The Hindu Morning Digest, February 16, 2025

Passengers crowd to board a train for Maha Kumbh from the New Delhi railway station on Saturday.

New Delhi railway station stampede: 15 dead, 11 injured 

Fifteen people, including three children, lost their lives in a stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday night (February 15, 2025).  Eleven others were injured, according to the Chief Casualty Medical Officer, LNJP Hospital. Speaking to The Hindu, Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg said the cause of the stampede was unclear, but initial reports suggested that cancellation of two trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh led to crowding and chaos on two platforms. 

U.S. flight brings second batch of 116 deportees

A United States aircraft carrying a batch of 116 alleged illegal migrants from India, who were deported from the U.S., landed at Punjab’s Amritsar International Airport on Saturday night .This was the second group of Indian citizens to be sent back from the U.S. after President Donald Trump started a crackdown on illegal immigrants. On February 5, a U.S. military plane brought 104 illegal immigrants, in handcuffs and chains, to Amritsar, inviting sharp criticism from the Opposition.

After Modi-Trump talks on Delhi-Dhaka tensions, Jaishankar to meet Bangladesh FM in Muscat 

Amidst troubled ties with Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will meet Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday (February 16, 2025), sources confirmed.

YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia apologises again, says he’s scared over death threats

Popular YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia apologised for his remark on parents again on Saturday (February 15, 2025) but said he feels scared as he and his family are receiving death threats. Mr. Allahbadia, one of the most influential podcasters with over 16 million followers across social media platforms, landed in a major controversy over his comment on parents and sex at Samay Raina’s comedy show “India’s Got Latent”.

Bengaluru court hands over to T.N. government jewellery seized from Jayalalithaa, others in disproportionate assets case

A special court in Bengaluru on February 15 (Saturday) handed over to the Tamil Nadu government about 27 kg of gold jewellery, records of 1,526 acres of land, and bank deposits of around ₹10 crore, which were confiscated from former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late Jayalalithaa and others in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Goa ex-MLA dies in Belagavi minutes after assault by auto driver

A former Goa MLA on Saturday (February 15, 2025) collapsed in a hotel and died minutes after he was allegedly assaulted by an auto driver following an argument in neighbouring Karnataka, an official said.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam embodies the heritage of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’: Yogi Adityanath

Inaugurating the third edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi on Saturday (February 15, 2025), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the unique event signifies India’s cultural foundations, noting that Kashi and Tamil Nadu share an emotional and creative bond since time immemorial. 

India, U.S. identify underwater domain awareness technologies for co-production in India

India and the United States are scaling up their cooperation in underwater domain awareness (UDA), a key focus for both countries, with a new initiative, the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Washington. 

Germany’s Scholz rebukes Vance, defends Europe’s stance on hate speech and far right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday (February 15, 2025) to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s attack on Europe’s stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.

Israel and Hamas complete their latest exchange as ceasefire’s first phase has just 2 weeks left

Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Saturday with just over two weeks remaining in their fragile Gaza ceasefire’s initial phase, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel to begin a Mideast tour.

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner accepts three-month ban in settlement of doping case

Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban for doping having tested positive for a banned substance last year following a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it said on Saturday (February 15, 2025).

Sneh Rana joins RCB as injury replacement for Shreyanka Patil

Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday drafted in Sneh Rana as replacement for injured Shreyanka Patil for the remainder of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 .Shreyanka, who has played 15 matches for RCB and has scalped 19 wickets with her off-spin, is ruled out of the third edition of tournament due to an unspecified injury.

Focus on Rohit and Kohli as Team India lands in Dubai for Champions Trophy

The Indian team made its touch down in the city on Saturday, hoping to bag the ICC Champions Trophy, starting from February 18, for the second time since 2013. India had last won the ICC marquee event in England 12 years back under the legendary MS Dhoni. The players and support staff trooped into a waiting bus, in line with the new BCCI diktat of travelling as a group, before proceeding to the designated team hotel.