No question of implementing Waqf Amendment Act in Bengal, says CM Mamata Banerjee at govt programme
“Have sought to institutionalize and routinize taking care of Indians abroad”: EAM Jaishankar
- External affairs minister S Jaishankar emphasised the importance of taking care of Indians living abroad. He recalled the numerous situations in the past decade, where evacuations were carried out to bring back Indians, news agency ANI reported.
- In his address at the launch of the Global Access to Talents from India (GATI) event in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jaishankar spoke about government’s efforts, including establishing an effective grievance portal and creating a responsive fund for the needs of the vulnerable.
Pakistan reports severe water shortage in Chenab river after India held Indus treaty in abeyance
India News Live Update: Security heightened at Connaught Place in Delhi
Sonu Nigam apologises for his remarks at Bengaluru concert: Sorry Karnataka
Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal row: SC directs governments of Punjab, Haryana to cooperate with Centre in arriving at amicable solution
Supreme Court says if issue not resolved amicably, it will hear matter on August 13
Godhra train burning: SC rejects plea of convicts that their appeals be heard by 3-judge bench as it involved death penalty
India News Live Update: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta inaugurates BRPL’s 66/11KV grid substation at Manglapuri in presence of power minister Ashish Sood
India News Live Update: India’s digital video sector could lose $2.4 billion by 2029 due to piracy despite presence of legal frameworks
If strong action is not taken, digital piracy could cost India’s online video sector $2.4 billion in revenue and result in a loss of 158 million users by 2029, according to a joint report by Media Partners Asia (MPA), IP House, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), news agency ANI reported.
The report stated that the scale of digital piracy in India is already alarming. In 2024 alone, around 90 million users accessed pirated video content, leading to a revenue loss of approximately USD 1.2 billion.
India Live News Update: Meeting of parliamentary committee on consumer affairs, food and public distribution today
In today’s meeting, the committee will discuss the evidence of the representatives of the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution (department of consumer affairs), and the ministry of health and family welfare on the subject of ‘regulation of packed commodities with specific reference to sugar content in baby products and other food products’.
India News Live Update: Four youths drown in river in Gujarat’s Amreli district
Four youths drowned while bathing in the Shetrunji River in Gujarat’s Amreli district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred near Gavadka village when the men ventured into the river on Monday evening, an official from the Amreli taluka police station said, news agency PTI reported.
He said personnel from the district fire department rushed to the spot and managed to retrieve the bodies late at night.
India News Live Update: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge writes to PM Modi after caste census decision, requests him to have a dialogue with all political parties soon on the issue.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge requested PM Narendra Modi to have a dialogue with all political parties soon on the issue
India News Live Updates: Security heightened in Rajouri, J&K; vehicle checking underway
World News Live Updates: UN chief asks India, Pak to step back from the brink, says military solution is no solution
- UN secretary-general António Guterres Monday voiced concern over tensions between India and Pakistan being at “at their highest in years” and called for “maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink”.
- “Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” Guterres said in a brief statement, reported news agency PTI.
- Guterres offered his “good offices” to both governments in the service of peace. “The United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace,” he said.
World News Live Updates: UNSC holds closed consultations on Indo-Pak tensions, calls for ‘restraint’
- Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, the United Nations Security Council has held closed-door consultations where envoys called for restraint and dialogue.
- The consultations, held by the 15-nation security council, lasted about an hour and a half on Monday afternoon but no statement was issued from the Council after the meeting.
- Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the powerful council, had requested for “closed consultations” on the situation between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
India News Live Updates: Demolition drive carried out by Chandigarh administration against illegal colonies, police deployed
World News Live Updates: Pope Francis donated a popemobile to serve as a mobile health unit for Gaza children
Before he died, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a mobile health unit to serve the children of Gaza, officials said Monday.
The Jerusalem and Sweden branches of the Vatican’s Caritas charitable federation released photos of the repurposed vehicle on Monday. There is no word, though, on when it might be put to use. The donation was announced on the same day that Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time.
“When the humanitarian corridor to Gaza reopens, it (the popemobile) will be ready to give primary healthcare to children in Gaza,” Caritas Jerusalem said in a statement.
The vehicle will be outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination, and treatment. Caritas said it would have testing equipment, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supply, vaccines, and a refrigerator.
“This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis,” the secretary general of Caritas Jerusalem, Anton Asfar, said in a statement.
India News Live Updates: Arunachal government increases DA of govt employees
The Arunachal Pradesh government on Monday announced an increase of 2 per cent in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR), raising the existing rate from 53 per cent to 55 per cent of the basic pay and pension with effect from January 1, 2025.
This enhancement will benefit All India Services (AIS) officers serving or posted under the State Government, Central Government employees on deputation to the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, State Government employees, as well as pensioners and family pensioners, a release said.
