INDIA

Punjab recorded its first COVID-19 death of the year after a man referred from Ludhiana passed away at Chandigarh’s Government Hospital in Sector 32. Hospital authorities confirmed that he succumbed to complications related to the virus. His death marks the twelfth COVID-19 fatality in the country since the recent resurgence of infections, with active cases now exceeding 1,000 nationwide. In a separate incident, a 25-year-old man in Punjab's Ferozepur district tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. According to officials, the individual, who works at a private firm in Gurugram, had returned to Ferozepur a few days ago to be with his parents after feeling unwell. Following a positive test result, he was immediately placed in home isolation by the health department. “All his ...

Senior BJP leader and Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, N Ravikumar, is facing widespread condemnation after making a communal and derogatory remark against Kalaburagi District Collector Fauzia Tarannum, a Muslim woman IAS officer. Speaking during a ‘Kalaburagi Chalo’ protest rally on May 24, Ravikumar questioned Tarannum's national allegiance in a public speech that was captured on video and went viral two days later. “I don’t know whether the DC has come from Pakistan or is an IAS officer here,” he said, implying that her administrative decisions were biased in favor of the ruling Congress party. The remark sparked immediate backlash across political and civil society circles. Rights activists and opposition leaders slammed Ravikumar for promoting I...

Sarah Aziz, a 23-year-old freelance journalist and student from Kolkata, has won second prize in the "Young Journalist of the Year" category at the UK’s prestigious Press Awards held on May 22. Aziz, currently pursuing her Master’s in Journalism at Columbia University in New York, began her reporting career in 2023 while studying English Literature at Loreto College, Kolkata. Aziz was recognised for her powerful investigative reporting on the plight of Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh, a piece she produced for Voice of America. Her work has since expanded to major British outlets like The Guardian and The Telegraph (UK). In 2024, she published a groundbreaking story in The Telegraph u llncovering the death of a Rohingya child detained by Indian authorities in New Delhi. The ...

A tense and emotional scene unfolded Monday evening in the Banikhet area of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, when Shyam Lal, a 48-year-old former Special Police Officer (SPO) of Jammu Kashmir Police, climbed a 15-metre-high pine tree and threatened to end his life over severe financial distress. According to eyewitnesses, Lal wept as he revealed that his monthly income had dropped drastically—from ₹18,000 before the pandemic to just ₹4,000. He warned onlookers that any rescue attempt would drive him to take the final step. Local villagers immediately alerted the authorities. Police and fire brigade teams arrived on the scene, deploying ladders and safety nets, but Lal refused assistance and continued his protest for nearly five hours. With efforts failing to convince him, officials re...

Asjad Babu, a young man from Bihar’s Kishanganj district, was lynched in Panipat’s Flora Sector 29 on May 24 after being attacked allegedly for wearing a skull cap. According to reports, a man named Shishu Lala knocked off Asjad’s cap and assaulted him with a stick as he bent to pick it up. He later died in a Rohtak hospital. The incident has raised concerns over rising hate crimes and the breakdown of India’s social fabric, where visible religious identity is increasingly becoming a target. Former MLA Mujahid Alam, who is supporting the family, said, "The accused should be booked under UAPA and face the death penalty.” A case has been filed at Flora Sector 29 Police Station (No. 288/2025), and CCTV footage is being reviewed. Asjad’s burial took place the same night, and Ala...

India on Monday reported a total of 1,009 active COVID-19 cases in the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. As per the Health Ministry, India's COVID-19 update showed a total of 1009 active cases, with 752 new cases recently confirmed. According to the government data, Kerala currently tops the chart with the highest number of active cases at 430. Other states with notable case counts include Maharashtra (209), Delhi (104), Gujarat (83), and Karnataka (47). Earlier, a 21-year-old Covid-19 patient who was undergoing treatment at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Kalwa Hospital in Thane after testing positive died, Thane Municipal Corporation said. The 21-year-old from Mumbra was admitted for treatment at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Kalwa Hospital in Thane on May 2...

India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy in terms of nominal GDP, according to BVR Subrahmanyam, the CEO of NITI Aayog. Speaking at a public event on May 24, Subrahmanyam said, “We are the fourth largest economy as I speak. We are a USD 4 trillion economy. This is not my data. This is IMF data. India today is larger than Japan.” His announcement follows the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) April 2025 World Economic Outlook report, which projects India’s GDP to reach USD 4.19 trillion this year, slightly ahead of Japan. However, the IMF has not officially confirmed that the transition has already occurred, noting only that India is expected to overtake Japan sometime during 2025. Until 2024, India held the fifth spot in global rankings. With the cur...

A major controversy has broken out in India’s digital content community, with multiple YouTubers accusing the prominent news agency Asian News International (ANI) of issuing copyright strikes and demanding exorbitant payments for using short portions of its footage. The issue came into public view after Rajat Pawar, a YouTuber from a modest background with over 3 million subscribers, alleged that ANI demanded Rs 18 lakh plus GST for a 9-second video clip used in one of his videos. “They told me to pay up or lose my entire channel,” Pawar said in his video exposé. In the wake of the allegations, several other creators came forward with similar experiences. Many said they were pressured to pay lakhs of rupees under the threat of having their channels taken down. The tactic, they claimed, ...

A routine transport journey ended in brutal violence and lawlessness when Saleem Khan and his nephew Aqeel Ibrahim were intercepted by a mob near Aligarh’s outskirts. The two men, transporting goods from Atrauli to the local mandi in a container truck, were accompanied by two young laborers hired to assist them. What followed was a grim episode highlighting escalating communal tensions and breakdown of law and order. As their vehicle approached Aligarh, they were stopped by a violent mob accusing them of carrying cow meat—a charge that has increasingly become a pretext for mob violence against Muslims in northern India. The mob, allegedly linked to Hindutva groups, forcibly surrounded the truck, chanting provocative slogans and demanding a ransom of ₹50,000 to allow passage. Wh...

The recent militant attack in Pahalgam has reignited concerns about terrorism in India, it has also thrown into sharp relief the contradictions in the BJP-led government’s approach to minorities—particularly Muslims. In response to the attack, the Modi government announced the formation of seven international delegations to highlight India’s “zero-tolerance” policy towards terrorism. These delegations—comprising 59 leaders from across the political spectrum—will visit the UN, EU, Gulf nations, Africa, the U.S., and East Asia to garner international support against Pakistan-backed militancy. Among the 59 delegates are 10 prominent Muslim leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid, M.J. Akbar, Asad u Din Owaisi, and E.T. Mohammed Basheer. Their inclusion is being cited as ...