National News
BJP sharpens Hindutva agenda, targets Akhilesh Yadav ahead of UP polls
The BJP is likely to make the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ the major issues in the next year’s Assembly polls in five states, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where it is strengthening its connect with cadre vote bank and is targeting the main opposition — Samajwadi Party (SP) and its chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Talking to IANS, a veteran BJP national leader said: “For us, Lord Shri Ram and the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was never an election agenda, but an issue that once isolated us in Indian politics. It is necessary to tell the public about the achievements related to it.”
Another Uttar Pradesh minister told IANS: “We must tell people that the Supreme Court’s historic decision came during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the construction of the Ram temple during the tenure of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. We also celebrated a record breaking ‘Deepotsav’ this year. Along with this, it is also necessary to educate people about what happened in 1990 and what can happen if these people come to power again.”
The BJP’s political resolutions reflect its core agenda of promoting Hindutva from the speeches of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the people during his Kedarnath tour on November 5, had mentioned about Ayodhya. He said: “Just two days ago, the whole world witnessed the celebration of ‘Deepotsav’ in Ayodhya. Can you imagine how beautiful our ancient cultural form would have been?”
Along with this, he also highlighted the rejuvenation of Kashi and the work of Baba Vishwanath Dham which is moving towards completion at a very fast pace.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while speaking at various programmes of Deepotsav, organized in Ayodhya, on November 3, claimed that no one can stop the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and it will be ready for devotees by 2023.
Reminding people of the massacre of Kar Sevaks in 1990, he said, “What was happening in Ayodhya 31 years ago? On October 30 and November 2, 1990, Ram bhakts were fired in a barbaric manner. There was also lathi-charge. Chanting Jai Shri Ram slogan was considered a crime back then.”
Targeting Akhilesh Yadav’s family, he said: “Those who were firing on Ram Bhakts 31 years ago, now bow down before you. Today it seems like if you keep supporting our agenda, the Yadav family will soon become Kar Sevaks to please you.”
Yogi also assured the people that apart from the Ram Temple, other temples of the state and the devotees of Lord Ram and Krishna, will also be taken care of by his government.
He said: “We will shower flowers on the devotees of Rama and Krishna and take care of all the temples in the state.”
Criticising Akhilesh, Yogi said, “The Akhilesh Yadav government only spent money on graveyards in the state. But the BJP government is focusing on 500 pilgrimages including the Ram Janmabhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath and Naimisharanya Tirth in the state. Out of these, 300 works have been completed and work on another 200 is in progress.”
Realising that SP is the main contender in the Uttar Pradesh polls, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to highlight its achievements at the Centre and state before the public and is sticking to its core agenda of Hindutva to beat its opponents.
Business
Piyush Goyal to lead business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland to deepen trade, investment ties

New Delhi, July 12: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level Indian business delegation on a five-day visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13 to 17, as India seeks to deepen its economic engagement with Europe through enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, it was announced on Sunday.
The delegation will include leading Indian companies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital technologies, gems and jewellery, food processing, healthcare and design. The visit is aimed at expanding business-to-business partnerships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration with European industries, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.
The visit will begin in Spain on July 13, where Goyal will participate in a business roundtable jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, CEOE and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The discussions are expected to focus on sectors including automotive, renewable energy, railways, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food processing and tourism.
The meeting will bring together industry leaders from both countries at a time when India and Spain are celebrating the Spain-India Dual Year 2026, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Several Spanish companies, including Iberdrola, Acciona, CAF, Talgo, Gestamp and Indra, have already established a strong presence in India, while Indian technology and engineering firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro are expanding their operations in Spain to support digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
In Belgium, where the delegation will travel on July 14 and 15, the minister will visit the Port of Antwerp to study Europe’s leading logistics hub and gain insights into multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.
During the Belgium visit, Goyal will hold CEO-level meetings with senior executives of Thales Group and Silox Group.
The minister will also participate in the India-EU Business Roundtable and the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Plenary, where discussions will cover foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, sustainable technologies and resilient supply chains.
The final leg of the tour will take the delegation to Finland on July 16 and 17. Goyal will participate in the India-Finland Business Roundtable, engaging with Finnish companies across digitalisation, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.
Crime
Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.
The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.
The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.
The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.
The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.
Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.
This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.
A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.
The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.
The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.
Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.
National News
4.5 magnitude earthquake in Bay of Bengal triggers tremors in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, July 12: A 4.5 magnitude earthquake in the Bay of Bengal triggered tremors in parts of Visakhapatnam and adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.
Some areas in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam were jolted by the tremors around 5.05 a.m.
The tremors were felt in Gajuwaka, Mangalapalem, Sagar Nagar, Pedda Waltair, Arilova, MVP colony, Appughar and other areas.
According to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a mild earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the Bay of Bengal early on Sunday, and mild tremors were felt in several parts of Visakhapatnam city.
National Center for Sesimology said the earthquake occurred at 5:05:46 a.m. IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located about 225 km off the Kakinada coast in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located at latitude 16.805 degrees N and longitude 84.381 degrees E.
No casualties, property damage or any other loss have been reported due to the earthquake.
There are reports of tremors being felt in parts of Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Kakinada and Konaseema districts.
Experts described it as a shallow earthquake. They said there was no need for people to be worried as the tremors were mild due to structural adjustments. They pointed out that the region is considered tectonically stable.
In November last year, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharamaraju districts were jolted by a mild earthquake.
An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 had struck the Alluri district in north coastal Andhra on November 4, 2015. The tremors triggered panic among residents in some areas. People ran out of their houses on hearing a loud sound. However, there were no casualties or any other damage. According to the National Center of Seismology, the epicentre of the earthquake was at G. Madugula in Alluri Sitharamaraju district at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was 110 km from the port city of Visakhapatnam.
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