking more Central support to tackle the monsoon havoc in Kerala. Mr. Vijayan urged the Prime Minister to step up Central support to the State by sending across more men and …

Amid tight security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day. Mr. Modi unfurled the national flag amid 21 gun salute at 7.30 a.m. The national capital was on high alert and a multi-layer security system was …

According to a parliamentary standing committee report tabled in Parliament last month, the Centre wanted to reduce the areas under the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in Assam but the State government did not concur. Over the past two years, the Union Home Ministry has proposed reducing the areas …

Time period for hearings on claims and objections likely to be extended The Centre is mulling relaxed guidelines for migrant workers and labourers from other States who were not included in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam that was published on July 30. As …

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday said senior leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig and party counsel will fight the legal challenge to the validity of Article 35A in the Supreme Court on the next date of hearing. “Veteran PDP leader and MP from Baramulla, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, along with …

The healthcare sector has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement in his Independence Day address that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, also known as Ayushman Bharat or the National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), will be launched on September 25. The healthcare sector has noted that the government should look …

A video clip of an alleged violation of the flag code by Vishwa Hindu Parishat leaders in Belagavi was widely shared on social media on Wednesday. Lok Sabha member Suresh Angadi was present at the event in which the National Flag was hoisted at Nargundkar Bhave Circle at midnight on …

The National Flag that was hoisted in Yadgir on Wednesday was inverted. Minister for Mines and Geology and Yadgir district in-charge Rajshekhar Patil faced embarrassment during his maiden visit to the district as flag that he hoisted during the 72nd Independence Day celebrations at the District Sports Ground was inverted. …

In Independence Day address, Modi also announces manned space mission In his last Independence Day address before the next general election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced not just the launch date for his ambitious health insurance scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan (PMJAA), but also permanent commission …

Says companies exploiting a ‘gaping’ loophole in Britain’s immigration system A lobbying group, which pushes for greater curbs on Britain’s immigration regime, has accused multinational IT companies, “typically based in India”, of exploiting a “gaping” loophole in Britain’s immigration system, and has called for the system to be overhauled. Tier …

Police say they are holding the driver on suspicion of terror offences A car crashed into barriers outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a “number of pedestrians” close to where five people were killed last year. Footage shows the silver Ford Fiesta veering …

It is important to understand that the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition is providing military assistance to Yemen based on an official request from its internationally recognised government headed by President Hadi to counter the violence of the Houthi terrorist groups. The UN Security Council, in its Resolution 2216, imposed an …

68-year-old Gajanand Sharma reunites with family after his release from Lahore jail ahead of I-Day After spending 36 years in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, Gajanand Sharma, a labourer from Jaipur’s Samod area, returned home to a tumultuous welcome on Tuesday night, bringing solace to his wife, sons and grandchildren who …

Simultaneous elections are not possible without a legal framework as any extension or curtailment of the term of Assemblies will require a constitution amendment, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat said on Tuesday, a day after the BJP made a fresh push to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together. In …

Over 300 Army officers on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against what they called “persecution” by the court and civilian agencies, like the CBI, for doing their duty in the insurgency-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern States. The petition, filed by senior officers at the level of …

CNPC to replace France’s Total as the majority stakeholder in South Pars 11 project The next episode of friction between Beijing and Washington could be staged in Iran, where a top Chinese energy firm, defying latest U.S. sanctions, is likely to expand its stake in a giant Iranian gas field. …

Central Bank offers liquidity assistance but no rate hike Turkey’s Central Bank on Monday sought to calm markets rattled by the precipitous plunge of the Turkish lira as a defiant President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chastised the U.S. for seeking to stab Ankara “in the back”. A dispute between NATO allies …

Iranian Supreme Leader blames ‘internal’ factors for present economic crisis Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that there would be neither war nor negotiations with the United States, and that the country’s problems were the result of government mismanagement more than renewed sanctions. Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments add …