President Droupadi Murmu conferred the 71st National Film Awards, where Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award, and actors Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Vikrant Massey were honoured for their performances.
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The 71st National Film Awards highlighting Telugu cinema's achievements:
Bhagavanth Kesari won top honours, showcasing mass cinema recognition at the national level.
HanuMan received awards for its pioneering work in the Telugu superhero genre.
Baby bagged recognition for its strong storytelling in the romantic drama category.
Balagam continued its winning streak, earning national-level awards for its realistic rural backdrop and emotional depth.
Gandhi Tatha Chettu was honoured, strengthening Telugu independent cinema’s representation.
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MacKenzie Scott received approximately 25% of their Amazon shares in the divorce settlement with Jeff Bezos in 2019. This transfer of stock made her one of the richest women in the world, valued at around $38 billion at the time. This wealth has enabled her to become a major philanthropist with billions donated to charitable causes since then.
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India’s Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran struck an optimistic note on India’s growth for 2025-26, expecting GDP growth near the government's upper range of 6.3-6.8%, supported by reforms like GST 2.0 and a favourable “China-plus-one” strategy attracting manufacturing investments. Despite global uncertainties, fiscal deficit is to be contained at 4.4% of GDP, with focus on structural reforms, human capital development, and stable policy to sustain growth.
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The China-plus-one strategy is a business approach where companies reduce their reliance on China as the sole manufacturing or supply chain base by expanding operations to at least one additional country. This diversification aims to mitigate risks from geopolitical tensions, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions associated with overdependence on China. Countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and others have become attractive alternatives for manufacturing and sourcing under this strategy. It helps companies manage costs, reduce risk, and access new markets while maintaining a presence in China.
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The Indian Navy will commission INS Androth, its second indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, on October 6 in Visakhapatnam. Built by GRSE with over 80% local content, the vessel is designed for coastal defense and anti-submarine operations, marking a key milestone in India's maritime self-reliance.
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A pharmacist and his associate were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in 2025 for smuggling fentanyl precursor chemicals to Mexico and Guatemala under false names like "fish collagen peptides" and Vitamin B7. The synthetic opioid fentanyl is highly addictive and considered one of the deadliest drug threats globally, being 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. The accused repeatedly smuggled chemicals like 1-Boc-4-piperidone and 4-piperidone—used to manufacture fentanyl—through pharmaceutical firms based in Surat. Their operations were partly intercepted by US customs, but some consignments reached agents linked to major drug cartels. This case highlights India’s secondary role as a source of fentanyl precursors, with ongoing investigations and US indictments against related companies.
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India loses 15–25% of its agricultural crops annually to pests such as weeds, insects, diseases, nematodes, and rodents, which translates to an economic loss of approximately Rs 1.3–2 lakh crore (about $15–$23 billion). Pest management currently accounts for 15–25% of farming input costs, yet chemical pesticides dominate, causing serious ecological damage, pest resistance, and residue contamination in food. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which includes the use of biopesticides, cultural practices, and biological controls, offers a sustainable alternative but is underutilized, with only 5.7% of Indian farmers adopting biopesticides compared to 43% using synthetic chemicals. The government has lowered GST on biopesticides to promote IPM, aiming to balance productivity, sustainability, and food safety amid climate change challenges.
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India remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with an average of two to three media workers killed annually due to their work. In addition to physical attacks, journalists face legal harassment, online threats, censorship, and political pressure. The 2025 World Press Freedom Index ranked India 151st out of 180 countries, highlighting the deteriorating conditions for press freedom. Journalists reporting on sensitive topics such as Kashmir, religion, environment, and corruption face intensified risks, including arrests under anti-terror laws and prolonged detentions. Women journalists are often targeted with online abuse and doxxing. Despite the large and diverse media industry, threats and violence have created a climate of fear, undermining the essential societal role of journalism.
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Out of more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States, about 250,000 are criminal defense lawyers, while prosecuting attorneys number around 35,000 at the state level and 90 at the federal level.
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In 2016, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of criminal defamation, ruling that the right to reputation is part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. However, in 2025, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the misuse of criminal defamation laws by private individuals and political actors to intimidate critics and silence dissent. A bench led by Justice M.M. Sundresh remarked that it may be time to decriminalise defamation, observing that criminal punishment is disproportionate to the harm caused by reputational injury, which can be addressed through civil remedies like damages or injunctions. This reflects growing judicial unease with criminal defamation being used as a tool for harassment rather than protecting genuine reputational interests.
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The Almatti Dam dispute has resurfaced in 2025 as Karnataka decided to raise the height of the dam from 519.6 meters to 524.256 meters, citing the 2013 Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) Award and the goal to use "excess water flowing into the sea." The dam, part of the Upper Krishna Project on the Krishna river, is crucial for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Telangana, a lower riparian state, relies heavily on Krishna river water for drinking and irrigation in its southern districts, and fears that increasing Almatti’s height will reduce water availability downstream. The Telangana government has vowed to oppose the move strongly, with its Irrigation Minister stating the case will be presented before the Supreme Court, where a stay on the increase currently exists. The issue has caused political tension in Telangana among ruling and opposition parties and has drawn support from Maharashtra, which has also expressed concerns about flooding due to the height increase.
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In 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a dramatic increase in the H-1B visa fee to $100,000 for new applicants, significantly curtailing one of the most important pathways for skilled Indian professionals to work in the US. The H-1B visa program has historically been a crucial driver of India's brain gain, enabling millions of Indian engineers, IT professionals, and scientists to contribute to the US economy while supporting their families back home. Trump's move, described as part of an "America First" agenda, has disrupted this flow, potentially cutting short what could have become the largest brain drain in history by limiting access to US jobs for Indian workers. This visa fee hike has generated widespread concern over India's employment landscape, particularly given only about 58.4% of local graduates are employable as per the India Skills Report 2025, and the manufacturing sector faces automation-driven job losses.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's best and most famous book is widely considered to be "The Great Gatsby." Published in 1925, it is a classic of American literature that explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess during the Jazz Age. The novel is praised for its lyrical prose, complex characters, and critical portrayal of the American Dream. It remains a central work in high school and college literature curricula and has been adapted into several films and stage productions.
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The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) became the first public transport corporation in India to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its operations in 2025. Partnering with Hansa Equity Partners LLP, the initiative includes AI-based employee health monitoring, predictive bus scheduling based on demand, traffic patterns, and events, as well as performance tracking to optimize fleet deployment, reduce costs, and improve commuter services. A pilot program analyzing medical reports of over 40,000 employees through AI and machine learning has been successfully expanded statewide to enhance crew productivity. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar appreciated the futuristic approach and emphasized collaborative execution for sustainable success, marking a strategic leap in modernizing public transport management.
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