Watch: Congress on J&K statehood, SC on Udaipur files, Mark Rutte on India & more
Ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi jointly wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 16, 2025), urging the government to bring a legislation to grant full Statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
They also requested that the government include Ladakh in the sixth schedule of the constitution.
Cabinet clears PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana with annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore
The Cabinet on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) approved Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana for a period of six years, covering 100 districts with an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore. The programme, announced in the Union Budget, will converge 36 existing schemes and increase adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices.
I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana will augment post-harvest storage, improve irrigation facilities, and enhance farm productivity. This programme is likely to help 1.7 crore farmers.
Supreme Court defers 'Udaipur Files' case hearing till July 21, awaits outcome of Centre's decision
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) recorded its expectation that a panel formed by the Centre will review the certification of the movie 'Udaipur Files - Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder', under the Cinematograph Act 'immediately without the loss of any time'.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi did not interfere, for the time being, with a July 10 decision of the Delhi High Court to freeze the release of the movie, which has been criticised for vilifying the Muslim community.
NATO chief says India, Brazil and China could be slammed with sanctions
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) that countries such as Brazil, China and India could be hit very hard by secondary sanctions if they continued to do business with Russia.
Mr. Rutte made the comment while meeting with senators in the U.S. Congress the day after President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened 'biting' secondary tariffs of 100% on the buyers of Russian exports unless there is a peace deal in 50 days.
Clashes resume in Syria's Druze city of Sweida, Israel vows more strikes
Clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday (July 16, 2025), collapsing a ceasefire announced just hours earlier that aimed to put an end to days of deadly sectarian bloodshed.
The outbreak of violence in the predominantly Druze province in southern Syria has highlighted frictions among Syria's diverse communities, with minorities feeling deep distrust towards the Islamist-led government now in power.
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Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
USA-Russia war may happen due to Donald Trump, Vladmir Putin?
Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel U.S. President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority. Peskov and other Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations from Kyiv and its Western partners of stalling peace talks. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, launching more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to President Vladimir Putin 'has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,' Peskov told state television in an interview. 'The main thing for us is to achieve our goals," he said. 'Our goals are clear.'The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia annexed in September 2022, but never fully captured. It also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces — demands Kyiv and its Western allies have his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would likely remain the host threatened Russia on July 14 with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration following unsuccessful negotiations aimed at ending the war. The direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul resulted in several rounds of prisoner exchanges but little U.S. president said that he would implement 'severe tariffs' unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but suggested they would target Russia's trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global addition, Trump said that European allies would buy 'billions and billions' of dollars of U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine, replenishing the besieged country's supplies of weapons. Included in the plan are Patriot air defense systems, a top priority for Ukraine as it fends off Russian drones and were recently raised about Trump's commitment to supply Ukraine when the Pentagon paused shipments over concerns that U.S. stockpiles were running Ukraine's air force said that it shot down 18 of 57 Shahed-type and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight into Sunday, with seven more disappearing from women were wounded in Zaporizhzhia, a southern Ukrainian region partly occupied by Russia, when a drone struck their house, according to the regional military administration. Two more civilians were wounded in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv province, after a drone slammed into a residential building, local Ukrainian officials Sunday, drones struck a leafy square in the center of Sumy, wounding a woman and her 7-year-old son, officials said. The strike also damaged a power line, leaving around 100 households without electricity, according to Serhii Krivosheienko, of the municipal military Russia's Defense Ministry said that its forces shot down 93 Ukrainian drones targeting Russian territory overnight, including at least 15 that appeared to head for Moscow. At least 13 more drones were downed on the approach to the capital on Sunday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. One drone struck a residential building in Zelenograd, on the outskirts of Moscow, damaging an apartment, but caused no casualties, he said.A1. President of Russia is Vladimir Putin.A2. President of USA is Donald Trump.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
'Opposition reduced itself to opposing everything for political reasons'
