US President Donald Trump underwent his annual medical checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, with a renewed focus on his health and stamina just days before his 80th birthday.After the check-up, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that the results were positive.Trump wrote, “Just completed my 6 month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out perfectly. Thank you to the great doctors and staff! Heading back to the White House. President DJT.”Trump arrived at the military hospital near Washington at about 8:50 a.m. local time for what the White House described as a routine preventive medical and dental checkup. The ordeal comes amid growing scrutiny over his bruises on his hands, swollen feet and occasional appearance of sleeping during meetings.Trump, who will turn 80 on June 14, is the oldest person elected US president. This is his fourth publicly reported medical examination since returning to office for a second term.The White House said details of the medical evaluation would be released later, although the extent of disclosure is at the discretion of the President.

Questions on transparency and health

Trump has repeatedly defended his fitness for office and has often compared his physical and mental health to that of former President Joe Biden.“I feel the same way I did 50 years ago,” Trump said earlier this month. “Maybe junk food is good,” he said, referring to his famous fondness for burgers, steaks and Diet Coke.However, concerns about presidential health transparency have reemerged in recent months.The administration traditionally releases select portions of presidential medical reports, but critics argue that information is filtered through the White House.A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of American adults believed Trump had the physical health or mental sharpness necessary to serve effectively as president.White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the president’s position, saying that Trump “is in excellent health” and “is the fastest and most accessible president in American history.”

past health concerns

Last year, the White House had revealed that Trump had noticed swelling in his legs and ankles, after which he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition affecting blood circulation in the veins.The White House attributed the injury to Trump’s hands to his use of aspirin as part of a heart health regimen.Following a medical evaluation last October, Trump’s physician, US Navy Captain Sean Barbella, said the president’s heart health was “excellent”.Barbabella further claimed that Trump’s “heart age” was approximately 14 years younger than his actual age.Some of Trump’s previous tests included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, commonly used to screen for cognitive impairment. His doctors had earlier said that he had got 30 out of 30 in the assessments conducted in 2018 and 2025.

Debate on President’s health disclosure

The latest medical investigation has reignited debate in the US over how much health information presidents should publicly disclose, especially as the number of aging leaders in American politics grows.According to news agency AP, bioethicist Sarah Rosenthal said the public often gets only limited information unless the president is in “perfect health”, while medical expert S.J. Olshansky argued that full disclosure of the president’s medical records was necessary because “nothing should be hidden.”The White House has not indicated whether Tuesday’s test involved any procedures requiring anesthesia.Under the 25th Amendment, if Trump is sedated for a medical procedure, a temporary transfer of presidential authority would be required to Vice President J.D. Vance.

Tamil Nadu political crisis: Rebel AIADMK MLA Balakrishna Reddy supports EPS, submits apology letter amid turmoil in party

New Delhi: Amid growing factionalism within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and a series of resignations of rebel MLAs, Hosur MLA P Balakrishna Reddy on Tuesday extended support to party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, an indication that a truce may emerge within some sections of the party.According to news agency ANI, Balakrishna Reddy met the Assembly Secretary and submitted an apology letter saying that he should not be disqualified.His move comes a day after five AIADMK MLAs submitted similar apology letters to the Speaker’s office expressing support for the Palaniswami faction.The development comes as the AIADMK is facing a growing internal crisis following defection and resignations from the rival camp led by senior leaders C V Shanmugam and SP Velumani.

Rebel MLAs may be disqualified

MLAs from the Shanmugam faction had voted in favor of the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam government during the trust vote on May 13, triggering anti-defection proceedings.Under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, MLAs can face disqualification if they vote against their party’s instructions without prior permission.The AIADMK had earlier sought disqualification of 25 rebel MLAs for allegedly disobeying Palaniswami’s instructions during the trust motion.The party’s troubles further increased after Ambasamudram MLA Esakki Subaya resigned from the assembly on Tuesday. Speaker JCD Prabhakar initially rejected Subaya’s typed resignation letter and asked him to submit a handwritten copy, which was later accepted.With Subaya’s exit, the number of resignations from the AIADMK camp has increased to four in two days, reducing the party’s strength to 43 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly.

