Every holiday leaves a footprint. In the mountains of India, that footprint is becoming hard to ignore. It can be seen in trash left by tourists, snack wrappers among rocks and plastic bottles thrown on mountain paths. Not only this, in recent years it has become common to see headlines about landslides, road accidents, overcrowding at tourist places and hours-long traffic jams. But in all this, a difficult question often remains unresolved, is overtourism causing all this? Or is the reason for this not being able to manage tourism properly? Environmentalists believe the issue goes beyond tourist numbers. There are no lines to define the boundaries of our ecosystem. The real challenge is not tourism, but the gap between the popularity of these sites and the need to protect them.

mountain under pressure

When landslides occur or roads collapse after heavy rains, there is a tendency to blame nature alone. But it is not always appropriate to view it only as an environmental crisis or human intervention. “It’s not a one-or-two situation, both contribute to it,” says Ishan Shanavas, author, environmentalist and founder of Eco-Inspire, a national environmental education enterprise. “Of course, you have large-scale climate change that is certainly affecting the environment. And you have deforestation. So, I think it’s wrong to characterize it as either-or-both, which is affecting the disasters that we see from our understanding.“ The Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world and are naturally prone to erosion and geological instability. Along with this, the risk may increase manifold due to changing weather patterns, road construction, deforestation and increasing tourism related infrastructure.

Is overtourism the real problem?

Image Credit: Sneh Rishav

The term “overtourism” has become a catch phrase for everything from traffic congestion to environmental degradation. But environmentalists believe the discussion should be more nuanced.In the interview, Shanawas says, “Trying to manage the amount of tourism and trying to manage the waste that is generated. That’s a challenge we’re facing.”Their observation highlights an important difference. Tourism itself is not the enemy. In fact, mountain economies in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh depend heavily on visitors for livelihood.The question is whether these tourist destinations have the systems and infrastructure to handle the increasing tourist numbers. If a destination sees heavy footfall of tourists but lacks adequate waste management or awareness, the consequences become visible over time. Plastic bottles, snack wrappers, disposable packaging and single-use products are increasingly becoming part of mountain landscapes that were once pristine natural beauty. However, unlike cities, mountains do not have the same capacity to absorb and process waste. “In cities you have active municipal bodies and they should be active in cleaning all this. But in some of the deep interiors of the mountains it is very difficult to remove garbage.” We can say that the problem is less of geography and more of behavior. Remote villages, high altitude routes and rough terrain make waste collection expensive and logistically difficult. A bottle discarded in a city may eventually enter the collection system. A bottle thrown into a remote valley may remain there for years.

Trekking trails that require attention

While overcrowded hill stations often make headlines, trekking trails, remote campsites and interior mountain passes are fast becoming repositories of discarded waste.“Without this ethos it only takes 10 tourists to go there and permanently damage that place because it only takes 20 pieces of trash to change that ecosystem forever because there is no one to take it back,” Ishaan says. Concerns extend even further as many trekking routes pass through wildlife habitats and ecologically sensitive areas, impacting local communities and animals depending on that ecosystem.

What will happen if nothing changes?

Image Credit: Canva

The future that environmentalists envision is not necessarily one of dramatic collapse, but of gradual decline.Referring to Delhi’s mountain of garbage, the environmentalist says, “If we don’t pick it up, it will become such an eyesore that we will end up as a landfill.” If waste production continues to increase without suitable disposal systems, even the most beautiful landscapes will be affected. “I visited Shimla for the first time exactly 10 years ago. By now we have read enough news articles about how the hills have become hotter now. Half in despair and half in hope, I went to Shimla only to realize that the joy of reaching cool, breezy Shimla was snatched away from me. A three-hour long traffic jam ruined the hill-station for me. After that disappointment I never wanted to go to Shimla again.” says Precious Rongmei, an avid traveler and bird lover. The irony in the story of mountain tourism is that people go to mountains to enjoy the clean air, peaceful environment and beautiful landscapes, but their growing footprint can gradually harm the places they come to visit. Therefore, tourism will become a victim of its own success. But apart from this, there are some people who are conscious tourists and there are also organizations who are trying to help. That balance is important. Across India, local communities, volunteers, environmental groups and responsible travelers are already working to reduce the impact of tourism. The challenge is in scaling up those efforts.

What can be done to improve the situation?

