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Thursday, October 30, 2025
TopicSandalwood

Topic: Sandalwood

Why ruling Congress & Kannada film industry are on a collision course

Heated back-and-forth spotlights the link, or lack thereof, between politics & cinema in Karnataka. It is threatening to put an irreparable wedge between the industry and Congress.

‘We want our forest produce back.’ Naidu govt looks to benefit from sale of seized red sanders logs

Debt-ridden Andhra Pradesh has urged Centre to let it sell seized logs & to stop other states from profiting. Smuggling of the red wood is a thriving illegal business.

Veerappan was target of India’s costliest manhunt. Now, he’s a staple in true crime stories

Among villagers, Veerappan was more than a bandit and poacher. He was their troubleshooter, escalating tensions and solving problems that were usually handled by the panchayats.

Kannada film forum urges Siddaramaiah govt to form Hema Committee-like panel led by retired judge

Comprehensive measures are needed to create a safe & equitable working environment for all women in industry, Film Industry for Rights & Equality writes to Siddaramaiah govt.

‘Atrocities in guise of raid’: Madras HC order upholding 200+ convictions in 1992 Vachathi horror

Suspecting sandalwood smuggling, officials from forest, police & revenue depts of then TN govt had entered Vachathi, where they beat up villagers & raped 17 women and a minor.

Supreme Court grants bail to Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi in drugs racket case

The top court bench set aside the 3 November 2020 order of Karnataka High Court refusing to grant bail to Dwivedi and others in the case registered under the NDPS Act.

This sandalwood soap, integral to most Kannadigas’ identity, traces its origins back to WW1

Oval-shaped, biscuit-coloured Mysore Sandal Soap owes its signature scent to 'Soap Sastry', one of India's first industrial chemists who travelled to England & US to make the soap.

Covid forces Kannada film industry to rake up 40-yr-old govt promise — a mega film city

Film city was first promised in 1980. Stakeholders say a mega movie studio is more needed now as Sandalwood has suffered nearly Rs 1,000 cr losses during pandemic.

‘Tantrums, forgotten password, Covid lie’ — Sandalwood drug suspects keep police on toes

Prime suspects in the alleged Sandalwood drugs scandal, including actor Ragini Dwivedi & party planner Viren Khanna, are allegedly not cooperating with probe. Their lawyers deny the charge.

Drugs, flashy parties, police uniform — ‘Sandalwood scandal’ is watertight case, police say

The investigation began after NCB busted an international drug trafficking racket last month that led to the discovery of large amounts of drugs at upscale gated properties in Bengaluru.

On Camera

Russia’s super-missile test shows a new, expensive technological race—with dire outcomes

The test raises a question. Why have Russian nuclear strategists now invested in the Burevestnik, when the US abandoned nuclear ramjet propulsion in 1964?

Karnataka, Telangana, TN, Maharashtra power 40% of services output, pan-India growth uneven—NITI Aayog

Report on India's services sector examines state-level dynamics, maps disparities and suggests ways to tap into the sector’s potential.

India pulled out of Tajikistan’s strategically important Ayni air base in 2022. Here’s why

Tajikistan did not want to extend the lease because of apparent pressure from Russia & China over non-regional military personnel at the air base, it is learnt.

Deepfake on duty: when I asked AI to read Op Sindoor citations

On 21 Oct, a buzz went up that the govt had released full list of gallantry award recipients along with Op Sindoor citations. I put an AI caddy on the job. It took me into a never-ending rabbit hole.