Why India Could Learn Stray Dog Management from Armenia
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Why India Could Learn Stray Dog Management from Armenia

When the Supreme Court of India is considering whether all stray dogs should be removed from Delhi-NCR because some believe they are dangerous for children, there is a country where the picture is very different. In Armenia’s capital Yerevan, street dogs are known for their calm temperaments and easy rapport with people, as a result of a deliberate management policy and a social environment that treats dogs as part of the public space rather than a threat to be eliminated.

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Supreme Court Shields The Wire, Addresses Legal Threat to Free Press
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Supreme Court Shields The Wire, Addresses Legal Threat to Free Press

The Supreme Court has ordered that the Foundation for Independent Journalism, which owns The Wire, and its founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan must be protected from any police action that could involve arrest, detention, or other measures intended to compel compliance in connection with an FIR filed by the Assam Police. The order puts the law’s constitutional validity before the court and concerns press freedom and the state’s power to act against journalists.

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Probe Finds Over 5,000 Dubious Voters in Election Commission’s Bihar Draft Roll
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Probe Finds Over 5,000 Dubious Voters in Election Commission’s Bihar Draft Roll

Thousands of people already registered as voters in Uttar Pradesh have appeared on the Election Commission of India’s draft electoral roll for a single Bihar Assembly constituency, according to an investigation by The Reporters’ Collective. The entries include individuals with two separate voter identity numbers, raising concerns about illegal double registrations before Bihar’s upcoming polls.

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Manual Sewer Cleaning at Supreme Court Gate Reflects Law-Breaking Culture
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Manual Sewer Cleaning at Supreme Court Gate Reflects Law-Breaking Culture

The Supreme Court of India has discovered that manual sewer cleaning, a banned and hazardous practice, is being carried out at its own Gate F. This points to a deeper and troubling reality, that in many areas of public life in India, even those bound by law display no hesitation in flouting it, because the culture of impunity has taken root.

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Supreme Court Flags Political Manipulation of Electricity Tariffs
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Supreme Court Flags Political Manipulation of Electricity Tariffs

The Supreme Court has called out a troubling pattern in how electricity is being managed in the country. The Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs), which are supposed to keep power tariffs fair and free from political games, are allowing power companies to pile up “regulatory assets,” a term for unpaid bills from earlier electricity costs, which are pushed into the future for recovery. These postponed costs have gone far beyond what the law allows, with long-term consequences for ordinary citizens.

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Why Election Commission Should Release Digital Voter Lists in Public Interest
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Why Election Commission Should Release Digital Voter Lists in Public Interest

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has called on the Election Commission to release digital copies of voter lists from constituencies across India and CCTV footage from polling stations. The appeal follows his claim, supported by alleged evidence, that fake voters were included in the rolls for the Bangalore Central constituency, an allegation of a very serious nature for any country that presents itself as a democracy and one that must be addressed.

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Rahul Gandhi Alleges Massive Voter Roll Manipulation, Questions EC’s Impartiality
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Rahul Gandhi Alleges Massive Voter Roll Manipulation, Questions EC’s Impartiality

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has released a dossier that he said was compiled from electoral rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly constituency, alleging that more than 100,000 votes were manipulated through five distinct forms of tampering, a claim made amid questions over the conduct of the Election Commission (EC).

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US Punishes India With 50% Tariff Over Russian Oil, What It Means
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

US Punishes India With 50% Tariff Over Russian Oil, What It Means

The United States government, under President Donald Trump, has issued an executive order that imposes a further 25 percent tariff on India for its purchases of oil from Russia. This brings the total tariff rate applied by the U.S. on India to 50 percent. This move places significant pressure on India's trade and energy strategies, especially as the country seeks to manage its dependence on energy imports while deepening ties with both the U.S. and Russia.

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Supreme Court Bars High Court Judge, Warns Against Criminalising Civil Disputes
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Supreme Court Bars High Court Judge, Warns Against Criminalising Civil Disputes

The Supreme Court of India has barred a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court from hearing criminal cases for the remainder of his tenure after he permitted criminal prosecution in a matter the apex court said was purely a civil dispute. The development signals a problem of legal misapplication that could affect how justice is delivered to ordinary citizens.

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Centre Delays ‘Manipur Tapes’ Report, Prompting Supreme Court’s Concern
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Centre Delays ‘Manipur Tapes’ Report, Prompting Supreme Court’s Concern

The Supreme Court has asked the Union government why it has not yet submitted the forensic report authenticating the audio tapes purportedly featuring former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, despite being directed to do so three months ago. The delay raises concerns about whether the government is treating with due seriousness the evidence that could implicate a public official in a major episode of ethnic violence involving loss of life, destruction of homes and the displacement of thousands.

