India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
Washington DC [US], August 3 (ANI): Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Sunday met with US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard and held an 'engaging conversation' on various issues of mutual interest. 'Pleasure to meet DNI Tulsi Gabbard and her husband, Abraham Williams; we had an engaging conversation on various issues of mutual interest,' Ambassador Kwatra stated in a post on X, while expressing his pleasure at the meeting. Earlier on Saturday, New Delhi had opened eight more Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) in the US -- Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edison, Orlando, Raleigh, and San Jose --, bringing the total number of centres to 16 in America. A 17th centre is also planned to open in Los Angeles later this month. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Kwatra expressed his delight over the announcement, noting that at the heart of the India-US partnership lie people-to-people ties. 'We are very happy to announce the opening of 8 new Indian Consular Application Centres... We firmly believe that people-to-people ties are the heart of the India-US partnership,' said India's Ambassador to the United States. The expansion, announced jointly by the Indian Mission and VFS Global, aims to make essential services more accessible to Indian Americans and other applicants seeking India-related documentation. The centres will handle a comprehensive range of services, including India visa applications, overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) applications, Indian passport services, renunciation of Indian citizenship, police clearance certificates, Global Entry Programme applications and Document attestation services. To improve accessibility, the new centres will operate on Saturdays and include return courier services in standard fees. Additional services such as photographs, photocopies, and form assistance will be provided at no extra charge. Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard earlier in July called for a trial of the Obama administration over claims of Russian influence in Trump's US Presidential win in 2016, alleging a 'treasonous conspiracy' to undermine the election outcome through politicised intelligence. Gabbard, in a statement, accused former US President Barack Obama and senior officials in his office, including former DNI James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and others, of manufacturing intelligence to falsely implicate Russia in influencing the 2016 election in favour of Donald Trump. The Office of the DNI (ODNI) released a 114-page document detailing evidence that, prior to the November 2016 election, the Intelligence Community (IC) consistently assessed that Russia was 'probably not trying ... to influence the election by using cyber means.' It further noted that on December 8, 2016, a draft of the President's Daily Brief (PDB) stated that Russia 'did not impact recent US election results' by conducting malicious cyber activities against US election infrastructure. (ANI)
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
The Election Commission introduces new rules for voter enrollment. Voters enrolled after 2003-04 must now provide proof of citizenship. This includes a self-attested declaration and supporting documents. The move aims to remove illegal immigrants from the electoral roll. Bihar will be the first state to implement the special intensive revision. Other states will follow soon.In a move to identify and remove illegal immigrants wrongly included in the electoral rolls, the Election Commission has man ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 6 (ANI): The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing rapidly and recognizing the efforts of the Polling station officials, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has announced a special incentive of Rs 6,000 for each. This additional honorarium is aimed at acknowledging their hard work and commitment during the intensive revision process. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi, Argentine President Javier Milei Agree to Diversify India-Argentina Trade Basket, Vows to Expand Cooperation in Defence, Security and Mine ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Days after Russian woman Nina Kutina was taken into custody for living in a cave inside the forest near Gokarna with her two daughters, her ex-husband, an Israeli citizen, is demanding shared custody of their daughters."I just want to be able to see my daughters a few times a week and take care of them. My concern is that if they go to Russia now, it will be tougher to keep in touch with them. I wish they could stay in India," Goldstein said on Wednesday.Dror Goldstein, 38, who lives f ...Read More >
PNN New Delhi [India], May 20: With rising temperatures and vacation time in summer just around the corner, summer travel to Europe is seeing a huge boom from Indian tourists. According to recent reports, there has been a whopping 29% increase in Schengen visa applications from India, signifying strong demand to discover the cultural festivals, historic cities, and picturesque landscapes Europe has in store. Due to more efficient processes and enhanced travel assistance, Indian travelers are now opting to apply Schengen visa online with Akbar Travels--one of India's most reliable travel bran ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): India on Friday refuted claims that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's request to meet US President Donald Trump was denied by the White House due to his busy schedule, terming it as 'fake news.' In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Factcheck unit stated, 'CLAIM: White House denies Indian FM Jaishankar's request to meet Donald Trump due to busy schedule. This is FAKE News. This CLAIM is false.' https://x.com/MEAFactCheck/status/1940852409657704485 MEA's statement comes after a user on social media platform X claimed that the White House d ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: While Aadhaar was conceived as an identity proof, and not as proof of citizenship, allowing onboarding without real scrutiny, recent moves have meant that only verified adults can enrol for the unique ID. Besides, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is going to tap the online database for passport, ration cards, and birth and matriculation certificates in the future for enrolment of adults and also for updates to ensure that Aadhaar remains foolproof.While Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act states that it is not evidence of citizenship or domicile, the new tools are seeki ...Read More >
