Month: September 2025

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab has decided to boycott the Vice Presidential elections set to happen on Tuesday. The party has said that neither the Central nor the state government has meaningfully helped the people of Punjab during the devastating floods, which have affected large swathes of farmland, displaced thousands, and submerged people’s homes.

Currently, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur is the sole representative of the party in Parliament. The party has no Rajya Sabha MPs.

“Almost one third of the state lies submerged under water with houses and crops completely destroyed. It is a man-made tragedy caused by Punjab government’s negligence and incompetence. Neither the state government nor the centre have come forward to help Punjabis in any way. Neither the state government nor the centre have come forward to help Punjabis in any way,” the party posted on X.

The party said that the people of Punjab are “very upset and angry” with both the Centre for holding a VP election while the state suffers.

“The Shiromani Akali Dal represents the sentiments and the voice of the people Punjab. Therefore, the party has decided to BOYCOTT this Vice Presidential poll,” the post added.

Apart from SAD, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have decided to abstain from voting too. While BRS cited the lack of help given to Telangana farmers during the time of crisis, BDS has said that they remain “equidistant” from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc.

The Vice Presidential election, scheduled for September 9, will witness a direct contest between Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and NDA’s nominee CP Radhakrishnan.

Both the NDA and INDIA bloc held mock polls to ensure that no invalid votes are given during the elections.

A BJP leader said that the NDA candidate is expected to garner at least 427 votes. Congress leaders expressed confidence that the opposition candidate will get over 324 votes.

The Vice Presidential post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons.

The VP is elected by an electoral college, which consists of MPs from both houses of Parliament. The elections of the Vice President are governed by the provisions under Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution. The Election Commission notifies the VP polls by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.

As per Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India, the election of the Vice President shall be held by the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.

Meanwhile, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh laid bare the catastrophic damage inflicted by the recent floods on the state’s critical healthcare infrastructure, with initial estimates pegging the losses at a staggering Rs 780 crores.

Atleast 51 people have died due to the worsening flood conditions in the area, with heavy monsoon rains over the past week causing rivers to swell and inundate several districts across the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also set to visit the flood-affected area today, including Punjab and Himachal. (ANI)

Protesters in Nepal took to the streets again on Tuesday morning, a day after the country lifted a social media ban that led to clashes between protesters and police in which at least 19 people died, according to local media.

The Kathmandu District Administration Office imposed an indefinite curfew inside the Ring Road area of the Nepalese capital, reintroducing restrictions just hours after an earlier order was lifted, the Himalayan Times reported today.The previous curfew imposed yesterday, which expired at 5 am today, was replaced by the fresh order taking effect at 8:30 am.

Protestors were seen today blocking roads outside the Nepal Parliament and in Kalanki, among other places, Kathmandu Post said.

The move comes after security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Kathmandu and Itahari on Monday, leaving at least 19 dead and hundreds injured, making it the deadliest crackdown on civilian protests in recent years, according to the Himalayan Times.

The protesters are demonstrating against what they see as the authoritarian attitude of the government and said they won’t stop until Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigns.

One of the protesters today told ANI, “Yesterday, many students were killed and the Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, should leave the nation…Students should continue to raise their voice…”

A retired Nepal Army Colonel Madhav Sundar Khadga said, “I was also working on the mega campaign against corruption for six months. My son was with me yesterday…I was in a different area near my home. I called him up three times, he did not receive the call. After 4 pm, the phone was switched off. Then I came here…I came to the Police but they hit me…I want the President to dissolve this Government…”

As per the Nepal government, at least 19 people who died over 250 people were injured in the yesterday’s protest that also took place in places outside Kathmandu.

A decision to lift the ban on social media sites was made after an emergency cabinet meeting late on Monday. The ban was put in place last week on sites which did not comply with a deadline to register with Nepal’s ministry of communication and information technology.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli issued a statement late on Monday evening announced that the social media ban that was put in place last week has been lifted. In the statement, Oli rather blamed “infiltration by various vested interest groups”behind Monday’s violence.

