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Kerala CM VD Satheesan seeks PM Modi's intervention for Indian medics affected by visa issues in UAE amid Iran war
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Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan urged the Central government to address the visa issues faced by Indian healthcare workers in the UAE after the closure of Dubai's Iranian Hospital, affecting their jobs and residency status amid West Asia unrest.CM Satheesan seeks PM Modi's help for Indian medics affected by UAE visa issues (ANI Photo)(Hemant Rawat)Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Sunday urged the Central government to step in and address the concerns of Indian healthcare workers impacted by visa-related complications in the United Arab Emirates following the closure of Dubai's Iranian Hospital amid the continuing unrest in West Asia.Satheesan, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighted the plight of a number of Indian medical professionals, many of them from Kerala, who had been employed at the hospital and are now facing uncertainty over their jobs and residency status as a result of its shutdown."I am writing to seek your urgent intervention on behalf of a group of Indian healthcare professionals, predominantly from Kerala, who were employed at Iranian Hospital, Dubai, and are presently facing an extremely distressing situation," Satheesan.He added, “Following the closure of the hospital amid recent regional developments, many of these nurses and healthcare workers have reportedly encountered visa-related restrictions in the UAE, affecting their ability to obtain employment, visit, and dependent visas. As a result, families that have lived and worked in the UAE for years now face uncertainty, financial hardship, and the prospect of losing their livelihoods.”Emphasising the contributions made by these healthcare professionals and the humanitarian nature of their predicament, the Chief Minister urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to work closely with the Indian Embassy in the UAE and relevant Emirati authorities to secure a fair and compassionate outcome for those affected."Many affected individuals are currently nearing the end of their grace period and fear that they may be compelled to leave the UAE, potentially jeopardizing their future employment opportunities and professional licensing. The situation has caused immense anxiety among numerous Malayali families whose lives and children's education are rooted in the UAE," the CM said.He stressed that, given the welfare concerns of Indian citizens living abroad, the Centre should examine the matter and engage with all stakeholders to find an equitable resolution.While sharing the letter on X, he mentioned, “Wrote to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi seeking urgent intervention on behalf of Indian healthcare professionals, predominantly from Keralam, affected by visa-related issues following the closure of Iranian Hospital, Dubai. Requested the Government of India to engage with the #UAE authorities and help secure a fair and compassionate resolution for the affected families.”At the same time, the White House is working to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tehran aimed at ending the current conflict and paving the way for broader negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme. However, according to American officials and regional mediators familiar with the discussions, significant differences persist between the two sides on several key provisions of the proposed agreement.Although the talks have reportedly entered a decisive stage, officials cautioned that the chances of achieving a conclusive deal remain uncertain, with the outcome still hanging in the balance.(With inputs from ANI)About the AuthorGarvit BhiraniGarvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on
Around 25 foreign nationals, including citizens of Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Canada, have been detained or arrested at the Chennai and Madurai airports for allegedly voting illegally in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, according to media reports.According to a report by Deccan Herald citing officials, the individuals, all holding foreign passports, were stopped by immigration authorities and later taken into custody after indelible ink marks were discovered on their index fingers, indicating they had voted.Legal action has been initiated against them under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and other relevant provisions, the report stated.Investigators further noted that most of the accused are believed to be Sri Lankan nationals.Investigations found that the accused, despite holding foreign citizenship and no longer being an Indian citizen, had allegedly stayed in different parts of the state to cast votes illegally, according to a PTI report citing a police statement.Investigators suspect that several more foreign nationals who entered the country during the election period may have voted and remained in India, aware that authorities were verifying passengers’ credentials at airports during departure checks.Based on intelligence inputs that some foreigners were trying to leave the country after voting, law enforcement agencies alerted officials at airports in Chennai, Madurai, and other cities. Most of the detentions were made in Chennai.Two foreign nationals were found to have allegedly cast votes in the Puducherry Union Territory. While polling in Tamil Nadu took place in a single phase on April 23, elections in Puducherry were conducted on April 9.According to a report by The Hindu, a man of Indian origin who acquired a British passport in 2015 allegedly voted in the Pattukottai Assembly constituency. He was detained at Chennai International Airport while attempting to board a flight to London.The 2026 Tamil Nadu elections were registered in history books after the state declared an unprecedented mandate for Vijay. While TVK ended up winning 108 out of 234 seats in its maiden political stint, it was for the first time in the history of state politics that both legacy 'Dravidian' parties were ousted from power.However, Vijay couldn't attain a majority on its own and was later offered support by Congress (5), CPI-M (2), CPI (2), VCK (2) and IUML (2), which were earlier the allies of DMK.(With inputs from PTI)About the AuthorLivemintFor about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic
These appointments reflect the brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP. There is no longer even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed, Congress said.Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar along with former Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), WB, Manoj Agarwal (L, standing) during the press conference on Poll Preparedness for West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election in Kolkata, India, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Hindustan Times)The Congress has slammed the appointments of erstwhile chief election officer Manoj Agarwal as the new West Bengal chief secretary by the newly-inducted Suvendu Adhikari-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.The opposition party has also flagged the appointed of Subrata Gupta as the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The Congress party claimied that the appointments reflected the "brazen collusion and connivance" between the Election Commission and the BJP and said that there is not even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed.West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal, was on 11 May appointed Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in the state. The appointment came a week after the assembly election results were declared and two days after Adhikari took oath as the BJP's first Chief Minister of the state.People also askAI powered insights from this story•5 QUESTIONSThe Congress party has slammed the appointments of Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary and Subrata Gupta as Chief Advisor, alleging "brazen collusion and connivance" between the Election Commission and the BJP. They claim these appointments are not even an attempt to conceal this collusion.Manoj Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, was the Chief Electoral Officer who oversaw the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. His appointment as Chief Secretary by the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government is controversial due to allegations of collusion with the BJP, particularly after the removal of approximately 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls.The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was an exercise to revise electoral rolls in West Bengal, during which around 90 lakh voters were removed. The BJP described it as an 'essential electoral roll clean-up drive,' while the Congress and TMC alleged it was an attempt to disenfranchise voters and create an electoral advantage for the BJP.Congress MP Shashi Tharoor suggested that the large-scale deletion of voters during the SIR, with many appeals pending adjudication, may have benefited the BJP. He noted that the BJP's victory margin was close to the number of pending voter appeals.Subrata Gupta, a 1990-batch IAS officer who also oversaw the SIR deletions as the special roll observer, has been appointed as the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, responsible for overseeing the recent Assembly elections in the state. Agarwal, a West Bengal cadre officer, also helmed the EC-mandated Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal in the run-up to the Assembly polls, in which around 90 lakh voters were removed from the voter list.Agarwal was moved to the West Bengal forest department before being brought back to a prominent role as the state’s CEO.‘Brazen collusion and connivance’Similarly, Subrata Gupta, also a 1990-batch IAS officer who oversaw the SIR deletions in Bengal as the special roll observer, has been appointed the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out in a post on X."These appointments reflect the brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP. There is no longer even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed," Ramesh said.Gupta was appointed advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, hours after he was sworn in, while Shantanu Bala was named his private secretary. The appointments are a testimony that th
It's been a week since Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won the Kerala aassembly elections. Still, suspense continues over Congress's chief-ministerial nominee for the state.On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at the party's "alleged indecision" in naming a new Chief Minister for Kerala, accusing the Congress leadership of allgedly stabbing its own leaders in the back.PM Modi alleged that Congress-led governments are consumed by "internal disputes" rather than public service and pointed out that despite securing a mandate in Kerala, the party has remained unable to choose its Chief Minister, leaving the state's administration in a state of paralysis."Instead of solving the problems of the people, the government here is spending most of its time resolving internal disputes. It has still not been decided how long the Chief Minister will remain in office...Even in Kerelam now, they are unable to reach a conclusion. They make promises to their own party leaders and then stab them in the back. The same happened in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The same game is still going on in Karnataka. Now it is Kerala's turn," PM Modi said speaking at an event in Karnataka.PM Modi's remarks came after the Congress-led UDF won 102 of the state's 140 seats.Assembly elections were held in Kerala along with West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. West Bengal, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have got their chief ministers. Himanta Biswa Sarma is all set to be chief minister of Assam. However, the Congress party hasn't finalised its chief ministerial choice yet.Ball in high commands's courtCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi have reportedly seized of the matter and the name is likely to be announced soon.Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remarking that the PM appears to have "memory loss" regarding his own party's history of leadership delays in Delhi.Responding to the Prime Minister's jibes over the ongoing suspense in selecting the Kerala Chief Minister, Chennithala reminded him that the BJP itself had allegedly delayed its Chief Ministerial pick in Delhi for 50 days.Congress leader K Muraleedharan said on Sunday the party workers are bound to accept the high command's decision regarding the selection of the next chief minister of Kerala. Responding to reporters' questions in Thiruvananthapuram, Muraleedharan said the current debate over the chief minister's post has not overshadowed the United Democratic Front's (UDF) electoral victory in the southern state.The top brass of the Congress held a meeting for more than three hours in Delhi on Saturday to discuss government formation in Kerala. The meeting convened by Kharge at his residence was attended by Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi, general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and senior leaders from the state Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan.Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala are considered to be the frontrunners for the chief minister's post."Everyone expressed their views and Rahulji heard them patiently. The final decision on the chief minister will be taken by the Congress high command and whatever decision is made will be accepted by all," Chennithala had said after the meeting.Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph and senior observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik were also present at the meeting.The tenure of Kerala Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on 23 May 2026.Satheesan had said the Congress has scored a historic win in the Kerala Assembly polls due to the hard work of all workers but subsequently, there have been demonstrations, social-media campaigns and even flexboards have come up regarding the selection of the chief minister, creating an image of divisions in the party."All of us are requesting together that please do not carry out such demonstrations and campaigns for anyone of
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