INDIA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised Jammu Kashmir for hosting landmark sporting events, including the first-ever day-night cricket match in Pulwama and the country’s inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival at Dal Lake. Speaking during the 125th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister said the region had shown remarkable progress in sports despite challenges posed by floods and rains in recent years. Highlighting the Royal Premier League (RPL), Modi said Pulwama witnessed an “unforgettable moment” when thousands of spectators, particularly youth, gathered to watch cricket under floodlights for the first time. “The enthusiasm in the stadium was extraordinary,” he remarked. He also lauded the successful conduct of the water sports festiv...

A young Kashmiri shawl seller was allegedly assaulted inside a residential society in Gujarat's Gurugram Housing society while trying to earn his livelihood. A video of the incident that has gone viral shows the youth beaten up and the attacker accusing him of "barging" into the society without permission. As per reports, the youth was beaten and harassed, reportedly targeted solely because of his religious identity. The incident has left him traumatized and sparked outrage on social media. Several users on social media questioned the role of the society’s security guards, accusing them of failing to protect the victim and instead allowing the assault to take place. “A young Kashmiri Muslim youth, trying to earn a livelihood, was allegedly beaten and harassed just because he is...

Actor-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut strongly condemned the alleged stone-throwing in the Lok Sabha during Wednesday’s Monsoon Session, claiming opposition MPs targeted Home Minister Amit Shah. https://twitter.com/Amockx2022/status/1958342288611967448 Ranaut alleged that as Shah moved a motion to send three key Bills, the Online Gaming Bill, the Constitution Amendment Bill, and the Union Territories Bill, to a Joint Committee, some MPs brought stones into the House and threw them in his direction. She said the act, along with attempts to snatch his microphone, represented a direct threat to safety and parliamentary decorum. “The stone-throwing and other actions witnessed in the House were shameful and completely unbecoming of parliamentary conduct,” Ranaut said. Her statement quickly drew at...

A bus carrying pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi met with an accident in Jatla area of Samba district on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and at least 35 others injured, police said. The bus (registration number UP81BT 7688) was carrying devotees from Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh when it skidded off the road. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, while several critically wounded passengers were referred to AIIMS Jammu for specialized treatment. The deceased has been identified as Kripal alias Iqbal (31), son of Harbans, resident of village Rukhalu, Hasanpur, Amroha district, Uttar Pradesh. Among the injured are Phool Kumar (son of Narine Singh), Om Kala (wife of Umesh), Rum Singh (son of Harpul Singh), Bala (wife of Rum Singh), Kajal (daughter of Dal Chan), Rakesh Kumar ...

The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the much-anticipated Online Gaming Bill 2025, aimed at tightening regulation around betting applications and money-based online games. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha today, even as the Centre considers imposing a 40% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the sector by Diwali. The move comes against the backdrop of rising cases of fraud and financial scams linked to online betting platforms. Investigative agencies have also tightened scrutiny on celebrities and influencers endorsing such applications, further accelerating the government’s push for regulation. According to reports, the Bill proposes stringent penalties and punishments for promoting or facilitating online betting. It could also emp...

  Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Amar Patnaik on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of ignoring serious discrepancies in the votes polled and counted during last year’s Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that the poll body had adopted a “my way or the highway” approach and warned that the BJD would not confine itself to court battles if concerns continued to be brushed aside. Patnaik said the party had flagged irregularities in the counting process but received no satisfactory response. “The Commission insists that whatever it is doing is right, and if anything goes wrong, they blame political parties or their booth agents,” he remarked, adding that such an attitude was eroding public faith in the electoral process. The BJD leader further ca...

The Union government is set to introduce multiple key bills in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session, including the Jammu Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025. According to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the bills listed for introduction on August 20 include the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Jammu Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. The JK Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill is expected to be a significant legislative move, coming at a time when the Union government has reiterated its commitment to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood after assembly elections are conducted. Once introduced, t...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has informed the secretary-general of the Lok Sabha, Utpal Kumar Singh, that he intends to introduce the Union Territory Administration (Amendment) Bill, 2025 during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. Sources said Shah has also sought to move the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025 alongside the proposal. According to officials, copies of Shah’s letter have also been marked to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, the legislative department of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, and the legislative office of the Lok Sabha. In a separate request, Shah urged the secretary-general to relax certain parliamentary procedures, citing “paucity of time” before the current session ends on August 21. He referred specific...

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has strongly condemned the Assam Police for registering FIRs against senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of The Wire, accusing them of “endangering the sovereignty of India." The Guild has demanded immediate withdrawal of the cases, calling them a blatant attempt to muzzle independent journalism. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Guild said it was “deeply disturbed” by reports that the Assam Police have summoned both journalists to Guwahati on August 22. The summons comes just days after the Supreme Court had granted Varadarajan protection against any “coercive action” in connection with another FIR lodged over an article published by The Wire. “This practice of repeatedly...

A local court in Nagpur has acquitted eight men accused of having links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), more than 18 years after their arrest, citing lack of evidence. Delivering the verdict, Judicial Magistrate A.K. Bankar said the prosecution had failed to prove any unlawful activity on the part of the accused. “There is no evidence of participation in meetings, communication, propaganda, or financial support on the part of the accused,” the court observed, adding that the mere possession of literature allegedly connected to a banned outfit does not constitute guilt without proof of intent or involvement. The men — Shakil Warsi, Shakir Ahmed Nasir Ahmed, Mohammad Rehan Atullakhan, Jiyaur Rahman Maheboob Khan, Wakar Baig Yusuf Baig, Imtiyaj Ahmed Nisar Ahm...