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.

London trains disrupted due to heat wave in Britain

Britain’s scorching heat caused major travel disruption on Tuesday after smoke was reported on railway tracks near London Waterloo station, forcing train operators to cancel services and impose speed restrictions on parts of the network.South Western Railways (SWR) said smoke was spotted between London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations, prompting emergency safety inspections and causing serious delays on one of the country’s busiest rail corridors, The Independent reports.Although the operator declined to directly link the incident to rising temperatures, officials warned that extreme heat was already affecting railway operations in southern England.

Services cancelled, trains slowed down

Commuters traveling to and from London Waterloo faced disruption on routes connecting Guildford, Woking, Chessington South, Dorking, Hampton Court, Shepperton and Strawberry Hill. As inspection continued throughout the day, orders were given to run trains at reduced speed on many lines.SWR canceled a number of services in advance to “minimize disruption” caused by the heatwave. Journeys between London Waterloo and Weymouth via Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as journeys to Aldershot via Woking and Guildford were among those affected.Some services running between Exeter St Davids, Salisbury and London Waterloo were also discontinued, terminating at Basingstoke rather than continuing into central London.Separately, National Rail reported disruption on the Elizabeth line, with some eastbound services from London Liverpool Street towards Gideia Park canceled on Tuesday afternoon.

Hottest night of May recorded in Britain

The rail chaos unfolded as Britain endured a May heat wave that forecasters described as “unprecedented”. The overnight temperature in parts of South London did not drop below 21.3 °C, officially a “tropical night” and setting a new record for the highest daily minimum temperature ever in May.The previous record, set in 1944, was 32.8 degrees Celsius, but temperatures this week have soared far beyond seasonal norms. Meteorologists have warned that temperatures in London could reach 34 degrees Celsius again after the UK recorded its hottest day in May at 34.8 degrees Celsius earlier this week.According to climate experts, the scale of the temperature rise at this time of year was extraordinary, given that climate records are usually broken only at modest intervals rather than at such large intervals.

A software engineer’s viral social media post criticizing life in large gated communities has triggered a widespread online debate on resident welfare associations (RWAs), housing society rules and generational differences in urban living.Shravan Venkataraman, in a thread posted on“At the slightest discomfort in their worldview caused by any person or any family in the society, they start imposing their views on how one should live in the house they are renting/in that society – who can come to visit, who can’t, who can complain, who can’t, etc. And these old people who are also in charge of power – in RWAs or society unions, whenever anyone challenges them on any real issue they go on a power trip,” he wrote.According to Venkataraman, young residents are often better off living in smaller G+3 or G+4 buildings with fewer than 25 apartments, where rules are less intrusive and community interaction is more relaxed.Sharing a personal experience from his housing society in Hyderabad, Venkataraman said there was a theft at his house and when he requested CCTV footage through a residents’ WhatsApp group, he was informed that the cameras were not working. Concerned about security, he advised residents to install personal security cameras.According to him, instead of addressing the security lapse, senior RWA members called him to the club house and reprimanded him for raising the issue publicly.“The next day the RWA president and vice-president called me to the club house. I went there thinking they would solve my problem and they found who had stolen the stuff. Instead they call me and start yelling at me how can I post such complaints on a group of residents and how can I post that there is no safety here and one should take care of oneself – that I am ruining the morale in the society,” he wrote.He further alleged that a committee member sarcastically dismissed the complaint, following which he left the residents’ WhatsApp group.“I mean what do these old people think in their minds? That they can order everyone around with arbitrary rules as per their convenience and everyone must follow it, and especially the tenants?” He added.His post resonated with many netizens, who shared similar experiences of excessive surveillance and micromanagement in the gated society. Many users complained about restrictions on visitors, screening of bachelors, moral policing, and profiling of guests by security guards. One user said that elderly residents of his society also objected to children playing outside, while some others dismissed Venkatraman’s post as merely a complaint against the apartment rules.One user wrote, “Exactly. It’s not just about rules or old ones, high rise clusters have high monthly maintenance, leading to severe water scarcity and severe traffic congestion and pollution. Why does the government encourage high rise clusters when we can develop horizontally.”

New Delhi: Former test batsman and former head coach of Pakistan Haroon Rasheed Tuesday pointed out the sharp differences between India and Pakistan’s cricket structures, saying India is now enjoying the rewards of long-term planning, strong domestic cricket and a strong age-group system, while Pakistan is struggling due to inconsistency and instability.Speaking on Hamaraiweb.com, Haroon said that Pakistan’s recent performance reflects deeper issues within the country’s cricket structure. “The recent Test defeat to Bangladesh and our performance in white-ball cricket before that tells the whole story of our cricket,” he said.Haroon, who served the Pakistan Cricket Board in several roles including chief selector, coach of senior and junior teams and head of the cricket academy, said India’s system has produced a huge talent pool, especially in T20 cricket.“There is a lot of talent to choose from in India at the moment, especially in T20 cricket. This is because all their players are coming through the proper system from different age groups.”The former Pakistan batsman said that lack of stability, continuity and planning has seriously harmed Pakistan cricket over the years.Aaron said, “I don’t think changing the board chair so often has helped. I have served under at least six different chairmen in my time on the board and when a new chair comes, it means he brings his own people, policies and mentality.”Haroon also stressed the urgent need to reform Pakistan’s domestic infrastructure and warned that other countries were moving too fast.“There is a dire need to change the domestic structure left by competition between association and departmental cricket in Pakistan and come up with a new concept, otherwise we will be left behind. Even Bangladesh has now shown how they have improved.”He also questioned the frequent change of captaincy by the PCB and said that the constant reshuffle did not develop stability in the team.He questioned, “When you decide to appoint a captain in any format, it must be done with a lot of thought, so how can you keep changing the captain, how will the Pakistan team remain consistent and stable?”Haroon said Pakistan has historically performed better under captains who have been given long-term leadership roles and warned that the country risked falling further behind if young players were not properly groomed.“There are a lot of things that need to be fixed in Pakistan cricket. Otherwise we will be further left behind. Because we are not even grooming our young talents properly or giving them the right coaching and experience to prepare them for long-term international cricket.”

