On August 30, a rare celestial event, the blue supermoon, coincided with the landfall of Hurricane Idalia, a Category 4 storm, on Florida's Gulf Coast.
The blue supermoon, which is the second full moon in a month and also at its closest point to Earth, appeared 8% larger and 15% brighter than a normal full moon. However, this stunning spectacle also intensified the gravitational pull on Earth, leading to higher tides. As Hurricane Idalia barreled towards Florida, the heightened tides caused by the supermoon were expected to exacerbate the storm's impact, potentially worsening flooding not only in Florida but also in states like Georgia and South Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center projected a storm surge of up to 15 feet along parts of Florida's west coast. This convergence of natural phenomena raised concerns about the heightened risk of severe storm surges and flooding as the hurricane made landfall.
The passengers raised concerns over the Niloufer Restaurant's adherence to basic hygiene protocols and food safety standards after a cockroach was seen on the food counter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
A massive political controversy has erupted in Telangana following Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's alleged use of unparliamentary language in the State Assembly. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the Chief Minister of making personal and derogatory remarks against BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao and Deputy Leader T. Harish Rao. An unidentified BRS leader stated, 'I strongly demand on behalf of the party an apology from the Chief Minister.' The opposition has condemned the remarks as a violation of parliamentary conventions. India Today's Abdul Basheer reports that the row began during a discussion on irrigation issues, where the CM allegedly used abusive words while addressing opposition MLAs.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a scathing attack on the alliance between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray ahead of the January 15 Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections. Speaking at a campaign rally, Fadnavis termed their reunion not as a 'Preeti Sangam' (union of love) but a 'Bheeti Sangam' (union of fear) aimed at countering the ruling Mahayuti. He mocked the cousins, stating that while a 'cartoonist and a photographer' had come together, it actually represented a union of 'confusion and corruption'.
In a significant political development ahead of the upcoming BMC elections, the Thackeray brothers have reunited after two decades to release a joint manifesto. Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS Chief Raj Thackeray unveiled the ‘Vachan Nama’, pledging to protect the interests of the Marathi Manus and Mumbai. During the launch, Raj Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the ruling alliance, stating, ‘I have been telling you for many years that this Maharashtra is doing UP Bihar.’ Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of undermining democratic norms and ‘resorting to stealing candidates after vote theft’.