The government would set up a panel to investigate the protests, Oli said and added the government would offer financial “relief” to victims and provide free treatment to those injured.(ANI)

A 26-year-old man from Haryana’s Jind was allegedly shot dead in California, United States after he objected a man urinating in a restricted area.

The victim, identified as Kapil (26), was a resident of Barah Kalan village, located in Jind district of Haryana. He was shot when tried to stop a person from urinating in a prohibited place.

Speaking to ANI, Suresh Gautam, the Sarpanch of Barah Kalan village said that Kapil went to USA through “donkey route” in 2022. According to him, Kapil was working at a store in California when the incident occurred.

Gautam further expressed his condolences to Kapil’s family and demanded that the government expedite the process of bringing his body back home.

“He was a resident of Jind’s Barah Kalan village. He went to America in 2022 through the donkey route… The day before yesterday, we learned that someone had killed him there. I met his family, and they told me that he was working at a store there. When he tried to stop a boy from urinating in a prohibited area, someone shot him, and he died on the spot. There is a wave of sorrow in his family and also in the poor village… The government should expedite his body back to his home as soon as possible…” the Sarpanch of Barah Kalan said.

The victim’s cousin Deepak told ANI that he received a call about Kapil’s involvement in a fight, but he couldn’t reach Kapil. Later, Kapil’s roommates informed him that Kapil was shot dead after trying to stop someone from urinating in a prohibited area.

Deepak said, “He was my little cousin who arrived in the US in 2022. We spent lakhs of rupees to help him fulfil his dream of going abroad. He has two sisters. We thought that now that he had started working there, he would settle there. It took him 2.5 months to reach the US. Someone called me saying that my brother was involved in a fight. I didn’t know about it, and when I tried to contact him, he didn’t answer despite multiple calls. I then called his roommates, who told me he was shot dead after he tried to stop someone from urinating in a prohibited place…” (ANI)

The voting for the 15th Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi exercising his franchise along with other prominent ministers and MPs.

NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy are contesting against each other in a high-stakes contest. The counting of votes will also take place in the evening today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to cast his vote.

The election comes 50 days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as the Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.

The stage is set for a contest between Radhakrishnan and retired Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, who has been named as the joint opposition candidate for the Vice President’s post.

Union Minister Suresh Gopi said, “This election is not about choosing between anyone. It is an election aimed at selecting fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness, which are most needed for the citizens of the country, whether they live inside or outside the country… As a person, I found CP Radhakrishnan to be the best worker or one of the best among thousands of workers in my ideological system.”

Both the BJP-led NDA and opposition parties held mock polls ahead of the crucial day earlier, telling the MPs to be cautious in exercising their franchise lest their vote be invalid.

It seems that NDA’s candidate CP Radhakrishnan has an edge with 427 MPs, well above the majority mark of 391, supporting him for the post. In the Lok Sabha, Radhakrishnan is expected to receive 293 votes, and 134 votes are likely to be cast in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.

Joint opposition candidate Reddy is backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the lower house and 105 in the upper house of the Parliament.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “Numbers are fine but this voting is done on the basis of one’s conscience. The entire country knows that the BJP is a use-and-throw party. The same thing happened with the Vice President, who is missing…The numbers will be in our favour.”

Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) decided to abstain from voting in the Vice Presidential elections. Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will not take part in the Vice Presidential poll.

Moreover, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced that it will “boycott” the Vice Presidential election, given that people in Punjab are “upset and angry” over no help from the central or state government. (ANI)

The death toll from protests against the government’s social media ban has risen to 18, while more than 200 people have been injured across Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported. Demonstrators demanded the restoration of access to online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

According to The Himalayan Times, 16 of the deceased were in Kathmandu Valley and two in Itahari. Hospitals confirmed fatalities as follows: seven at Trauma Center, three at Everest Hospital, three at Civil Hospital, two at Kathmandu Medical College, and one at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

The number of injured remains uncertain due to the overwhelming volume of cases, which include protesters, security personnel, and journalists. Hospitals such as Trauma Center and Civil Hospital are reportedly struggling to accommodate patients and have begun referring cases to other facilities.

