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Mumbai on orange alert as IMD warns of more heavy rain

Mumbai on orange alert as IMD warns of more heavy rain

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Mumbai July 26( UNI) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday extended the orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts till today, warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring Palghar district remains under a red alert.
Mumbai continued to reel under heavy rain today, with several areas experiencing intense showers in the early morning following an overnight downpour. The relentless rainfall led to waterlogging, traffic disruptions, and renewed fears of flooding in low-lying areas.
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Mumbai on Orange alert as IMD warns of more heavy rain
26 Jul 2025 | 9:33 AM
Mumbai July 26( UNI) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) today extended the orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts till today, warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.
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Maha CM meets several leaders in Delhi for state development projects
26 Jul 2025 | 2:35 AM
Mumbai / New Delhi, July 25 (UNI) In pursuit of various development projects for Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held meetings with several key leaders in Delhi over the past two days.
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Sanjay Raut claims Maha to get 'New Cabinet' as Sena daily reveals 'hitlist'
26 Jul 2025 | 12:51 AM
Mumbai, July 25 (UNI) Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut today made a big claim that Maharashtra is likely to get a "new cabinet" soon, even as Friday's edition of the Sena-run Marathi daily newspaper 'Saamna' named eight ministers in the BJP-led Mahayuti government, who may be removed from their posts.
"There is a chaotic atmosphere in the state government. Now that the situation has gone out of hand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reached Delhi and the Maharashtra government is under the control of (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah. A situation has arisen, and big decisions are going to be taken. I have been saying that four ministers will exit from the cabinet. Now, discussions are underway in Delhi to clean up the cabinet and bring in a new cabinet," Raut said.
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Maha: Radhanagari irrigation dam overflowing
26 Jul 2025 | 12:48 AM
Kolhapur, Jul 25 (UNI) The Radhanagari irrigation dam, the main drinking water resource of Maharashtra's Kolhapur city and neighbouring areas, was filled to its capacity at 10-05 pm tonight with its third and sixth automatic door open.
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BJP in Kerala defends ‘mistaken' arrests of nuns in Chhattisgarh, distances itself from Bajrang Dal
BJP in Kerala defends ‘mistaken' arrests of nuns in Chhattisgarh, distances itself from Bajrang Dal

The Hindu

timea few seconds ago

  • The Hindu

BJP in Kerala defends ‘mistaken' arrests of nuns in Chhattisgarh, distances itself from Bajrang Dal

Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has ought to distance the party in Kerala from the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu right-wing organisation suspected of mobbing two Keralite nuns at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh last Friday and allegedly browbeating the local law enforcement to arrest the nuns on 'questionable charges' of attempting to spirit away three local women, including a tribal community member, to Agra for 'forced' conversion to Christianity. Mr. Chandrasekhar told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) that Sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) order, hailing from Kannur and Angamaly, respectively, in Kerala, were not human traffickers or proselytisers as accused by Bajrang Dal activists in Chattisgarh. He said the Bajrang Dal did not bear the BJP's imprimatur and was an independent organisation. Mr. Chandrasekhar's denouncement of the arrests came after the BJP in Kerala came under severe criticism from Church leaders, as well as the ruling front and the Opposition. The arrests also arguably threatened to derail the BJP's political programme in Kerala, which aimed to woo the electorally significant Christian community to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold, ahead of the local body polls later this year and the Assembly elections in 2026. 'Misunderstanding, miscommunication' Mr. Chandrasekhar said a profound 'misunderstanding and miscommunication' had culminated in the 'unfortunate arrests.' He said the nuns were taking the women to Agra for employment with the consent of their parents. 'The women were adults and they accompanied the sisters on their own volition,' he added. 'Inadvertent procedural lapse' 'However, there was an inadvertent procedural lapse. They forgot to register the passage under the Chhattisgarh Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Rules, 2014. The arrests are the result of a 100% misunderstanding and miscommunication. The sisters are entirely innocent of the charges of forced conversion and human trafficking. The State (Kerala) BJP is with the nuns and will ensure their freedom and help them prove their innocence', he added. Mr. Chandrasekhar also condemned the Bajrang Dal's alleged intimidation and public trial of the nuns at the railway station. 'If they have broken the law, the law should hold them to task', he said. When reporters pointed out that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had on Monday backed the arrests by stating that the case concerned 'human trafficking and conversion', Mr. Chandrasekhar said certain groups engaged in proselytisation using inducements and threats to convert Scheduled Cast and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) to other religions. He said that alongside human trafficking, issues such as forced conversion were matters that deeply concerned society. 'It's a complex issue. The Congress government had, in 2006, amended the Chhattisgarh Religion Freedom (Amendment) Act, 2006, making forced conversion, especially of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe citizens, a punishable offence (with up to three years imprisonment and a fine of ₹2 lakh),' he said. When journalists pointed out that Mr. Sai had called for a more stringent anti-conversion law entailing the delisting of tribals who convert to other religions, Mr. Chandrasekhar said: 'The Chief Minister has merely highlighted large issues in his State, including the need to ensure communal harmony and security of tribal women.'

