India News Live: One person dead, several injured as Kerala reels under heavy rains; IMD issues red alert

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said the education system in the country was developed under the long-term influence of colonial ideas and for a developed nation, an alternative based on Indian philosophy needs to be formulated.

For that, the focus should be "deep, realistic and completely Indian-based", Bhagwat said while addressing delegates on the second day of the national 'Chintan Baithak' organised in Kochi by the RSS-linked Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas. -- PTI

The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all states and Union territories mandating them to conduct audits of safety mechanisms and facilities for children in schools, officials said on Saturday.

The Education Ministry has also called for schools to ensure the structural integrity of buildings. This comes a day after a portion of a government school in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed on Friday, killing seven children and leaving 28 injured. Read more

Residents of 11 houses were evacuated to a safer location after heavy rains triggered a landslide in a village in Kullu district on Saturday, an official said.

A transit camp was set up to accommodate around 20 people following the landslide on a hill behind Duridhar village in Sainj Valley.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued comprehensive guidelines to protect the mental health of students in schools, colleges, and coaching centres, while noting that it is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21. Read more

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched a scheme on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas to provide free legal aid to soldiers, ex-servicemen and their families, officials told PTI on Saturday. Read here

Heavy rains since Friday night have caused widespread damage across several parts of Kerala, raising water levels in rivers and dams and uprooting trees, which resulted in one death and injuries to several persons.

It also prompted the India Meteorological Department, on Saturday evening, to upgrade its rain alert status in Ernakulam, Idukki, and Thrissur districts from 'orange' to 'red'.

It also issued an 'orange alert' for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts, and a 'yellow alert' for the remaining three.

The IMD said rains are likely to persist over the next five days, accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph till Sunday. Read more

US President Donald Trump said he is negotiating with Thailand and Cambodia to stop one of the worst fighting between the two countries in more than a decade, and compared it to the brief conflict between India and Pakistan (Operation Sindoor) in May following Pahalgam attack.

“Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand. I am calling the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, right now, to likewise request a Ceasefire, and END to the War, which is currently raging. We happen to be, by coincidence, currently dealing on Trade with both Countries, but do not want to make any Deal, with either Country, if they are fighting — And I have told them so!" he said on his Truth Social platform.

“The call with Cambodia has ended, but expect to call back regarding War stoppage and Ceasefire based on what Thailand has to say. I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt," he further said.

India said that it was closely monitoring the situation following border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia urging both nations to cease hostilities.

Jaiswal also shared helpline numbers for Indians in both countries. Read here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, visited Tamil Nadu to inaugurate several development projects in the area. He also hailed the Kargil heroes on the occasion of Kargil Diwas and the power of 'Made In India' in Operation Sindoor. Read more

Expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Saturday announced to contest Bihar assembly polls as an Independent from Mahua seat. Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the “historic” free trade agreement (FTA) with United Kingdom represents the growing trust in India.

“During my foreign visit, the historic India-UK Free Trade Agreement was signed. This represents the world’s growing trust in India and India’s new self-confidence. We will build a 'Viksit Bharat' with this self-confidence,” the Prime Minister said in Tamil Nadu. Read more

A woman was killed and 18 others injured after a speeding container trailer truck collided with multiple vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday afternoon.

The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel under the Khopoli police station limits in Khalapur taluka of Raigad district, newy agency PTI reported citing a police official. Read more

A Southwest Airline jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff on Friday in response to an alert about a nearby plane, sending some passengers flying out of their seats and injuring two flight attendants.

Passengers experienced frightening turbulence after the jet nosedived at least 475 feet, according to flight tracking websites, to avoid a mid-air collision, according to a report by Reuters. Read more

Private carrier Air India on Saturday said it has paid the interim compensation to the families of 166 victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash last month.

Besides, payment to the families of another 52 victims is in the process, it added.The plane crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI171.Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.

On June 14, Air India announced that it will provide an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh, or approximately GBP 21,500, to the families of each of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash to help address immediate financial needs. Read more

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is developing a special classroom module on Operation Sindoor -- India's retaliatory move in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack -- to help students learn about India’s defence strategy and diplomatic response, according to sources cited by news agency PTI. Read here

Harsh Vardhan Jain, who was arrested for running a fake embassy in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar area, was reportedly in possession of 12 diplomatic passports and had visited around 40 countries in the last 10 years.

