A view of Nirvachan Sadan (Election Commission of India).
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
U.S. team may defer August 25 India visit for trade pact talks: Official
A U.S. team, which was scheduled to visit India from August 25, for the next round of negotiations for the bilateral trade agreement is likely to defer the meeting to a later date, an official said. So far, five rounds of talks have been completed for the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) and a U.S. team is scheduled to visit India for the sixth round of talks.
Utmost transparency in preparing electoral rolls: Election Commission of India
The Election Commission (EC) has said in a statement in New Delhi on Saturday (August 16, 2025) that utmost transparency is the hallmark of electoral roll preparation as per law, rules and guidelines. Apparently countering the Congress’s charges on major anomalies in the preparation of voters’ lists across the country prior to the Lok Sabha elections, the ECI said it seemed to the panel that some political parties and their booth-level agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any, to Sub-Divisional Magistrates/ Electoral Registration Officers, District Election Officers or Chief Election Officers.
PM to inaugurate projects worth ₹11,000 crore to boost Delhi’s connectivity today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two major national highway projects worth ₹11,000 crore in Rohini on Sunday. The projects — the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway — aim to decongest the Capital and improve connectivity, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Major irregularities in 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, claims Vote for Democracy report
Vote for Democracy (VFD), a civic action group led by distinguished experts, has released a constituency-level analysis of Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly seats, highlighting serious anomalies in the November 2024 election. The report, titled “Dysfunctional ECI and Weaponisation of India’s Election System”, draws on official Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) data as well as accounts from polling staff and voters, raising questions about transparency and accountability.
Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza as Israelis urge mass protest over war
Israel announced on Saturday (August 16, 2025) that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said the supply of tents to the territory would resume on Sunday.
After two decades, ASI resumes underwater archaeological studies off Mahabalipuram
The Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has resumed underwater archaeological studies on submerged remains off the Mahabalipuram coast. The exercise is in continuation of the earlier studies done about two decades ago. The UAW had undertaken archaeological studies at the Mahabalipuram coast in 2001 and subsequently, systematic excavations were carried out in 2004-05, which involved diving operations and surveys.
Hurricane Erin explodes in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic near Caribbean Islands
Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in Atlantic waters just north of the Caribbean on Saturday (August 16, 2025), rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Centre said. While the compact hurricane’s centre was not expected to strike land, it threatened to dump flooding rains in the northeast Caribbean as it continued to grow larger.
Defeated candidate wins after SC recounts votes in sarpanch election
The sarpanch election of Buana Lakhu village at Panipat in Haryana took an unexpected turn recently after the votes were recounted on the Supreme Court premises following the court’s order. The recount, done by a Registrar of the Supreme Court under video surveillance in the Supreme Court, turned the election result on its head. Mohit Kumar, who had been declared as defeated in the previous result and later approached the apex court, won by a good margin.
Death toll rises to 7 in dargah wall collapse near Humayun’s Tomb
The death toll in the partial collapse of Dargah Masjid Pattawali, located near the boundary wall of Humayun’s Tomb, rose to seven on Saturday after another injured man succumbed at Safdarjung Hospital. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Hemant Tiwari.
Rashtrapati Bhavan responds to SOS email by parents of R.G. Kar victim
After several attempts to reach out to President Droupadi Murmu, the parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital received an email response from Rashtrapati Bhavan asking them to liaise with the President’s aide to express their plea.
U.S. stops visitor visas for people from Gaza
The U.S. State Department on Saturday (August 16, 2025) said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough” review. The department said “a small number” of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but did not provide a figure.
Published – August 17, 2025 07:19 am IST