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta publicly questioned FWICE’s decision to ban Ranveer Singh over his exit from ‘Don 3’ and argued that the ban would ultimately deprive 300 workers of their livelihood. FWICE issued this direction after Farhan Akhtar claimed that Ranveer’s sudden departure led to a loss of Rs 45 crore during the pre-production phase of the film.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) banned the actor on Monday (May 25). Ranveer Singh after his sudden departure Farhan AkhtarFarhan himself had put the matter of ‘Don 3’ before the workers body. After this decision, there has been a sharp reaction from the industry including film producers. Sanjay Gupta Now the federation is publicly questioning the logic behind this move.

Sanjay Gupta hits back at FWICE

Addressing

Three notices, zero response – how did the non-cooperation directive come against Ranveer?

A non-cooperation directive was issued by FWICE against Ranveer after Farhan approached the federation over the ‘Don 3’ controversy in April. The actor was served several notices by the body, to which he responded by saying that FWICE was not the “appropriate forum” to resolve a contractual matter between the parties involved.

FWICE President Ashok Pandit breaks down federation’s decision in press conference

FWICE President Ashok Pandit addressed the media at a press conference to highlight the reasoning behind the federation’s decision. He explained that FWICE was forced to take action after Farhan filed a formal complaint, alleging that Ranveer had walked out of the film days before the shooting began and the actor had consistently failed to respond to his notices. “As soon as the complaint reached us, we registered it formally. Subsequently, we issued three notices to Ranveer Singh: one every 10 days, inviting him to join us, and three reminders. However, we received no response at all. Since we received no response, we collectively decided to call a press conference to inform the industry of the decision taken by our federation. As soon as we announced the press conference, we received a letter from Mr. Singh Received an email stating that this matter does not come under our jurisdiction and we have no right to interfere in it. We took note of their stand and decided to proceed accordingly,” Pandit said.

Farhan claims loss of Rs 45 crore – the financial stakes behind ‘Don 3’ controversy

Last month, Farhan had brought the matter before FWICE and alleged that Ranveer’s sudden exit from the project had caused a financial loss of Rs 45 crore. The official letter from the federation elaborates on the sequence of events, “A complaint was filed by filmmaker Farhan Akhtar before IFTDA on 11th April 2026, following which the matter was officially referred to FWICE for further action and appropriate intervention. In accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency and natural justice, FWICE convened meetings with all concerned parties to hear the case. Farhan Akhtar with the film’s producer. During the proceedings, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani informed FWICE that they have already collected around Rs. Rs 45 crore was spent on the pre-production of the film. He expressed serious concern that the sudden exit of such a big actor from the project at the final stage could cause serious financial loss to the producer and adversely affect the overall execution of the film.”

From Amitabh to Shahrukh Khan and Ranveer – the iconic legacy of the ‘Don’ franchise ‘Don 3’

‘Don 3’ was officially announced by Farhan’s production house Excel Entertainment in August 2023, with a teaser that introduced Ranveer Singh as the new face of the iconic ‘Don’, a role originally brought to life by Amitabh Bachchan and later re-imagined. Shahrukh Khan.

Western Europe was hit by unseasonably warm weather on Tuesday, with record-breaking temperatures across the continent.Temperatures soared well above the normal average for May, according to weather agencies, trapped under a high pressure system carrying hot air from North Africa and over Western Europe. At least seven people died directly or indirectly due to the extreme weather in France, Reuters reports, while authorities in several countries issued warnings and restrictions. France’s weather service said Monday was the hottest May day recorded in the country since measurements began, while Britain also recorded its hottest May day. Temperatures are expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius in parts of France on Tuesday, with the heat likely to continue through Wednesday and Thursday.France’s junior energy minister Maud Bregon said the seven people who died in the heat wave included five who drowned in lakes, rivers and beaches as people sought respite from rising temperatures. Officials also directed local administrations to enforce protective measures during sporting events.In Paris, spectators and players had to contend with difficult conditions at Roland Garros as temperatures hovered around 33C. French authorities said one person died during a 10-kilometre race in Paris on Sunday, while 10 others were hospitalized in serious condition after another race near the capital.Much of Brittany remained under an orange level heat warning on Tuesday.“It’s a bit worrying because it’s not really normal at this time of year, but unfortunately I think it’s going to become the norm in France,” student Chloe Voisin told AFP in Bordeaux.In Britain, the Met Office recorded a maximum temperature of 34.8C at Kew Gardens, south-west London, on Monday, two degrees higher than last May’s record. Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst described the temperatures as “a good indicator of climate change” and said such conditions were increasingly likely to become the “new norm”.“This heat would be extraordinary even in the middle of summer in the UK, let alone May,” the Met Office posted on Twitter. In London, temperatures at this time of year are usually around 17C or 18C.Tourists and residents struggled to cope with the conditions. “If you’re not concerned about global warming, you must be completely deaf, blind, right?” Swiss tourist Philippe Bignens told AFP in London.Spain’s meteorological agency Emet warned of “exceptionally high temperatures for this time of year”, predicting “broad tropical nights” this weekend as well as high temperatures between 36C and 38C.In Italy, Lazio authorities banned outdoor work between 12.30pm and 4pm in sectors including farming, construction and logistics.Scientists said human-induced climate change is intensifying heat waves, droughts and floods, making such extreme weather events more frequent and severe across Europe, AFP reports.