The issue of ‘horse-trading’ has intensified

On Monday, MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama and S Jayakumar resigned from the assembly and later joined the ruling TVK in the presence of minister Aadhav Arjun.The total number of vacant assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu has now increased to five, including Tiruchirapalli East, which was earlier vacated by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay after winning by two seats.27 AIADMK MLAs are now supporting Palaniswami, while 16 MLAs are aligned with the Velumani-Shanmugam camp.The resignations have triggered sharp political reactions, with Palaniswami accusing the ruling TVK of “horse-trading”.Meanwhile, former AIADMK leader and current Tamil Nadu minister KA Sengottaiyan held Palaniswami responsible for the exodus of party leaders.Sengottaiyan said, “AIADMK remained strong during the leadership of MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalitha. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami cannot be compared with them; that is why people and party members are moving away from AIADMK.”

A video of an Indian couple facing a random, racist attack in America is going viral.

A video from America is going viral, where an Indian couple was asked by a stranger, presumably in his car, if they were Indians, and then asked them to go back to India. The date and location of the video has not been confirmed but several Indian-origin, NRI channels shared the video and pointed out what Indians face on a daily basis in the US.In this video, the stranger asks the Indian couple if India is better than America, or vice versa. The couple was gracious enough to keep the conversation going and while the husband was explaining that he had family in India, the stranger asked him why he was in America if India was so nice. “To explore the world,” said the husband.“No, we don’t want you here. You need to go home,” said the stranger. “Get out of my country,” the stranger abused as the Indian man did not react much.An NRI channel shared the video and wrote, “Heartbreaking and disturbing.”Many people commented on how the Indian couple did not lose their patience and engage in hateful exchanges. However, many people cited this humility as the reason for Indians being targeted.One wrote, “Why stay so silent and ignorant? This easy behavior makes us even more vulnerable. Start being more harsh and aggressive towards racism.”“Incidents like this happen in the real world in North Texas. If this happens to you or someone you know or someone around you – report it to the authorities. File a hate incident on your own and turn it in to the police. Inaction emboldens bullies!!” Another wrote.One user said, “This is so stupid. What’s the point of mistreating unknown strangers? Your government has issued visas to these people. If you have a problem with them going/staying there then take it up with the people who let them in.”Many “I don’t know how to address it, but I would take it very seriously regarding the comments. I’m sure there are people who have made comments online and in other places.” “There are stupid people in every country in the world. I’m sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States who make stupid comments all the time.” “I don’t know what else to tell you other than that the United States is a very welcoming country,” Rubio said.

Who is the man behind the new wave of anti-India videos?

Riding the wave of anti-India sentiment, many so-called influential people have started targeting Indians wherever they see them. This particular video was posted by a verified social media handle (@AyTone4th) claiming to be a music producer. He recently walked inside an Indian restaurant and asked for ‘cow feces’.

If you think the ‘CEAT Tires Strategic Timeout’ or ‘Rupee on the Go 4s’ is extreme corporate intrusion in cricket, think again. According to the internet’s resident satirist Ramesh Srivatsa, the future of IPL commentary will require broadcasters to have a degree in marketing rather than a sporting background.

In a brilliantly cheeky video that has gone viral across social media platforms, the veteran ad-man turned tech-entrepreneur – known for his sharp, sharp takes on politics and sports – came up with a fictional, hyper-monetized commentary script that is as hilarious as it is terrifyingly plausible.

“Bowlers, eveready to bowl, surf excel polishing the white ball to make it shine,” Srivatsa riffs, mimicking the breathless cadence of the commentary box. In his version of the cash-rich league, a batter doesn’t just block; He drives a “Tata Nexon Smooth Drive” before going to search for a new job on “Naukri.com”.

This satire hits uncomfortably close to home, reflecting a structural shift in the way cricket is consumed. To some extent, this hyper-professionalization is an inevitable byproduct of a league that has transcended sports to become a financial empire.

Look no further than the current season’s eye-watering economy. Media rights cycle worth a staggering Rs 48,390 crore ($6.2 billion) has turned every match into an aggressive monetization exercise. With broadcasters facing immense pressure to recoup these huge investments, squeezing an advertisement into every conceivable pocket of airtime has become a business necessity.

This economic reality is further confirmed by the astonishing increase in team valuation. Recent blockbuster transactions have completely reset the league’s bottom line, moving the franchise firmly out of the realm of individual wealth and into corporate powerhouse status.

Record breaking Rs 16,660 crore ($1.78 billion) Selling Royal Challengers Bangalore to Aditya Birla-led consortiumWith the Rs 15,290 crore ($1.65 billion) acquisition of Rajasthan Royals by Lakshmi Mittal and Adar Poonawala, it proves that institutional capital sees the IPL as a blue-chip asset.

However, while the investment of big money is inevitable, broadcasting itself has fallen into a rut. The line between live sports and teleshopping has become completely blurred. Corporate sponsorship is no longer simply placing a logo on screen graphics; They are woven directly into the literal grammar of the delivery. We’ve moved beyond simple branding around the game; The advertisement script has been created.

The combination of this commercial overload makes for a strange sight in the broadcast booth. Foreign commentators, apparently handed a strict sheet of deliverables, can be heard memorizing lines from local advertisements, desperately trying to enhance the desi flavor to please domestic sponsors. Rather than adding authentic local colour, it makes for irritating viewing – feeling less like natural, spontaneous cricket analysis and more like an inconvenient corporate presentation.

With media giants lining up a record-breaking list of sponsors, everything from the first ball to the final review has a corporate moniker attached to it. Srivatsa’s video reflects the fatigue of the modern viewer who just wants to watch a game of cricket without being influenced by a 3-hour long ad film.

While the tournament remains India’s biggest commercial juggernaut, Srivatsa reminds us with his trademark wit that if the leagues are not careful, the real poetry of the game may soon be completely obliterated by legally mandated corporate slogans.

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Syria’s transitional leadership has discovered the remains of former President Bashar al-Assad’s secret chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions used in deadly gas attacks during the country’s civil war.Authorities also detained 18 suspects allegedly linked to the program, Reuters quoted Mohammed Kattoub, Syria’s permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as saying on Tuesday.Those detained reportedly include senior military, political and technical officials linked to the Assad-era chemical weapons network.The disclosure is one of the clearest indications yet that remnants of Syria’s chemical arsenal may still exist following the fall of the Assad government and the country’s ongoing political transition.

Concern about remaining stock

The issue of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile has remained under international scrutiny since Damascus joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 over allegations that the Assad government used chemical agents during the civil war.According to the Arms Control Association, international experts and the OPCW had stepped up monitoring efforts since Assad’s overthrow amid concerns that chemical materials could be lost, hidden or damaged during military attacks and political turmoil.OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias previously warned that airstrikes targeting Syrian military facilities after Assad’s fall could pose a “risk of contamination” and potentially destroy evidence linked to chemical weapons investigations.The United States also expressed concern over the fate of Syria’s remaining chemical stockpiles after Assad fled the country.Former US Deputy National Security Adviser John Finer said Washington was prioritizing efforts to locate, secure and destroy remaining chemical weapons material in coordination with the OPCW and regional partners.

Long-running allegations against Assad government

For more than a decade, the OPCW repeatedly accused Syria of failing to fully disclose details of its chemical weapons program.International investigators had cited “gaps, inconsistencies and inconsistencies” in declarations regarding Syria’s stockpiles and chemical activities.The OPCW had previously concluded that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the Syrian Army used chemical weapons in the 2018 Douma attack.Several other alleged chemical attacks were reported during the 2013–2024 Syrian civil war, although responsibility in some cases remained disputed.Katoub’s comments now reveal that transitional Syrian authorities are attempting to uncover and destroy the remains of the former regime’s chemical weapons infrastructure, as well as taking legal action against officials allegedly involved in the program.

Indian-origin scholar Soumitra Shukla became the victim of anti-India racist attacks on social media.

