The UK government has announced an extension of the grace period for accepting expired physical travel documents until March 31, 2025, as part of its transition to a fully digital eVisa system. This move is intended to ease the burden on visa holders facing challenges in the ongoing switch to eVisas.   Who Is Affected? The initiative, led by the UK H

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a key Syrian rebel leader, has pledged that Syria's new government will pursue accountability for senior officials who were responsible for the brutal tactics of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, including widespread torture and abuse. After leading a successful offensive that toppled Assad, al-Jolani met with outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali to discuss power transfer and services for the Syrian people. The rebel statement emphasized that the new administra

Indian students have witnessed a significant decline in F-1 student visas issued by the United States in 2024. According to the latest data from the US State Department, the number of F-1 visas granted to Indian nationals dropped by 38% in the first nine months of the year. Specifically, 64,008 F-1 visas were issued to Indian students from January to September 2024, down from 1,03,495 in the same period in 2023. This represents the lowest number of F-1 visas granted since 2020, when the pande

US President-elect Donald Trump, known for his bold and often humorous remarks, joked about making Canada the "51st state" during a recent social media post. In the post on Truth Social, Trump referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Governor of the Great State of Canada." This came a week after a dinner between Trump and Trudeau at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. During the dinner, Trump raised the possibility of imposing a 25% tariff on

Lalu Prasad Yadav, the RJD founder, voiced strong support for Mamata Banerjee to lead the INDIA bloc, stating that Congress's objections to this leadership "mean nothing." His remarks came after Mamata Banerjee's comments earlier this month, where she hinted at taking charge of the Opposition alliance, if given the opportunity, while still operating from Bengal. This leadership dispute within the opposition has surfaced against the backdrop of the ongoing Winter Se

On Tuesday, the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of biased functioning of the House. The motion, supported by over 50 MPs from Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, was submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. While the motion’s chances of success seem slim, with sources in Trinamool suggesting that th

The Indian Rupee weakened by 13 paise, hitting a new record low of 84.86 against the US Dollar during trading on Tuesday. The currency had opened lower at 84.79, weakening by 6 paise from the previous day’s close of 84.73. This marks a sharp dip despite a recent positive momentum for the rupee last week, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) held interest rates steady and announced measures to improve financial market liquidity. Monday’s announcement of Sanjay Malhotra as

Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (SM Krishna), the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away on December 10, 2024, at the age of 92 following a prolonged illness. He died at his residence in Bengaluru, and his family confirmed that his mortal remains would be taken to his hometown of Maddur. Krishna is widely remembered for his key role in transforming Bengaluru into India’s Silicon Valley. As the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004, he was instrumental in the stat

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the Union Government for delaying financial assistance to Wayanad, which was severely affected by landslides in July. Nearly 400 people were killed in the disaster, and despite 100 days passing since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the affected villages, the state has not received any financial aid for rehabilitation. The Centre has been swift in helping other disaster-hit states, but Kerala’s requests for aid have been

As calls to bring back Mohammed Shami to the Indian team grow louder, concerns over the fitness of pacers Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana, who have failed to back Jasprit Bumrah strongly, have intensified. Shami, who has been performing well at the domestic level, is being urged by fans and experts to join the team for the upcoming Australia series. However, Indian captain Rohit Sharma remains uncertain about Shami’s inclusion. During a post-match press conference, Rohit revea

After the historic NDA victory in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh election, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan has been increasingly active in political affairs. Highly respected by CM Chandrababu Naidu and the NDA leadership in Delhi, Kalyan has become a prominent figure. However, recent reports have raised serious concerns as Kalyan's security and administration team received alarming phone calls threatening his life. The caller issued explicit death threats, using offensive and abusive language,

The increasing integration of technology into workstreams is reshaping traditional job roles, with AI, machine learning, and analytics leading the charge. According to a recent report by Indeed and Nasscom, cybersecurity has emerged as the second-most sought-after domain, surpassing cloud technology. The report identifies the top five in-demand job roles as data scientist/analyst, AI/ML expert, cybersecurity specialist, cloud architect/engineer, and DevOps engineer. HR leaders empha

Sanjay Malhotra, a 1990-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, has been appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), succeeding Shaktikanta Das. The government announced that Malhotra will take charge from Wednesday for a term of three years. With a background in computer science from IIT Kanpur and a Master's in Public Policy from Princeton University, Malhotra has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades in various sectors, including finance, taxation, pow

In recent developments, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least six people in the Gaza Strip, further intensifying the ongoing conflict. Simultaneously, Russia has granted asylum to Syrian President Bashar Assad as his regime faces an uncertain future following a series of upheavals. The U.N. Security Council has scheduled emergency consultations to address the Syrian crisis, with calls for war crimes accountability and a smooth political transition. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Tü

Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team captain, has struggled with his form in the ongoing series against Australia. After missing the first Test in Perth due to family commitments, Rohit returned to the squad for the day-night match in Adelaide but failed to make an impact. In the second match, his poor form continued, as he was dismissed cheaply in both innings. Rohit's dismissals were concerning due to his lack of foot movement, as he was trapped in front of the stumps in both innings.

Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old chess prodigy from Delhi, has made history by becoming the youngest Indian to defeat a chess Grandmaster. In the penultimate round of the KIIT International Open tournament in Bhubaneswar, Aarit triumphed over Raset Ziatdinov, a 66-year-old Grandmaster from the United States. At just 9 years, 2 months, and 18 days old, Aarit is now the third youngest player globally to beat a Grandmaster under classical time control. The game, which lasted 63 moves, saw

On Monday morning, around 40 schools in Delhi, including prominent institutions such as DPS RK Puram, GD Goenka, and Modern School, received a bomb threat email. The sender demanded $30,000, warning that bombs were planted inside the buildings. The email prompted a swift response, with bomb detection teams, fire officials, police, and dog squads conducting thorough checks at the affected schools. Fortunately, no suspicious items were discovered at any of the locations. The bomb thre

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, under the leadership of BR Naidu, has brought in notable improvements to the operations and management of the Tirumala temple. From cleaner pathways and better quality of services to addressing long-standing concerns like non-Hindu workers in Tirumala, the board has been making strides in maintaining the temple's sanctity. However, one major issue remains unresolved: the rise of Instagram reels and dance videos filmed in front of t

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the MLA from Pulivendula and president of YSR Congress, has been spending much of his time in Bengaluru since the recent 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections. While in Bengaluru, he stays at his Yelahanka Palace but frequently visits Andhra Pradesh for a few days each week. Reports have surfaced suggesting that significant Vaastu changes are being made to his Tadepalli residence and camp office following the party's historic defeat in the elections. Social media h

Disease X is a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to refer to a hypothetical, yet-to-be-identified pathogen with the potential to cause a global pandemic. While no cases of Disease X have been identified, the possibility of such an outbreak raises significant concerns worldwide, especially in densely populated countries like India. With the rapid spread of diseases in today’s interconnected world, Disease X could pose a serious threat if preventive measures aren’t