Junior Digest

New Delhi, Aug 9,2025: At a press briefing here, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav criticised the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s for adopting an “unbecoming tone” towards the Election Commission, warning officials of repercussions for allegedly facilitating the ruling party’s purported malpractices.
“Rahul Gandhi’s lies about ‘electoral fraud’ would be laughable if they were not so dangerous for Indian democracy,” he said, underscoring the sanctity of constitutional institutions. Yadav emphasised, “such language is unprecedented and inappropriate.”

Referring to official data from the Election Commission, Yadav clarified that the number of voters in the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls rose by over 40 lakh compared to the Lok Sabha elections held earlier that year — far less than the figure of one crore alleged by Rahul Gandhi.
“The Opposition leader had evidently invested considerable time in preparing his narrative,” Yadav observed, “but the fundamental premise of his accusation stands disproved.” He accused Gandhi of orchestrating an elaborate campaign to propagate misinformation, adding, “Henceforth, every claim from his side should be met with a 60% discount.”

Highlighting several constituencies such as Madha, Mohol, Nagpur West, and Nagpur North — all won by Congress or its allies — Yadav pointed out the corresponding increase in voter numbers in these areas, which directly contradicts the opposition’s assertions.

Addressing Gandhi’s promise of evidence akin to an “atom bomb,” Yadav dismissed it as a futile attempt at self-sabotage, reiterating, “This is like cutting the branch on which one is seated,” and called rhetoric against the Election Commission an assault on India’s democratic fabric.
“If there are genuine grievances regarding the electoral process,” Yadav suggested, “ Gandhi should substantiate his allegations through a sworn affidavit to the Election Commission, rather than resorting to media theatrics.”

He accused the Congress of persistently disseminating falsehoods aimed at discrediting the electoral body following its electoral setbacks. “Their strategy is simple — lie and evade accountability,” he stated, alluding to the opposition’s parliamentary disruptions over the Special Intensive Review of Bihar’s electoral rolls as attempts to avoid substantive debate.
“The Congress is systematically undermining our constitutional institutions for familial political gains,” Yadav noted, citing Gandhi’s earlier disparagement of the armed forces and noting the latter’s subsequent apology to the Supreme Court for unfounded claims.

The controversy erupted after Rahul Gandhi, yesterday, presented an “analysis” of electoral data from a Karnataka Lok Sabha constituency during the 2024 elections. He alleged “massive criminal fraud” orchestrated by the BJP with the complicity of the Election Commission, branding it a “crime against the Constitution.” Gandhi has also accused the BJP-led alliance of rigging the Maharashtra Assembly polls to secure victory.

WASHINGTON,Aug 07,2025: President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%.

The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes.
Trump’s moves could scramble the economic trajectory of India, which until recently was seen as an alternative to China by American companies looking to relocate their manufacturing. China also buys oil from Russia, but it was not included in the order signed by the Republican president.

As part of a negotiating period with Beijing, Trump has placed 30% tariffs on goods from China, a rate that is smaller than the combined import taxes with which he has threatened New Delhi.
Trump had previewed for reporters Tuesday that the tariffs would be coming. During an event in the Oval Office Wednesday with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump affirmed the 50% tariff number, not giving a specific answers as to whether additional tariffs on India would be dropped if there were a deal between Russia and Ukraine.

“We’ll determine that later,” Trump said. “But right now they’re paying a 50% tariff.”
The White House said Wednesday that Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week as he seeks to broker an end to the war.

The Indian government on Wednesday called the additional tariffs “unfortunate.”

“We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that India would take all actions necessary to protect its interests.
Jaiswal said India has already made its stand clear that the country’s imports were based on market factors and were part of an overall objective of ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people.

In 2024, the U.S. ran a $45.8 billion trade deficit in goods with India, meaning America imported more from India than it exported, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. American consumers and businesses buy pharmaceutical drugs, precious stones and textiles and apparel from India, among other goods.