Donald, McDonald's and Deepender Hooda's 2-foot potato
Donald, McDonald's and Deepender Hooda's 2-foot potato

India Today

time26 minutes ago

  • India Today

Donald, McDonald's and Deepender Hooda's 2-foot potato

In the Indian Parliament, sometimes the most memorable debates aren't about numbers or policies. They're about McDonald's and potatoes, with a side of U-turn. This is true of Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda and his two speeches in Parliament, separated by over a decade but connected by one unlikely common thread: McDonald's, the American fast food his recent speech during the debate on Operation Sindoor on Monday, Hooda called for shutting down McDonald's in India, not over food policy, but because the name reminded him of Donald Trump, whose repeated credit hogging of the India-Pakistan ceasefire had angered in a speech in 2012, Hooda pitched Haryana over Gujarat to McDonald's and said farmers of the state could grow 24-inch potatoes for the fast-food giant, urging it to source potatoes from Ambala for its fries. The U-turn is hard to miss. From offering supersized spuds to demanding a shutdown, all over a then, in 2012, BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, gently guided Hooda with humour. Today, her absence was felt. Perhaps only she could've reminded him that not every Donald is the same and a sitting duck for his a debate on FDI in retail in 2012, Congress MP Deepender Hooda stood up not just for farmers, but for the size of Haryana's potato produce. Responding to Sushma Swaraj's remark that McDonald's doesn't use Indian potatoes because they're too small for fries, Hooda proudly declared, "McDonald's company need not worry... if you want 24-inch potatoes for fries, come to Ambala". It was a light moment amid a heavy debate, and Sushma Swaraj met it with her signature wit: "Son, you're a farmer's son. First, learn the difference between a potato and a bottle gourd". It was a gentle correction, packed with humour and to the middle of a debate on Operation Sindoor and Donald Trump's repeated remarks on having brokered a India-Pakistan ceasefire, Hooda, this time from the Opposition bench, said, "Either silence Donald, shut Donald's mouth, or shut down McDonald's in India."Two speeches, 13 years apart, one unlikely thread — McDonald's. Once, a company to which Hooda was ready to supply with supersized potatoes became the target of his rhetoric, just because the name sounded like someone he disagrees with. It's a reminder that, in Indian politics, metaphors evolve and so do moods, knowingly sometimes otherwise. Perhaps it's less about fast food and more about changing equations and the penchant for could only wish Sushma Swaraj were still around. She had a knack for turning outbursts into thoughtful reflection with just a single line. Perhaps she would've reminded Hooda, once more, gently yet pointedly, that while names may sound alike, not everything deserves to be served with the extra fist of salt.- EndsTune InMust Watch

Delegations of Congress, LDF head to Chhattisgarh to champion cause of arrested Keralite nuns
Delegations of Congress, LDF head to Chhattisgarh to champion cause of arrested Keralite nuns

The Hindu

time30 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Delegations of Congress, LDF head to Chhattisgarh to champion cause of arrested Keralite nuns

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) dispatched distinct top-level political delegations to Chhattisgarh to parley with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the early release of the two Keralite nuns arrested on 'questionable charges' of forced conversion, human trafficking and kidnapping at the Durg Railway station last Friday. The controversial arrests, which prompted bipartisan protests in Kerala, occurred after Bajrang Dal workers mobbed sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) at the station, accusing them of spiriting away three women, including a tribal community member, to Agra for conversion. Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas told The Hindu that Brinda Karat, party's Polit Bureau member and one of the founders of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), would lead the LDF delegation. Kerala Congress chairperson Jose K. Mani, MP, K. Radhakrishnan, MP, A.A. Rahim, MP, and P.P. Suneer, MP, will accompany her. Mr. Brittas said the delegation would reach Chhattisgarh later in the day. Mr. Brittas said he had written to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Vishnu Deo Sai, seeking his intervention to secure the early release of the nuns arrested on 'false charges of conversion and human trafficking.' He termed the nuns 'victims of a Sangh Parivar-prosecuted hate campaign against minorities in BJP-ruled States in north India.' On Monday, the CPI(M) moved a notice in Rajya Sabha for an adjournment debate on the 'illegal arrests'. UDF delegation Meanwhile, Kerala's Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan told reporters in Kozhikode that Congress legislators Roji M. John and Saji Joseph would join the UDF's delegation to Chhattisgarh. RSP leader N.K. Premachandran, MP, Benny Behanan, MP and Francis George would lead the UDF deputation. Mr. Satheesan said the arrests on 'false charges was the latest in a series of attacks against minorities, chiefly Christians.' He said nuns and priests were fearful of wearing their habits and conducting prayers in BJP-ruled States in north India. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal termed the arrests 'an infringement on the Constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion.: Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a UDF leadership meeting, he said the 'victimisation' of nuns and missionaries involved in social work, education, public health, and charity did not portend well for the country's secular society and its minorities. Meanwhile, BJP State general secretary Anoop Antony, who is in Chhattisgarh as part of the party's delegation from Kerala, told reporters that he had met with the Chhattisgarh Home Minister and efforts were under way to secure the early release of the nuns and ensure an 'unbiased' investigation.

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