Government college students excel in Karachi inter…

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday while leading a protest march towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in New Delhi. His detention came as opposition parties intensified their campaign over the government’s handling of student protests and alleged examination irregularities. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were also taken into custody during the demonstration. The opposition leaders were demanding Prime Minister Modi’s resignation following the police crackdown on students protesting for education reforms. Before his detention, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of refusing to take responsibility for the crisis. He said the administration was avoiding accountability and was unwilling to hold a parliamentary debate on the issue. He also alleged that the future of India’s youth had been damaged due to repeated failures in the education system. Videos from the protest showed Gandhi resisting detention as police officers attempted to remove him from the protest site. Reports said he suffered minor injuries during the scuffle with security personnel. The protest followed large-scale demonstrations in New Delhi a day earlier. Thousands of students and activists gathered to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for major reforms to India’s examination system. The protests were organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a movement that has gained massive popularity through social media since its launch earlier this year. The group says it will continue nationwide demonstrations until its demands are accepted. Police used tear gas and batons to stop protesters from marching towards parliament on Monday. Violent clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces. Authorities said more than 170 people were injured during the unrest, including over 100 police personnel. Dozens of protesters also sustained injuries. Police accused some protesters of violent behaviour during the clashes. Protest organisers strongly rejected the allegations. They claimed security forces used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators and injured hundreds of students. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged supporters not to lose hope despite the crackdown. He said the movement would continue peacefully and would not end until the education minister stepped down and meaningful reforms were introduced. Many protesters remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday. They pledged to continue demonstrations until the government addressed their concerns. The issue also disrupted parliament. Opposition lawmakers demanded an immediate discussion on the police action against students, forcing the proceedings to be temporarily adjourned.

Russia has criticised a proposed new package of US sanctions, warning that additional restrictions would hurt American interests more than Moscow and further complicate global economic and energy stability. In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Washington reacted to a sanctions bill that received preliminary approval in the US Senate on July 28. The embassy argued that the legislation would restrict the White House’s diplomatic flexibility while increasing economic pressure on the United States itself. The statement criticised the bill’s supporters, particularly Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, accusing them of pursuing an aggressive anti-Russia agenda. It claimed the proposed legislation included sweeping measures, such as imposing tariffs of up to 500% on countries that continue purchasing Russian energy products. According to the embassy, the US administration had previously sought to slow congressional efforts to introduce additional sanctions, maintaining that the president already possessed sufficient authority to impose economic measures without further legislation. Russia also linked the sanctions debate to broader geopolitical developments, arguing that growing tensions in the Middle East and Washington’s involvement in regional conflicts have increased the risk of disruption in global energy markets. It warned that higher energy prices could fuel inflation in the United States and place additional pressure on American consumers ahead of the country’s upcoming midterm elections. The embassy further claimed that political divisions in Washington were undermining the administration’s foreign policy, arguing that some lawmakers were prioritising political objectives over economic realities. Reiterating its long-held position, Russia said years of sanctions had failed to change its policies or weaken its economy in the way Western governments had anticipated. It maintained that further punitive measures would produce limited results against Russia while creating greater economic challenges for the United States. The statement also referred to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), enacted during President Donald Trump’s first term. Russia argued that the law significantly reduced the executive branch’s flexibility by requiring congressional approval before any sanctions could be lifted or eased. Concluding its remarks, the Russian Embassy expressed hope that the US administration would carefully assess the potential political and economic consequences before moving forward with any new sanctions package.