He was running the “consulate” while posing as a diplomat from the fictitious nation of Westarctica. Read more

The Supreme Court will hear on July 28 (Monday) Justice Yashwant Varma’s plea challenging the legal validity of the in-house inquiry, which confirmed charges of recovery of unaccounted cash from his official residence in the national capital. Read more

Read the five grounds on which Justice Varma has challenged indictment by in-house panel.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday hit out at the Congress party after one of its leader said that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi could prove to be the “second Ambedkar” for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Congress leader Udit Raj, in a post on social media platform X on Saturday, wrote, “OBCs (Other Backward Classes) will have to think that history does not give opportunities for progress again and again. They should follow and support what Rahul Gandhi said at the Talkatora Stadium conference. If they do so, then Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them.”

Responding to Udit Raj’s remarks, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused Congress of hatching a conspiracy to diminish Ambedkar's legacy. Read more

Two policemen have been suspended and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted after the killing of 21-year-old Mohammad Parvaz, a tribal youth from the Gujjar-Bakerwal community, in a police firing incident on Thursday evening in Jammu and Kashmir. The shooting sparked widespread protests and drew condemnation from political leaders across J&K.

According to NDTV, Parvaz was shot dead by policemen in civilian clothes in the Satwari area near Jammu while he was reportedly out with a relative to buy medicine. His family said they initially mistook the group of men for cow vigilantes and tried to flee. Read here

US President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to make major changes to the visa program for skilled foreign workers, known as H-1B, according to Joseph Edlow, the newly confirmed director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In an interview, Edlow said the administration plans to prioritize companies that offer higher wages to foreign workers—a move aimed at addressing criticism from immigration hard-liners who argue the program undercuts American wages, the New York Times reported. Read more

As India celebrates 26 years of the Kargil War victory on Kargil Vijay Diwas 2025, it also reflects upon the unflinching bravery, sacrifice, and sense of responsibility that defined the defining conflict that came to be known as the Kargil War beginning in May 1999.

In addition to strategies and battle maneuvers, the war was also shaped by youthful men who remained steadfast in the face of daunting situations. Not only did their courage win back Indian ground, but it penned their names forever in the nation's psyche. Read more

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the case related to the alleged mass burial in Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district commenced its investigation on Saturday, officials said.

Senior officials arrived at the designated SIT office established at the Intelligence Bureau premises in Mallikatte, they said. The probing team visited certain spots in connection with the case, sources told news agency PTI.

The case pertains to allegations of mass burials near Dharmasthala, which surfaced through an anonymous complaint. Given the sensitive nature of the claims, the Karnataka government constituted a Special Investigation Team earlier this month.

After the shocking incident of a woman candidate of the Home Guard being gangraped inside an ambulance, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan launched a scathing attack on the Bihar government over the lack of safety in the state.

"I feel sad that I am supporting a government where crime has become rampant. It is imperative to control it, or else the consequences will be very bad. This is playing with the lives of people here," Paswan said, while speaking to the media," he said. Read here

Three months after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, Pakistan is now reportedly "ready to work with India", News18 said, quoting Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

"Pakistan is ready to work and cooperate with India on all fronts—from trade to counter-terrorism," Dar reportedly said, while interacting with the Atlantic Council think tank, it reported. Read here

A 26-year-old woman, participating in a Home Guard recruitment drive, fainted and collapsed during a physical test, according to a report by News18. When she was being transported to a hospital, she was gang-raped in the moving ambulance.

The driver and technician of an ambulance have been arrested for allegedly raping an unconscious woman inside the emergency vehicle in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya. Read more

H Anjaneya, a special officer to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, has levelled serious allegations against C Mohan Kumar, the assistant resident commissioner and special officer to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and has accused him of attacking him with a shoe. The showdown reportedly took place at the Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi. Read more

Over 14,000 men have been found getting money under Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana, a welfare scheme meant for women. A review by an official has shown that Rs 21.44 crore was given to 14,298 male recipients in ten months, CNN-News18 reported citing sources. Read more

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) will prove to be a game-changing deal that will give immense opportunities and benefits to India's farmers, businessmen, MSME sectors, youngsters, and fishermen. Read here

HIV-positive girl alleges two-year rape and forced abortion at Latur children's shelter, police investigating.

Final-year BDS student from J&K found dead by suicide in Udaipur medical college hostel.

Madhya Pradesh High Court likens treatment of district judges to serfs under feudal lords, highlighting fear and subjugation in judiciary.

Tensions flared in Piplodi village after the tragic collapse of a primary school roof killed seven students and injured several others. Grieving parents and locals staged a massive protest on Thursday, expressing outrage at administrative negligence. In the ensuing unrest, angry demonstrators vandalised police vehicles, demanding accountability from the government and immediate action against those responsible.

Two brothers, Bhagyadhar and Panchanan Das, have been arrested in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district for allegedly gang-raping a 15-year-old girl and attempting to bury her alive after she became five months pregnant. A third suspect, Tulu, is still at large. The survivor escaped and reported the horrific incident to her father, leading to a police investigation.