Top news headlines of today – 18 Nov 2025

New Delhi: Delhi's air quality improved marginally on Monday with the AQI recorded at 351, still in the ‘very poor’ category, while Wazirpur and Bawana areas remained in the 'severe' zone with AQI above 400.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'very poor' category on Monday, with the 24-hour average settling at 351, a slight improvement from 377 recorded on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

AQI levels are expected to drop further on Monday, with fewer farm fires across neighbouring states.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday called on neighbouring states to make collective efforts in solving vexing issues such as air pollution caused by stubble burning, and cleaning the Yamuna, and demanded a rise in the city's share of the river water.

Addressing the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council for the first time after taking charge as chief minister in February this year, she said Delhi was fully committed to accommodating every joint initiative for solving shared issues.

At the meeting, Gupta expressed concern over air pollution and said that Delhi's air quality was heavily impacted by regional factors, particularly smoke from stubble burning.

According to a statement from Delhi CMO, Gupta said that states like Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have shown positive progress in crop-residue management in recent years, but the volume of smoke coming from Punjab remains significantly high.

She expressed hope that all neighbouring states, especially Punjab and Haryana, would extend deeper cooperation to ensure cleaner air for Delhi.

Follow this page as we track big developments of the day, with a focus on Delhi air pollution.

Nov 18, 2025 15:28 IST
Stubble burning: Lekhpal suspended in Maharajganj; notices issued to 4 SDMs, 12 SHOs
Acting tough on rising incidents of stubble burning, the Maharajganj district administration has suspended a lekhpal and issued show-cause notices to four sub-divisional magistrates and 12 police station in-charges for failing to control the situation, officials said on Tuesday.
 
The action followed 31 fresh cases of stubble burning reported across the district on Monday.
 
District Magistrate Satendra Kumar Sharma said negligence in field monitoring and failure to prevent such incidents would not be tolerated.



Nov 18, 2025 15:11 IST
Apple India profit rises 16% to Rs 3,196 cr, revenue climbs to Rs 79,378 cr
iPhone maker Apple India has reported a 16 per cent increase in the profit to Rs 3,196 crore in the financial year ended March 2025, according to the company's regulatory filing shared by market intelligence firm Tofler.
 
The company had posted a profit of Rs 2,745.71 crore in the previous financial year.
 
The total revenue increased by 18 per cent to Rs 79,378 crore during the reported year from Rs 67,121.61 crore in FY24.



Nov 18, 2025 15:10 IST
Zoho's Arattai set to roll out end-to-end encryption; Vembu urges users to update
Zoho-backed homegrown messaging platform Arattai is poised for a big update with end-to-end encryption scheduled to be rolled out on Tuesday night, founder Sridhar Vembu said in a social media post.
 
Vembu said many more "cool features" on Arattai are in the works once "this big transition" is through.
 
"Please update the Arattai app from the Play Store/App Store and please encourage your contacts to do so. The end-to-end encryption will be enabled Tuesday night IST," Vembu said in a post on X on Tuesday.



Nov 18, 2025 15:10 IST
ED raids premises linked to WinZO, Gamezkraft in money laundering probe
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided premises linked to online gaming platforms WinZO and Gamezkraft as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said.
 
A total of 11 premises were covered in the raids, including five located in Bengaluru, four in Delhi and two in Gurugram (Haryana), they said.
 
The search action is being conducted by the Bengaluru zonal office against the two online gaming companies which own websites named WinZO app and Gamezkraft (pocket52.com), ED sources said.



Nov 18, 2025 15:09 IST
Most wanted Naxal Hidma killed 12 days ahead of Amit Shah's deadline
Madvi Hidma, the dreaded Maoists 'commander,' was killed by security forces 12 days before the November 30 deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate the most wanted Naxalite, sources said on Tuesday.
 
Security forces killed the 44-year-old Naxal leader in the dense Pullagandi forests located at the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana



Nov 18, 2025 13:35 IST
Prashant Kishor blames 'cash push' for poll outcome, takes responsibility for Jan Suraaj setback
Jan Suraaj Party leader Prashant Kishor on Tuesday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) would have been bundled up with just 25 seats had his government not given Rs 10,000 to 60,000 beneficiaries in each constituency just before the assembly elections and promised Rs 2 lakh to 1.5 crore women across the state under self-employment initiatives.
 
Addressing a press conference here, Kishor said that his Jan Suraaj Party made an honest effort but failed to make a mark in the polls, and that he took full responsibility for the debacle.
 
Kishor also alleged that 'vote chori' (theft of votes) happens on a pan-India level and urged national opposition parties to hold deliberations on the matter and move the Supreme Court, if needed.



Nov 18, 2025 13:34 IST
Who was Madvi Hidma, top commander whose death is almost like end of Naxal movement
Top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma, who had masterminded several attacks over the last two decades, was killed in an encounter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, a breakthrough Chhattisgarh Police described as the "last nail in the coffin" of the insurgency.
 
Security forces gunned down Hidma, his wife Raje, and four other Naxalites in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of the neighbouring state this morning, a senior police officer in Bastar confirmed.
 
Hidma's elimination is the "last nail in the coffin" of severely-weakened insurgency in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.



