STATE’S

Chikkamagaluru: More than 40 people were injured after a safety rope installed for devotees at Deviramma Hill snapped, triggering an accident. The injured were shifted to Chikkamagaluru District Hospital, where eight were admitted as inpatients, while the others were given first aid and discharged. Former minister and MLC C T Ravi visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the injured. He also spoke to their family members to gather details about the incident. Ravi said the district administration had been directed to provide free treatment to all those injured and assured that the government would bear the medical expenses.Clarifying reports about a death during the event, he said the individual had died of a heart attack and that the death was not connected to the rope-sn...

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday inaugurated the Mega Rythu Mela organised by the state government at Hakeempet in Kodangal constituency of Vikarabad district. The exhibition features stalls displaying agricultural produce, modern farming equipment, tools, agro-based industry products and industrial technologies. The event aims to familiarise farmers with the latest agricultural techniques and technologies. Accompanied by ministers, Revanth Reddy visited several stalls and interacted with exhibitors to learn about the products and equipment on display. He urged farmers to visit the mela and explore modern technologies that could help improve agricultural practices.Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha, T...

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday reviewed preparations for the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 12 and 13. The summit, themed “Navigating the New World Order: Trade, Technology, Trust”, is expected to bring together delegates from 59 countries, including 15 foreign ministers. During a meeting with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) representatives and government officials, Naidu reviewed the proposed discussions and summit declarations. He stressed the need to bring policymakers, investors, industries, educational institutions and startups together to promote business and technology partnerships.The chief minister said the summit should help connect Andhra Pradesh's industries with global marke...

Chamoli: A fresh fire broke out in the hills near Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district late on Friday evening, spreading across a large stretch of the hillside and blanketing the surrounding area with smoke.The blaze was seen spreading across the mountainous terrain, with thick smoke billowing from the affected area. The latest incident has raised concerns over recurring fires in the hills around the shrine.

Bengaluru: Karnataka will introduce state-level question papers and a uniform timetable for first-year pre-university (1st PUC) annual examinations from 2027, Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa has announced. The move is aimed at improving the quality of pre-university education and ensuring uniform academic standards across colleges. The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) has been entrusted with preparing the question papers through a government order. However, the board will not conduct the examinations, which will be held under the supervision of the Department of School Education (Pre-University).A common timetable will be followed by all PU colleges in the state. Question papers will be sent digitally to colleges on the day of the examination, while practical...

Hyderabad: BJP Telangana president N Ramchander Rao has warned of black flag protests during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s likely visit to the state on November 14 to attend the ‘Bharat Summit’. Rao alleged that the Congress had failed to fulfil the six guarantees promised to Telangana voters during the Assembly election campaign, despite nearly three years having passed.Targeting the government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi had no moral right to participate in the summit while the party had allegedly failed to deliver on its election promises. Rao reiterated that BJP workers would display black flags during Gandhi’s visit and said they would oppose his participation in the event.

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada District Congress president Padmaraj R Poojary has accused the BJP of using its ‘Save Democracy’ campaign to divert public attention from allegations of electoral irregularities and concerns over democratic institutions. Poojary alleged that the BJP had weakened independent constitutional institutions and misused investigative agencies for political purposes over the past decade. He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's campaign against alleged ‘vote theft’ had brought the issue of protecting citizens' voting rights into national focus. He claimed the BJP's campaign was an attempt to counter the growing public debate on the issue.Poojary also criticised the BJP's Mangaluru division convention for featuring dance performances to devotional songs by college studen...

Bengaluru: MP K Sudhakar has urged the Karnataka government not to drop the proposed Bairagondlu reservoir from the Yettinahole project, stressing that its original storage capacity of 6 TMC should be retained. At a review meeting with officials of Visvesvaraya Jala Nigama, Sudhakar called for speeding up the project to ensure timely water supply to Chikkaballapura, Kolar and Bengaluru Rural districts. He also sought early completion of land acquisition and clearance of pending payments to contractors to avoid delays.Sudhakar said reducing the reservoir's capacity to 1.6-1.8 TMC at Lakkenahalli in Doddaballapura, instead of the originally proposed 6 TMC, would be unjust to farmers in the three districts. The project envisages distributing 24.1 TMC of water across various districts. Howev...

Kalaburagi: Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge has announced plans to construct a Vachana Mantapa on a 6.06-acre site at Kapanur in Kalaburagi to preserve and promote the Sharana tradition and Vachana literature of the Kalyana region. Kharge said the proposed centre would introduce future generations to the teachings of the Sharanas, their literary contributions and the principles of equality advocated by the saint-poets. The project will feature exhibits highlighting prominent Sharanas, displays of their Vachanas and a museum showcasing the region's spiritual and literary heritage.The minister said various architectural designs and models prepared by experts had been reviewed and discussed as part of the project's planning process. He added that the government's objective was to develop ...

Bengaluru: An IndiGo flight bound for Lucknow returned to Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on Saturday after a handwritten note threatening to hijack the aircraft was found in its lavatory, triggering a security alert, according to reports on social media platform X. The note was reportedly discovered by cabin crew after a passenger used the lavatory. It warned that the flight would be hijacked at 6.30pm and cautioned the crew against ignoring the threat. According to posts on X, the crew alerted the pilot, who informed Air Traffic Control (ATC). The aircraft was subsequently asked to return to Bengaluru and given priority for landing.After landing safely, the aircraft was moved to an isolated area and all passengers were safely disembarked. Personnel from the Central Industr...