Marco Rubio’s Taj Mahal visit

New Delhi: The Iranian Consulate in Hyderabad on Monday took a dig at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over his visit to the Taj Mahal, saying the iconic monument was built by the “talent of Iranian architects”, while accusing the United States of endangering Iranian civilization.Rubio, who is on a four-day visit to India, visited the Mughal-era monument in Agra on Monday with his wife Zeenat Rubio and described the Taj Mahal as “one of the world’s love treasures.”Soon after the visit, the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran-Hyderabad posted a scathing message on Twitter targeting the US administration.“If Rubio had any knowledge of history or architecture, he would not have posed here. This monument was built because of the emperor’s love for his Iranian wife, designed by the talent of Iranian architects – meanwhile, his government today is threatening to destroy Iranian civilization while insulting other civilizations,” the Iranian Consulate said in its post.The post also included a photo of Rubio and his wife posing in front of the Taj Mahal.

Trump’s warning comment during Iran conflict

The statement from the Iranian Consulate appears to reference comments made by Donald Trump during the ongoing Iran-US-Israel conflict.Trump warned on April 7 against Iran amid growing hostilities: “If there is no deal, an entire civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back.”

The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering retaliatory attacks and increasing tensions across the Middle East.

Rubio’s visit to India

Rubio’s visit to India comes ahead of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Quad group includes India, America, Australia and Japan.Rubio also visited the Amer Fort in Jaipur with his wife and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore.During his visit to the Taj Mahal, Rubio wrote in the visitor’s book, “Thank you for allowing us to visit one of the world’s love-filled treasures.”Security around the Taj Mahal was tightened during Rubio’s visit, with tourists temporarily moved out of parts of the monument complex.

Iran rejects Rubio’s recent comments on energy markets

The Iranian Consulate’s latest comments come a day after Iran rejected Rubio’s comments in which he accused Tehran of “holding the global energy market hostage.”In a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy in India, Tehran accused Washington of attempting to “distort the realities of the region” and defended its role in global energy trade.The statement said US sanctions on Iranian oil exports have disrupted global energy markets and were imposed “in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations”.Meanwhile, Rubio said the US would not allow Iran to “hold the global energy market hostage” and stressed that Washington wants the Strait of Hormuz to remain open without tolls.Speaking on the ongoing negotiations with Iran, Rubio also said, “It’s still a work in progress. We thought last night, maybe today, we might get some news.”

doctors are struggling Ebola outbreak The Democratic Republic of Congo faces growing challenges as attacks on health facilities and patients fleeing the country are hampering response efforts in the north-east, Reuters reports.At least three such incidents have so far been reported in Ituri province, where Ebola cases were first detected. Two attacks over the weekend targeted the Mongbavalu General Referral Hospital, causing more than two dozen patients to flee.Dr. Richard Lokodu, medical director of Mongbavalu General Referral Hospital, told Reuters there was widespread disbelief and denial about the outbreak.“There is denial of the disease within the population, with some members wanting to claim the bodies of suspected and/or confirmed cases,” he said.According to Lokodu, 18 Ebola patients fled on Saturday when unidentified persons set fire to tents set up by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontieres to isolate patients. Test results from four of those patients later came back, one of which confirmed Ebola infection.“So we have a confirmed case of Ebola that is spreading in the community and evading response,” Lokodu said.On Sunday, the hospital faced four more waves of attacks allegedly led by youths mobilized by relatives of a Christian religious leader Who Died of Ebola. Seven additional patients escaped during the unrest, while a critically ill suspected Ebola patient suffering from bleeding died while trying to escape during a second attack.Police fired shots into the air after an angry mob in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo attempted to take back the bodies of relatives killed at an Ebola treatment center in Mongbvalu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local media reports, the BBC reports.Recent events have revived memories of the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, during which more than 25 health workers were killed in attacks targeting treatment centres.Frontline doctors are also struggling with a shortage of basic supplies as the virus spreads rapidly across the region. Lokodu said the attackers wanted the bodies of Ebola victims to be left for burial and warned that unsafe burials, where family members handle bodies without protective equipment, are a major driver of transmission. Earlier this week, a mob in the town of Rwampara, about 85 km south-east of Mongbavalu, set fire to a tent isolated at a hospital after they were prevented from taking the body of a man who died of Ebola for burial. World Health Organization The current outbreak has been described as the third largest outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain on record and has been declared a public health emergency of international concern.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 900 suspected cases have been recorded so far, including 101 confirmed infections and at least 220 suspected deaths.Earlier on Monday, Congo’s neighbor Uganda reported two additional Ebola cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to seven.

