18+ min ago (114+ words) Pathanamthitta (Kerala): Around 12.48 lakh devotees have visited the Sabarimala temple in the first 15 days of the mandala-makaravilakku pilgrimage season, officials said on Sunday. A Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) release said 12,47,954 pilgrims have reached the hill shrine since the pilgrimage began on November 16. On Sunday alone, 50,264 devotees trekked to Sabarimala till 7 pm, officials said. Authorities said the crowd has remained under control in recent days, enabling pilgrims to complete darshan without difficulty. In the initial days of the season, Sabarimala witnessed heavy congestion, prompting the Kerala High Court to intervene and direct officials to restrict the number of devotees arriving through the spot-booking system....

31+ min ago (256+ words) Visakhapatnam: A red alert has been sounded for Tirupati, Prakasam and Nellore districts cyclone Ditwah was expected to weaken into a depression in the early hours of Monday. Moderate rainfall accompanied by winds lashed parts of the Nellore and Tirupati districts as Ditwah over the Bay of Bengal inched closer to the eastern coastal regions. The state government set up control rooms in vulnerable districts to monitor and manage the situation arising from the cyclone, which may trigger heavy rainfall. An IMD release said, "Rainfall activity is expected to intensify between Sunday night and Monday morning in parts of the Rayalaseema as well as south coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh" Parts of the Tirupati, YSR Kadapa, Annamayya and Bapatla districts till Monday morning while parts of the Chittoor, Sri Sathya Sai, Anantapur, Nandyal, Palnadu, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and Konaseema…...

38+ min ago (171+ words) Vijayawada: Newly appointed Andhra Pradesh IMA state president Dr Sangaraju Balaraju has urged the state government to strengthen laws protecting doctors and hospitals, citing rising assaults on medical professionals across the country. Dr Balaraju called for a national Medical Protection Act, pending for years, and sought a uniform police SOP to prevent frivolous medical negligence cases. He said FIRs must be registered only after scrutiny by a three-member expert committee. Emphasising that 60 per cent of patients in AP depend on private hospitals, he urged the government to clear pending NTR Vaidya Seva dues, revise package rates, and introduce single-window clearance for hospital licences. He also demanded strict action against untrained practitioners prescribing strong antibiotics in violation of NMC guidelines. He said the IMA, with four lakh members nationwide and over 22,000 in AP, supports all medical systems but opposes allowing AYUSH…...

1+ hour, 3+ min ago (153+ words) ANANTAPUR: Several areas in Annamayya and Kadapa districts witnessed heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Ditwah on Sunday, while Anantapur and Satya Sai districts experienced light to moderate showers. A holiday has been declared for all schools in Annamayya district on Monday following heavy rainfall. With the IMD forecasting 1015 cm of rainfall accompanied by gusty winds of 6080 kmph across many parts of the Rayalaseema region, district administrations have been placed on high alert. Control rooms have been set up at district headquarters and revenue division offices. State disaster management personnel and NDRF teams have been kept ready for emergency rescue and relief operations. The Annamayya district administration has advised parents to ensure children do not go near riverbeds, tanks or channels during the heavy rain spell. A sharp drop in temperature was also recorded on Sunday due to the cyclone's impact,…...

1+ hour, 28+ min ago (189+ words) Now at the Rehabilitation Centre, forest officials will monitor the tigress and her cubs before a call is taken by Chief Wildlife Warden to release the tigress and her cubs to the forests. Deputy Conservator of Forests, Hunsur division Fayaz Quazi told Deccan Chronicle the tigress aged about 11 years was darted before it was captured from an agricultural field on November 27. A constant search was kept in the vicinity of Gowdanakatte village by forest officials to track the cubs. "Use of thermal drone detected the tiger cubs in the night," said the DCF before forest personnel engaged in a combing operation at Gowdanakatte, forest officials came across cubs, about 5 months old, and all of them were captured in a matter of an hour and half on Sunday one after the other. A cub was captured on Sunday at around 10 am…...

