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.
New Delhi: The US government has decided to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. President Donald Trump signed the order related to this. According to Trump, it had become necessary to declare it a national disaster because 300,000 Americans are dying every year from the use of this drug. According to the White House, the US President has described fentanyl tablets as more dangerous than a bomb. According to Donald Trump, people die occasionally from bombs, but people are dying every day from the use of this drug. According to the US Department of Health, fentanyl is being used as a chemical weapon. A 2-milligram tablet is considered very dangerous. Its use is rampant in the USA, and it is reaching the US through drug cartels. Trump says that enemy countries are sending it to the US. Trump has repeatedly blamed China, Mexico, and Venezuela for this. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified all chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear explosive weapons as weapons of mass destruction. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than morphine and about 100 times more potent than heroin. It is quite different from common drugs. Even a few milligrams of it can kill a person. It has been declared illegal in the US. In 2024, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 380 million lethal doses. Experts say that 380 million doses of this drug could wipe out the entire US population at once. According to Overdose Lifeline, 70,000 people died in the United States in 2022 due to fentanyl use. Similarly, the number of deaths from its use in 2023 was around 81,000. In 2024, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2024, 668,000 people aged 12 and older reported using fentanyl. More than 800,000 people said they misused it.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries ...Read More >
New Delhi: India on Thursday said it has "noted" the recent visit of Pakistan Army chief to the White House, even as it asserted that the India-US partnership is grounded in shared democratic values, and "we remain confident in the trajectory of this most consequential partnership of the 21st century". At the weekly media briefing in the capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the invitation that was extended to Field Marshal Asim Munir to the White House. US President Donald Trump had hosted Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff for lunch at the White House on June 18. "On your q ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Indian negotiators currently in the US for last-minute talks to finalise an interim trade deal on Monday extended their stay by three more days, raising hopes of a deal before the July 9 deadline when the Trump tariffs will kick in if there is no pact. A commerce ministry official said the Indian team would stay till July 1. The negotiators were originally scheduled to stay for two days -- June 26 and 27. The Indian team is headed by Rajesh Agrawal, special secretary, Department of Commerce. Last week, US President Donald Trump had hinted at the possibility of a big trade agreemen ...Read More >
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 4 (ANI): Following the completion of four years as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami said that in the past four years, he has faced many challenges, but with the "grace of god", every time it became an "opportunity" for him. Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the 'Northern Region Ministers Conference on Civil Aviation' in Dehradun. He was accompanied by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu. Also Read | PNB, Indian Bank and Bank of India Cut MCLR by 5 BPS in July 2025 After RBI Repo Rate Cut; Home, Personal Loans May Get C ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Trade talks between India and the US appear to be back on track, as President Donald Trump hinted that a "very big" agreement with India will be forthcoming soon. In a presser at the White House, Trump said, "Everybody wants to make a deal and have a part of it. Remember a few months ago, the press was saying, 'You really have anybody of any interest? Well, we just signed with China yesterday. We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India, in the China deal, we are starting to open up China.""We're not going ...Read More >
Donald Trump claims he prevented a war between India and Pakistan. He says he used the threat of halting trade deals to de-escalate tensions. Trump mentions phone calls with leaders from both nations. He also notes a meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief. India maintains that the ceasefire understanding came from direct talks between military officials.US President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan and told the two countries that America ...Read More >
Jaipur: Police in Didwana have stepped up their probe into a cross-border smuggling case in which they arrested two arms and drug smugglers on June 27 for supplying Austrian Glock and Chinese Norinco pistols. It has emerged that the case has links to a massive Rs 300-crore heroin consignment seized by Punjab's Amritsar police near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer on June 30. Canada-based Joben Kaler was identified as the main overseas handler of the heroin consignment. Didwana-Kuchaman police had arrested Mohammad Ilyas from Khunkhuna and Amarjeet Singh Takhar, alias Prince, from Jalandhar ...Read More >