Nov 18, 2025 13:17 IST
Multiple courts, CRPF schools in Delhi receive bomb threat; all found to be hoax
Multiple courts in Delhi, Saket, Dwarka and Patiala House, along with two CRPF-run schools, received bomb threats on Tuesday morning, prompting large-scale security checks across the national capital, officials said.
 
Police said an email warning of explosives planted on court premises was received early morning, following which security teams were alerted to inspect the premises of these district courts. Nothing suspicious was found after the security checks.
 
Around the same time, an unidentified man called the Police Control Room (PCR) around 9 am, claiming that bombs had been placed inside CRPF schools located in Prashant Vihar and Dwarka.



Nov 18, 2025 12:32 IST
Madvi Hidma among six Maoists shot dead in Andhra Pradesh operation
Six Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel here in Alluri Sitaramaraju district on Tuesday, a police official said.
 
According to reports, Madvi Hidma, an alleged mastermind behind several attacks on police, was also suspected to be among the dead. However, there was no immediate confirmation either from the police or the state government on Hidma's death.
 
District superintendent of police (SP) Amit Bardar said the encounter happened between 6.30 am and 7 am in the forested area of Maredumilli mandal.



Nov 18, 2025 11:39 IST
Urge Centre, Bihar govt to order probe if my parents subjected to mental harassment: Tej Pratap
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday came out in support of his sister Rohini Acharya following her recent public allegations of humiliation by her brother Tejashwi Yadav and the latter's aide Sanjay Yadav, and also urged the Centre and the Bihar government to order a probe if his parents were subjected to any form of mental harassment.
 
The former Bihar minister, who lost the election from Mahua assembly seat, voiced his sentiments in support of his sister Rohini Acharya in a post on his X handle, blaming the crisis on 'Jaichand', a metaphor for traitors.



Nov 18, 2025 11:25 IST
Newborn, doctor among 4 killed as ambulance catches fire in Gujarat's Arvalli district
A newborn baby, a doctor and two other persons were charred to death when an ambulance they were travelling in caught fire near Modasa town in Gujarat's Arvalli district in the wee hours of Tuesday, police said.
 
The blaze erupted in the ambulance on Modasa-Dhansura road at around 1 am when the one-day-old boy, who was sick after birth, was being taken to a private hospital in Ahmedabad from a Modasa-based hospital for further treatment, police inspector DB Vala said.
 
The child, his father, identified as Jignesh Mochi (38), doctor Shantilal Rentia (30), from Ahmedabad, and nurse Bhuriben Manat (23), a native of Arvalli, were killed, he said.



Nov 18, 2025 10:58 IST
Bangladesh warns its media against publishing statements of 'fugitive' Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh's interim government has warned all print, electronic and online media outlets to refrain from reporting statements issued by "convicted and fugitive" deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, citing concerns over national security and public order.
 
The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) in a press release issued on Monday claimed that Hasina's statements may contain directives or calls capable of inciting “violence, disorder and criminal activities” and disrupting social harmony, The Daily Star newspaper reported.



Nov 18, 2025 10:57 IST
PhysicsWallah shares list at 33% premium, soar nearly 49% intraday
Shares of edtech unicorn PhysicsWallah Ltd on Tuesday listed with a premium of 33 per cent against the issue price of Rs 109.
 
The stock started trading at Rs 143.10, registering a jump of 31.28 per cent from the issue price on the BSE, becoming the first major pure-play edtech company to debut on the exchanges. Later, it surged 48.66 per cent to Rs 162.05.
 
At the NSE, the stock got listed at Rs 145, a premium of 33 per cent from the issue price.
 
The company's market valuation stood at Rs 43,453.03 crore.



Nov 18, 2025 10:13 IST
CNG crisis persists in Mumbai, refuelling queues stretch for hours
Mumbai: CNG pumps across Mumbai and neighbouring areas witnessed long queues for the second straight day on Tuesday, as supply disruptions caused by damage to a key gas pipeline continued to hamper refuelling for vehicles.
Read more...



Nov 18, 2025 10:09 IST
Naxalite killed in encounter with cops in Chhattisgarh's Sukma
A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, a police official said.
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Nov 18, 2025 10:08 IST
Delhi AQI slips below GRAP-3 threshold of 350
New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to 'very poor' air on Tuesday, with the city's AQI touching 344 and four stations reporting 'severe' pollution levels, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
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Nov 18, 2025 08:43 IST
ED raids Al Falah University, linked persons in Delhi Red Fort blast case
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday launched searches against the Al Falah University of Faridabad and its promoters and linked persons as part of its investigation related to the Red Fort area terrorist blast case, sources said.
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Nov 18, 2025 07:36 IST
Congress top office-bearers of 12 states and UTs, where SIR is underway, to meet today
New Delhi: Amid the Bihar poll debacle and its "vote chori" pitch, the Congress will hold a review meeting on Tuesday of in-charges, state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries of 12 states and Union territories where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is underway.
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Nov 18, 2025 07:33 IST
Man killed after brawl over Bihar poll verdict in MP's Guna
An argument triggered by political discussions over the Bihar poll verdict resulted in the killing of a 22-year-old man allegedly by his maternal uncles in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Monday.
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