Watch: Trump’s Tariff Tirade | Does India have foreign policy countermoves?
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Poetry collection brought out
The Tamil Development Wing of Department of Arts and Culture has brought out a poetry collection in connection with the 75th birthday of Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. The compendium was launched at the Legislative Assembly in the presence of Speaker R. Selvam.
The compendium was launched at the Legislative Assembly in the presence of Speaker R. Selvam, Public Works Minister K. Lakshminarayanan, Civil Supplies Minister P.R.N. Thirumurugan, Deputy Speaker P. Rajavelu and Government Whip V. Aroumougame.
The event was also attended by S. Ramesh, R. Baskar, U. Lakshmikandhan, S. Chandra Priyanga, all MLAs, and NSJ Jayapal, AINRC general secretary, and Kalaimamani Vasuki Rajaram, OSD, Tamil Development Wing, Tamil scholars and poets.
Bangladesh envoy arrives in Tripura on three-day visit
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, arrived in Agartala on Friday (August 1, 2025) on a three-day visit to Tripura. He is scheduled to meet Governor N. Indrasena Reddy and Chief Minister Manik Saha. The envoy will also visit the Akhaura Land Port on the Bangladesh side.
During the visit, Mr. Hamidullah is scheduled to meet Governor N. Indrasena Reddy and Chief Minister Manik Saha.
According to an official release, the envoy will also visit the Agartala Integrated Check Post (ICP) and the Akhaura Land Port on the Bangladesh side.
On Saturday (August 2, 2025), he will depart for Akhaura ICP to visit Ashuganj port via Bangladesh territory, the statement said, adding that Mr. Hamidullah is also scheduled to inspect the Nischintapur Railway Station, part of the Agartala-Akhaura rail link.
A technical trial run on the newly constructed railway tracks from Bangladesh’s Gangasagar to Tripura’s Nischintapur was successfully conducted in September 2023.
However, the project could not be operationalised due to a sudden political shift in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh envoy will also visit Sabroom in South Tripura to inspect Maitri Setu, connecting Sabroom with Bangladesh’s Ramgarh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, inaugurated ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh in March 2021, but it could not be made operational due to the regime change in Dhaka.
HC orders postmortem of elderly woman who died after she was allegedly pushed by police personnel
Soosai Mariyal collapsed and died after she was allegedly pushed by police personnel during an inquiry in Kanniyakumari district. She was rushed to Colachel Government Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Justice B. Pugalendhi directed the Dean of the Asaripallam Government Medical College and Hospital to make arrangements for conducting the postmortem.
The court was hearing the petition filed by Alphonsal, daughter of the deceased Soosai Mariyal.
The petitioner said that according to her sister-in-law, D. Chandrakala, four police personnel from Karungal police station, arrived at their residence early morning on July 29 to enquire Chandrakala’s son Sajith Jettley in a criminal case.
When police attempted to take him to the station Soosai Mariyal intervened and was allegedly pushed by the police, causing her to fall and collapse. She was rushed to Colachel Government Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. The petitioner sought a judicial inquiry.
Justice B. Pugalendhi directed the Dean of the Asaripallam Government Medical College and Hospital in Kanniyakumari district to make arrangements for conducting the postmortem and the police to ensure that the entire postmortem was videographed.
Experts see bigger role for nuclear energy to attain sustainability goals
Speakers were participating in the “National Workshop on Advances in Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Environment (NWANESE-2025) The event was held under the auspices of the Pondicherry University’s Department of Green Energy Technology with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, under UNESCO Chair initiative. They called for increasing use of nuclear energy domain for energy diversification and fulfilling the nation’s sustainability objectives, particularly in the context of climate change. They highlighted the synergies between nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, and wind power sources.
The speakers were participating in the “National Workshop on Advances in Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Environment (NWANESE-2025) held under the auspices of the Pondicherry University’s Department of Green Energy Technology with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, under UNESCO Chair initiative.
They called for increasing use of nuclear energy domain for energy diversification and fulfilling the nation’s sustainability objectives, particularly in the context of climate change.
Presiding over the inaugural, Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor P. Prakash Babu underscored the crucial importance of nuclear safety, the need for increasing public awareness, and the vital societal applications of nuclear technologies.
B. M. Jaffar Ali, Dean (i/c), MSGET, highlighted the synergies between nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, and wind power sources to ensure India’s energy security and progress toward decarbonisation.
A panel of nuclear scientists and experts from IGCAR, including T. Rajkumar, Ram Kumar Maity, S. Tripurasundari, Sanjay Kumar Das, C. V. Srinivas, and S. Chandrasekaran delivered technical talks over sessions.
R. Arun Prasath, Head and UNESCO Chairholder, stressed the urgency of climate action and outlining India’s clean energy roadmap. The Government of India’s Nuclear Energy Mission under “Viksit Bharat 2047,” aims to scale up nuclear capacity from 8 GW to 100 GW by 2047, he said.
Mr. Arun said the country’s India’s energy transition is guided by a multifaceted commitment to sustainability and climate responsibility. Noting that India had made remarkable progress in green energy, now obtaining nearly 35% of its energy from renewable sources—well above the global average, he said the country faced rapidly growing energy demands while aiming to generate 500 GW of non- carbon-based energy by 2030.
As part of its global climate commitments, India has pledged to meet 50% of its total energy requirements from renewable and clean sources, and has submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce carbon emission intensity by 35% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. This was in addition to the commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
France Marquet, Principal Trustee, Madanjeet Singh Foundation and Benno Boer of the UNESCO Regional Office, New Delhi, shared their messages for the event.
The event brought together more than 300 participants including faculty members, scientists, research scholars, and UG/PG students, the press note said.
71st National Film Awards| Mysuru’s Chidananda S Naik bags another honour after Cannes win
Chidananda S Naik’s Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won the Best Script award in the Non-Feature Film competition at the 71st National Film Awards. His film, based on a Kannada folktale, had clinched the La Cinef top prize at Cannes in May 2024. The film, shot entirely at night with limited resources, had also qualified for the Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category.
For his win at the National Film Awards, Chidananda received a cash prize of Rs 2,00,00. Chidananda’s film, based on a Kannada folktale, had clinched the La Cinef top prize at Cannes in May 2024.
His movie revolves around an elderly woman who steals a rooster and deprives a village of sunlight. “For his evocative use of folklore, weaving the sense of smell as a subtle letimotif to sensitively explore the nuances of belief system,” read the citation of the award. Filmmaker P Sheshadri, member of the jury panel, announced the award on Friday (August 1, 2025).
A doctor-turned filmmaker, Chidananda is a graduate of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). The film, shot entirely at night with limited resources, had also qualified for the Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category.
ALSO READ: Cannes 2024: Kannada short film ‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know’ to be screened
Meanwhile, Kandeelu – The Ray of Hope won the Best Kannada Film honour. The citation read, “For crafting a moving narrative, rooted in real-life experiences of farmer, and striving against systemic apathy. The film presents a tale of grief, duty and quiet determination.”
The film revolves around Seeba, a poor farmer, who dreams of owning a farm for his family but struggles to make ends meet. He sends his son abroad with the hope of fulfilling his dream but is shattered when his son tragically dies and he can’t bring back his body. Directed by K Yashoda Prakash and produced by Swastik Entertainment, the movie was screened at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) in 2023.