Author: Rahul M

A recent increase in H-1B visa fees, now reaching $100,000 for new applicants, could offer an unexpected advantage to tech professionals recently laid off by major firms. This surge in costs might encourage companies to consider hiring H-1B holders who are already in the U.S., presenting a more cost-effective option than sponsoring new visas.Also read: Bengaluru professional’s U.S. student visa rejected over his existing career successLaid-off individuals with active H-1B visas have a 60-day grace period to secure new employment or leave the U.S. However, the new fee structure may prompt employers to recruit these workers rather than initiate a…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took the stage at the U.N. on Wednesday to blast Israeli and U.S. attacks in June as inflicting “a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region.” His comments at the General Assembly are the first time he has spoken in a global forum since the 12-day Israel-Iran war over the summer that saw the assassination of many of the Islamic Republic’s highest military and political leaders. Pezeshkian is in New York as a series of crippling U.N. sanctions loom over Tehran if it does not…

Patna: Setting the tone for the Bihar poll campaign, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the BJP has “mentally retired” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and considers him to be a “liability”, while claiming that the upcoming assembly elections will mark the beginning of the end of the Modi government’s “corrupt rule” at the Centre. In his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, Kharge launched a frontal attack on the BJP over a host of issues such as alleged “vote chori, economic slowdown, unemployment, social polarisation and targeting and weakening of autonomous constitutional institutions”. Kharge also…

In a significant move to foster statewide innovation, Karnataka’s Department of Electronics, IT, and BT announced the launch of the Local Economy Accelerator Programme (LEAP) on Monday. With an ambitious investment of Rs 1,000 crore over five years, the initiative aims to create 500,000 jobs and cultivate thriving startup ecosystems beyond Bengaluru.Also read: Karnataka to host first Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 ahead of BTSLEAP is designed to address the growing need for decentralized growth, tapping into emerging tech clusters across Karnataka. While Bengaluru continues to be a global tech hub, ranking in the top 10 worldwide in startup indices, the…

Focus Features For as long as movies have been around, Hollywood has been mining classic works of literature for material. After all, what better way to come up with a story idea than work from pre-existing material? In many ways, the novels of Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, Bram Stoker, Lewis Carroll, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edgar Rice Burroughs were the original I.P., in that studio executives could assume that anyone who had read the book would turn up to watch the movie. It’s why, by and large, filmmakers…

The Bengaluru City Police have arrested four people in connection with a robbery reported last month in which the accused threatened a Vijayanagar resident at gunpoint within the limits of the Peenya police station. Officers have recovered a pistol, five mobile phones and the car used for the crime, with the seized property valued at Rs 4 lakh. All four accused were produced before court and remanded in judicial custody. According to a statement issued by the police on Wednesday, the incident in question took place on the night of August 14, following which the First Information Report (FIR) was…

India has lost one of its most profound literary voices. Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa, widely revered as S. L. Bhyrappa, passed away on 24 September 2025 in Bengaluru at the age of 94. He breathed his last at Rashtrotthana Health & Research Centre around 2:38 pm following a cardiac arrest. His passing marks the end of an era in Kannada literature, leaving behind a void that is difficult to fill. Born in 1931 in Hassan district, Karnataka, Bhyrappa’s life was one of resilience and relentless pursuit of knowledge. He lost his mother and siblings to plague in his early years, experienced…

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed the social media platform ‘X’s petition challenging the authority of the government officials to issue content take down order under the Information Technology Act. The benched presided over by Justice M Nagaprasanna maintained that social media needs to be regulated, especially in the cases of offences against women. “Social media needs to be regulated, and it’s regulation is a must, more so in cases of offenses against women, in particular, failing which the right to dignity, as ordained in the Constitution of a citizen gets railroaded,” the court maintained. Story continues below this…

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the INDIA bloc is committed to ensuring representation for Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals, and minorities in private institutions and government contracts worth over ₹25 crore. Speaking at the ‘Ati Pichra Nyay Sankalp’ symposium in Patna, Gandhi remarked, “Even today in this country, there are Extremely Backward Classes, Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals, and minorities, all of whom don’t receive the participation they deserve. The entire country recognises this truth. We want to conduct a caste census and show the true population of Dalits, Extremely Backward Classes,…

England all-rounder Will Jacks says the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum instils a fearless mindset in the squad, making players feel capable of taking on any opposition. Jack, who has played just two Tests for England during the 2022 Pakistan tour, where he claimed six wickets, earned a surprise recall for this year’s five-match Ashes series in Australia. Alongside his batting duties, he will also contribute to the spin department with specialist off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. He was selected over other spinners such as Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, and Jack Leach. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Jacks said,…