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday reviewed India’s preparedness and response measures ebola virus disease Noting recent outbreaks in parts of Africa, the World Health Organization has warned that the pandemic is “outpacing” response efforts.However, the Health Ministry said that no case of Ebola has been reported in India so far.News agency ANI reported that the review meeting was attended by the Health Secretary, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Additional Secretary (Public Health), Director of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and other senior officials of the ministry.It comes as WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that there had been 220 suspected deaths in the current outbreak and warned that delays in detecting infections had hampered containment efforts.“We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the pandemic is ahead of us,” Tedros said, urging countries bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, to take immediate action.Tedros said he would travel to Congo on Tuesday and said tackling the rapidly spreading outbreak was particularly difficult because Ituri and North Kivu provinces remained highly vulnerable and there were no approved vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain.Earlier in the day, Uganda recorded two more cases of Ebola in the capital Kampala, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to seven.Meanwhile, Uganda’s neighbor and center of the current outbreak, Congo, has reported more than 900 suspected infections so far, AFP reported.WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern, while the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified it as a public health emergency of continental concern (PHECS).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay; Congress MP Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: In a development that may strain relations between new allies Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) and Congress, the TVK-led Tamil Nadu government on Monday held consultations with Cauvery water and legal experts on the proposed foundation stone laying ceremony announced by neighboring Karnataka for the Mekedatu dam project on the Cauvery river.Incidentally, Karnataka is ruled by the Congress and has proposed construction of the Mekedatu dam, giving rise to new political and inter-state sensitivities over the river water-sharing issue.Also read: Tone may soften due to Congress support for Vijay, no Kaveri tension between Karnataka-Tamil Nadu!According to a press note from the Tamil Nadu government, the meeting chaired by the new Chief Minister and actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay was called to uphold “state rights” and protect the welfare of farmers.“Taking into account the details of the Supreme Court judgment and detailed legal consultation, CM Vijay advised that immediate follow-up legal measures should be taken expeditiously,” the statement said.The statement further said that since the proposed Mekedatu Dam is contrary to the Supreme Court judgment, the then Tamil Nadu government had filed petitions in the Supreme Court on November 30, 2018, and June 7, 2022, opposing the project.It was further informed that during the hearing on November 13, 2025, the Supreme Court had not given permission for the Mekedatu Dam and found that it was still in the initial stage. The court also said that only the expert body, the Central Water Commission, can determine whether the project falls within the scope of its earlier decision or not, and accordingly ordered closure of the cases.Also read: DMK, political parties condemn Karnataka government for Mekedatu dam remarksChallenging the decision, the erstwhile Tamil Nadu government filed a review petition on December 11, 2025. The press release said the petition was put up for consideration in chamber in the Supreme Court during the previous government, the judgment was reserved and has now been dismissed.CM Vijay’s meeting came after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the detailed project report (DPR) for Mekedatu will be submitted to the Center soon, adding that the foundation stone ceremony will be planned after obtaining the central government’s approval.Shivakumar told reporters, “The DPR for the Mekedatu project has been prepared, and a project office has been opened. We are identifying alternative land to compensate for the forest area that is going to be submerged. The DPR will be submitted to the Center soon. After getting the Centre’s approval, we will conduct the bhoomi puja for the project.”Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry have long been in dispute over the waters of the Kaveri River, with the issue being particularly sensitive in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and sometimes triggering violent protests.Kerala also now has a Congress government, while Puducherry is led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).(With ANI inputs)

