just now (591+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 02:47 pm IST - WASHINGTON/KYIV U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected on Tuesday. The talks come as U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin's terms. The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The U.S. official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for U.S. diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while in Abu…...

8+ min ago (363+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 07:39 pm IST - Bengaluru The overall market outlook for farm equipment and agriculture machinery in the second part of FY26 seems very positive, said'Antony Cherukara, CEO, VST Tillers Tractors Ltd. "A favourable monsoon, improved reservoir levels, and the recent GST reduction on farm machinery are expected to significantly increase rural consumption of farm equipment and boost mechanisation in the country's agriculture sector," he told The Hindu on Tuesday. He said the farm segment was doing well this year, helped by supportive policies and enhanced affordability of farm machinery for small and marginal farmers. The growth momentum was continuing in November as well, he said. "We expects the second half of the fiscal to perform better than H1.' Plus, the reduction of GST on farm machinery from 12% to 5% has already begun to trigger demand and will have a sustained positive impact, especially…...

9+ min ago (206+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 07:38 pm IST - Belagavi Farmers leaders from Mudhol have warned of a protest if farmers arrested on the charge of torching sugarcane tractors are not released immediately. At a meeting in Mudhol of Bagalkot district on Monday, the leaders said that the police have arrested nine farmers, including youth leader Siddappa Ullagaddi, for torching tractors on the premises of Godavari Sugar Factory at Sameerwadi. "This is unacceptable. If they are not released immediately, we will restart our agitation," farmers leader Basavanat Kamble said. He said that during talks with the district in-charge Minister R.B. Thimmapur, they demanded that the protestors should not be arrested. "The Minister agreed to our demand and promised that he will instruct the police officers not to arrest anyone. But the local police have arrested nine of our colleagues. We will not keep quiet. We will…...

10+ min ago (219+ words) Updated - November 25, 2025 07:39 pm IST - Thrissur The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters" list is progressing steadily in Thrissur district, with more than 50% of enumeration forms already collected and 35% of them fully digitised. District Election Officer and Collector Arjun Pandian visited the dedicated camp set up for receiving and digitising these forms at Mannuthy on Tuesday. The camp served voters from booths 113, 134, 136 and 137 under Ollukkara village in the Thrissur Assembly constituency. Held at Don Bosco College, Mannuthy, the camp saw students of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University volunteering for support. Sub-Collector Akhil V. Menon, the Electoral Registration Officer, accompanied the Collector during the visit. As part of the special intensive revision, Booth Level Officers are collecting forms through house visits as well as at dedicated camps, where voters are given assistance to fill out the forms. Submitted forms are digitised…...

12+ min ago (436+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 07:34 pm IST - PALAKKAD Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has brushed off the new accusations of sexual misconduct against former Youth Congress State president Rahul'Mamkootathil, MLA, calling them irrelevant. "The Congress cannot punish a leader twice for the same alleged offence," he told reporters. "He has already been suspended once. Do you want us to suspend him again?" Mr. Satheesan remarked in response to repeated questions about Mr. Mamkootathil's participation in Congress events in Palakkad. Addressing a "meet-the-leader' event hosted by Palakkad Press Club here on Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition suggested that any questions about internal party matters, including Mr.'Mamkootathil's attendance at Congress programmes, should be directed to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny'Joseph. Mr. Satheesan reiterated that a United Democratic Front (UDF) government would provide five'lakh housing units for the poor within five years…...

14+ min ago (335+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 07:33 pm IST - GUWAHATI Ravindra Jadeja admitted that salvaging a draw against South Africa in the second Test will be like a win for India. The hosts enter the final day of the second Test needing to chase 522 more runs with just eight wickets left. Keeping in mind the World Test Championship, a draw will fetch four valuable points even if the series defeat seems inevitable at this stage. "Tomorrow [Wednesday] is the last day, so the ball will turn and bounce more. That's the expectation. So we will have to bat well and take it session by session," said Jadeja. "If we don't give a wicket in the first session, then there will obviously be pressure on the bowlers to bowl us out. For us, that will be a win-win situation if we can bat the whole day…...

16+ min ago (176+ words) Court staff seize computers from Salem's Animal Husbandry office over unpaid compensation following a fatal accident in 2007. The court staff on Tuesday (November 25, 2025) seized computers from the office of the Assistant Director of Animal Husbandry in the district for non-settlement of compensation In 2007, the vehicle of the Assistant Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry rammed a two-wheeler at the 17th hairpin bend at Yercaud, killing Chandran and Palanisamy, residents of Yercaud Inquiring the case, the Salem First Additional Sessions Court ordered the Department to provide "10.97 lakh as compensation for the kin of the deceased The Department then appealed to the Madras High Court against the order and the High Court ordered them to pay "15.73 lakh.The Department allegedly paid only a partial amount to the family Following this, they approached the Court to direct the Department to provide the full…...

16+ min ago (151+ words) Students at Anna Science Centre learn vital prevention tips for seasonal diseases from neurologist M.A. Aleem during an informative program. Published - November 25, 2025 07:30 pm IST - TIRUCHI Around 100 school students learnt how to prevent seasonal diseases at a programme hosted by Anna Science Centre " Planetarium on Tuesday. In his talk as part of the science centre's "Meet Your Medical Expert' series, city-based neurologist M.A. Aleem briefed students on the various diseases common during winter. "Infections can spread through air, contaminated water or exposure to the elements. It is important to maintain good hygiene protocols to avoid falling ill during winter," he said. Stagnation of water could increase the chances of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya. Hence, students must take precautionary steps such as drinking hot water, and covering the head and neck when out in the cold, Dr. Aleem added....

17+ min ago (174+ words) Salem district records 173.80 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, with Thammampatti receiving the highest at 36 mm. Published - November 25, 2025 07:29 pm IST - Salem In the past 24 hours that ended at 8 a.m. on Tuesday (November 25, 2025), Salem district received'a total of 173.80 mm of rainfall. The average rainfall in the district was at 10.86 mm. Thammampatti received the highest amount of rainfall, 36 mm, followed by 30.6 mm in Danishpet, 25 mm in Veeraganoor, 23 mm in Gangavalli, 14 mm in Nathakarai, 8.4 mm in Edappadi, 7.2 mm in Yercaud, 7 mm each in Yethapur and Kariyakovil, 5.8 mm in Attur, 4 mm each in Vazhapadi and Puludikkuttai, 1.4 mm in Omalur and 0.4 mm in Salem Collectorate. Likewise, Namakkal district received 58.30 mm of rainfall, including 11 mm in Namakkal Collectorate, 10 mm in Senthamangalam, 9 mm each in Namakkal and Kolli Hills Semmedu, 5.80 mm in Mangalapuram, 4.50 mm in Paramathi Velur, 3 mm in Rasipuram, and 2 mm each in Erumapatti, Mohanur, and Puduchatram....

18+ min ago (409+ words) Published - November 25, 2025 07:28 pm IST - Belagavi The former Chairman of ISRO A.S. Kiran Kumar has urged youth to get ready to face the challenges posed by the increased use of Artificial intelligence (AI) tools. "Advancements in AI have begun to change the way we work and we can expect greater changes in the near future. AI is being leveraged to process data on health, commerce, communications and transportation. AI may bring a new industrial revolution that is far different from the earlier ones. Youth should equip themselves to face such challenges," he said. He was delivering his convocation address at the Rani Channamma University at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Tuesday. "Human beings have evolved mega, macro, mini, micro and nano robots capable of performing hugely different tasks demanding huge physical and enormous intellectual capabilities. The tasks are performed with these…...