1+ hour, 43+ min ago (248+ words) Recalling the 2019 reorganisation under former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Kakani said the inclusion of the three mandals in Nellore was based on geographical realities and to prevent water disputes: Reports NELLORE: Former minister and Nellore district YSRC president Kakani Govardhan Reddy criticised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday, alleging that the latest draft on district reorganisation would create fresh unrest in Nellore. Speaking at the party office, Kakani said Naidu had promised before the elections to merge Gudur with Nellore but has now proposed shifting Rapur, Kaluvayi and Saidapuram mandals to Tirupati district. He warned that the move would trigger serious issues over water release from Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs, which currently serve Nellore farmers. Transferring the mandals, he said, would create administrative conflicts and jeopardise irrigation needs. Recalling the 2019 reorganisation under former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Kakani…...

1+ hour, 49+ min ago (296+ words) NELLORE: Police have swiftly solved the gruesome murder that shocked residents of Kallurupalli Housing Board Colony in Nellore Rural mandal on November 28, 2025. Officials revealed that the killing, carried out as part of a pre-planned conspiracy, resulted from a long-standing rivalry. According to Nellore Rural police, the victim'identified as K. Panchalaiah from RDT Colony'had been returning home with his son when a seven-member gang arrived on motorcycles and attacked Panchalaiah with knives. People rushed severely injured Panchalaiah to the Nellore Government Hospital but he succumbed to his wounds. Following a complaint filed by his wife K. Durga, Nellore Rural Police registered a case under Crime No. 381/2025. Nellore district SP Dr. Ajith Vejendla ordered formation of special teams. Under the supervision of additional SP Ch. Soujanya and leadership of Nellore Rural DSP G. Srinivas Rao, circle inspector Venu and his team launched an intensive manhunt....

1+ hour, 58+ min ago (96+ words) Joint collector Mogili Venkateswarlu announced the decision on Sunday, stating that the holiday was being declared as a precautionary measure. Nellore: In view of the heavy rainfall forecast due to Cyclone Ditwah, the Nellore district administration has declared a holiday for all government, private, aided and Anganwadi schools, as well as all government and private junior colleges, on December 1, Monday. Joint collector Mogili Venkateswarlu announced the decision on Sunday, stating that the holiday was being declared as a precautionary measure He instructed managements of all schools and junior colleges to strictly comply with the orders....

2+ hour, 2+ min ago (398+ words) Hyderabad: A group of 50 children from Little Rock, often described as Hyderabad's biggest little choir, opened the Christmas season with their concert "Love Came Down' on Sunday night. Families and youngsters filled the venue well before the start, turning the evening into a celebration of song, scripture and youthful enthusiasm. The first half featured songs such as "John 1', "Noel', "Angels We Have Heard on High', "Gloria' and "Born on Christmas'. A mentor-led piece, "Because of Bethlehem', offered a calm interlude before the second half, which included choreography, meaningful skits and interactive games. Other songs included "O Come O Come Emmanuel', "Mary Did You Know', "What Child Is This', an English medley, and finally "Joyful Joyful', which brought the audience to its feet, especially during the moments when the children rapped with confidence. Several performers spoke about what the choir means…...

2+ hour, 2+ min ago (152+ words) Udupi: Five persons were killed and seven others injured after a Light Commercial Vehicle rammed into a road divider and overturned on NH-66 near Kotalakatte, about 15 km from Udupi, on Sunday. The deceased are said to be laborers from North India. According to preliminary information, the tempo was transporting decoration materials from Kapu Majoor to Malpe when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and collided with the highway divider. The vehicle was carrying laborers along with the materials. Due to the impact of the accident five died and the remaining workers and the driver sustained injuries. Police said the vehicle crashed into the divider and toppled onto the service road. Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said that seven injured are undergoing treatment for injuries. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Ranjith, is admitted to the Intensive Care…...