New Delhi: A new demolition drive was launched targeting alleged illegal structures linked to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders were attacked in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Monday, days after a similar action near Howrah railway station, triggering a major political confrontation in the state.Bulldozers were reportedly used to clear structures built on government land, as civic authorities, backed by heavy police deployment, intensified their crackdown on unauthorized constructions in several parts of Bengal, according to PTI.The latest action comes amid an escalating war of words between the BJP and TMC, which the opposition has termed “bulldozer politics”.Earlier on Sunday Chief Minister of West Bengal And TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of promoting “state terrorism” and targeting the poor in the name of the demolition drive.Addressing party workers and supporters, Banerjee compared earlier rehabilitation efforts under her government to the ongoing demolition.He said, “When the Kalyani Express Bridge was built, 43 houses on the road were affected, and we built exactly the same 43 houses to rehabilitate them. Now, there is looting, vandalism and an attempt to erase all traces.”“When you fall from power in Delhi, you will have to face the consequences of your actions – we are waiting for that day,” he said.Banerjee also appealed to the judiciary, saying, “I want to remind the judiciary that they are the true protectors of the law… I will continue to fight the legal battle against state terrorism. I will see who has more power – the Constitution or the tip of the gun.”In recent times the demolition drive has expanded in Kolkata and surrounding areas. On Sunday, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) launched a drive in Tiljala, Kasba and Beleghata against buildings allegedly constructed in violation of civic norms.In Ward 66 of Tiljala, which is represented by TMC councilor Faiyaz Ahmed Khan, civic officials demolished unauthorized parts of buildings amid tight security arrangements.Another demolition was carried out on East Kuria Road in Beleghata area, where a partially constructed building allegedly belonging to local TMC leader Raju Naskar was razed.“A notice was issued on May 21 asking the owner to produce the relevant building documents within 48 hours. “With no response from the owner, the demolition squad continued the operation today,” a KMC official said.Meanwhile, another demolition drive was carried out in Kasba in connection with arrested land scam accused ‘Sona Pappu’ amid allegations of constructing a five-storey building without necessary approvals.BJP leader and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul, who visited one of the demolition sites, alleged rampant corruption under the previous administration.“During the previous regime, corruption flourished unchecked. Illegal constructions took place with the knowledge of civic officials and under the patronage of influential politicians in exchange for money,” he said.He said, “Even if the police wanted to take action, they would not be able to do much. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in illegal construction as well as those who promote such irregularities.”Also read: Payloader demolishes ‘TMC party office’, owner gets land back

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge (file photo)

New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge The Prime Minister said on Monday Narendra Modi and US President donald trump Sharing similarities in “Vanash”, he said that this is why they keep praising each other.Kharge’s comments come a day after Trump made a surprise live audio call to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore, who was attending an event in New Delhi, and told him that he (Trump) “loves” both PM Modi and India.Read this also ‘I love Prime Minister Modi’: Trump makes sudden live call during US Embassy event in Delhi – VideoGore put the call on speaker and the conversation was recorded on video, which later went viral on social media.Kharge told ANI, “When people share similar qualities – one is destroying the world, while the other is destroying the country – that is the similarity between the two. That is why they admire each other. As the saying goes: ‘You praise me, and I will praise you,’ so it is their mutual admiration.”In his surprise live audio call, Trump spoke to US Ambassador Gore, who was attending the US Embassy’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America in New Delhi.“I just want to say hello to everybody. I love the prime minister. Modi is great. He’s my friend,” Trump said.He said that relations between the US and India have “never been closer”, emphasizing that India can “trust” him and the United States, and said that the US is “doing well” with a record economy and stock market. Trump also reiterated his strong support for PM Modi and described himself as a “big, big fan” of the prime minister.Addressing his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on a visit to India for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Summit, Trump praised him as the “greatest”, saying he will “go down as the greatest Secretary of State in American history” and asked him to convey his good wishes to PM Modi.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Rubio will join their Australian and Japanese counterparts at the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday.