Penelope Macrae

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party defeated the BJP in the Bankipur byelection in Bihar, a constituency the BJP had held for three decades. The result followed nationwide student protests over exam paper leaks, education policy and youth unemployment, which led to the resignation of the education minister. Opposition parties said the defeat suggested growing dissatisfaction among young voters, while BJP officials acknowledged the need for introspection. The BJP retained one of three contested seats and analysts cautioned that the result did not yet demonstrate a nationwide shift, although it weakened perceptions of the party’s electoral invincibility. The government is also facing scrutiny over Meta’s handling of a video featuring Narendra Modi and the broader influence of social-media algorithms on political debate.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, allies and adversaries increasingly see a country whose traditional image of freedom, prosperity and reliability has been undermined by Donald Trump's threats, tariffs, immigration policies, military interventions and attacks on partners. China views the US as a declining but still powerful rival; Mexico, Canada and France describe worsening relations; Ukraine and Israel remain dependent on American support while questioning its reliability; and countries including Japan, India, Australia and South Africa are reassessing long-standing partnerships. Russia initially hoped Trump's return would enable a grand bargain, but that optimism has faded. Across the countries examined, admiration for American culture, economic dynamism and educational opportunities persists, but confidence in US leadership and soft power has fallen sharply, with more governments seeking self-reliance or closer regional alternatives.

More than two million Indian students retook the national medical entrance exam after authorities discarded the original results amid allegations that question papers had been leaked and sold on Telegram. The retest involved extensive security checks, while students described severe emotional strain after years of preparation for an exam in which only about 5–6% obtain medical college places. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan promised a fair and transparent process, and the government launched an investigation; authorities also temporarily suspended Telegram access, a decision upheld by a court. The episode has intensified wider concerns about India’s examination system, following separate marking controversies, and fueled protests demanding accountability and the minister’s resignation.

More than 400,000 Indian students have requested copies of their Class 12 answer sheets after widespread complaints that a new Central Board of Secondary Education digital marking system produced incorrect grades. Students reported missing pages, blurry scans, incorrect marking and answer sheets belonging to other candidates, with the errors potentially affecting university admissions and students’ mental health. The controversy intensified after Delhi student Vedant Srivastava received an apparently unrelated physics answer sheet. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan acknowledged discrepancies, accepted responsibility and promised a solution.

India’s government has ordered the Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its 11-hectare New Delhi site, saying the land is needed for defence infrastructure and other strategic purposes. Founded in 1913 as an exclusive British colonial club, it remains a prestigious institution for senior civil servants, military officers, businesspeople and old Delhi families, with membership waiting lists of up to 30 years. Members have challenged the eviction in court, while the government says any action will follow the law. The dispute reflects Narendra Modi’s broader challenge to institutions associated with the old “Lutyens’ elite,” though the club’s legal battle and India’s slow courts mean its immediate disappearance is unlikely.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi as both countries seek to repair relations and reduce their dependence on the United States. Canada is pursuing India as a fast-growing export market, with a possible 10-year, US$2.8bn uranium supply agreement among the anticipated outcomes. The diplomatic reset follows years of tensions over India’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and accusations of transnational repression in Canada. Although India is emphasizing trade and business, Canadian officials acknowledge that unresolved security concerns remain.

India’s cabinet has approved a proposal to rename the southern state of Kerala as Keralam, aligning its official English name with the Malayalam pronunciation and the name long used by local residents. The change has unanimous support in the Kerala assembly and is expected to pass parliament. Supporters describe it as a matter of cultural dignity and linguistic authenticity, while some question how the change will affect terms such as “Keralite” and “Keralan.”

Dominic Ethan Stewart, a 23-year-old British hiker from Exeter, was among 19 people killed when an overnight bus travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu veered off a mountain road in Nepal’s Dhading district and plunged about 200 metres toward the Trishuli River. Twenty-five people were injured, including Chinese and New Zealand nationals. Stewart’s family paid tribute to him as a loving and caring man who was happiest trekking after completing the Annapurna Circuit. Rescue efforts were delayed by the crash site’s remoteness and a lack of suitable equipment. Nepal’s Home Ministry has formed a five-member taskforce to investigate the accident, which has renewed concerns about dangerous mountain roads, overcrowded buses, ageing vehicles and weak enforcement of safety rules.

Mumbai’s 500-metre musical section of the Coastal Road plays AR Rahman’s “Jai Ho” when vehicles travel at the intended speed, a feature authorities say promotes safer driving. More than 650 Breach Candy families have complained that the tune repeats from 6am to midnight, enters homes and causes significant distress. Residents also argue that the music could distract drivers and diverts attention from speeding high-performance cars, while critics say the wider taxpayer-funded expressway primarily benefits wealthy motorists.

Tarique Rahman has been sworn in as Bangladesh’s prime minister after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won 212 of 300 parliamentary seats, ending 18 months of caretaker rule under Muhammad Yunus. His return marks the BNP’s comeback after two decades out of power and follows the 2024 uprising that drove Sheikh Hasina into exile. Rahman faces major challenges including inflation, weak job creation, corruption, law-and-order problems and institutional reform. His government is expected to maintain economic ties with China while seeking improved relations with India and Western countries. The election also brought the youth-led National Citizen Party into parliament and approved term limits for prime ministers and stronger judicial independence, while the exclusion of Hasina’s Awami League leaves its future a delicate political issue.

Sewage-contaminated drinking water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura neighbourhood has been blamed for at least 10 deaths, including a five-month-old baby, while more than 270 people were hospitalised and thousands of suspected cases were identified. Authorities believe a public toilet built without a septic tank above a drinking-water pipeline allowed sewage to enter the supply. Residents say months of complaints about foul-smelling water were ignored, and several municipal officials have been suspended pending investigation. The outbreak has intensified scrutiny of India’s water-management systems, including the limited accreditation of public testing laboratories, amid warnings that rapid urban growth could increase the risk of disease outbreaks.

Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on more than half of India’s merchandise exports to the US are putting major pressure on India’s textile, footwear, gems, jewellery, seafood and leather industries. Exporters face effective tariff rates as high as 62% for garments and 60% for shrimp, leaving them at a sharp disadvantage to competitors in countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Ecuador. Factory closures, job losses and wider damage to local economies are feared, with analysts estimating that the tariffs could reduce India’s GDP growth by up to one percentage point. The measures also threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s manufacturing and employment ambitions. Indian industry groups are seeking credit and export assistance, while the government is exploring new trade agreements and markets to reduce dependence on the US.

Narendra Modi is due to visit China for the first time in seven years and meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, following a visit to Japan. The trip comes after the US doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50% over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, sharply worsening relations between Washington and Delhi. India is seeking to diversify trade, investment, energy and defence partnerships while defending its Russian oil policy as necessary for economic stability and consistent with international law. Modi’s government is cautiously attempting to ease tensions with China despite unresolved Himalayan border disputes, while strengthening economic and strategic ties with Japan, including major planned investments and cooperation in manufacturing and critical minerals.

The United States has imposed a 50% tariff on most imports from India, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil and defence equipment. Because the US is India’s largest export market, the duties could reduce exports from affected sectors such as textiles, jewellery, seafood and leather by as much as 70%, cut overall US shipments by roughly $37bn, and reduce India’s GDP growth by up to one percentage point. Pharmaceuticals, electronics and petroleum products are exempt, while exporters face a steep disadvantage against competitors including Bangladesh, Vietnam and Mexico. India is resisting a rapid break with Russian oil, which supplies about 40% of its needs, and is considering domestic-tax cuts, exporter support, loan relief, market diversification and closer engagement with China. The government’s measures may cushion the shock, but industry groups warn of widespread closures, job losses and lasting damage to India’s US market share.

The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on most imports from India, doubling an earlier 25% rate to punish New Delhi for purchasing discounted Russian oil. The measures threaten Indian exporters, particularly in textiles, gems and jewellery, and seafood, while economists warn they could push GDP growth below 6% and disrupt bilateral trade. India has refused to stop buying Russian crude, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging consumers to buy domestic goods and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar calling Washington's demand unjustified and hypocritical. The tariffs are also expected to damage US-India strategic ties, encourage closer Indian engagement with Russia and China, and benefit rival exporters with lower US duties. Trade talks continue, but prospects for a deal have weakened after India rejected opening its agricultural market to US goods.

India’s Supreme Court suspended an earlier order requiring stray dogs picked up in Delhi to be sterilised, vaccinated and confined, instead directing authorities to return non-aggressive dogs to their neighbourhoods after treatment. Only dogs showing aggression or signs of rabies should remain in shelters, while municipalities are also expected to establish managed feeding areas. The decision was welcomed by animal-rights advocates but reflects continuing public-safety concerns in a country that accounts for about one-third of global rabies deaths. Delhi’s large population of community dogs remains a source of both cultural attachment and conflict over attacks, infrastructure and animal welfare.

India and Pakistan are competing symbolically over the height of flagpoles at border crossings in Punjab, with India raising a 200-foot mast at Sadqi opposite Pakistan’s 165-foot pole at Sulemanki. The contest reflects broader nationalist tensions after the countries’ recent four-day conflict and decades of rivalry. Their nightly flag-lowering ceremonies, especially at Attari-Wagah, have evolved from a gesture of mutual military discipline into elaborate displays of choreographed patriotism. Pakistan is also planning a larger Mughal-style stadium, museum and theme park, while oversized flags on both sides continue to be damaged by strong border winds.

India’s supreme court has ordered authorities in the Delhi capital region to capture all stray dogs, sterilise and vaccinate them, and move them to monitored shelters within eight weeks. Justice JB Pardiwala cited attacks, animal-bite statistics and India’s severe rabies burden, while rejecting rules that require sterilised dogs to be returned to their territories. Animal protection groups and community feeders say the order is inhumane, impractical and prohibitively expensive, arguing instead for expanded sterilisation, vaccination and public-awareness programmes.

British families whose relatives died in the Air India crash near Ahmedabad say some victims’ remains were misidentified before repatriation. One coffin reportedly contained an unknown passenger, while remains from more than one victim were mistakenly placed together. London’s senior coroner, Fiona Wilcox, used DNA samples to verify identities, and aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt is demanding answers about the chain of custody and expects Keir Starmer to raise the matter with Narendra Modi. Indian authorities say identification followed scientific protocols and that they are working with UK officials, while Air India says it was not responsible for the process. Families continue to call for transparency and accountability.

The Dalai Lama has confirmed that the institution will continue after his death and said the Gaden Phodrang Trust, following Tibetan Buddhist tradition, will oversee the search for his reincarnation. China rejected the declaration, insisting that the successor must be selected through the state-approved golden urn process and approved by Beijing. The dispute revives tensions over control of Tibetan Buddhism, with the next Dalai Lama potentially being born in the Tibetan diaspora, possibly as an adult or a woman. The succession issue also adds strain to China-India relations and has drawn support for religious freedom from the United States and European Union.