DHARAMSHALA, India (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has decided to lift aid cuts for Tibetans in exile and provide $7 million in financing for projects such as those supporting health and education, the leader of the Tibetan government in-exile said on Wednesday. The Trump administration started cutting foreign aid after taking office in January as part of its "America First" policy, which has had an impact on programmes including those aimed at securing food supplies and preventing the spread of HIV in some of the poorest parts of the world. Penpa Tsering, leader of t ...Read More >
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 4 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday took a jibe at the Bihar government for appointing principals to five colleges in Patna University via a draw of lots. She alleged that the principals have not been appointed based on their expertise in a subject. Sharing an X post, Mayawati wrote, "The issue of appointing principals through a new 'lottery' system in five prestigious colleges of the renowned Patna University in Bihar has become quite interesting, garnering significant attention across the country, especially in the media and educ ...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 >
Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio. A sudden social media jab sent Solana's Peanut the Squirrel token soaring this week. In a Tuesday post, billionaire Elon Musk criticized US authorities for ignoring names on the Jeffrey Epstein "client list", quipping that "more squirrels and raccoons have been arrested" than any Epstein affiliates. A nod to a squirrel named Peanut -- said to have been "arrested (and killed)" -- coincided with a sharp pop in the PNUT token's value. According to on‑chain data, PNUT climbed over ...Read More >
The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration Nato foreign ministers looked set to rebuff Tuesday a push from Ukraine for progress on joining their alliance ahead of Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and ...Read More >
AMRITSAR, India (AP) -- A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian migrants arrived in a northern Indian city on Wednesday, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration, airport officials said. The Indians who returned home had illegally entered the United States over the years and came from various Indian states. The move came ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, which is expected next week. U.S. President Donald Trump and Modi discussed immigration in a phone call last week and Trump stressed the impo ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 10 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday met Minister Delegate to the Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff of the National Army of Algeria General Said Changeriha in Bengaluru at Aero India 2025. Singh called their meeting a "great interaction." Also Read | US: Judge Finds Trump Administration Hasn't Fully Followed Order To Unfreeze Federal Spending, Orders White House To Release All Money. In a post on X, he said, "Great interaction with the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff of the National Army of Algeria Ge ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Trade talks between Indian and U.S. officials have been extended into next week as both sides seek consensus on tariff cuts in the farming and auto sectors, aiming to finalise an interim deal before a July 9 deadline, Indian government sources said. A U.S. delegation led by senior officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) held two days of discussions in New Delhi with Indian trade officials headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, the sources said. "The two countries are actively engaged in focused discussions to facilitate greater mark ...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 >
The United States recently updated its travel advisory for India. The Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged the update. The US advises its citizens to exercise caution due to crime and terrorism. Certain areas are marked as high-risk. The advisory level for India remains unchanged. It has been at level 2 for several years.Travel advisories are periodically issued by countries based on their "assessment of various factors", and "we have noted" that the US has updated the travel advisory for In ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 27, 2025 -- Indian equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty 50, are poised for a strong start on Friday, riding the wave of global optimism and supportive domestic sentiment. Gift Nifty was trading around 25,715, nearly 100 points above Nifty futures' previous close, signaling a positive bias at the opening bell. The Nifty 50 had closed Thursday at a 9-month high of 25,549, while the Sensex rallied 1,000 points to end at 83,755. With the Israel-Iran ceasefire holding, investor sentiment across Asia and the US improved further overnight. Also Read: Bank Nifty Hits Record 57,076; HDFC ...Read More >
Mumbai: Indian stock markets opened on a positive note Friday, buoyed by optimism over a potential "great" trade deal between India and the United States, as hinted by former US President Donald Trump. Early morning trade saw gains led by PSU banks and IT stocks, with benchmark indices climbing steadily. At 9:15 AM, the BSE Sensex was up 150.40 points or 0.18%, trading at 83,906.27, while the NSE Nifty gained 54.50 points or 0.21% to trade at 25,603. Speaking at the 'Big Beautiful Event' held at the White House, Trump indicated a significant bilateral trade deal with India could soon materia ...Read More >
June 30 (Reuters) - Futures tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq touched record highs on Monday, as optimism over U.S. trade negotiations with its key partners helped support upward momentum in markets. Shares of technology heavyweights rose premarket after Canada scrapped its digital services tax targeting U.S. tech firms, just hours before it was due to take effect, in a bid to advance stalled trade negotiations with the United States. Shares of Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab, Meta Platforms (META ...Read More >
