Dear reader

Today’s news moves between promises and pressure. In Tamil Nadu, Vijay is pushing his political project into sharper focus with welfare announcements and a major policy reversal. In Delhi, investigators are following the trail of an alleged Rs 7,000-crore cocaine network stretching to Dubai. Heavy rain has disrupted life across the NCR, while in Kashmir, fresh threat letters have renewed anxieties among Pandit families.

In 30 seconds

Vijay has announced three free LPG cylinders a year and an expansion of the free travel scheme, sharpening the welfare pitch around his political project. The announcements come alongside another major development: the proposed Parandur airport has been scrapped, fulfilling a promise made after Vijay’s first major political protest.

Podcast of the Day

The big takeaway: Tamil Nadu’s politics is moving again

Three free LPG cylinders, expanded free travel: Vijay announces new welfare measures

Story continues below this ad

Welfare politics is central to Tamil Nadu’s political culture, and Vijay is now making his own bid to occupy that space. The latest announcements signal an attempt to turn campaign rhetoric into a clearer governing proposition.

Parandur airport scrapped, fulfilling a promise Vijay made after his first political protest

The proposed airport had become a major flashpoint. Its cancellation gives Vijay a significant political moment — and raises questions about how much the state’s political landscape is already shifting around him.

What the political shifts around Stalin tell us about a changing Tamil Nadu

Story continues below this ad

The established order is being tested from several directions. This is a closer look at the changes reshaping the state’s political contest.

A Rs 7,000-crore cocaine trail

A Delhi politician, Dubai links and an alleged Rs 7,000-crore cocaine network

The investigation into one of the country’s biggest alleged cocaine hauls is widening beyond Delhi. Police are tracing a network that, investigators say, connects local players to Dubai and an international supply chain.

Rain, waterlogging and a red alert

Heavy rain and thunderstorms put Delhi-NCR on alert

Story continues below this ad

The weather system brought intense rain across parts of the region, disrupting traffic and daily life and prompting fresh warnings from the weather department.

Gurugram turns to work from home as rain and waterlogging hit the city

As roads flooded and traffic slowed to a crawl, offices and companies adjusted. For many residents, the familiar monsoon disruption returned with full force.

Mumbai knows the danger. The people are still there.

Mumbai knows where landslide risks are. It still can’t move the people

The city has maps, surveys and repeated warnings identifying vulnerable settlements. But relocating families remains an extraordinarily difficult task, leaving thousands exposed every monsoon.

Two killed after Ganpati idol collapse in Mumbai

Story continues below this ad

A tragic accident in Bhuleshwar once again highlights the risks that can emerge around crowded celebrations and temporary structures.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Kashmiri Pandits and renewed security fears

‘Watching your every move’: Another threat letter targeting Kashmiri Pandits emerges

The latest letter contains detailed information about members of the community, deepening concerns about the security of Pandit employees and families in the Valley.

Fresh security concerns for Kashmiri Pandit PM package employees

The appearance of another threatening poster has brought renewed attention to the demands of employees seeking stronger security arrangements.

The CJP protest is heading for another confrontation

CJP’s Rajasthan school visit confrontation leads to an FIR

Story continues below this ad

A clash during the group’s outreach in Rajasthan has now entered the legal arena, adding another chapter to the political tensions surrounding the movement.

CJP announces September 5 Delhi march towards India Gate

The group is preparing for its next major mobilisation, with its demands and protests increasingly becoming a political issue beyond the original movement.

Politics, ideology and a fish feast

Why a fish feast in Ayodhya has triggered political fireworks

In Uttar Pradesh, food, faith and politics have once again collided — this time around a meal that has become the centre of a larger ideological battle.

Yogi Adityanath attacks Rahul Gandhi over Manusmriti remarks

Story continues below this ad

The debate over history, tradition and social justice is once again at the heart of a political exchange between the BJP and Congress.

Tavleen Singh writes: Am I a Naxal?

A column on dissent, political labels and the increasingly fraught question of who gets to define patriotism.

Also worth your time

Indian Railways’ first high-speed test track to allow trials at 220 kmph

A new testing facility in Rajasthan could become central to India’s plans for faster trains, with trials expected to push the limits of existing rail technology.

Story continues below this ad

Bengaluru tunnel road: A meeting involving DK Shivakumar and Gautam Adani sparks a BJP row

The proposed infrastructure project has acquired a political dimension, with questions over meetings, contracts and the future of Bengaluru’s traffic solutions.

Migrant drivers protest in Mumbai amid warnings over Marathi language enforcement

Concerns about harassment and language-based enforcement have brought drivers onto the streets in another episode of Mumbai’s continuing identity politics.

Story continues below this ad

‘How will she survive for 42 years?’ Jharkhand HC orders Rs 40 lakh alimony

A court considers the economics of life after marriage, asking what financial security really means for a woman with decades potentially ahead of her.

A man found dead, intestines in an envelope: Inside a brutal Haryana murder investigation

A disturbing crime has led investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the death and the allegations now facing the victim’s wife.

US September visa bulletin: What changes for Indians waiting for green cards

The latest bulletin brings movement in some categories and continued waits in others — important news for thousands navigating the US immigration system.

From passports to licences: VFS Global plans a new push into citizen services

The company best known for visa processing is preparing to expand into a much wider range of government-linked services.

Rejected in 100 auditions, Archana Puran Singh’s son now buys a sea-facing home

A story of rejection, persistence and a new career path powered by the changing economics of digital entertainment.

PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty withdraw from China Masters

The Evening Long-Read

Trump wants greater economic pressure on Iran. What are his options?

Washington has several tools at its disposal, but tightening the squeeze on Iran comes with complicated consequences — for oil markets, allies, sanctions enforcement and an already volatile West Asia. This is a guide to the economic pressure points available to Donald Trump and what using them could mean.

The Daily Catch-Up is published Monday to Friday by .