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Congress Push for Maharashtra Blueprint Stirs Tension in Bihar Alliance
Tension has escalated within the Bihar opposition as Rahul Gandhi is pressing for the Congress to emulate Maharashtra’s electoral strategy—a move that is increasingly rubbing the Rashtriya Janata Dal the wrong way. The centralised push for a “Congress-led formula” in the state has reopened fault lines over seat allocation...
Court Case Battles Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Fee Policy
A coalition of unions, education groups, religious organisations and employers filed a federal suit in the Northern District of California on 3 October, seeking to block President Donald Trump’s requirement that sponsoring employers pay a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions. The plaintiffs contend the policy exceeds presidential...
Putin warns US tariff tactics may boomerang on Washington
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his address at the Valdai Discussion Forum in Sochi to sharply criticise the Trump administration’s push for India and China to curtail energy ties with Moscow, asserting that such pressure could yield unintended economic consequences for the United States. He contended that imposing tariffs...
Demographic Shift the ‘Graver’ Threat to Union: Modi
Addressing the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that demographic change now poses a greater danger to national unity than infiltration or external pressures. He cautioned that fractures along caste, language, and regional lines could erode the country’s foundational ethos...
U.S. Imposes Stepped Tariffs on Timber and Wood Furniture
The White House has declared that new import tariffs will be applied to various wood and furniture products from 14 October 2025, under a proclamation invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. A 10 percent duty will target softwood timber and lumber, while kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and...
Chidambaram: I Favoured Pak Strike After 26/11, But Was Overruled
P. Chidambaram has disclosed that as Home Minister in late 2008 he pressed for a military response against Pakistan following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks but was overruled by his government’s external-affairs apparatus and international pressure. Chidambaram said he took over the Home Ministry immediately after the attacks, after Shivraj...
Bareilly Unrest Deepens Political Rift in Uttar Pradesh
Security forces clashed with protesters in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, after a demonstration over “I Love Muhammad” banners escalated into stone-pelting and vehicle damage. The unrest has triggered a fierce political confrontation between the Samajwadi Party and the Yogi Adityanath administration over law, order and civil liberties. Over 1,000 people...
Heightened security at Vijay’s Chennai residence after Karur rally tragedy
Security forces have been deployed at the Chennai home of actor-turned-politician Vijay following a stampede at his political rally in Karur that claimed 39 lives and injured dozens. Sources within the Tamil Nadu government say the move reflects mounting public anger and concern over potential backlash against the TVK...
Shah’s Kolkata Visit Ignites Clash Over ‘Golden Bengal’ Promise
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s stopover in Kolkata on Durga Puja festivities triggered a sharp confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress, with competing narratives over Bengal’s political future and cultural identity dominating the discourse. Shah used the platform of the puja inauguration to stake the...
Tariff Shock for Pharma: 100 % Duty Threatens Indian Drug Exports
A sweeping U. S. crackdown will require branded or patented drug imports to incur a 100 per cent tariff from 1 October unless firms are actively building manufacturing facilities in the U. S., placing Indian pharmaceutical makers with U. S. exposure at a severe competitive disadvantage. The new requirement...
Ladakh Protests Escalate as Centre Pins Blame on Activist Speeches
Four people were killed and dozens wounded as demonstrations in Leh over demands for full statehood and Sixth Schedule protections turned violent, the Union Home Ministry said in a statement. The ministry asserted that activist Sonam Wangchuk’s “provocative statements” during his hunger strike guided the mob into arson and...
Trump Team Signals Possible Roll-Back of India Oil Tariffs
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested the Donald Trump administration might ease the 25 per cent tariff levied on India over its purchase of Russian oil, describing the measure as something they “hope we can fix”. Rubio made the comments in an interview with NBC’s Today...
Doctors May Be Spared From $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
The White House has indicated that physicians and medical residents might be exempted from the $100,000 fee imposed on many new H-1B visa applications. Taylor Rogers, speaking for the administration, said that the presidential proclamation includes potential exemptions “which can include physicians and medical residents.” President Donald Trump’s proclamation,...
GST Slabs Shrink in Major Cut; 375 Items Get Cheaper Today
Prices are set to drop across hundreds of consumer goods and services from 22 September 2025, as the Indian government’s Goods and Services Tax overhaul takes effect. The GST Council has reduced the number of tax slabs, with most items now taxed at 5% or 18%, and introduced a...
Tech Giants Urge H-1B Holders to Stay Put Amid $100,000 Fee Rule
Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, JPMorgan, and other major corporations have instructed employees who hold H-1B or H-4 visas to avoid foreign travel and, where abroad, to return to the United States before a looming deadline. The guidance follows a presidential proclamation that imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa...
$100K H-1B Visa Fee Risks Indian Tech Exodus
President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation mandating a $100,000 annual fee for companies filing H-1B visa petitions for high-skilled foreign workers, a part of sweeping immigration changes that include a $1 million “gold card” visa for wealthy permanent residents. The directive, effective from 12:01 a. m. eastern daylight...
Washington Ends Chabahar Sanctions Waiver
The United States has decided to withdraw the sanctions waiver for the Chabahar Port in Iran, which has been in force since 2018, with the revocation taking effect on 29 September 2025. Under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act, the waiver had allowed India’s involvement with Chabahar for trade...
Shared Shield: Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Forge Mutual Defence Pact
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have formalised a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement under which either state may invoke the pact if the other is attacked. The treaty was signed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, declaring that “any aggression against either country shall...