As the world’s largest country, India represented a way for the U.S. to counter China’s influence in Asia. But India has not supported the Ukraine-related sanctions by the U.S. and its allies on Moscow even as India’s leaders have maintained that they want peace.
The U.S. and China are currently in negotiations on trade, with Washington imposing a 30% tariff on Chinese goods and facing a 10% retaliatory tax from Beijing on American products.

The planned tariffs on India contradict past efforts by the Biden administration and other nations in the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that encouraged India to buy cheap Russian oil through a price cap imposed in 2022. The nations collectively capped Russian oil a $60 per barrel at a time when prices in the market were meaningfully higher.
The intent was to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network.

The price cap was rolled out to equal parts skepticism and hopefulness that the policy would stave off Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The cap has required shipping and insurance companies to refuse to handle oil shipments above the cap, though Russia has been able to evade the cap by shipping oil on a “shadow fleet” of old vessels using insurers and trading companies located in countries that are not enforcing sanctions.

New Delhi, Aug 6,2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan-3, one of the Central Secretariat buildings under the Central Vista redevelopment project here, and inspected the various facilities incorporated in the environment-friendly state-of-the-art seven-storeyed building.

As part of the Central Vista Project, it is the first among several ‘Common Central Secretariat’ buildings aimed at streamlining administrative processes and enabling agile governance. The target is to have all 10 ready within the next two years.
Kartavya Bhavan-3 situated near Kartvaya Path road erstwhile known as Rajpath marks a significant milestone in the government’s commitment to modern, efficient, and citizen-centric governance, reflecting the Prime Minister’s vision.

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal besides senior officials, was also present on the occasion.
By bringing ministries together under one roof and adopting state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Common Central Secretariat aims to enhance inter-ministerial coordination and ensure a more accountable administrative ecosystem, said an official statement here.

Currently, several key ministries operate from ageing buildings such as Shastri Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Nirman Bhavan, constructed between the 1950s and 1970s, which have become structurally outdated and inefficient. It is expected that the new buildings will reduce maintenance costs, improve productivity, and offer better facilities for government employees.
Kartavya Bhawan-3 spans approximately 1.5 lakh sq mt will house offices of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of MSME, Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA).

It has various sustainability features including a wastewater treatment and reuse system designed to meet a significant portion of the building’s water requirements. The building is designed to consume 30 per cent less energy. Special glass windows help maintain cooling and reduce external noise. Energy-efficient LED lighting, sensors to switch off lights when not required, smart lifts for power saving, and an advanced energy management system contribute to overall energy conservation, as per the statement.
The rooftop solar panels of Kartavya Bhavan-3 are expected to generate over 5.34 lakh units of electricity annually. Additionally, electric vehicle charging stations have been provided to support sustainable transportation, it added

New Delhi, Aug 5,2025: The Supreme Court today took note of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking permanent disqualification of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) upon conviction in criminal cases, and directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai for listing before an appropriate larger Bench.

The PIL, filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, challenges the constitutional validity of provisions under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which currently bar convicted legislators from contesting elections only for six years after completing their sentence.

Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria mentioned the matter before a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, urging for an early hearing.
“This is a matter of grave concern. Orders have been passed from time to time. The February 10 order requires that it be listed before a three-judge bench,” Hansaria submitted.

The Bench acknowledged the urgency and referred to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the February 10, 2025 order passed by a Bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta, directing that the matter be placed before the CJI for further directions.

The plea is now expected to be heard finally on October 20, subject to the CJI’s listing.

In February 2025, the Union government opposed the plea, arguing that a lifetime disqualification of elected representatives was a matter purely within the domain of Parliament and not for the judiciary to decide.

The Centre, through the Legislative Department, maintained that while the court may declare a provision unconstitutional under its power of judicial review, it cannot rewrite legislation to substitute “lifetime” for “six years” as suggested by the petitioner.

