Author: newshens

The result means that the BJP, which has 50 members in the 101-member council, will have to depend on the support of an Independent councillor. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which clinched power for the first time in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation in the local body elections last month, faced a setback on Tuesday after losing a crucial bye-election, missing an opportunity to secure a simple majority in the civic body. In the bye-election to the Vizhinjam ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, necessitated by the death of an Independent candidate before the polls, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K…

Kaundinya is a “stitched ship”, built by stitching wooden planks with coir rope, and was part of Indian Ocean trade around the first millennium CE. In late December, INSV Kaundinya left Porbandar, in Gujarat, on a 15-day journey to Muscat, in Oman, “symbolically retracing historical maritime routes” that once connected India with the wider Indian Ocean world. Named for a semi-legendary mariner, Kaundinya is a “stitched ship”, a term referring to vessels built by stitching wooden planks together using coir rope, that formed part of Indian Ocean traffic in and around the first millennium of the Common Era. The vessel’s…

According to the Australian education ministry, India is only second to China in terms of international students enrolled in educational institutions. Australia has tightened checks for student visa applications from India even as it moved the country into the “highest-risk” category, along with several others. The changes, that came into effect from January 8, has led to concerns in India, which is one of Australia’s largest source countries for international students. India has been moved from Assessment Level 2 (AL2) to Assessment Level 3 (AL3). The assessment level ranges from AL1 (lowest risk) to AL3 (highest risk). While India, despite…

This comes after Thackeray cousins alleged that Mumbai and Maharashtra’s assets were being handed over to the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray sought to target the Adani Group on Tuesday ahead of high-stakes civic body polls in Maharashtra, as he highlighted the group’s expansion in Maharashtra and other parts of the country. “Between 2014 and 2025, span of just eleven year the Adani Group, with the government’s blessings, has expanded across the country at an unprecedented pace, steadily building dominance across multiple sectors,” the MNS chief said in a post on social media platform X.…

While Trump didn’t elaborate on whether the US would directly intervene in Iran, he said he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told Iranian protestors to “Keep protesting” and said “help is on its way.” While Trump didn’t elaborate on whether the US would directly intervene in Iran, which is grappled with one of the worst protests, he said he has cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials. Trump also urged protestors to “take over institutions” in a clear message of backing protestors, who have been protesting against regime. “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING —…

Khawaja Asif recently said Pakistan received record-number of orders for JF-17 fighter jets after military escalation with India after Operation Sindoor. Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif has said that the flare-up with India during the latter’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025 has pushed the sales of Chinese-origin JF-17 Thunder jets to “a record high”. He claimed that if the trend continues Islamabad may no longer require bailouts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after six months. “Our aircraft have been tested, and we are receiving so many orders that Pakistan may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months,”…

Annamalai’s name twisted by Raj Thackeray to ‘rasmalai’ over his remark that Mumbai is global city, not just of Maharashtra; he hits back. BJP leader K Annamalai from Tamil Nadu has landed squarely in the middle of election rhetoric in Mumbai, where the municipal election campaigns have turned into a contest over who’s a true citizen and who’s an outsider to India’s financial capital. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said on Monday that Annamalai’s statements show his party “only wants to insult and loot” Mumbai and Maharashtra. “Annamalai is the face of the BJP, which is ‘zero’. He could…

Temperatures in the plains, including in the national capital, have dipped below those in hilly areas such as Shimla. Several parts of northern India will continue to face freezing temperatures as the India Meteorological Department has issued a cold wave warning for the next couple of days in areas including Delhi and the National Capital Region, besides Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as per official information on Sunday. In the bulletin issued on Sunday, January 11, the IMD said that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely at isolated places over Himachal…

The accused is the woman’s neighbour and lives with his mother. Police said the crime stemmed from his ‘obsession’ with the woman. What was initially considered to be an accident — death caused by suffocation due to the fire in the apartment — has turned out to be a case of murder in Bengaluru. An 18-year-old man has been held for the alleged killing of a 34-year-old software engineer. The accused has been identified as 18-year-old Karnal Kurai, originally a resident of Kerala. He is the neighbour of the deceased woman and lives with his single mother. The victim had…

Gor takes oath as Ambassador with a classic song, and a promise that “real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end”. Sergio Gor formally took charge on Monday as the new US ambassador to India and special envoy to South and Central Asia during a ceremony at the US Embassy in New Delhi. Among a swarm of crowds, what stood out is his unique entry, especially in context of what he said thereafter on the Trump-Modi equation. As Gor walked up to the podium to take the oath of office on the 1966 soul classic ‘Hold…