Authorities added that the identities of the deceased and many injured are yet to be confirmed.

The Ministry of Health had earlier instructed hospitals to provide free treatment to all injured protesters. Curfew orders were imposed in several parts of the country to contain unrest.

In Kathmandu Valley, curfew covered key areas including New Baneshwor after protesters stormed the Federal Parliament premises. Pokhara (Kaski) enforced curfew in Shahid Chowk and adjoining areas from 2 p.m. following vandalism at the Chief Minister’s Office. Itahari (Sunsari) reported an indefinite curfew from 3:30 p.m. after violent clashes, while Butwal-Bhairahawa (Rupandehi) had curfew from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday.

The Himalayan Times reported that protests spread beyond Kathmandu, turning confrontational in Biratnagar, Chitwan, Jhapa, and Rupandehi, escalating tensions across the country.

A massive protest outside the Kathmandu Parliament over the social media ban turned violent on Monday, resulting in clashes between police and demonstrators.

“We were planning to hold a peaceful protest, but as we advanced further, we could see the violence by the police. The police are firing on the people, which is against the essence of peaceful protest. Those who are sitting in power cannot impose their power on us. Anti-corruption protests are being suppressed, which is against the freedom of speech and the right to expression. The Police have been firing at protestors…,” said a protester at the scene.

Another demonstrator recounted the ongoing violence: “A while ago, the police fired bullets which did not hit me but hit a friend of mine standing behind me. He was shot in the hand. The firing is still going on and we can hear gunfire from inside the parliament as well. My friend, who was standing on the road, was shot in the head. The police are firing indiscriminately, aiming above the knees. Are they allowed to do this?…”

The ban, which came into effect on September 4, targeted platforms that had not registered with the Nepalese government. Authorities said social media users with fake IDs were spreading hate speech, fake news, and committing fraud and other crimes via some platforms.

Local media reported that protesters marched from Damak Chowk toward the municipal office, burning an effigy of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and attempting to break municipal gates. Police intervened with rubber bullets, leaving one critically injured, while demonstrators set fire to several motorcycles. Protesters also threw tree branches and water bottles, shouted slogans against government corruption, and some entered the Parliament premises, according to Kathmandu Post.

The Himalayan Times described the situation as highly tense, with security forces attempting to restore order while ensuring civilians’ safety. Protests in Pokhara, Butwal, Chitwan, Nepalgunj, and Biratnagar further intensified unrest across the country. (ANI)

The world is seeking a stable and predictable environment for trade and investment and it is imperative that economic practices are fair, transparent and to everyone’s benefit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday and noted that international trading system based on principles of open, fair, transparent and rules-based approach should be protected and nurtured.

Jaishankar, who addressed the virtual meeting of BRICS Leaders , said the world today also seeks an urgent resolution of ongoing conflicts and the Global South has experienced a deterioration in its food, energy and fertilizer security.

“The world as a collective is seeking a stable and predictable environment for trade and investment. At the same time, it is imperative that economic practices are fair, transparent and to everyone’s benefit. When there are multiple disruptions, our objective should be to proof it against such shocks,” he said.

“That means creating more resilient, reliable, redundant and shorter supply chains. Not just that, it is also essential that we democratize manufacturing and production and encourage their growth in different geographies. Progress in that regard will contribute to regional self-sufficiency and relieve anxieties at times of uncertainty,” he added.

Jaishankar said trade patterns and market access are today prominent issues in the global economic discourse and the world requires constructive and cooperative approaches to promote trade that is sustainable.

“Increasing barriers and complicating transactions will not help. Neither would the linking of trade measures to non-trade matters. The BRICS itself can set an example by reviewing trade flows among its member states. Where India is concerned, some of our biggest deficits are with BRICS partners and we have been pressing for expeditious solutions. We hope that this realization will be part of the takeaways from today’s meeting,” he said.

“The international trading system is based on the foundational principles of open, fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, inclusive, equitable and a rules-based approach with Special and Differential Treatment for developing countries. India strongly believes that this should be protected and nurtured,” he added.

