Bengaluru Footpath Repaired By CEO For ₹2,700 Sparks Debate On Civic Accountability

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licence of Mumbai's historic Cafe Mondegar in Colaba following an inspection that revealed multiple food safety and hygiene lapses. Regulatory officials detected improper food holding temperatures, non-compliant thawing and cooling procedures, poor equipment sanitisation, and drainage issues posing a risk of cross-contamination. The establishment has been directed to rectify the identified deficiencies before applying for a licence review. In an interview, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe addressed ongoing enforcement actions across commercial and institutional food operators, including establishments linked to ISKCON and railway catering vendors. Mundhe asserted that regulatory actions are strictly governed by statutory food safety standards without exception, emphasising that compliance across all food business operators remains essential to safeguarding public health.

A close-range footage released by Houthi-affiliated media shows direct clashes with Saudi-backed forces east of Al-Jawf. The video, attributed to Ansar Allah, is said to capture strikes targeting Saudi-backed military buildups in the area.

A political controversy has erupted over the transfer of a five-year-old elephant named Durga from Manas in Assam to the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Durga is among five captive elephants slated for relocation to temples across Tamil Nadu, including Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, and Kanchipuram. Wildlife activists and netizens have raised serious concerns over the welfare of young elephants, alleging that mandatory scrutiny was bypassed. The issue has taken a political turn with Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi questioning the Assam government over permissions, ownership details, and age verification, warning against what he called a silent exodus of the state's elephants. The incident revives past disputes between the two states, including the contentious case of the elephant Joymala.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a review meeting with senior officials from the civil and police administrations regarding the ongoing war against drugs in the state. Emphasising a zero-tolerance policy, Mann directed authorities to take stricter action against drug peddlers, accelerate the confiscation of smugglers' properties, and granted the police force full operational freedom to break supply chains at the grassroots level. The review comes amid renewed focus on drug abuse following the Sangrur incident, with instructions issued to top police brass to intensify measures to safeguard Punjab's youth.