Part of the solution lies in changing the behavior of travelers even before they reach the mountains. “I would like travel agencies to encourage tourists to be more aware,” says Ishan.Travel operators, trekking companies and even airlines serving mountain destinations can play an important role in promoting responsible tourism. Simple actions like encouraging travelers to carry reusable water bottles, reducing disposable packaging and recycling their waste can collectively make a significant difference.Another idea is to create incentives for responsible behavior. “If you can pool trash in a certain area there will be some incentive. I think that’s an interesting thing to think about.”Interestingly, this idea is already being tested in Himachal Pradesh. The state government has launched the Himachal Pradesh Deposit Refund Scheme 2025, under which consumers will have to pay a refundable deposit on selected non-biodegradable packaging. The deposit is refunded when empty packets are returned to the collection systems. The scheme is based on the idea of ​​”the polluter will pay” to improve waste recycling. Although these measures may not solve the problem immediately, they take an important step towards change through prevention.

Collective action is a means of power

While governments, local authorities and travel operators all have a role to play, small behavioral changes and a sense of responsibility are also essential. A small action by thousands of people can have a cumulative impact on the environment. Simple changes in behavior can go a long way. Carrying reusable water bottles, avoiding excessive plastic packaging, disposing of waste responsibly and ensuring that waste is brought back from tracking routes are small steps that can collectively reduce the pressure on the fragile ecosystem.“We need to start to reverse the situation,” says Ishan. The aim is not to discourage people from exploring the mountains, but to encourage them to do so more responsibly. The future of India’s mountains will depend on a collective effort, on officials who create better systems, businesses who promote responsible travel and tourists who recognize that every bottle, wrapper and piece of trash has an impact. Because in fragile mountain ecosystems, the true measure of responsible tourism is not the photos people take home, but what they leave behind

Anand was an H-1B visa holder. With Anand’s departure, his wife’s H4 status collapsed.

After a major tragedy last year, a mother decided to leave her property in Texas and return to India with her two children. The story of Priya Narayanswami, who visited India this April, emerged in a Bloomberg report on the real estate crisis that is looming over the US, with Indians deciding to leave due to the constant targeting. South Asians have been the driving force behind the rapid construction in many parts of Texas.According to the report, Narayanaswamy and her husband Anand bought their home in Keller in 2023 for $435,000. Keller is a suburb to the west, close to Fort Worth. And although they wanted to live in Frisco, the property price was right in Keller. At that time he had big dreams of settling in America. They were raising their two children as Americans.The report said Anand was on an H-1B visa and often worked 12 to 15-hour days at Citibank through an IT-staffing firm called Iris Software. Narayanaswamy was a human resources expert. In August, she came home and found her husband crying. She was fired from her job, which meant she could lose her visa if she didn’t find another job quickly. Then the family got the biggest shock. About a week later, Anand died by suicide. In his last note he wrote that he fears that he will not be able to compete with AI. Bloomberg reports that it contacted Iris Software and Citigroup, but they did not comment on the incident.Narayanaswamy was in the US on an H4 visa, which is for dependents of H-1B. After Anand left, her visa status was reduced to a six-month visitor visa, and she could no longer work legally. In October, Narayanswamy listed the five-bedroom brick home for $465,000. He reduced the price but no one made an offer. He said the bank has agreed to foreclose on the mortgage, but now the home is possibly going into foreclosure.Narayanaswamy told Bloomberg that when he saw viral videos of the Frisco City Council meeting criticizing Indians, including asking H-1Bs to leave the US and go back to India, he wondered how the economy would fare without Indians.(If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, a global list of helplines is available at blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/)

Manav Suthar made his debut for India (Image: BCCI)

The dream of years finally became reality for Manav Suthar on Saturday, when the Rajasthan all-rounder got his first Indian Test cap ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.In a special moment during the pre-match presentation, senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav was handed the coveted Test cap, officially welcoming him into India’s Test fraternity.

Who is Manav Suthar?

Manav Suthar is a 23-year-old rising Indian cricketer who plays as a bowling all-rounder. A traditional slow left-arm orthodox spinner and utility lower-order batsman, Suthar represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket and is part of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). For Suthar, the occasion marks the culmination of a remarkable rise from the border town of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan to the highest level of international cricket.The left-arm spinning all-rounder has long been seen as one of India’s most talented red-ball prospects. With Ravindra Jadeja rested for the Afghanistan Test, the selectors have given Suthar a chance to make his debut as they continue to assess India’s next generation of spin-bowling all-rounders.Suthar earned his first Test call-up after excellent performances in domestic cricket and for India A. He first gained national attention during the 2022–23 season. ranji trophy He finished the season as Rajasthan’s leading wicket-taker with 39 wickets in just six matches. Suthar entered international cricket with an impressive first-class record of 129 wickets and 945 runs in 29 matches. His performance for India ‘A’ has been excellent. He finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker during the unofficial Test series against Australia ‘A’ (which included an extraordinary 5/107) and excelled at the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

Toss update, India batted first

India won the toss against Afghanistan in Mullanpur and captain Shubman Gill decided to bat first. The playing XI for the one-off Test match is as follows:India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaAfghanistan (Playing XI): Sediqullah Atal, Rehmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Afsar Zazai (w), Azmatullah Umarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rehman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi.

