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Soon after the sensational kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump wasted no time in reminding the world that American power under his leadership is no longer constrained by diplomatic niceties or international conventions.Emboldened by what he views as a successful covert operation in Venezuela, Trump renewed his threat to annex Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. With characteristic bravado, he declared, “If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” Thus was born the “Donroe Doctrine”, Trump’s 21st-century reinterpretation of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which asserted America’s dominance over…

Crimes against women and children saw a rise in Andhra Pradesh in the year 2022, as per the data released recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).Andhra Pradesh stood sixth in the country in the number of cases of crime against women. The State registered 25,503 cases of crime against women in 2022, as against 17,752 in 2021 and 17,089 in 2020.Uttar Pradesh reported most number of cases of crime against women (65,743). It was followed by Maharashtra (45,331), Rajasthan (45,058), West Bengal (34,738) and Madhya Pradesh (32,765).As per the data, 11,964 cases were related to IPC Section 498…

Industry bodies and leaders in both India and the U.S., and across sectors, have welcomed the announcement of a deal between India and the U.S. under which tariffs on India are set to be slashed from the current 50% to 18%.India-U.S. trade deal updates on February 3, 2026U.S. President Donald Trump took to the social media network Truth Social late Monday night (February 2, 2026) to announce that he had spoken on the phone to his “greatest friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that they had agreed to a deal to reduce India’s tariffs. While Mr. Trump’s post also specified various other…

Zimbabwe has punched above its weight. | Photo Credit: AP The staunch supporters of Zimbabwe cricket are in seventh heaven. Mpumelelo Mbangwa is no exception. Mbangwa, a former Zimbabwe international and renowned commentator, cannot stop marvelling at the Sikandar Raza-led side’s giant-killing run in the T20 World Cup. The optimist in him is hoping for more, in a tournament where Zimbabwe has already exceeded expectations by storming into the Super Eight stage as a group leader. “Zimbabwe can certainly give other teams a run for their money (in the next round), and I hope that it does. Whether it will or not, nobody knows. But…

The hijab has become the most overworked symbol in contemporary politics. For the Iranian state, it is authority stitched into cloth. For Western liberals, it is shorthand for freedom denied. For sections of the global left, it is a site to perform anti-imperial virtue. What gets lost in this noisy triangulation is a more unsettling truth: the hijab is not the argument in Iran, it is the instrument.Iran today is not witnessing a cultural rebellion against religion, nor a straightforward march towards Western liberalism. What is unfolding is a legitimacy crisis inside one of the world’s oldest continuous civilisations, where…

Trees swaying under the impact of high-velocity winds, at the Suryalanka beach in Bapatla district on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI Life was thrown out of gear on the southern Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday as heavy rain and high-velocity winds triggered by Cyclone Michaung lashed Bapatla town and nearby villages, uprooting trees and electric poles.The severe cyclonic storm made its landfall from half past noon to 2.30 p.m. close to the south of Bapatla with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph.Three persons were killed in rain-related incidents. While two were killed after a portion of a…

Cost pressures were by far most intense in the Consumer Services category, while the strongest increase in output charges was noted in the Finance & Insurance sector.   | Photo Credit: Getty Images/istockphoto India’s services sector growth rose to a two-month high of 58.5 in January, on faster expansion in new business intake and output, prompting service providers to hire additional staff, a monthly survey said on Wednesday (February 4, 2026).The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index rose to a two-month high of 58.5 in January, from December’s recent low of 58.0, mainly driven by demand buoyancy, new…

Young batter Smaran, right, says Rahul has a lot of inputs to give, be it for a bowler, a batter or a ’keeper. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY The last time K.L. Rahul played three or more Ranji Trophy matches in a single campaign was way back in 2014-15. It was the second of Karnataka’s double-treble seasons — winning the Ranji, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Irani Trophy twice over — and the last of the Southern powerhouse’s eight red-ball titles.In 2025-26, Rahul, 33, has turned out for his State thrice in succession and the grand finale against Jammu…

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair initially proposed placing the Gaza Strip under international administration in August 2025. United States President Donald Trump presented a similar plan in late September 2025, which was partially accepted by both the Israeli government and Hamas the following month. Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” was to be an organisation that was nominally to “promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.” It was part of a second phase of the US-brokered 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan. Trump declared “the war is over” and that the…

File picture of Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal Ending two days of suspense, the Congress central leadership has named Telangana party chief A. Revanth Reddy as its choice of Chief Minister of the State. He will take the oath of office on December 7.Mr. Reddy was named the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), and he will become the first Congress Chief Minister of Telangana, a State formed in 2014. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge gave his stamp of approval on the basis of a report submitted by the party’s poll observers. Also read…