On September 8, 2025, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a defamation plea filed by the Telangana BJP against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The case stemmed from Reddy's statement during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alleging that the BJP, if voted to power, would end reservations. The Court cautioned political parties against using the judiciary as a platform for political battles and emphasized that politicians must have a "thick skin" to bear criticism. The Telangana High Court had earlier quashed the case on grounds that the remarks were directed at the national BJP, not the Telangana unit, and the complaint lacked proper authorization.
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Kiran Desai is an Indian-born author whose acclaimed works, including the Booker Prize-winning novel "The Inheritance of Loss," often draw on her experiences across continents—having lived in India, England, and the United States. Her latest book, “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” continues her tradition of exploring immigrant life and multicultural urban spaces, with vivid scenes set in Jackson Heights, Queens, a neighborhood known for its diverse immigrant communities and vibrant street life.
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In September 2025, violent youth-led protests erupted in Nepal after the government banned 26 major social media platforms—including Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube—for failing to register locally. Clashes between protesters and police in Kathmandu resulted in at least 19 deaths and over 300 injuries, forcing the resignation of Nepal’s home minister and leading to the temporary deployment of the army around Parliament. Following intense public pressure, the government reversed the ban within days.
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Carlos Alcaraz won his second US Open and sixth Grand Slam title by defeating Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final, reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking at age 22. With titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open (twice each) before turning 23, Alcaraz is now one of only three men—alongside Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg—to achieve six Grand Slam singles crowns before the age of 23, signaling a major new era in men’s tennis.
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Hyderabad Liberation Day is celebrated on September 17 each year to mark the day in 1948 when the princely state of Hyderabad, ruled by the Muslim Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, was annexed into the Indian Union following a military operation called Operation Polo. This ended the Nizam’s rule, which had excluded the Hindu majority from power, and integrated Hyderabad—a large, multi-lingual princely state—into independent India. The operation was necessary due to the Nizam's refusal to accede, the activities of his private militia Razakars, and the ongoing Telangana rebellion. The Nizam surrendered on September 17, 1948, and Hyderabad’s accession to India was formalized soon afterward.
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Ahead of the Durga Puja festival in 2025, the Bangladesh government decided to export 1,200 metric tonnes of hilsa fish, locally called ilish, to India as a mark of enduring friendship. Hilsa, the national fish of Bangladesh and a cultural delicacy for Bengalis, holds great significance during Durga Puja, especially in West Bengal and other eastern states. The export quota for this year is about half of last year's, with the minimum export price fixed at $12.50 per kg. The fish from Bangladesh’s Padma River is particularly prized in India for its taste and cultural importance during the festive season.
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The Noney Bridge in Manipur is the world's tallest railway pier bridge, with its piers reaching a height of 141 meters, surpassing previous records. Engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 250 km/h and seismic activity up to Zone-5 earthquake levels, the bridge features advanced construction techniques to endure the region's harsh climate and challenging terrain. It is a critical part of the 111-km Jiribam-Imphal railway project, aimed at boosting connectivity and economic growth in Manipur.
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Union Minister Piyush Goyal urged the industry to fully pass on the benefits of recent GST rate cuts to consumers, emphasizing that these reductions will boost domestic demand, create jobs, and strengthen India’s economy. He highlighted that India’s GDP, currently around $4 trillion, is expected to become the third largest globally within 2-2.5 years and reach $30 trillion by 2047, driven by reforms like GST rationalization and increased consumption.
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Nandamuri Balakrishna made history by becoming the first South Indian actor to ring the ceremonial bell at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai. The honor recognized his philanthropic work through the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital, which provides care to thousands of underprivileged patients. This achievement follows his recent entry into the World Book of Records and comes ahead of his anticipated film Akhanda 2
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Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and most resource-rich province, has been plagued by severe human rights violations including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and mass graves over decades. Since 2011, Pakistan’s own Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) recorded over 10,000 disappearance cases nationwide, with around 2,750 from Balochistan alone, though activists believe the true number is much higher. International bodies like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN have repeatedly condemned Pakistan's "kill-and-dump" tactics and the state's failure to investigate mass graves like the 2014 Totak graves. Despite UN calls for action and Pakistan's rhetoric on human rights abroad, the repression continues unabated within Balochistan.
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A new Banksy mural appeared on the Royal Courts of Justice building in London, depicting a judge hitting a protester with a gavel, with blood splattering the protester's placard. The artwork is seen as a protest against the UK government's crackdown on Palestine Action, a group recently banned and whose supporters were arrested in mass protests. Banksy confirmed the piece by posting it on Instagram. However, authorities quickly covered the mural due to the protected status of the historic building, sparking outrage online, including reactions from Elon Musk who said the censorship only made the artwork more powerful. The mural highlights issues of civil liberties and judicial power in the UK.
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Great Nicobar Island is home to two indigenous tribes — Nicobarese and Shompen (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) — whose ancestral lands and survival are directly threatened by the mega-project, which has bypassed constitutional safeguards like Article 338-A and laws such as the Forest Rights Act (2006) and Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act (2013).
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Despite gross FDI inflows touching $81 billion in FY 2024-25, India’s net retained FDI collapsed to just $0.4 billion after accounting for repatriations, disinvestments, and outward investments by Indian firms — highlighting a crisis of capital flight and weak long-term commitment.
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The Nilgiris tea industry, covering about 46,481 small tea growers with 34,408 hectares under cultivation, has faced a prolonged crisis since the collapse of the USSR market in the 1990s, with growers still demanding a minimum Green Tea Leaf (GTL) support price and recognition of tea as an essential commodity under the Ministry of Agriculture.
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The European Union passed the Artificial Intelligence Act in August 2024, the world’s first comprehensive law to regulate AI, adopting a risk-based framework that bans high-risk uses like social scoring and manipulative biometric surveillance, while requiring transparency for Generative AI such as ChatGPT.
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India’s unemployment rate is just 2 per cent, the lowest among G20 nations according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, as highlighted by Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
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Tamil cinema played a pioneering role in using films as a political propaganda tool, especially by Dravidian parties like DMK in the 1950s and 60s, to spread social reform and political ideologies. Leaders and scriptwriters like C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi used movies to criticize the caste system, promote social justice, and create a political awakening among the masses, with several film stars later becoming influential politicians in Tamil Nadu. This strategy helped cinema become a powerful medium of political influence in South India.
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While the Right to Information (RTI) Act in India remains a vital tool for transparency and good governance, there is notable misuse of RTI through repeated, voluminous, and frivolous applications, which burden Public Information Officers and hinder governance. State Information Commissions have dismissed thousands of such appeals, highlighting the challenge of balancing genuine public interest with preventing harassment and misuse of the law.
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Among Indian state legislative assemblies, Karnataka leads with eight ministers having sworn affidavits declaring assets worth ₹100 crore or more, followed by Andhra Pradesh with six, and Maharashtra with four such wealthy ministers, showing a significant presence of billionaires in politics as per the latest analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
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India is set to boost its semiconductor ambitions with a proposed $20 billion package for the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, doubling the financial outlay of the first phase. The initiative aims to develop the entire chip and fabrication ecosystem, including chip design, fabs, packaging, and component manufacturing, with final government approval expected by the end of 2025.
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OpenAI is backing "Critterz," a feature-length animated movie created largely with AI tools including GPT-5 and DALL-E, aiming to prove that AI can produce films faster and cheaper than traditional Hollywood methods. The film, with a budget under $30 million and a nine-month production timeline, is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026 before a global theatrical release.
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