Vladimir Putin with PM Modi

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin He said sanctions threats against India would be “immediately counterproductive”, reaffirming that New Delhi has always been “guided by its national interests”.Putin said India was free to choose the products that “they consider to be the most modern, best suited for them and clearly offer the best price-quality ratio”. “India always acts as a sovereign country and under the leadership of Prime Minister ModiAny potential threat of sanctions would be immediately reversed. We have been in close dialogue with Prime Minister Modi for a long time… All sanctions have been lifted and relations between the United States and India are developing successfully, as I understand… Indians are free to choose the products they consider to be the most modern, best suited to them and obviously offering the best price-quality ratio. Russian President Vladimir Putin said India is always guided by its national interests.The Russian President said the Kremlin’s cooperation with India is “not subject to the political environment” and Moscow will “live up to the commitments it makes to our partners, especially partners like India”.He further said, “Like all our other partners, our cooperation with India is not subject to the political environment. We cannot be directed not to give it to India. No one can direct us and no one will even try to do so… We will always live up to the commitments given to our partners, especially partners like India.”Putin on Friday said “BRICS has overtaken the G7” in terms of economic size, while also praising India as a “key partner” for its leading role in the IT and software industry.Speaking at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said developing countries are playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, while the share of Western economies is declining.“If you look at the global GDP dynamics of the last five years, you will see that almost half of its annual growth, 49%, is contributed by the BRICS countries, while the contribution of the so-called Group of Seven is estimated at 18%…,” Putin Said.“The share of BRICS and world GDP based on purchasing power parity is 40%, while the share of G7 is less than 29%,” he said.He said, “So BRICS has already overtaken G7 and it happened in 2020 also, but this gap is increasing. This gap is expected to increase in favor of BRICS…”He also projected stronger growth for the BRICS economies compared to advanced countries. “The G7 is going to grow at a maximum of 1.1% per year, while the BRICS countries are going to grow at more than 4%,” he said. He said this trend is expected to continue.Putin praised India’s role in the digital economy, saying, “India, one of our key partners, is one of the leading players in the IT industry.”“It has a significant share of the global software market,” he said.

farah khan Recently took to his vlogging channel to meet the cast of ‘Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ which included Varun Dhawan, Mrinal ThakurAnd Pooja Hegde. In the video, which he uploaded on his channel, the famous director surprised the trio with special and expensive gifts, which prompted Dhawan to comment about Khan’s success.

Varun Dhawan’s comment about Farah Khan goes viral

The ‘Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ cast, along with director David Dhawan, joined Farah and her chef Dilip Raja for a fun and unique cooking session, and also talked about all things life and the trio’s latest film. Talking about the old days, taking Dilip Raja’s audition and making mutton biryani, the video was full of many iconic moments.During a segment of the vlog, Khan also brought gifts to surprise Thakur, Hegde and Dhawan to congratulate them for the film. She eventually gifted David and Varun luxury watches from a high-end and expensive brand. On the other hand, he gifted Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur expensive and lab-grown diamond pendants from a popular brand.Following this, Dhawan quipped how she was gifting diamonds to the girls and asked about their earnings, to which Khan joked and said, “Hamara vlog toh sahi chal raha hai” (Our vlog is doing well). To this, Dhawan said, “It is now official that Farah Khan is the highest-paid YouTuber. I have not been to any show, Karan Johar sir ka bhi jo show hai, udhaar bhi diamond kabhi nahi dunga” (It is now official that Farah Khan is the highest-paid YouTuber. I never went to any show, I mean even Karan Johar’s show, I never gave him diamonds.)Later, he also gifted a foot massager and organic oil to David Dhawan and specially commented that Dhawan’s mother would love them.

About Farah Khan’s online channel

Farah Khan started her vlogging channel with chef Dilip Raja in 2024. The videos usually see the two of them cooking all kinds of dishes, while they also invite guests on their channel. The duo is praised for their banter and commentary on the vlog channel. At the time of writing, Khan’s channel has approximately 2.94 million subscribers, and so far, he has uploaded 424 videos on his channel.

YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife Ashley say they are receiving death threats and online abuse after deciding to terminate their pregnancy following a Down syndrome diagnosis.Jessie, 33, shared the news via Instagram on Wednesday. It was later reposted by Ashley, 31. The couple said the decision came after doctors diagnosed the fetus with trisomy 21, another term for Down syndrome.“This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate our pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,” Jesse wrote. Trisomy 21 is another name for Down syndrome. “The selection was not made lightly.”He said the experience had been “extremely painful” for both of them and acknowledged that some followers might disagree with his decision.“When I first encountered this news, I was shocked but optimistic,” Jesse wrote.He added: “If they’re a little slow intellectually, we’ll make it work. I signed up to be a parent no matter what…but I didn’t fully understand what Down syndrome was.”In her post, Ridgway also mentioned health complications associated with Down syndrome, including heart defects, hearing problems, and delayed development. He said he and Ashley consulted with doctors, family members and genetic counselors before making their decision.He claimed that many women choose to terminate pregnancies after a Down syndrome diagnosis. He also said he believes such decisions are often kept private because of stigma.“It was more than I expected, I thought it would be less because I’ve heard so many people say they have kept or will keep the baby,” she wrote.He added: “I believe this is because most terminations occur in private. [and] This seems embarrassing. A lot of decisions are being made.”Addressing critics, including those with autism or Down syndrome, he said: “You mean so much and we’re glad you’re here. I applaud you and your families for having the strength and courage to move forward.”She said the couple still believed they had made the right decision for their family and hoped to try for another pregnancy in the future.Jessie said, “As far as we are concerned, we have made a difficult decision and we believe it will be beneficial for our family in the long run. Thankfully, we had a choice.” “It will take some time to move forward, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully get better results.”Following the announcement, Ridgway said that both he and Ashley had faced online abuse and death threats. He said he was receiving “hatred and bitterness”, including being called a “killer piece” and being compared to Adolf Hitler.She also claimed that some users had targeted her six-year-old dog, who suffers from stage four kidney disease, as part of the harassment. Ridgway condemned those sending the threats, calling them “trash people” and criticizing individuals who use religious arguments to justify abuse.The couple lives in New Jersey and first announced their pregnancy in March via a social media post showing ultrasound images. Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in New Jersey, and the couple said the procedure was performed earlier this week.Jesse Ridgeway (McJuggernauts) YouTube channel has over 4.3 million subscribers.

CJI Surya Kant (Source: ANI)

New Delhi: CJI Surya Kant on Friday said that although Artificial Intelligence tools are reshaping the exercise of sovereign and judicial powers, the international community must quickly put in place a legal framework to deal with the worrying aspect of AI-driven activities, which if carried out by one country can lead to significant regional consequences for another.Delivering a public lecture at the University of London, CJI Kant said AI is an operational reality that is reshaping governance, commerce, warfare, communications, public administration and increasingly the exercise of judicial and sovereign power.Outlining the limits of jurisdiction to regulate AI-driven activities, the CJI said international law must increasingly strive to confront such forms of AI-molded powers “that are no longer neatly contained within geography, yet continue to generate deep regional consequences for individuals and societies”.He said, “If jurisdiction determines where power operates, liability determines who must answer for its consequences. Artificial Intelligence destabilizes both simultaneously.”However, AI systems often operate through distributed chains involving developers, data suppliers, employers, cloud infrastructure providers, private corporations and sovereign actors spanning multiple jurisdictions, thus creating an accountability void, he said.The CJI asked – “When an autonomous system causes harm, who bears the responsibility? Is the liability attributable to the developer who designed the architecture? The entity that deployed the system? The sovereign government that authorized its use? Or the entity that supplied the underlying data on which the algorithm was trained?”He said the importance of this issue increases in the context of military application of autonomous weapons systems and AI, which complicates the intent and decision-making process as the current legal system focuses on imposing it on those who implement it and those who make the decisions.Even developers of AI-based tools are unable to explain why their machines did certain things on certain occasions, making the task of determining accountability and providing remedies through a legal framework difficult, he said.CJI Kant said, “The challenge before the international community is not just to regulate technological capability, but to preserve legal responsibility in an environment where decision making is increasingly mediated through algorithmic systems. If responsibility becomes too fragmented to recognize, accountability itself risks becoming illusory.“And this threat extends beyond war. Financial markets, health care systems, transportation networks, and critical public infrastructure are increasingly dependent on automated systems capable of producing results at scale. The greater the autonomy of technological systems, the greater the need for strong legal frameworks capable of ensuring meaningful human oversight,” he said.Warning that AI could be as biased as humans, the CJI said, “AI systems can systematically produce discriminatory results while maintaining the appearance of mathematical objectivity… The result is a kind of ambiguity that may prove deeply corrosive to democratic accountability.”

