The Internet went wild this week when rumors suddenly began spreading that controversial online personality Empath Chan had died of a drug overdose. Within hours, a flood of screenshots flooded in, users began reposting the claim, and confusion reigned in many online communities familiar with its content.What made this rumor even stranger was how casually it started. A parody account called DissidentWire posted a fake report claiming that Empath Chan “died of a crack overdose.” Despite the account’s history of posting satire and intentionally offensive stories, the post gained popularity almost immediately.

Empath Chan shuts down viral rumor with blunt response

As speculation grew, Empath Chan eventually took action himself. Instead of posting a lengthy explanation or angry statement, he responded with a brief message that immediately cut down the noise: “? I’m alive?”That simple response quickly spread across social media, with many users laughing at how absurd the situation had become. However, others pointed out how easy it has become for fake news to explode online, especially when it involves controversial creators who are already in the middle of constant internet drama.DissidentWire has built its reputation around fake viral headlines and exaggerated political satire. The account had previously posted fabricated stories involving streamers, influencers, politicians and celebrities. Nevertheless, many users either ignored the joke or believed the claim before investigating further.Empath Chan’s online reputation likely helped the rumor’s momentum. Over the past year, she has made a name for herself as an outrage writer, offensive humorist and provocateur on social media.

Empath Chan controversy Continue following the blackface backlash

Empath Chan’s criticism began on Halloween 2025 when he posted blackface photos and videos, sparking a massive backlash online. One post showed her posing for a mirror selfie with the caption: “The only thing I want for Halloween is EBT.”Another post shows him holding an EBT card with the caption: “What should I do with my EBT card before it gets shut down?”The controversy escalated when clips of him repeatedly using racial slurs in blackface surfaced. He was labeled a line-crosser by critics seeking attention, but his supporters said his entire Internet persona is based on trolling and shock value.At the same time, meme culture continued to propel her name into online conversations. A running joke, known as the “Empathchan is bald theory”, became so widespread that it was eventually documented on Know Your Meme.For better or worse, Empath Chan is thriving in exactly the kind of Internet chaos that keeps her name trending.

Punjab Kings’ Marco Jansen and captain Shreyas Iyer react after the match. (ANI photo)

New Delhi: Captain of Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer He did not hide his disappointment after the fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, he called the latest defeat Mumbai Indians “A tough pill to swallow”.Already eliminated, MI chased 201 with six wickets remaining in Dharamsala on Thursday, leaving PBKS stuck on 13 points from 12 matches and under severe pressure in the playoff race.Shreyas said after the match, “Okay, very hard to swallow, but I don’t want to point to any situation here because it was a great game of cricket. Well-fought game.”Tilak turned the tablesPunjab looked to be in control after scoring 200 runs for 8 wickets, but Tilak VermaA brilliant innings of 75 not out in 33 balls took the game away.Shreyas acknowledged the left-handed batsman’s role in the chase and praised the way he controlled the innings under pressure.“He played amazingly well. He was selecting his shots very well and he fielded well too, so credit to him,” he said.Tilak chased the target after a fast start from Ryan Rickelton, who scored 48 runs from 23 balls. Later, with the help of Will Jacques’ 25 runs off 10 balls, Mumbai completed the chase with one ball to spare.Umarzai’s late innings gives hope to PBKSPunjab, after coming from a strong position, seemed to be heading towards a very low score. Prabhsimran Singh top-scored with 57 runs, but the collapse of the middle order due to Shardul Thakur’s four wickets made them stumble.Shreyas shed light Azmatullah OmarzaiThe late cameo marked the turning point in his innings.He said, “At one stage we were looking around 170 to 180 and from there he changed the pace. From the 16th or 17th over we got the scoop for sixes and we picked up the pace. Reaching 200 was a commendable performance from him.”It is important for PBKS to win nowPunjab now have to win two matches, starting with the afternoon match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.“Definitely excited for the next opportunity. It’s an afternoon game and we have to win two out of two. It’s going to be exciting. Can’t wait to play them,” Shreyas said.After topping the table at the start of this season, PBKS are now one defeat away from a dramatic collapse.

Sneekko compared Builder Chud’s reaction to the Charlie Kirk debate after the shocking Tennessee arrest case (Image via Getty)

Snieko believes Dalton Eatherly’s arrest could become a major moment in the debate over free speech in America. The livestreamer reacted strongly after Chud Builder was arrested in Tennessee on May 13 following the shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville. During his livestream, Snieko said the situation shows that “free speech is now challenged” and argued that people are losing the rights they were promised under the Constitution. He claimed that people are too quick to punish speech, even if it involves only words. Sneekko also pointed out how some people online were comparing builder Chudd to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed last year.Sneekko said:“Free speech has now been challenged in a way that it will never be able to come back from. We no longer have free speech the way we should have it. We don’t have the amendment rights that we were promised. If you can’t say words in a vacuum… by saying a word alone like this, people will get extremely upset and challenge it more.”Although Sneekko said he disagrees with many of Charlie Kirk’s views, he also said that political disagreement should never lead to violence. he adds:“Charlie Kirk was talking about mass violence. He was talking about problems within America. I disagree with everything he said. I make fun of him all the time… but I don’t think anything violent should have happened to him.”

