Kochi, Aug 23 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday issued a strong rebuttal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s challenge for an open debate, countering his claims with facts and figures during a meeting here. On Friday, Shah had asserted that the Centre had extended special financial assistance to Kerala for disaster relief.Responding sharply, Vijayan said such statements were misleading and amounted to belittling the state.“Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the Uni…

Patna, Aug 23 (IANS) On the seventh day of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached Katihar district on Saturday, accompanied by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and several INDIA alliance leaders. The yatra, aimed at highlighting alleged “vote theft” and democratic concerns, has now turned into a show of opposition strength in Bihar.While passing through Kursela, LoP Rahul Gandhi made an unscheduled stop at Makhana fields near Simari…

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday carried out searches at two locations in Mumbai, including the residential premises of industrialist Anil D. Ambani and the official premises of Reliance Communication Ltd. (RCOM), in connection with an alleged Rs 2,929.05 crore bank fraud.The case was registered on August 21, 2025, following a complaint by the State Bank of India (SBI), Mumbai, accusing RCOM, its Director Anil Ambani, unidentified public servants and…

Patna, Aug 23 (IANS) Continuous rainfall in neighbouring Jharkhand has worsened the flood situation in Bihar, with the Falgu river swelling dangerously and inundating several villages across Gaya and Jehanabad districts.Floodwaters have entered dozens of low-lying villages, including Basadhi, Silaunja, Batsapur in Bodhgaya and Chunukpur, Mananpur, Bharathu, and Pariyama in Jehanabad district.Three breaches in the embankment near Bharathu village triggered heavy flooding, leading to waterlogging …

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Former Supreme Court Judge (Retd) B. Sudershan Reddy, the Opposition’s candidate for the Vice Presidential election next month, on Saturday dismissed allegations of having a pro-Maoism outlook, dismissing such remarks as “attempts to build a certain narrative”.“I have not done anything in the past that would make anyone label me as a supporter of Naxalism,” Justice Reddy told IANS.“Calling me a Naxalite supporter has no basis,” he said, indicating that ther…

Kochi, Aug 23 (IANS) Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has begun the construction of its first logistics park in Kerala at Kalamassery in Kochi, marking a major milestone in the state’s industrial and logistics expansion. The project, part of the state government’s ‘Invest in Kerala’ initiative, was inaugurated on Saturday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Spread across 70 acres, the Adani Logistics Park will feature 1.3 million square feet of integrated logistics infrastruc…

Kolkata, Aug 23 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) has foiled an animal smuggling attempt along the India-Bangladesh border in Nadia district of West Bengal, an official said. An African Serval Cat was rescued and handed over to the forest department.The Serval is a rare wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either proh…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 23 (IANS) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday called for greater social involvement in the care and treatment of patients suffering from rare genetic disorders such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). She stressed that families of such patients require significant community support.The minister was speaking while inaugurating the National SMA Conference here.“Kerala was the first state in the country to extend compassionate intervention for SMA patients, with …

Jabalpur, Aug 23 (IANS) Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has proposed a revolutionary shift in public transport for Madhya Pradesh, envisioning luxury electric buses with amenities comparable to air travel. Speaking at the inauguration of the city’s longest 7-km flyover, Gadkari said that once the Bhopal-Jabalpur and Bhopal-Indore expressways are operational, the state must adopt next-generation electric buses designed for comfort, speed, and affordability. Developed in…

Mangaluru, Aug 23 (IANS) From charges of rape and murders of hundreds of women to the arrest of the “mask man”, the mass grave case in which the management of the famous Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka’s Mangaluru district faced direct allegations has taken many twists and turns. The developments have been closely followed by both national and international media.With the arrest of the mask man — who had claimed that he was allegedly forced to bury hundreds of dead bodies, especially of women …