Fresh questions have emerged regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein When a former prison guard told congressional investigators that she was not the unidentified man seen approaching her cell block the night before her death.Tovah Noel, a former corrections officer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, testified before the House Oversight Committee that she could not account for the orange figure captured on surveillance footage near Epstein’s housing unit on the evening of August 9, 2019.The figure was seen moving up a staircase towards Epstein’s cell tier at around 10.39pm, making it the last known person or object to appear in the area before the convicted sex offender was found dead the following morning.“To be very honest, I don’t know what it is, who it is, because I never went back to the tier, and I never carried anything orange, and I never issued anything orange to anyone at SHU — not just Epstein, but anyone,” Noel told investigators, referring to the special housing unit where Epstein was being held.The testimony adds another layer of uncertainty to a case that has attracted years of conspiracy theories. Epstein’s death was officially ruled a suicide in August 2019, but questions have been raised about the conditions inside the prison the night he died.In accordance with previous findings, neither the FBI nor the Justice Department ever questioned Noel about the mysterious figure. The DOJ Inspector General’s report suggested that the figure was likely Noel’s, although no evidence was publicly presented to support that conclusion. The FBI logs also raised the possibility that this person could be another prisoner, a scenario that would be highly unusual.Investigators have long faced challenges due to technical failures inside the prison. Most of the facility’s surveillance cameras were not recording that night due to a hard drive failure. The only available footage came from a camera located in a general area, offering only a limited view of the staircase leading to Epstein’s unit.During her testimony, Noel admitted that she failed to conduct mandatory checks on prisoners that night. However, he denied any involvement in Epstein’s death. She also said she did not know who Epstein was when he arrived at the unit and was unaware of any special restrictions or monitoring requirements associated with his detention.MPs also questioned Noel about a series of 12 cash deposits made into his bank account in early 2018. She declined to identify the source of the money but rejected any suggestion that the deposits were linked to Epstein.Noel denied any knowledge of allegations that he and another officer received a $6,500 payment to allow a man named Michael Rose access to Epstein’s cell to murder him. Her attorney said Noel chose to testify voluntarily because she wanted to help provide answers in the high-profile case.

New Delhi: India reprimanded early Saturday Pakistan But united nations The General Assembly (UNGA) accused and reiterated the misuse of UN forums to pursue its political agenda. Jammu and Kashmir “Was, is and will always be” an integral part of India.Speaking during the General Assembly plenary on the annual report of the UN Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvataneni Harish said Pakistan has once again raised issues which are entirely India’s internal matters.The Indian envoy said, “Pakistan’s inappropriate reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, an internal matter of India, has compelled me to respond.”Responding to Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmed’s reference to the Union Territory, India further alleged that Pakistan has misused its position as a member of the UN Security Council by spreading “misinformation and misleading communications”.The envoy said, “Pakistan has decided not to desist from this typical abuse of prestigious UN forums for its own divisive political interests. I want to remind Pakistan that being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It is not a platform to spread biased and false narratives.”‘Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India’, the envoy reiteratedClarifying India’s position on Kashmir, the diplomat said, “Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Any claim to the contrary is baseless, devoid of historical facts and inconsistent.”“Pakistan’s empty rhetoric and empty claims will not change this basic reality,” he said.The remarks came during a wide-ranging discussion on the Security Council’s annual report.India also called for the submission of the report early in the year and urged reforms to make the Security Council more representative of contemporary geopolitical realities.The Indian envoy advocated expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of council membership, saying, “Maintaining the status quo has not enabled the effective functioning of the Security Council so far and will not do so in the future.”The remarks were made when India participated in the session of the UN General Assembly on the Annual Report of the Security Council, where it congratulated Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe on their election to the Security Council for the term 2027-28.India criticizes election plans in Gilgit-Baltistan of PoKThe Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday lodged a “strong protest” over Pakistan’s plan to hold general elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.“The Government of India registers a strong protest with Pakistan regarding Pakistan’s plan to hold “general elections” for the so-called ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly’ in the Indian territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan on 7 June 2026.”It reiterated its stance on Jammu and Kashmir and the Ladakh region, calling it an “integral and inalienable part of India as a result of the complete, legal and irrevocable merger of Jammu and Kashmir into India in 1947”, which also included the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly of PoK.It said, “The Government of India categorically rejects any attempt by Pakistan to bring about material transformation in the areas illegally occupied by Pakistan and underlines that such actions cannot hide the fact that Pakistan is illegally occupying Indian territories, which it must vacate.”