Attempted murder charge filed against Dalton Eatherly in Montgomery County Courthouse shooting

The shooting happened Wednesday outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, according to CNN and a statement from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said two people were shot during the incident, including Dalton Eatherly, known online as Chud the Builder. The second person involved has not been publicly identified.Both persons were taken to nearby hospitals. As of Wednesday evening, officials confirmed that both were in stable condition.After the shooting, authorities charged Atherley with attempted murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous crime, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault. Authorities also confirmed that he remains in custody awaiting his arraignment.Before his arrest, Eatherly spoke about the incident during a livestream. He claimed he had to defend himself after an argument with another man. During the video, she described how the man pointed at her and laughed before tension escalated between them.CNN also reported that Atherley has previously used racist language in his online videos, including calling black people “chimpanzees”. During a livestream after the shooting, the other man reportedly warned Eatherly not to say “all that chimpanzee stuff” before the fight got physical.The case has now sparked a widespread online debate over free speech, online behavior and whether offensive speech should be compared to real-world violence. While Snieko focused on constitutional rights during his response, critics online have argued that repeated hate speech can also create dangerous situations.

New Delhi: Defense Minister encouraged defense scientists to accelerate research and development work -Rajnath Singh “Tomorrow’s battlefield will reward those who can reduce the time between an idea, a prototype and operational deployment,” Thursday said.Addressing the Defense Strategic Dialogue Kalam and Kavach 3.0 in a video message here, Rajnath said, “The strength of a nation will depend on how fast its defense forces, laboratories and industries think and act”, underscoring the importance of self-reliance and jointness to secure strategic autonomy and be future-ready for emerging security challenges.“National security demands our preparedness, flexibility, innovation and strategic confidence,” he said.Rajnath described self-reliance as not only an economic goal but also a strategic necessity and said a nation that remains overly dependent on others for critical defense capabilities remains vulnerable in times of crisis.In the presence of Italian and Armenian envoys at the event, Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth told the foreign delegates that India strongly believes that global security and progress is strengthened through cooperation, trust and shared innovation. He said India’s defense exports, which were just Rs 686 crore a decade ago, have today reached a record high of Rs 38,424 crore. He said annual defense production has touched an all-time high of Rs 1.54 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26 and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to achieve the target of defense exports of Rs 50,000 crore and defense production of Rs 3 lakh crore by 2029-30.CDS General Anil Chauhan said this while talking about Operation Sindoor in a special session in the program. indian armed forces The surge dominated metrics on all four days of the conflict.On the ‘JAI’ (Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation) triad, the CDS said as far as planned remediation is concerned, efforts in this direction have been made with “scale and pace” as India is 10-15 years behind other countries, which have already implemented such structures. “These joint structures that we are trying to create will be one of the most transformational reforms that India is undertaking...Our model was a little different. Some people had to bring laws, it was a top-down approach. I tried to work with consensus. The consensus was taking everyone along,” he said.

Fans are waiting for another update on this Radiance Starrer ‘Spirit’ came as a surprise when a picture from the sets of the film went viral online.Months after the makers released the first look poster of Midnight New Year 2026, a new picture of Prabhas reportedly walking on the sets of the film has gone viral on a fan handle. The viral clip is believed to be from the filming location in Kompally, Hyderabad, in which the actor can be seen in a white avatar, wearing sunglasses and sandals and he has long wavy hair.While Prabhas was seen casually walking on the film sets, his crew members and security personnel of the area were seen watching him.The viral visuals have increased the anticipation for Spirit, which is one of Prabhas’ most awaited film projects. director Sandeep Reddy VangaThis film has been in the news since its announcement and the controversy that arose after it. Deepika PadukoneDropped out of the film due to alleged scheduling conflict.While the makers have kept the plot details largely under wraps, ‘Spirit’ is expected to feature Prabhas in a powerful and intense role.The shooting of the film began in November 2025 and the team has managed to keep most of the details of the film under wraps, barring this leak. Many stalwarts from the entertainment industry attended the mahurat ceremony of the action entertainer. Mega star Chiranjeevi also attended the event as a special guest.In the first poster of the film, actress Trupti Dimri is seen helping injured Prabhas to light a cigarette.Last year, on the occasion of Prabhas’ birthday in October, Vanga had shared audio teasers of the film in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, revealing Prakash Raj And Vivek as the lead actor. The teaser ends with Prabhas saying, “I have a bad habit since childhood.” According to reports, Prabhas will play the role of an IPS officer who is currently behind the bars. Meanwhile, the actor Vivek Oberoi He also has an important role in this film to be released in 2026.While ‘Spirit’ marks Vanga’s primary commercial association with Prabhas, the director has already worked with Trupti in ‘Animal’, releasing in 2023, co-starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.‘Spirit’ starring Prabhas and Trupti Dimri in the lead pair will be released in theaters on March 5, 2027.