“The relief sought effectively asks the Court to read ‘lifetime’ instead of ‘six years’ in all sub-sections of Section 8. This is unknown to judicial review and constitutional law,” the Centre submitted.
The government emphasized that Parliament has the discretion to decide what duration of disqualification is appropriate, keeping in view principles of proportionality and reasonableness. “It is one thing to say that Parliament has the power to impose a lifetime ban, and another to say that it must necessarily exercise that power in all cases,” it said.

The Centre further argued that the PIL failed to distinguish between the basis for disqualification (i.e., conviction) and the effect of disqualification (i.e., its duration). It noted that Indian penal statutes often impose time-bound restrictions on rights and freedoms post-conviction, and that extending these indefinitely would be unduly harsh and disproportionate.
“At the end of the prescribed time, penalties cease to operate automatically. Deterrence is ensured, while undue harshness is avoided,” the government stated.

It also reiterated that any direction to Parliament on how to draft or amend laws would be beyond the constitutional powers of the judiciary.

The PIL raises a larger question regarding the criminalisation of politics, an issue repeatedly flagged by the Supreme Court in the past.

The Court has, over the years, issued directions for the expeditious trial of criminal cases against lawmakers and for greater transparency in candidate disclosures.
As the matter now heads to a larger Bench, the decision could have far-reaching implications for electoral reforms, legislative accountability, and the scope of judicial intervention in matters of legislative policy.

Brasília, Aug 5,2025: The Supreme Court of Brazil has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order Monday, saying Bolsonaro had failed to comply with restrictions previously imposed on him by the court, including use of social media and cell phones, CNN reports.
The order said Bolsonaro recorded speeches to be posted on other users’ social media accounts in which his ankle monitor is visible, which Moraes said defied an order prohibiting “exploitation of interviews or public or private speeches posted on third parties’ social media”.
Bolsonaro will serve house arrest at his residence and will not be allowed to have visitors, except for his attorneys and people authorized by the court.
The former president is also prohibited from using a cell phone, directly or through third parties.
Reacting to the SC ruling, Bolsonaro’s eldest son Senator Flavio Bolsonaro criticized the court’s decision, saying on CNN Brasil that his father had never defied a court order.

Ranchi, Aug 4 (UNI),2025: Shibu Soren did not begin his life with the ambition to govern. Born in 1944 in a modest tribal household in Nemra village, Ramgarh, he grew up witnessing systemic injustice, and lived the brutal reality of land seizures, forest exclusion, and social alienation. He didn’t enter politics for power. He entered it because people like him had no power.

In that sense, Shibu Soren never really left the movement even after becoming the government.
Known widely as Dishom Guru, Soren was many things at once — a folk hero, a feared agitator, a reluctant administrator, and, above all, the unflinching voice of Jharkhand’s tribal soul. He spent his early political years organising ‘hul” (rebellions) against land dispossession and bonded labour, leading to the formation of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the early 1970s — a party that wasn’t just a political outfit, but a social assertion.

While national politics often overlooked tribal issues, Soren forced them on to the agenda with grit, sometimes fury. He wasn’t polished, but he was grounded. He wasn’t fluent in policy jargon, but he spoke a language that echoed in the hills of Santhal Pargana and the forests of Chaibasa.
His fight culminated in the creation of Jharkhand in 2000 — a state carved from the dreams of dispossessed people who had found in Soren a leader who looked like them, spoke like them, and suffered like them.

He served as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister thrice, though his administrative tenures were often brief and tumultuous. He also served as Union Coal Minister in 2004 during the UPA government. But governance was never his strong suit. His strength lay in symbolism — in what he represented more than what he ruled. Even when political storms engulfed him, controversies shadowed him, and allies deserted him, his identity as the father of Jharkhand’s statehood remained untouched.
Soren was not without contradictions. His movement was pure, his politics often murky. The shift from street to seat, from slogans to bureaucracy, was never smooth. But for the millions who saw him as Guruji, these imperfections only humanised him further. He was one of their own — flawed, fierce, and faithful.