American economist and social scientist Steven Durlauf stood up for Indian-origin scholar Soumita Shukla against anti-India hatred on social media. Soumitra Shukla, a research fellow at Harvard Business School’s Artificial Intelligence Institute, commented on the rising hatred targeting Indians on X, but he himself became a target as his post went viral and social media users asked him to leave the US. Durlauf then said that Shukla’s presence in the US shows why immigrants are important to American science and that he was embarrassed by the un-American behavior Shukla had to witness.Shukla’s first post, which started the controversy, read, “The amount of anti-India hatred on this platform is truly disturbing. People need to stop worrying about jobs being “stolen” and look deeper as to why they have such rotten souls who wish ill on others.” His post was in response to the popular narrative that Indians steal jobs in America.Shukla was told several times, ‘Get out of my country.’ One wrote, “I want to rent a hotel room and buy gas and vape juice from Americans, not from invaders. It’s not that hard to understand. Go home.” “It is ironic that you consider those who want Indians to return to India as “the worst”.You probably need to do some introspection on your part, friend,” wrote another.Another hate comment said, “Letting American citizens voice their concerns that foreign nationals are undermining their economic opportunities is a bold step.”Since almost all of the reactions to her ex’s post were negative, hateful and asking her to get out of the US, Durloff said Shukla is one of the rising stars of inequality prevention in the US. “In this way, he symbolizes the immense contemporary importance of immigrants to American science. I feel ashamed that they have to suffer through the bigoted filth spread against Indians in this country, from anonymous cowards to public officials. Reprehensible and completely un-American,” the economist wrote.

This is not the country I first reached in 2010, says Shukla

Shukla thanked Durloff for his support and said it was difficult for him to “stay away” because of the open anti-India attacks. “Thank you so much for your kind words @sndurlauf and your support. It has become very difficult for me to stay “out of it” when Indians are openly attacked with the blessings of the top. I agree, it’s really un-American and not the country I first visited in 2010,” he wrote.This also did not escape trolling as people mocked the ‘disparity research’ and called for the deportation of both Shukla and Durlauf.Shukla, a green card holder, came to the US in 2010 to pursue a BS in economics and mathematics from the University of Minnesota. He did his MPhil and PhD in Economics from Yale.

New Delhi: Despite marathon meetings with the high command, the tussle between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shiv Kumar over the state’s top post does not seem to be ending any time soon.As Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge met the two leaders in Delhi to decide the party’s candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the issue of interest remained the long-running leadership struggle.News agency PTI, quoting sources, has reported that the Shivakumar camp is pressurizing Siddaramaiah to leave the top post and has been offered a formula to accommodate him in the central role, which he has not accepted. After the party meeting, Siddaramaiah once again held discussions in the evening with some ministers considered close to him.This comes after the Congress high command held several hours of deliberations with Siddaramaiah and DKS at the Indira Bhawan headquarters.After the meeting, Congress leader KC Venugopal, while talking to reporters, emphasized that there was no discussion on the issue of change of leadership in the meeting attended by Congress President Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.Venugopal, who was accompanied by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, said, “Today, the entire discussion was focused only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and the (Legislative) Council elections of Karnataka.”Venugopal told the media after the meeting, “Whatever speculations you people are making are only speculations, there is no reality. Today we discussed about Rajya Sabha seats and Legislative Council seats of Karnataka. This is what we have decided today, and nothing else was discussed.” The meetings took place against the backdrop of persistent tension between the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps, almost three years after the Congress returned to power in Karnataka.Before leaving for Delhi from Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said that he was not aware of the agenda of the meeting.“I have been invited to Delhi. There is a meeting tomorrow (May 26). I don’t know the topic of the meeting. They have called the meeting at 11 am.” Siddaramaiah said, AICC general secretary and MP KC Venugopal called me, told me about the meeting and invited me to attend it.The Congress leadership has intervened several times to manage tensions between the two leaders since the formation of the Karnataka government in 2023. Shivakumar’s supporters have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministerial arrangement was agreed upon when the government was formed, although the Congress high command has never publicly confirmed such a formula.