National News
Back from Ukraine: Escaping war to land in the thick of life’s battles

The troubles of the students returning from Ukraine to India are not over yet. Most of the Indian students have returned to their homes safely, but their future now hangs in the balance.
Among them, there are about 4,000 students who were in the final year of the MBBS course. There is no option available to these students who have spent 5 years of their life and lakhs of rupees on MBBS studies.
Deshraj Advani, an expert and mentor of medical education in the country, says that the biggest problem before the students is that how will it be confirmed that which student has studied in which university for how many years and how was his performance in the last semester.
According to Advani, these students do not even have concrete provisional proof of their partially-completed studies that they have done in Ukraine.
Although such provisional proofs are not recognised anyway, it can at least for the satisfaction of the students, who are hopeful that soon the war between Russia and Ukraine will end and they will be able to go back to Ukraine to complete their studies.
However, even if the war ends soon, it will not be possible for every student to return to Ukraine and resume their studies.
Randeep, a student who returned from Ukraine, said that he was studying at the Medical University in Lugansk State, but his university has been destroyed in missile attacks. In such a situation, he is worried that even after the war gets over, how he would resume his studies there.
According to educationist C.S. Kandpal, there were about 18,000 Indian students studying medicine in Ukraine, it is not possible to provide immediate admission (in Indian colleges) to all these students.
Kandpal says that seats are already full in almost all medical colleges. In such a situation, it does not seem to be possible to have any immediate arrangement for these students.
Students returning from Ukraine are also aware of the current situation. Shreya Sharma, doing MBBS from Vinnitsa National Medical University, Ukraine, said that it is a reality that the Indian government cannot accommodate all 18,000 students here.
Not only this, the rules of the National Medical Commission of India regarding foreign medical graduates are also very strict. Furthermore, there is no such rule in the country according to which those returning from abroad in mid of their MBBS course can get admission in the medical colleges here.
Even for those who have completed medical studies from abroad, there are strict criteria, which they need to fulfill before starting their practice in India.
Despite its small population, Ukraine has about 20 medical universities.
There are three types of universities in Ukraine — National Medical University, National University and State University.
About 6,000 Indian students go to Ukraine every year to study MBBS and BDS.
In India, every year about eight lakh students appear for the MBBS entrance exam, out of these, only one lakh students get admission in Indian medical colleges. This is the reason why every year thousands of Indian students have to move to other countries, including Ukraine, to study medicine.
According to the Government of India, there are a total of 88,120 MBBS seats and as many as 27,498 BDS seats in government and private medical colleges in the country, and about 50 per cent of MBBS seats are in private colleges.
Data suggests that only five per cent of the total students who appear in the NEET exam get admission in the government medical colleges.
Devansh Gupta, an Indian student who has studied MBBS from Ukraine, says that in government medical colleges in India, a student needs to spend around Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh on his fees to complete his MBBS. Whereas in private medical colleges, each student has to spend more than Rs 80 lakh to complete the course.
“On the other hand, the best private medical colleges in Ukraine charge fees up to Rs 5 lakh annually, due to which the entire MBBS course gets completed in about Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakh,” Gupta asserts while explaining why many students flee to Ukraine for studying medicine.
Maharashtra
Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.
On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.
Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars
Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.
While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.
Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged
As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.
The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.
Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed
The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.
Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.
The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.
Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?
National News
Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi’s ‘Boasted Friendship’ With Donald Trump, Cites US Engagement With Pakistan

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “much boasted friendship” with US President Donald Trump is now proving to be “hollow” and cited several overtures the latter recently made to Pakistan.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh also alleged that Indian diplomacy was failing in the light of the US partnering with Pakistan.
“The abject failure of Indian diplomacy, especially in the past two months, is revealed most tellingly by four facts. These expose the tall claims made by the Prime Minister and his drum-beaters and cheerleaders,” he said in his post.
Ramesh said that since May 10, 2025, Trump has claimed 25 times that “he personally intervened to stop Operation Sindoor, threatening India and Pakistan that if they didn’t bring the war to a halt, they would not have a trade agreement with the USA.” On June 10, 2025, he claimed, Gen Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, hailed Pakistan as a phenomenal partner of the US in countering terrorism.
On June 18, 2025, Trump held an unprecedented luncheon meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in the White House, Ramesh noted.
“Two months earlier, Munir’s inflammatory, incendiary, and communally provocative remarks had provided the backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22, 2025,” he said.
Just yesterday, the Congress leader claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and thanked Pakistan for its partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.
“The PM’s clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, has already cost India heavily. His much boasted friendship with President Trump is now proving to be hollow,” Ramesh said in his post.
National News
Government Cracks Down on OTT Platforms Over Obscene Content

New Delhi, July 25, 2025 — In a significant move targeting explicit digital content, the Government of India has taken steps to block several over-the-top (OTT) platforms accused of streaming obscene and vulgar material. Platforms such as ALTBalaji, ULLU, and a few others have come under the scanner for allegedly violating Indian content regulations and societal norms.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, acting on multiple complaints from citizens and civil society groups, initiated the ban after conducting an internal review. Authorities stated that certain shows and web series available on these platforms contained content that was “sexually explicit,” “vulgar,” and “not suitable for public viewing,” especially in households with children.
The decision has stirred a wider debate around content regulation and creative freedom in India’s rapidly growing digital entertainment sector. While officials maintain that the step was necessary to uphold decency standards and protect cultural values, critics warn of overreach and censorship.
A senior official said, “This is not about targeting creative freedom. This is about ensuring that OTT content does not cross legal and moral boundaries. There are clear guidelines, and platforms are expected to adhere to them.”
The platforms affected reportedly failed to comply with warnings issued earlier regarding their programming. Despite advisory notices and reminders to filter or restrict adult content, several web series continued to feature nudity, explicit scenes, and suggestive themes without proper age-gating or viewer discretion tools.
In recent years, OTT platforms have grown in popularity, especially among younger audiences, with many bypassing traditional film and TV regulations. The government had previously introduced a self-regulation framework for digital content providers, but critics say enforcement has been lax, leading to the current clampdown.
Some media rights advocates and artists expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the banning process and called for an independent review mechanism. Others, however, welcomed the move, stating that unchecked access to graphic content could have a detrimental effect on social behavior and minors.
As of now, the banned platforms remain inaccessible in India. The Ministry has hinted at further actions if other OTT providers do not align their content with the prescribed code of ethics and IT rules.
This development marks a turning point in India’s digital media regulation and sets the stage for possible stricter content monitoring across streaming platforms in the future.
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