The total financial implication of this revision is estimated at approximately Rs. 73.22 crore for a period of 14 months, with a monthly involvement of Rs. 5.23 crore.
For the four-month period from January to April 2025, the financial implication towards DA is Rs 20.80 crore (at Rs 5.20 crore per month) and towards DR is Rs 0.12 crore (at Rs 0.03 crore per month), totalling Rs 20.92 crore. It has been decided that the arrears for this period will be disbursed in cash to provide timely financial support to employees and pensioners.
Beginning May 2025, the revised DA and DR rates will be incorporated into the monthly salary and pension disbursements.
World News Live Updates: 20 attorneys general ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Health and Human Services
Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging cuts to the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, saying the Trump administration’s massive restructuring has destroyed life-saving programs and left states to pick up the bill for mounting health crises.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said. The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia signed onto the complaint.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. restructured the agency in March, eliminating more than 10,000 employees and collapsing 28 agencies under the sprawling HHS umbrella into 15, the attorneys general said. An additional 10,000 employees had already been let go by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to the lawsuit, and combined the cuts stripped 25% of the HHS workforce.
“In its first three months, Secretary Kennedy and this administration deprived HHS of the resources necessary to do its job,” the attorneys general wrote.
Kennedy has said he is seeking to streamline the nation’s public health agencies and reduce redundancies across them with the layoffs. The cuts were made as part of a directive the administration has dubbed, “ Make America Healthy Again.”
HHS is one of the government’s costliest federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion that is mostly spent on health care coverage for millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
James, who is leading the lawsuit, called the restructuring a “sweeping and unlawful assault” that would endanger lives.
“This is not government reform. This is not efficiency,” James said during a press conference Monday.
India News Live Updates: Haryana decides to hike reservation for Agniveers in police recruitment
The Haryana Government has decided to increase the reservation quota for Agniveers in police recruitment from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.
A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the State Cabinet held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini here today.
In its meeting held on August 5, 2024, the Council of Ministers had made several decisions regarding Agniveers, including granting 10 per cent horizontal reservation in direct recruitment to the posts of Constable in the Police Department, Mining Guard in the Department of Mines and Geology, Forest Guard in the Department of Environment, Forest and Wildlife, and Warder in the Prisons Department, according to an official release.
Recently, the Union Home Minister wrote to all States, to increase the reservation for Agniveers in police recruitment to 20 per cent. In line with this, it has been decided to provide 20 per cent reservation in the recruitment to the post of Police Constable. A total of 1,830 Agniveers were selected from the State of Haryana in 2022-23, approximately 2,215 in 2023-24, and 2,108 in 2024-25. The first batch of Agniveers is scheduled to be relieved from the defence forces in 2026-27.
World News Live Updates: Syria state TV relaunches, months after Assad’s ouster
Syrian state television officially relaunched on Monday with a trial broadcast almost five months after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and following delays blamed on sanctions and dilapidated equipment.
After Syria’s new authorities took power in December, state media and other television channels, radio stations and outlets affiliated with Assad’s government suspended broadcasting and publishing.
At 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Monday, a presenter appeared on television screens, welcoming viewers and announcing the start of a test broadcast of Syria’s Alekhbariah television channel from Damascus via two satellite providers.
The channel showcased its new branding and broadcast images of Damascus and Ummayad Square, where the Public Authority for Radio and Television headquarters are located, as well as images of correspondents across the country.
“Today, the first official television channel has launched,” said new authority chief Alaa Bersilo, vowing it would be “a mediator between the state and society”.
He said broadcasting was delayed several times “due to television infrastructure” and “sanctions on the former regime which impacted satellite broadcast efforts”.
The channel’s director Jamil Srur said: “We were keen on Alekhbariah being fit for the new Syria, and this is what delayed its launch”.
India News Live Updates: V D Savarkar’s Mumbai residence could go for redevelopment, say sources
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s residence ‘Savarkar Sadan’ in Shivaji Park area of Mumbai could be redeveloped as several residents of the building are reportedly in discussions with a private developer. The Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak Trust owns one room on the ground floor, which functions as a small museum.
According to sources, most of the other owners have either initiated or completed agreements for redevelopment. However, no formal redevelopment proposal has been submitted, they claimed.
One of the sources said the building’s internal condition has deteriorated despite the recent painting of the exterior.
The trust is exploring the possibility of securing more space on the mezzanine floor in a redeveloped structure and retaining the name “Savarkar Sadan”.
Built in 1938 in Dadar’s Shivaji Park area, Savarkar Sadan housed the Hindutva ideologue and freedom fighter until he died in 1966.
Historical records show that the premises hosted several significant meetings, including with Subhas Chandra Bose in 1940 and with Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte in 1948.
“It is largely a private property and the rest of the owners are of the view of redeveloping the building. The descendants of Savarkar and the trust own very small portion of the entire building,” a person close to the development said.