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179 Dead in Himachal Monsoon Disaster, Exposing Governance Failures
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

179 Dead in Himachal Monsoon Disaster, Exposing Governance Failures

Severe monsoon rains in Himachal Pradesh have killed nearly 179 people, disrupted hundreds of roads, power transformers and water schemes, and caused huge infrastructural and agricultural losses. This scale of destruction is not solely natural, it reveals governance failures in land use planning, environmental regulation, infrastructure design, early warning and relief systems.

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PM Modi Urges ‘Buy Local’ After US Tariffs, but the Economics Don’t Add Up
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

PM Modi Urges ‘Buy Local’ After US Tariffs, but the Economics Don’t Add Up

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to buy locally made goods in an apparent response to the United States imposing a 25 percent tariff on several Indian exports. While the appeal may sound patriotic and self-reliant, it does not align with the economic realities of the moment, especially during a period of global uncertainty.

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Rethink Careers, Suggests New Microsoft Report on AI and Jobs
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

Rethink Careers, Suggests New Microsoft Report on AI and Jobs

A new Microsoft Research study has identified 40 occupations where AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can already perform many core tasks, including writing, some aspects of journalism, customer support and data analysis. This makes it essential for students and professionals at all levels to prepare for a future where such roles, especially in office-based sectors, may be restructured, reduced or phased out as automation becomes more deeply embedded in workplace systems.

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What Trump Means by Calling India a ‘Dead Economy’
NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, August 2025 Vishal Arora

What Trump Means by Calling India a ‘Dead Economy’

Donald Trump’s comment referring to India’s economy as “dead” is not an economic assessment in the conventional sense but a political signal wrapped in hyperbole. Still, it reflects certain long-standing Western grievances about India’s economic posture, especially in trade and strategic alignment. His use of “dead” seems to be shorthand for what he views as a stagnant or closed economy that, in his mind, has failed to match up to its global potential or openness.

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The Problem with Economic Yardsticks Governments Flaunt
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

The Problem with Economic Yardsticks Governments Flaunt

Every now and then, a government announces that the country’s economy is doing well. You’ll hear that GDP has gone up. Or that the per capita income has improved. Or that some index shows we’re climbing the global rankings. It sounds impressive. It’s meant to. But what do these numbers really tell us about how people are living?

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Vigilante Policing: War Veteran’s Family Harassed Over Citizenship in Pune
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

Vigilante Policing: War Veteran’s Family Harassed Over Citizenship in Pune

The family of a Kargil war veteran in Pune has alleged that around 80 members of a Hindu nationalist group stormed their house at midnight and demanded proof of their citizenship, accusing them of being illegal immigrants. Allowing such groups to operate in this manner risks normalising harassment and extra-legal intimidation, which undermines the security and dignity of all citizens, not just those being targeted at the moment.

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More Indians Choosing Non-AC Travel, Raising Doubts About Real Economic Growth
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

More Indians Choosing Non-AC Travel, Raising Doubts About Real Economic Growth

The government points to macroeconomic indicators, such as rising GDP, higher tax collections and increased infrastructure investment, as signs that the Indian economy is growing. But growth at the national level does not always translate into better living standards for most citizens. A recent report on Indian Railways provides a useful lens to examine whether this growth is widely shared.

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Haryana Law Officer Appointments Reveal Pattern of Political Nepotism
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

Haryana Law Officer Appointments Reveal Pattern of Political Nepotism

An investigation by The Indian Express has revealed that many of those appointed as law officers by the Haryana government are relatives of politicians and bureaucrats, including Vikas Barala, son of a senior political leader and an accused in a sexual harassment case. This points to a pattern of political patronage and nepotism in appointments to public legal offices, despite judicial warnings against such practices and the need for merit-based selection.

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2006 Mumbai Blast Acquittals Expose Political Abuse of Law Across Governments
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

2006 Mumbai Blast Acquittals Expose Political Abuse of Law Across Governments

Twelve men have been acquitted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case after spending nearly 19 years in prison, based on testimony later exposed as fabricated by a repeat witness used in multiple terror cases. From the perspective of citizens, two successive state governments and four political parties appear complicit in the betrayal of justice — first the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for enacting a draconian law, and then the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for using that law to frame Muslim men.

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Another Crime Against Woman, Missing from India’s ‘Development’ Story
NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, July 2025 Vishal Arora

Another Crime Against Woman, Missing from India’s ‘Development’ Story

Two brothers in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district raped a 15-year-old girl, and when she became pregnant, they tried to bury her alive – the latest of several cases of crimes against girls and women that have come to light in recent months from this state. It appears that, as in other parts of the country, these are men’s reactions to girls asserting control over their own bodies, revealing that India’s claimed growth story must include a different dimension of development.

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