In his final years, Soren withdrew from the public eye but remained the ideological spine of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. His son Hemant rose to leadership, while his daughter-in-law Kalpana and youngest son Basant entered the Assembly. The family’s political tree branched out, but the roots stayed deep in the soil Shibu once tilled with anger and hope. On August 4, at 8:56 am, Shibu Soren breathed his last at a hospital in New Delhi. The news sent a wave of silence through Jharkhand — a silence not of surprise, but of reverence. He had been unwell for weeks, battling infections and age, but perhaps also tired of a world that had moved far from the kind of politics he once embodied.

He is survived by his wife, sons Hemant and Basant, and daughter-in-law Kalpana — all in politics. His eldest son, Durga Soren, died young; Durga’s wife, Sita Soren, is with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

For Jharkhand, his passing is not just the loss of a leader but the fading of a generation that lived its politics before it performed it. The hills may remain, the forests may endure, but the voice that once roared in their defence has now fallen silent.
Yet in every cry for land, every protest for dignity, and every whispered story of resistance, Shibu Soren will live on — not as a politician, but as the conscience of a state that he helped dream into existence.

July 31,2025: Lithuania’s Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has stepped down following investigations into his business dealings that prompted protests in the Baltic country’s capital calling for his resignation.

The country’s president, Gitanas Nauseda, announced Paluckas’ resignation to the media on Thursday morning.

Paluckas confirmed the news in a statement sent by his Social Democrat Party.
Paluckas ascended to the role late last year after a three-party coalition formed following parliamentary elections in October.

His resignation is now likely to bring down the whole government, with his cabinet expected to also resign. New coalition talks are expected to start soon.
Paluckas has faced scandals over his business dealings, including some that occurred more than a decade ago. Media investigations revealed that he had never paid a significant part of a 16,500-euro ($19,000) fine after he was convicted in 2012 of mishandling the bidding process for the capital Vilnius’s rat extermination services.

Paluckas, at the time, was Vilnius’s municipal administration director, and judges ruled that he had abused his official position by illegally granting privileges to the company that offered the highest bid.
He was sentenced to two years in prison but was ultimately not imprisoned.

Since the media investigations, Lithuania’s anticorruption and law enforcement agencies have also launched their probes into Paluckas.

He has denied any wrongdoing and instead called the attacks on his business dealings parts of a “coordinated attack” by political opponents.
The resignation of the prime minister comes only weeks before a planned joint military exercise between Lithuania’s neighbours, Russia and Belarus, highlighting the precarious position the country finds itself in.

New Delhi, July 31,2025: Day after announcing 25 percent tariff with ‘’penalty’’ against India for
buying military equipment and energy from Russia, US President Donald Trump today said a trade deal with Pakistan had been concluded and both countries (India and Russia) could take their ‘’dead economies’’ down together.
He said the US had just concluded a trade deal with Pakistan where Pakistan and US could work together on developing their massive oil reserves and may be they (Pakistan) will sell their oil to India.

‘’We have just concluded a deal with the country of Pakistan whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive oil reserves. We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership. Who knows may be they’ll be selling oil to India some day.’’
He said he does not care what India does with Russia. ‘’They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,’’ he said in a series of tweets on his social media platform.

President Trump had yesterday announced on Truth Social that 25 per cent tariff would be imposed on India along with ‘’penalty’’ from August one for buying military equipment and energy from Russia.
‘’All things are not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 percent plus a penalty starting August one,’’ he said. Describing India as ‘’our friend,’’ he said US had done relatively little business with India because their (India’s) tariffs are too high.

Commenting on Trump’s tariffs an official spokesman here said the Government attaches utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs and MSMEs and will take all necessary steps to secure our national interest.
‘’The Government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest, as has been the case with other trade agreements including the latest Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK,’’ the spokesman said.

He said the Government had taken note of the statement by the US President on bilateral trade. The Government is studying its implications.

The spokesman said India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months and India remains committed to that objective.
Trump said he is ‘’very busy’’ in the White House working on Trade Deals and he had spoken to the leaders of many countries all of whom wanted make the United States ‘’Extremely Happy.’’

In another tweet he said the US has a ‘’massive trade deficit with India.’’ The US had done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high among the highest in the world.

‘’Russia and the US do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,’’ he said.

Mumbai July 31,2025: Seventeen years after a bomb blast rattled Malegaon, a Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today acquitted all the seven accused including former BJP MP Paragya Singh Thakur and others who stood trial in the political sensitive terrorism case.

BJP leader and former MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi all stand acquitted.
Special Judge AK Lahoti, who presides over the NIA court, announced the acquittals.

“Terror has no religion because no religion can advocate violence,” the special NIA court judge, AK Lahoti, said.

Advocate Ranjit Nair said, “I was representing accused number 11 Sudhakar Chaturvedi. Court has acquitted him. The Court has observed that prosecution cannot present any proof against accused.”
Briefing the media, Advocate Prakash Salsingikar said, “The court has said that this incident is very bad. However, the loss of victims can’t be fulfilled but the court has asked for compensation to all those people.”

Significant security measures have been implemented around the Sessions Court in South Mumbai ahead of the ruling, with a heavy police presence deployed outside the courthouse complex.
The explosion on the night of September 29, 2008, near Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, killed six people and injured over a hundred. A low-intensity bmb fitted to a motorcycle detonated near a busy intersection, triggering panic and chaos in the communally sensitive town.
Initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the case was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011. The NIA re-registered the offence and conducted further investigations. Since then, multiple chargesheets and supplementary reports have been filed. The trial began in 2018 after charges were formally framed against seven accused.

New Delhi, July 30,2025: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today reiterated that US President Donald Trump had no role in stopping India’s military operation against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha while resuming the discussion on “India’s strong, successful, and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam,” Jaishankar said there was no conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump to halt the military action. He added, “There was no telephonic conversation between the two leaders from April 22 to June 16.”
Rejecting opposition allegations of diplomatic failure during Operation Sindoor, the Foreign Minister stated that Indian diplomacy was perfectly on track given that the BRICS summit condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

“The BRICS countries condemned the conspirators behind the Pahalgam attack and cross-border terrorism, whereas in the BRICS summit statement after the Mumbai attacks, cross-border terrorism was not mentioned,” he said. He also highlighted that Germany, France, Russia, and the European Union condemned the Pahalgam attack.
Jaishankar informed that the United Nations Security Council issued a statement condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 25, when Pakistan was still a member of the Council and India was not a member of the global body.

Praising the valour of Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor, he said the military struck terrorist hideouts in Bahawalpur and Muridke with precision. “These were strongholds of terrorism in Pakistan. Several Pakistani airports were also targeted. This was a major success of Operation Sindoor,” he said.
Addressing those demanding proof of the Operation’s success, he suggested watching videos on YouTube showing terrorists’ funerals after they were killed, which would reveal the nature of the Indian Army’s action.

Acknowledging the closeness between Pakistan and China, Jaishankar said both countries have come closer over time, not overnight. Referring to incidents during Congress governments, he pointed out that Pakistan-China relations have had moments of proximity in the past as well.
Taking a swipe at former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Foreign Minister recalled that during the Indus Waters Treaty, Nehru was more concerned about Pakistani farmers than Indian farmers. He said Nehru had stated in the Lok Sabha that the water agreement would benefit farmers in West Punjab, which was then part of Pakistan.

Jaishankar also appreciated the role of Members of Parliament in various all-party delegations sent to different countries to clarify India’s position on Operation Sindoor. He mentioned that India’s delegation visited 33 countries, with MPs like Shashi Tharoor, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sanjay Jha, Supriya Sule, and Srikant Shinde effectively presenting India’s viewpoint to the world.

London, July 29,2025: Frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not agreeing to the terms of ceasefire with Ukraine, US Donald Trump has presented a new, shorter deadline of “10 or 12 days” for Russia to agree to a ceasefire over the war in Ukraine from Monday, which Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has called “extremely significant”.