Jaishankar’s remarks on international trading system come amid the US imposing 50 per cent tariff imposed on Indian goods, including 25 per cent penalty for importing Russian oil. US has imposed on several other countries.

The Union Minister said the working of international organizations in the last few years has witnessed major shortfalls in many areas.

“On key issues, we have unfortunately seen that gridlocks have undermined the search for common ground. These experiences have only made the case for reformed multilateralism generally, and that of the United Nations and its Security Council specifically, more urgent. The BRICS have taken a positive view of this need for reform and we expect that it would collectively become a strong voice for much awaited change,” he said.

“The world today also seeks an urgent resolution of ongoing conflicts. The Global South has experienced a deterioration in its food, energy and fertilizer security. Where shipping is targeted, not just trade but livelihoods also suffer. A selective protection cannot be a global answer. An early end to the hostilities and undertaking diplomacy to ensure a durable solution is the obvious pathway before us,” he added. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Jerusalem, extending condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the recovery of the injured.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Jerusalem today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. India condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stands firm in its policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism.”

The remarks came after terrorists opened fire on passengers after boarding a bus in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing five people and injuring 12 others, Times of Israel reported. Seven of the injured were in serious condition, while five sustained light injuries.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said PM Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a situation assessment with security chiefs.

In a post on X, the Israeli PM’s Office said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently holding a situation assessment with the heads of the security system following the attack in Jerusalem.”

The terrorists who carried out the deadly terror shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem used a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun, otherwise known as a Carl Gustav. The terrorists are West Bank Palestinians, according to security officials. The pair are believed to have set out from villages in the Ramallah area, as per The Times of Israel.

The improvised gun is commonly manufactured at illegal workshops in the West Bank and has been used in numerous Palestinian attacks in the past, as per The Times of Israel.

Both gunmen were shot and “neutralized” at the scene. Their identities and conditions are not immediately known.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expressed support for Israeli security forces “in their efforts to thwart terrorism” following this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem.

The far-right lawmakers called for total war against “enemy” Palestinians.

Meanwhile the Hamas praised the deadly terror attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, calling it a “heroic operation,” as per The Times of Israel.

“We affirm that this operation is a natural response to the occupation’s crimes and war of extermination it is waging against our people,” the terror group says in a statement.

Hamas does not take responsibility for the attack, but calls on West Bank Palestinians to “escalate the confrontation with the occupation and its settlers.”

Following the attack, the IDF said that its troops are encircling several Palestinian villages on the outskirts of Ramallah in the West Bank. (ANI)

China on Monday criticised the United States of America for imposing visa restrictions on Central American nationals and for accusing the region’s exchanges with China, calling it “yet another example of the US-style diplomacy of “bullying the small.”

A statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson read, “China deplores the US’ groundless attacks, coercive diplomacy, and interference in China’s relations with these countries.”

The spokesperson further added, “Weaponizing visas will not scare off the sober-minded. Nor will it hold back the flourishing ties between China and Central American countries. We will continue to enhance cooperation with Central American countries, contribute to local prosperity, and deliver more tangible benefits to their peoples.”

Last month, China had similarly voiced its opposition to the US announcement of tariffs against India. The Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, in his press briefing while responding to media queries, called the act an “abuse of tariffs,” highlighting Beijing’s consistent criticism of what it saw as coercive US trade and diplomatic policies.

When asked for comments on Trump’s executive order to place an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, he said, “China’s opposition to the abuse of tariffs was consistent and clear.”

“China opposed the US politicizing tech and trade issues and using them as weapons to maliciously blockade and go after China. The US should earnestly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals,” he added.

Trump’s order drew criticism from within the country as House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems warned that Trump’s actions risked the carefully developed US-India relationship.

In a post on X, House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems said, “RM Gregory Meeks: Trump’s latest tariff tantrum risked years of careful work to build a stronger US-India partnership. We have deep strategic, economic, and people-to-people ties. Concerns should be addressed in a mutually respectful way consistent with our democratic values.” (ANI)