Author: Rahul M

Chennai: The once fiery K. Annamalai appears to have toned down his aggression since stepping down as president of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit, largely confining himself to attending meetings in his stronghold in the western part of the state. His supporters say the former IPS officer-turned-politician’s silence is a strategic pause—and not a retreat. “He has not let his guard down. He attends even small meetings of the party, wherever he is invited. However, he has decided not to speak much in front of the media as he hasn’t got a formal role at the state level,” a source close…

Mumbai, July 16 (PTI) With elections to local bodies in Maharashtra looming, Shiv Sena, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday announced an alliance with Republican Sena led by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s grandson Anandraj Ambedkar. The move is expected to consolidate Dalit votes in urban centres, including Mumbai. “We are proud to join hands with Anandraj Ambedkar and the Republican Sena for the upcoming elections. This partnership is built on shared values and a commitment to social justice. Together, we will work to ensure inclusive development and a stronger voice for the marginalised,” Shinde told a press conference…

MumbaiJul 16, 2025 17:07 IST First published on: Jul 16, 2025 at 17:07 IST Share With the appointment of Shashikant Shinde, seen to be a non-controversial, low-key Maratha leader from Western Maharashtra as its state unit chief, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has signalled its intent to regain its presence in its traditional strongholds. A Mathadi (porter) union leader, 61-year-old Shinde hails from Satara and will take over from Jayant Patil, the party’s longest serving state president and a fellow Maratha leader from neighbouring Sangli district. After his appointment, Shinde, who is the leader of the Mathadi community in the Navi…

In Odisha, a massive political storm has erupted after a 20-year-old student named Soumyashri died in Balasore after attempting self-immolation over alleged inaction against sexual harassment by a professor at the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) called for ‘Balasore Bandh’ over the incident and is staging a street protest in Balasore. #WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Police use water cannon to disperse BJD workers protesting over Balasore student's death by self-immolation.Biju Janata Dal is also observing a Balasore bandh in protest over a Balasore student's death by self-immolation. pic.twitter.com/jDKQZzCbbq— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2025 The 20-year-old…

The Odisha government’s heartfelt initiative, the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana (BNTYY), continues to touch lives in 2025–26 by offering senior citizens across the state a fully sponsored pilgrimage experience to sacred destinations across India. Launched in February 2016 and jointly managed by the Tourism Department and IRCTC, the scheme enables citizens aged between 60 and 75 to undertake spiritual journeys covering iconic sites like Rameswaram, Haridwar, Tirupati, Kamakhya, Shirdi, Varanasi, and more. To date, over 37,555 elderly pilgrims have benefited from 40 organised trips, with 7,967 citizens travelling in 2024–25 alone. Selection is administered district-wise, with District Collectors preparing…

The question of whether he will continue as the Karnataka Chief Minister is still up in the air, but Siddaramaiah seems to have just cemented his base among the farming community in the state. This came after three-and-a-half years of protests led by farmer unions such as Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, pro-Dalit forums, labour organisations, and literary personalities. The residents of 13 villages in Channarayapatna in rural Bengaluru, where the proposed project was to come up, also joined the protests. The state government has, however, said it would acquire land from those who consent to give…

In another shocking display of Maoist brutality, two young teachers who were appointed under the state’s Shiksha Doot scheme were murdered by Naxals on Tuesday, 15th July, in a remote village deep inside Chhattisgarh’s Indravati National Park area. The victims, Vinod Made (28) from Pillur village and Suresh Meta (29) from Tekameta village, were dragged out of their homes and executed by Maoists who suspected them of being police informers. The incident took place about 57 kilometres from the Bijapur district headquarters, under the Farsegad police station limits. According to police, both teachers were temporary recruits under the government’s Education…

For her new book, journalist Carter Sherman interviewed over 100 young people about why they’re not having sex. She says they’re “very horny” but also more isolated, self-conscious, and fearful.

A stampede at a food distribution site run by an Israeli-backed American organization in the Gaza Strip killed 20 Palestinians on Wednesday, the group said, in the first acknowledgment of deadly violence at its operations. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund, an American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population, said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed at a hub in the southern city of Khan Younis. The organization accused the Hamas militant group of fomenting panic and spreading misinformation that led to the violence, though it provided no evidence to support…

The Israeli father of the two children found living in a Karnataka cave with their Russian mother Nina Kutina has sought their shared custody and urged authorities not to deport his daughters to Russia along with her. Speaking to indianexpress.com along with his legal representative, Brar Goldstien, 38, said on Wednesday that he was worried about his daughters’ future as Kutina, 40, allegedly did not allow them to be schooled formally or to interact with other people. “It is true that the children should have their mother. But being their father, I want to spend time with them too,” he…