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office; and Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, criticised the Opposition for creating confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a free-wheeling interview with Rajesh Kumar Thakur, he accused them of misleading the public out of fear of losing ineligible votes. Excerpts Opposition parties are united against the SIR exercise being carried out in poll-bound Bihar, accusing your government of using it to drop voters from other parties. What do you have to say? These are totally untrue and baseless allegations made by the Opposition out of fear and frustration over losing the support of undeserving voters. The SIR, which is now being carried out successfully in Bihar, is not intended to remove people from voting lists but to ensure that voting rights are upheld for genuine voters. The Opposition currently has no agenda other than opposing initiatives that are in the larger interest of the nation or individual states. Will the removal of voter names under SIR hurt the NDA's poll chances in Bihar? Absolutely not. It is not designed to prevent anyone from exercising their voting rights but to ensure that only genuine voters participate. The people of Bihar are highly aware and understand the benefits of such an exercise, and they will not be misled by the Opposition. The NDA will not face any negative electoral consequences; in fact, it is the Opposition—which has been exploiting the inclusion of ineligible voters without proper documentation—that is alarmed by SIR. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused your government of 'snatching and stealing' votes through SIR. What is your response? Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is known for making baseless allegations simply to distract the public. In fact, he was the one who previously advocated for electoral roll revisions after his party's defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi's intention is only to create confusion among the public about every initiative. But the people of Bihar are wise and understand his motives well. How is the Modi-led NDA gearing up to counter the Opposition in the Monsoon Session starting Monday? The NDA is fully prepared. Since the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi works for 'Sabka Saath', 'Sabka Vikas' and through 'Sabka Prayas', there is no issue on which the government is not in the right. The Opposition, which has reduced itself to opposing everything purely for political reasons, will gain nothing by creating an uproar. Rather, we urge them to offer constructive support to the government. Do you think women voters in Bihar are leaning towards the NDA this time? Yes, not only women voters but every voter who has witnessed the development and positive changes under NDA rule in Bihar will vote for the NDA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents trust for them. The 'Modi Guarantee', under the state leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—who, along with BJP and other allied parties, has made visible changes in Bihar—is widely trusted. Bihar has become a model of women-led development. Will there be a discussion on Operation Sindoor in Parliament? What our leaders have said stands true. The government has been transparent about Operation Sindoor's success. The Opposition is simply trying to manufacture an issue where none exists. Did US President Trump actually mediate between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, as the Opposition claims? I'm not able to officially comment on such matters. The Opposition's stance is mere political posturing without any basis. They should stop creating unnecessary uproar and focus on being constructive rather than just opposing for opposition's sake. Since you oversee the Department of Atomic Energy, how is India tackling emerging challenges in the sector? India is on track to meet the target of generating 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047, and we are taking all necessary steps toward this goal. In addition to progressing in the civil nuclear energy sector, we are considering converting ten decommissioned thermal power plant sites into nuclear power sites for civilian use, aligning with India's ambition to reach 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. Are private sector players being actively supported in the nuclear energy sector? Yes, significant changes are planned through updated regulations and legislation. The government, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, aims to amend key laws like the Atomic Energy Act and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act to encourage private sector participation. Organizations such as NPCIL, BHAVINI, and ASHVINI are actively planning new nuclear plants. Indian scientists are developing Bharat Small Modular Reactors (50–300 MW) for retired thermal plants. Under PM Modi's leadership, India strives for self-reliance and global leadership in nuclear energy, aiming to become a developed nation by 2047 with strong private sector growth opportunities. How is India advancing its space program, and what is the status of key missions like Chandrayaan? India has become a global space leader with cost-effective, precise missions. Chandrayaan-3's historic South Pole landing and astronaut Shukla's record experiments highlight this progress. Chandrayaan-4 is slated for 2027, reinforcing India's position in space exploration and scientific innovation. When will India be able to launch its first human space mission, Gaganyaan? Gaganyaan is now in its final phase, and we are optimistic about launching the crewed mission in 2027. We consider it a historic mission that goes beyond scientific accomplishment—it symbolises our emergence as a global space power built on indigenous technology and fiscal prudence under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. How committed is India to promoting research, innovation, and science for the future? Since PM Narendra Modi took office, India has significantly boosted funding for R&D, allocating over Rs 20,000 crore for private sector innovation. This has transformed India into a global leader in science, technology, and startups. The government's focus on fostering a strong ecosystem has driven scientific progress, improving everyday life and showcasing successes like Operation Sindoor.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
J&K CM, family urge Centre's help as Niger terrorists abduct Ramban man
J&K CM Omar Abdullah (File photo) JAMMU: J&K CM Omar Abdullah urged Sunday the external affairs ministry (MEA) to intervene urgently in securing the release of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban district, who was allegedly abducted by terrorists in Niger following an attack on July 15. Abdullah tagged external affairs minister S Jaishankar on X and called for Centre's intervention. Singh, employed as a senior safety officer with M/s Transrail Lighting Limited — a power transmission and distribution firm in Niger — lost contact with his family on July 15, the day terrorists struck the Dosso region, reportedly killing two Indian workers. His wife Sheela Devi, speaking from the family's remote village of Chakka Kundi in Ramban, said she learned about the abduction from one of her husband's friends in Niger after receiving vague responses from his company. 'I kept calling the company, but they said there was no network at the site. No mention of anything serious,' said the mother of three young children. Ranjeet's father Mohan Lal said: 'He was supposed to return in a month or two. We request the PM to help us. He has three small children,' Lal said. Social media users have amplified the family's appeal.