The US president said there was “no reason” in waiting any longer as no progress towards peace had been made, reports BBC.
Two weeks ago, Trump said President Putin had 50 days to end the war or Russia would face severe tariffs.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland yesterday, Trump again expressed his disapproval at Putin’s actions in Ukraine, where war rages on three and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.

July 22,2025: Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that Tehran cannot give up on its uranium enrichment programme, which was severely damaged by waves of US and Israeli air strikes last month.

“It is now stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe, but obviously, we cannot give up our enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists, and now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,” Araghchi told the US broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired on Monday.
Araghchi said at the beginning of the interview that Iran is “open to talks” with the United States, but that they would not be direct talks “for the time being”.

“If they [the US] are coming for a win-win solution, I am ready to engage with them,” he said.

“We are ready to do any confidence-building measure needed to prove that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever, and Iran would never go for nuclear weapons, and in return, we expect them to lift their sanctions,” the foreign minister added.
“So, my message to the United States is that let’s go for a negotiated solution for Iran’s nuclear programme.”

Araghchi’s comments were part of a 16-minute interview aired on Fox News, a broadcaster known to be closely watched by US President Donald Trump.
“There is a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme. We have done it once in the past. We are ready to do it once again,” Araghchi said.

Mumbai, July 21,2025: In a judicial verdict that has sent shockwaves through the legal community, the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 suspects previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, declaring that the prosecution had “utterly failed” to establish their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The judgment, delivered 19 years after the terror attack that claimed over 180 lives and left hundreds injured, was pronounced by a special bench comprising justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak. The bench categorically stated that the evidence presented was insufficient to sustain convictions, observing it was “hard to believe that the accused committed the crime.”
The court quashed both the death sentences awarded to five individuals and life imprisonment terms given to the remaining seven.

The horrific incident occurred on July 11, 2006, when seven coordinated bomb explosions ripped through Mumbai’s suburban railway network during evening rush hour, targeting first-class compartments of Western Railway trains.

The blasts occurred over an 11-minute span (6:24 pm to 6:35 pm) at locations including Khar Road-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar Road, Jogeshwari-Mahim Junction, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga-Mahim Junction, and Borivali. Pressure cooker bombs designed to maximize casualties killed 189 people and injured over 700.
Following an extensive investigation by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), a special MCOCA court convicted all twelve defendants in September 2015. Five – Ehtesham Qutbuddin Siddiqui, Kamal Ansari, Faisal Atta-ur-Rehman Sheikh, Asif Bashir, and Naveed Hussain – received death sentences. Seven others – Muhammad Ali Sheikh, Sohail Sheikh, Zameer Latif-ur-Rehman, Dr. Tanveer, Muzammil Atta-ur-Rehman Sheikh, Majid Shafi, and Sajid Marghub Ansari – were sentenced to life imprisonment.

July 18,2025: The government of the tiny, landlocked African country of Eswatini has confirmed that it received five individuals deported from the United States under President Donald Trump.
In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Eswatini government said the deportations were “the result of months of robust high-level engagements”.
“The five prisoners are in the country and are housed in Correctional facilities within isolated units, ‘where similar offenders are kept’,” spokesperson Thabile Mdluli wrote.
“As a responsible member of the global community, the Kingdom of Eswatini adheres to international agreements and diplomatic protocols regarding the repatriation of individuals, ensuring that due process and respect for human rights is followed,” Mdluli said.
Her statement also indicated that Eswatini would work with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) “to facilitate the transit of the inmates to their countries of origin”.
The deportations are part of a wider trend under the Trump administration of deporting foreign nationals to countries outside of their own.

Chennai, July 18,2025: The prestigious eagerly-awaited launch of NISAR mission, a Indo-US joint collaboration between NASA and ISRO, is likely to take place by the end of this month.

Both the space agencies have discussed about NISAR’s readiness for launch and potential opportunities for future cooperation including professional exchange in technical areas and space exploration.

NASA and ISRO are collaborating on one of NASA’s biggest project–the NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR), a joint Earth-observing mission.

