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UPDATED: Dec 22, 2025 08:56 IST
In a watershed moment for Japan’s energy policy, the Niigata region is expected to endorse the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. This marks a significant shift 15 years after the Fukushima disaster led to a nationwide nuclear shutdown. The facility, located 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, has been offline since 2011. Facing rising energy demands and global fuel uncertainty, Tokyo is moving back toward nuclear power. The decision reignites debates on safety and energy security as Japan edges closer to its most significant nuclear restart in over a decade.
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Aravalli Row: Minister Bhupender Yadav Defends SC Order, Says Only 0.19% Area Open for Mining
In this Special Report, India Today's Devang Kurwadwan tracks the growing protests across North India against the Supreme Court's new definition of the Aravalli Hills. From Gurugram to Jaipur, environmental activists and citizens are demonstrating against the revised criteria, which they claim strips protection from nearly 90% of the fragile mountain range. The controversy centres on the rule that only hills 100 metres or taller qualify for protection. However, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has pushed back against the outcry, calling the charges baseless. He asserts that 'only a tiny 0.19%' of the total 1.4 lakh square kilometre Aravalli region is open for mining, while the vast majority remains protected. The programme highlights the political slugfest, with the opposition accusing the government of favouring the mining mafia, while residents in villages like those near Minister Rao Narveer Singh’s office demand the guideline be withdrawn to save the region’s ecological lifeline.
Revanth Reddy's Govt to Table Anti-Hate Speech Bill in Telangana; BJP Cries Foul
Telangana is gearing up to introduce a stringent new law against hate speech, a move announced by Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy. Following a similar bill in Karnataka, the proposed legislation will be tabled in the monsoon session of the Assembly and aims to take strict action against those insulting religions or communities. Backing his government's stand, the Chief Minister stated that welfare for religious minorities is a right, not charity. The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused Reddy of hypocrisy and being anti-Hindu. Furthermore, critics and opponents of the bill warn that its vague definition of hate speech could grant sweeping powers to the police, potentially stifling free speech and targeting journalists, writers, and artists.
BMC Polls: Shiv Sena UBT, MNS Finalise Seat Sharing As Congress Goes Solo
In a major political development ahead of the BMC elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has confirmed that seat-sharing talks between his party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have been finalised. This comes as the Congress party announced it will contest the polls solo, signaling a split in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Meanwhile, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is buoyed by a significant victory in the recent Maharashtra local body elections, winning over 200 local bodies. The report highlights the shifting alliances and the high stakes for the Thackeray brothers in the first BMC election since the Shiv Sena and NCP splits.
Jairam Ramesh on New Job Bill: 'An Affront to the Father of the Nation'
Following President Draupadi Murmu's assent to the VB G. Ramji bill, which replaces the MGNREGA rural job scheme, Congress has launched a fierce attack on the BJP government. The new law increases guaranteed work from 100 to 125 days but changes the funding model to a 60:40 split between the Centre and states. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the move, stating, 'It's a very sad day that a program which was named after the father of the nation...is being dismembered'. He argued that not only is the name change an 'affront to the father of the nation', but the new architecture shifts the financial burden to states, which lack resources. Ramesh warned that because of this, the 'program will die a natural death'. The BJP has dismissed the criticism as 'political drama'.