New Delhi: What began with a routine vehicle interception near Bengali Market in central Delhi unravelled into a massive crackdown on a transnational drug trafficking syndicate. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled the network, which used encrypted digital platforms, drop-shipping models and cryptocurrency to smuggle controlled medicines across four continents.The operation exposed a sophisticated criminal web operating across India, the US, Australia and Europe, showcasing both the global reach of illicit pharma networks and NCB's capability to lead coordinated international enfo ...Read More >
New Delhi: The letter was sharp and its message was unmistakable. Sri Lanka. Algeria. Iraq. Libya. Brunei. Moldova. Philippines. All now slapped with fresh US tariffs - some as high as 30%. The White House did not blink. The list kept growing. Seven more countries have now been pulled into President Donald Trump's intensifying tariff dragnet, expanding his sweeping campaign to punish what he calls "unfair treatment" of American goods. The new penalties land hard. Sri Lanka, Algeria, Iraq and Libya now face 30% tariffs. Brunei and Moldova were hit with 25%. The Philippines got docked at 20%. T ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): Palestinian Ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, said that the conflict between Israel and Gaza is not a conflict and termed it Israel's 'brutal aggression', which he said has continued for 642 days. He expressed hope that Israel's brutal aggression and massacre would come to an end 'very soon.' Speaking to ANI, Shawesh said that approximately 10,000 civilians have lost their lives due to the conflict in Gaza, which has lasted for the past 642 days. When asked about the Israel-Gaza conflict, he said, 'I find all the time myself having no other choice e ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, June 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah began his Gujarat visit on a spiritual note early Friday morning by participating in the Mangala Aarti at the historic Shri Jagannathji Temple in Jamalpur, Ahmedabad. The visit coincides with the auspicious occasion of the annual Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra, a major religious event that draws thousands of devotees every year. Arriving at the temple at 3:15 a.m., HM Shah joined in the sacred rituals and offered prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Sharing his experience on social media platform X, he posted, "On the sacred occasion of Rath Yatra, par ...Read More >
India and the US are in crucial trade talks. New Delhi is firm on its stance regarding market access in agriculture. This includes GM crops and dairy. India hopes for a deal before July 9. After July 9, reciprocal tariffs from the US will take effect. India will not compromise the interests of its farmers.The India-US trade pact talks are at a crucial stage with New Delhi sticking to the red line on the issue of market access in agriculture, genetically modified (GM) crops, and dairy, people privy to the development said. However, efforts are on to stitch the trade deal before July 9, when 26 ...Read More >
Uber has launched India's first Shikara ride on Srinagar's Dal Lake, offering a unique and scenic experience. This new service allows passengers to enjoy the tranquil beauty of the lake while riding in a traditional Shikara boat. Booking is easy through the Uber app, with rides available daily from 10 AM to 6 PM. This initiative aims to boost tourism in the region while providing locals with a new way to experience the lake. With Uber's entry into the Shikara market, visitors can now enjoy a blend of modern convenience and traditional charm on Dal Lake. ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new State Police Chief on Tuesday. He succeeds Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on June 30. His tenure will run until July 1, 2027. A 1991-batch IPS officer currently serving as Special Director with the Intelligence Bureau, Chandrasekhar is on central deputation. He was selected over Nitin Agarwal, who topped the official list of probables. The appointment order, issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak on behalf of the Governor, was released soon after a cabinet meeting held on Monday. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Godav ...Read More >
New Delhi: Was it the pitch? Was it the conditions? Was it the bowling? The questions doing the rounds after yet another strange show in good batting conditions by India were many. But with the exception of Shubman Gill, who became just the second Indian captain, after Mohammad Azharuddin, to score hundreds in consecutive matches in England, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, few India batters managed to answer them in a satisfactory manner. After being put into bat by England, India looked like they were in control at various points during the day but then somehow contrived to gift away wickets and end t ...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 >
TOI correspondent from Washington: In a warning shot that echoed across major world capitals and business majors on Tuesday, US President-elect Donald Trump said he will issue executive orders on day one of his presidency imposing new tariffs on all imported goods from China, Mexico and Canada, Washington's three largest trading partners, to stop the "invasion" of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump put the onus of containing illegal border crossings squarely on two immediate neighbors on its southern and northern borders, saying "b ...Read More >