Passengers step in to defend Indian-American family against the aggressive woman An American woman has been placed on United Airlines' no-fly list after launching a racist attack on a celebrated wedding photographer and his Indian-American family on a shuttle bus at Los Angeles International Airport. The woman, Karen, was caught on camera making vile racist comments towards photographer Pervez Taufiq and his family, including two children. She told Taufiq's kids to "shut up" and then launched into a racist attack saying "Your family is from India, you have no respect for the rules... Indians ...Read More >
Srinagar: Before towering cranes and cutting-edge engineering transformed the Himalayan landscape, the monumental dream of connecting "Kashmir to Kanyakumari" by rail began with the plodding footsteps of humble mules. This extraordinary backstory underpins the official realization of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, a project crowned by the awe-inspiring Chenab Bridge. According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, the company behind the Chenab Bridge, the earliest and most formidable hurdle wasn't just the design of ...Read More >
Ahmedabad: A 36-year-old resident of Chanakyapuri registered a complaint of cheating, forgery, and forging documents against two visa consultants who allegedly duped the complainant and his wife out of Rs 37.50 lakh after promising to arrange a UK work permit visa. Based on the complaint by a senior executive at a firm in Sanand, Sola High Court police registered a case on Friday under BNS sections 318(4) (cheating, dishonestly inducing the person deceived to deliver any property to any person), 336(3) (forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall be used for the purp ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 13 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to intervene in the matter related to Nimisha Priya facing the death penalty in Yemen. This comes amid reports of a 37-year-old Indian nurse from Kerala scheduled to be executed on July 16. The trial court convicted her of killing the Yemeni national, a decision that the country Supreme Judicial Council upheld in November 2023. Kindly find enclosed my letter dated March 24, 2025, to the Union Minister for External Affairs. It is learnt from the ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Two people died and four others were injured after a fire broke out at a house in east Delhi's Old Govindpura area on Tuesday evening, an official said. Police have identified the deceased as Tanveer (28) and Nusrat. A call was received at Jagatpuri police station at 8.46 pm regarding a fire incident at Band Gali, Old Govindpura, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said. When a police team reached the spot, it found that 10 people were trapped inside a residential building that caught fire, the DCP said. With the help of police personnel and fir ...Read More >
BENGALURU -- Police in India are trying to piece together the story of a Russian woman who was found living in a cave in the southern state of Karnataka with her two young daughters. Nina Kutina was rescued on 9 July by policemen who were on a routine patrol near Ramteertha hills in the Gokarna forest, which borders the tourist paradise of Goa. Authorities say the 40-year-old and her daughters - six and five years old - do not have valid documents to stay in India. They have been lodged in a detention centre for foreigners near Bengaluru, the state capital, and will be deported soon. Kutina ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Revenue minister Suresh Pujari on Saturday said Odisha would not be allowed to follow the lawless path in sand operations like it is in Bihar and West Bengal, while responding to the recent assault of an additional tehsildar in Kaptipada block, Mayurbhanj district, by the sand mafia. He promised stringent action against the sand mafia regardless of their connections, while speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday."The Kaptipada incident represents a serious escalation in conflict between law enforcement and the sand mafia. The attack on officers performing their enforcement dutie ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The RGIA police arrested one Satyanarayana for alleged involvement in an international human trafficking racket being run in the guise of a gold business, on Saturday. Satyanarayana was attempting to courier rolled gold jewellery samples to an agent in Muscat in Oman, RGIA Inspector Balaraju said. The arrest was followed by a complaint from one Lankapally Mary from West Godavari district, who lodged a complaint with the RGIA police two days back. In her complaint, Mary said that she was intending to go abroad for work when she came across Satyanarayana in August 2023. He promised ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Friday accorded approvals to a slew of industries. Among those are Krishnapatnam Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), which is set to establish a 350 MW Solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Thamminapatnam and Mommidi villages of SPSR Nellore district with a Rs 1,225 crore investment, creating 575 jobs. Furthermore, the government also waived off a Rs 54 crore extension of time fee, contingent on project completion within two years as per the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy-2024. The government also allocated 22.80 acres at MPSEZ in N ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) recent directive mandating large sections of voters in Bihar to furnish proof of citizenship in order to remain on the electoral rolls. Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the petition seeks to quash the ECI's June 24 order initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. The plea argues that the directive violates constitutional provisions inclu ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Indian students, tourists, business travellers and those working in technology firms planning to head to the United States may soon have to pay more than double the existing visa fee due to a new 'visa integrity fee' being imposed by the US, according to immigration service consultants. The 'visa integrity fee' finds a mention in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (now an Act) signed by President Donald Trump on July 4. Immigration domain watchers and firms facilitating students for study abroad have been closely watching this bill before Trump signed his package of tax bre ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old girl from Sabroom in South Tripura district, reportedly went missing in the national capital. Following this, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha gave necessary instructions to the police to take immediate and appropriate action on the matter. Also Read | Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU Goods as Trade Talks Stall. In a statement posted on its official social media account, the Tripura Chief Minister's Office stated, "The report of Miss Sneha Debnath, a resident of Sabroom, who has reportedly gone missing in New Delhi, has come t ...Read More >
While on patrol last week looking for any tourists who might have gotten stuck in the landslide-prone forests in the southern Indian town of Gokarna, police inspector Sridhar S.R. spotted a statue of a Hindu deity peeking out through the lush green vegetation. Moving closer, he saw makeshift curtains made of red saris that obscured the entrance to a cave. When he looked in, he was surprised to find a woman and two young girls living inside. The discovery on July 9 in Karnataka State set off day ...Read More >
The U.S. dollar continued its strong run on Monday, bolstered by soaring Treasury yields and expectations of limited Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, the yen steadied ahead of a key speech by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, where he may hint at a possible rate hike in December, with markets pricing a 55% chance of such a move. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato's warning on yen intervention caused a temporary pullback, while the dollar index touched a one-year high of 107.07. Analysts forecast further dollar gains as U.S. economic policies and performance outshine global peers. K ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): Silver prices on Thursday, crossed USD 35 mark per ounce and hit its highest level since March 2012, boosted by a combination of factors such as weaker US dollar, rising geopoltical tension and robust industrial demand. 'With the trust in dollar decreasing silver appears to be a good avenue for money to move to and the Gold Silver ratio was recently above 1.10 so the only way forward was either silver prices rise up or gold prices fall, and thats what has happened silver has risen far more than gold,' said Mrinesh Jain Director, Bombay Bullion Metal Hub LLP. ...Read More >
Hyderabad: BRS senior leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday strongly condemned Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's "baseless and misleading" statements regarding irrigation and water rights in Telangana. Harish Rao accused Revanth Reddy and his Congress government of "mortgaging Telangana's rightful share of water resources and attempting to mislead people with fabricated data and staged presentations." Expressing outrage over the Chief Minister's closed-door meeting with Congress legislators at Praja Bhavan, Harish Rao asserted, "Revanth Reddy, your government deserves to be lashed for betraying Telan ...Read More >
New Delhi: Journalist Laura Loomer claimed that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is on the verge of resigning over his alleged dissatisfaction with Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Loomer alleged that Bongino has taken a leave of absence as of July 11 and is considering stepping down unless Bondi is removed by President Trump or resigns from the Department of Justice (DOJ). "Source tells me it's very likely that Bongino resigns from the FBI unless Pam Bondi is FIRED by President Trump or resigns from the DOJ," Loomer wrote. ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 14 (ANI): Russian woman Nina Kutina and her two children were rescued by Gokarna Police and processed by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru before being sent back to a rescue centre in Tumakuru. Kutina, who had been living with her daughters in a cave near Gokarna, defended her lifestyle and rejected the claims made about her situation. You give already a lot of lying information. We have big experience to stay in natural, in jungle, and we were not dying, and I did not bring my children, my daughters to die in jungle. They did ...Read More >
Trump's pressure on countries to remain tied to a US-dollar-based financial system could backfire, with potential increased motivation for BRICS to create alternatives. While the dollar's dominance persists due to existing economic strengths, recent global currency agreements indicate a cautious shift away from reliance on the greenback.Donald Trump's pressure on countries around the world to stay anchored to a US-dollar-based financial system is a tactic that risks backfiring, market watchers say. Dollar dominance looks set to continue for the foreseeable future and emerging nations' idea of ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Those persons who are staying illegally in the US or have committed visa fraud will be held responsible, the country's embassy in India said on Saturday. The US Embassy in a brief statement on X also said if anyone breaks the US law, they will be punished with "significant criminal penalties". "Those who are in the United States illegally or commit visa fraud will be held responsible. If you break US law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties," the embassy said in its post. ...Read More >
Guwahati: The East Khasi Hills district administration will enforce a new set of parking regulations from August 1 to improve urban mobility across Shillong in Meghalaya. The initiative, which spans seven key traffic zones including Sadar, Madanrting, Laban, Mawlai, Rynjah, Lumdiengjri, and Laitumkhrah, aims to organize parking in critical stretches of the city. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! The Urban Affairs Department has introduced standard hourly parking fees, setting the rate at Rs 20 for two-wheelers and Rs 40 for four-wheelers, with z ...Read More >