Thunderstorm, heavy rain claim 89 lives in UP; CM Yogi orders immediate relief

IANS | May 14, 2026 1:15 PM

Lucknow, May 14 (IANS) At least 89 people lost their lives, and 53 others were injured after a powerful thunderstorm, heavy rain, hailstorm and lightning strikes battered several districts of Uttar Pradesh, causing widespread destruction on Wednesday evening, officials said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the widespread damage and directed officials to undertake immediate relief and rescue measures.

Party above all, says Venugopal after Congress names Satheesan as Kerala CM

IANS | May 14, 2026 1:01 PM

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) In a display of calculated restraint after one of the fiercest leadership contests the Congress party in Kerala has witnessed in recent years, party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal on Thursday publicly accepted the high command’s decision to appoint V.D. Satheesan as Kerala’s next Chief Minister, even as more than 50 newly elected Congress MLAs were widely believed to have backed his candidature for the top post.

Govt rejects portrayal of India as dumping ground for textile waste

IANS | May 14, 2026 12:57 PM

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) The government defended India’s textile recycling ecosystem against what it termed "misleading" international media portrayals, saying the country has one of the world’s largest textile recovery and recycling networks supported by long-established reuse and repurposing systems, the Ministry of Textiles said on Thursday.

India WPI inflation rises to 8.3 pc as global oil prices spike

IANS | May 14, 2026 12:49 PM

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) India's inflation rate based on the wholesale price index (WPI) rose to 8.3 per cent during April, compared to the same month of the previous year, primarily due to an increase in prices of fuels and crude oil amid the Middle East conflict, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.