NISAR will be launch from the Second Launch Pad from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, SHAR

Range in Sriharikota, into a near-polar orbit at an altitude of 747 km with an inclination of 98.4 deg.

ISRO will be using its heaviest home grown rocket GSLV-MkII/LMV for the mission.

Though sources said the mission is likely on July 30 or 31, the exact date was expected to be

announced on July 21.
The NISAR Mission will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces and ice masses providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise and groundwater and will support a host of other applications.
NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every 6 days for a baseline 3-year mission.
NISAR will map global land biomass, the amount of organic material from plants, every 12 days.

Jammu, July 17,2025:The Indian Army today rescued about 500 Amarnath pilgrims who were stranded because of landslides triggered by heavy rains and shifted them to safer places.

“Yesterday around 7:25 pm, persistent rain triggered a landslide at Z Morh, between Rayalpathri and Brarimarg, resulting in the halting of Yatra movement and stranding a large number of pilgrims,” said Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Suneel Bartwal.

“Responding to the situation, the Army detachment deployed at Brarimarg swung into action,” he added.

Around 500 yatris stranded in the area were accommodated in tents and provided with tea and drinking water, adding, “additionally, another 3,000 pilgrims found refuge in langars located between Brarimarg and Z Morh, which offered essential shelter and sustenance.”

The Indian Army Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) rescued a critically ill stranded yatri by undertaking a manual stretcher evacuation under adverse weather conditions and safely transported the patient to Rayalpathri from where an ambulance moved the individual for further medical care, he added.

The spokesperson said the camp director at Brarimarg and the company commander of the Indian Army are present at the site and have assessed the situation as stable and under control, adding, “efforts continue to ensure the safety and well-being of all yatris in the area.”

As per weather prediction, light rains at both Rayalpathri and Brarimarg are likely, and the Army remains on high alert to respond to any evolving situation, he said.

“These prompt actions are yet another testament to the Indian Army’s professionalism, dedication, and humanitarian commitment during Amarnath Yatra 2025, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with every pilgrim through every challenge”, said the spokesperson.

New Delhi, July 16,2025: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today cleared the ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’ for a period of six years, beginning 2025-26 to cover 100 districts.

The programme introduced in the Union Budget 2025-26, will converge 36 existing schemes across 11 departments, a first-of-its-kind focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

Sharing details about the decision taken at the Union Cabinet, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, with a total outlay of Rs 24,000 crore over six years, the scheme aims to benefit 1.7 crore farmers through focused interventions in areas such as crop productivity, irrigation, storage infrastructure, credit access, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.

He said, 100 districts will be identified based on three key indicators of low productivity, low cropping intensity, and less credit disbursement. The number of districts in each state/UT will be based on the share of Net Cropped Area and operational holdings. However, a minimum of one district will be selected from each state.

Committees will be formed at district, state and national levels for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the scheme. A district agriculture and allied activities plan will be finalized by the District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti, which will also have progressive farmers as members. The district plans will be aligned to the national goals of crop diversification, conservation of water and soil health, self-sufficiency in agriculture and allied sectors as well as expansion of natural and organic farming, said an official statement here.

Progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored on 117 key performance indicators through a dashboard on monthly basis. NITI Aayog, the government’s think tank, will also review and guide the district plans. Besides, Central nodal officers appointed for each district will review the scheme on a regular basis, as per the statement.

MOSCOW, July 14,2025: Russia and China’s foreign ministers on Sunday discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, China and Russia’s foreign ministries said in a statement.
President Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing on Sunday. Lavrov is due to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) foreign ministers in China.
“The parties also discussed relations with the United States and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
“The importance of strengthening close coordination between the two countries in the international arena, including in the United Nations and its Security Council, the SCO, BRICS, the G20 and APEC, was emphasized,” the ministry said.
The close contact between the two countries was to “promote the development and revitalisation of each other, and jointly respond to the challenges brought about by a turbulent and changing world,” China’s Foreign Ministry said.
Both sides also exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula and the Iranian nuclear issue, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an “ally”.
The U.S. casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat.