Month: June 2025

“Someone please give Ed Sheeran an Aadhaar card,” quipped Indian fans after seeing the British singer’s desi avatar in his new track ‘Sapphire’.

Ed has often expressed his love for India. And now with his song ‘Sapphire’, he once again embraced Indian culture, trying his hand at the Punjabi language.

Shot across several locations in India during his tour, the song’s video shows Ed exploring Indian streets, visiting iconic landmarks, and bonding with a group of young soccer players. His song has all those elements that are enough to bring a smile to the faces of Indians.

We can also see a glimpse of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the clip. Credits also go to Arijit Singh for collaborating with Ed on this catchy track.

Adding flair to the recording are vocals and sitar provided by Arijit Singh, who also appears with the four-time Grammy winner in the ‘Sapphire’ music video.

Sheeran’s rendition of the Punjabi line ‘Cham cham chamke sitare wargi’ stands out as one of the highlights of this song.

Sharing what went behind the track, Ed in an Instagram post wrote, “Sapphire was the first song I finished for Play that made me know where the album was heading. It’s why I finished the recording process in Goa surrounded by some of the best musicians in India. It was an incredible creative process. I shot the music video with @liampethickphoto and @nicminns across my India tour earlier this year, we wanted to showcase the beauty and breadth of the country and its culture.”

He added, “The final jigsaw piece for me was getting @arijitsingh on the record, I’ll make a post about that in a few days but it was a journey to get there and such an amazing day of music and family. Me and him have done a full Punjabi version of the song that will come out in the next few weeks, which has a lot more of him on it. This is the album version of the song, and my favourite song on the album. Hope you guys love it. Sapphire out now x.”

Ed has been to Indian several times. And whenever he comes, he makes sure to spend quality time with his friends from Indian film and music industry.

Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran brought his record-breaking ‘+–= / x’ Tour to Delhi-NCR after riveting performances in Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Shillong. Ed Sheeran expressed his heartfelt gratitude, saying, “The last three weeks in India have been magical. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you for welcoming me, and hopefully I will come back soon!” He concluded the event with ‘Bad Habits’, after performing ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ and ‘Shape of You’.

Last year, filmmaker Farah Khan threw a party for Ed Sheeran. The who’s who of Bollywood gathered under one roof to welcome Ed. Many pics and videos from the party went viral.

One of the clips captured Ed singing his hit song ‘Perfect’ with none other than SRK by his side, who seemed to be totally engrossed in the singing.

In another clip, SRK was seen teaching Ed his signature pose. In the end, SRK gave Ed a warm hug and kiss.”This is the Shape of Us. Spreading love together,” Ed captioned the post. (ANI)

The Bangladesh interim government on Friday announced that the national election will be held in the first half of April 2026.

“I am announcing to the countrymen today that the next national elections will be held sometime in the first half of April 2026. Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections in due course”, said Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, in an address to the nation through state television, BTV, on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha.

The Chief Adviser had said until now that he would hold elections by June 2026. However, political parties, including the BNP, were expecting a roadmap for the elections by December of this year.

According to The Daily Star, the National Citizen Party had been pushing for the election to be held after reforms are completed.

The announcement of the national election is a major development for Bangladesh politics after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024.

Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, had said on May 21 that the national election should be held by December this year, The Daily Star reported.

Yunus said in his address that after one-and-a-half decades, a truly representative parliament will be formed in the country.

He urged the people of the country “to obtain specific commitments” from all political parties and candidates that they will approve without any change, in the first session of the next parliament, the reforms on which consensus has been reached, the report said.

“You [people] will make them [political parties] promise that they will never compromise on the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity of Bangladesh and will not sell the country’s interests to any foreign power,” he said, according to the report.

He also reminded the people of the country that this election is not just about peaceful elections. It is an election to build a ‘New Bangladesh’.

“In this election, there will be only known parties. They will have their known symbols. But the voter has to find out who the candidates behind this symbol are to what extent they are ready to build a ‘New Bangladesh’. How committed are they?” he said, according to the report. (ANI)

The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted interim relief to the office bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who had approached the court seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against them in connection with the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium here, which claimed the lives of 11 people.

In an interim order, the court directed the state police to not take any coercive action against them until further orders.

The High Court adjourned the case to June 9.

KSCA President Raghu Ram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, Treasurer ES Jairam petition, and other KSCA office bearers moved the High Court seeking to quash the FIR.

Marketing and Revenue Head of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Nikhil Sosale also approached the High Court challenging his arrest in connection with the stampede.

Sosale was arrested by the Bengaluru Police in the early hours of June 6 (Friday). He has contended that the arrest was illegal, arbitrary and not in accordance with the law.

He claimed that he was arrested without any materials and even before the police had conducted a preliminary enquiry. He has thus sought to declare his arrest as illegal.

On Thursday, the Bengaluru police registered an FIR against the RCB franchise; DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., an event management company; and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for culpable homicide, illegal assembly, and other serious charges.

A day after the stampede that claimed the lives 11 people, the Karnataka police suspended multiple IPS officers, including the Bengaluru city police Commissioner, B Dayananda.

Apart from Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar HT, Assistant Commissioner of Police Balakrishna and Cubbon Park Police Inspector Girish AK were also suspended with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for politicising the recent stampede. His remarks came after the BJP accused the Congress-led state government of making the police a “scapegoat” in the incident.

CM Siddaramaiah said the state government has already taken action against officials who were found to be “visibly responsible” and “negligent in their duty.”

“They are doing it for politics. I don’t do politics. We have taken action against those who were visibly responsible and found to be negligent in their duty,” the Chief Minister said here.

Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra accused the state government of only acting when pressure was put on them.

“The state government has acted only after coming under pressure. Action has been taken against RCB and the Karnataka Cricket Association. Yesterday, the Chief Minister suddenly suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, and five other officials,” Vijayendra said. (ANI)

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, accusing it of failing on law and order and allowing the health system to collapse.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said, “Criminals are on the loose in Bihar. Many incidents are constantly coming to light and the police seem helpless. The government is also sleeping, and it seems as if they have nothing to do with anything.., rape happens and the Deputy CM makes promises, this is the situation. This is maha-jungle raj.”

He also criticised the state’s health infrastructure, particularly the conditions at AIIMS Patna and PMCH. “If you go to the hospital, then there is no action taken against the corrupt officials. Now also, you can see there is work in action to protect Dr. I.S. Thakur. Why? I only ask one question: that retired official who was granted an extension as soon as our government collapsed. Is there no one more eligible to manage PMCH?” he asked.

Yadav expressed concern over what he described as a worsening situation at AIIMS Patna. “No one gets bed. Yesterday I went to AIIMS, and the state of the healthcare is deteriorating. There is so much disorganisation in AIIMS. Kin of patients were resting on the roads. Patients are not getting beds. People were requesting me to help them get a bed. This is the situation, these mafias in the Bihar government and the central government, those who should cater to the pain of common people, are busy inflicting more pain,” he said.

He also questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ability to govern. “The CM is in an unconscious state of mind and is now incapable of staying on his post. He has become forgetful, unable to recognise MLAs, MPs, or even Cabinet members by face or name,” Yadav alleged.

“CM is in the age I don’t want to comment on him. But this is about 13-14 crore people of Bihar, and these 13-14 crore people are in the hands of those who are unsecured. Tired CM and retired officials are the ones governing Bihar,” he added.

On the matter of reservation, the RJD leader reaffirmed his party’s stand. “From the start, we are on the side of the reservation. The matter is in court, and we took part in protests earlier. If the need arises, we will fight again,” he said. (ANI)

The EV companies in the country is already facing heat with China’s supply restrictions on the rare earth metals, according to a report by Jefferies.

The Jefferies report highlighted that several Indian companies are struggling to import magnets from China, which are crucial components in the production of EV motors.

The report warned that once the current stock of these magnets runs out, motor production could be severely affected, putting the entire supply chain at risk.

It said “Based on our conversations with Indian companies, industry is facing a challenge in importing magnets from China and EV motor production could be at risk once the existing magnet inventories get exhausted”.

Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) too have echoed the sentiment and in its monthly vehicle data release on Friday said “Global supply-chain headwinds (rare-earth constraints in EV components, geopolitical tensions) may limit urban consumer sentiment and exert cost pressure.”

To deal with the situation, companies are considering importing fully assembled motors from China. However, this option comes with challenges. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) would have to make major changes in their supply chains.

Additionally, vehicles might require fresh homologation approvals to meet Indian standards. This shift could also lead to a drop in domestic value addition, which is essential to qualify for the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

China had earlier, on April 4, imposed export controls on six heavy rare earth elements (REEs) and rare earth magnets. The country cited reasons like national security and international obligations such as non-proliferation.

Although these curbs are not a complete ban on exports for the auto sector, companies must now seek prior government approval before shipping these materials out of China. This adds uncertainty and delay in the supply process.

The report also mentioned that the Indian government is aware of the growing risks.

According to a Reuters report on Friday, India is in discussions with various companies to build long-term stockpiles of rare earth magnets. As part of this plan, Indian government is likely to offer fiscal incentives to promote domestic production of these crucial components.

Contrary to their name, rare earth elements, especially the lighter ones, are not actually rare in the Earth’s crust. But they are spread out in low concentrations, which makes extraction and processing difficult.

The global supply chain for these elements is heavily dependent on China, which currently accounts for about 70 per cent of the world’s mined REEs and roughly 90 per cent of refined production. China also produces nearly 90 per cent of the world’s rare earth magnets, especially the heavy rare earths.

With China now increasing its restrictions even further, the supply chain could face more disruptions in the coming months, posing a serious threat to India’s EV sector. (ANI)

Calling this day “historic”, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that the Chenab bridge part of the Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) was constructed working in harmony with nature.

Addressing the public during the inauguration of the Chenab bridge, Vaishnaw said, “Today is a historic day. Another gem has been added to Jammu and Kashmir. Today, PM Modi has inaugurated the railway line connecting Jammu to Srinagar. The country had cherished the dream of this railway line for decades. There were great challenges in its construction… Instead of trying to conquer nature, working in harmony with nature, this railway line has become a reality today through this network of bridges and tunnels. This was made possible due to the steely determination, hard work and laser-sharp focus of our Prime Minister.”

Prime Minister Modi today inaugurated the world’s highest railway arch bridge – the ‘Chenab Railway Bridge’ – and India’s first cable-stayed ‘Anji Bridge’ in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday also flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir’s railway connectivity.

Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with schoolchildren on board and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train.

The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims.

The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world.

These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley.

In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present during the inauguration.

These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir.

The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 metres above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history.

The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region’s difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India’s technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development.

It marks a transformative chapter in India’s infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region.

The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is a 272 km long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, which includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI)

The makers have finally released the teaser of Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ on Thursday.

In the film, which is based on the stage musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Lopez plays Ingrid Luna, a fabulous on-screen diva whose most famous role is that of a spider woman, capable of killing her lovers with a kiss, reported Variety.

In 1981, during Argentina’s Dirty War, a gay hairdresser named Luis (Tonatiuh), who is serving a prison sentence, imagines her films to escape the horrors of his present day.

When a Marxist, Valentin (Diego Luna), is brought into his cell, the two form an unlikely bond over the magic of music and cinema, reported Variety.

In the trailer, Lopez can be heard singing one of the musical’s most famous tracks, “Where You Are.” Several characters are introduced in the trailer who appears to be mesmerised by the charm of Jennifer Lopez in the movie.

As per the outlet, the movie musical has 13 numbers, sung by Lopez, Tonatiuh and Luna.

Take a look at the trailer, https://www.youtube.com/embed/eBFF7i8QGD0

‘Dreamgirls’ director Condon wrote the screenplay in addition to helming the film. Producers include Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy and Greg Yolen.

‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is set to be released theatrically on October 10 via Lionsgate. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting Jammu division with Kashmir.

This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir’s railway connectivity.

Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train.

The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims.

The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world.

These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world’s highest railway arch bridge – ‘Chenab Railway Bridge’ and India’s first cable-stayed ‘Anji Bridge’ in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration.

Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge.

These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir.

The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history.

The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region’s difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India’s technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development.

It marks a transformative chapter in India’s infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region.

The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI)

The reigning World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh continues to make chess history, securing his fourth victory at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament, according to Chess.com.

In Round 9, he defeated China’s formidable Wei Yi, reaching 14.5 points and narrowing the gap between himself and tournament leader Magnus Carlsen to just half a point.

Wei played the rock-solid Petroff in this game, but had the commentators fearing he’d stumbled into world championship preparation when Gukesh went for what they called the “rare move” 8.Qd3, and then shuffled the queen to c4.

Gukesh took big risks in the opening against GM Wei Yi but turned it all around again to win in style.

Carlsen sacrificed a pawn against GM Fabiano Caruana but ultimately converted an extra pawn in the endgame.

GM Hikaru Nakamura took a classical draw against GM Arjun Erigaisi before winning smoothly in armageddon.

All three classical games in Women’s Norway Chess 2025 ended decisively and with a major shakeup in the standings. GM Anna Muzychuk beat Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun to take a two-point lead.

The former leader GM Koneru Humpy achieved a winning position against GM Lei Tingjie but blundered and lost a piece, leaving her in second. IM Sara Khadem won her second classical game of the event, against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu.

Earlier, Gukesh pulled off a stunning victory against former World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of the ongoing Norway Chess 2025 tournament, turning the game around from a losing position on Sunday.

Carlsen reflected on his clash against Gukesh, “The dream of playing a really good tournament burst with that game… I wanted a score that reflects the fact I think I’m still significantly better at chess & since I couldn’t achieve that, a potential win of the tournament would not mean as much,” Carlsen said in a video posted by Chess.com on X. (ANI)

All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the Pakistani delegation does not have much to be pleased about, because not many countries have spoken in their favour.

Tharoor said that the Indian delegation has provided ample proof that India is not the aggressor, but the victims of terrorism.

“Frankly, we weren’t bothered. I think in all fairness, we had more important and more appointments generally than they did. So, that’s something we can be very pleased about, whether it was senators and congressmen on the hill, whether it was officials of the government, our list of appointments is far, far better than theirs, and I’m very pleased about that. Equally, we’ve seen some of them tweeting about their meetings. We’ve not seen the people they met saying anything very supportive or appreciative of Pakistan. So I can’t say that they’ve got very much to be happy about,” he said.

Tharoor told ANI that while Pakistan only argues that India perpetrated terrorism, the Indian delegation proved that terrorism came from Pakistan instead.

“At the moment, we have very much got the better of the argument because when Pakistan says we’re innocent, India is the aggressor, we have given arguments where that is not the case. When Pakistan says we are also victims of terrorism, we have pointed out where the terrorism was incubated in the first place. So I would say to you that I don’t think we need to worry about these Pakistani arguments,” he said.

Tharoor said that the delegation also has a meeting lined up with the Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau and that the meetings until now were a great success.

“Yeah, we still have a couple of important meetings tomorrow, including the Deputy Secretary of State, and we’re seeing in my case I’m doing a ridiculous number of interviews tomorrow with American media. So, it’s going to be a very full day… So a lot is going on still. But broadly speaking, the 5 days have been a real, real success. It seems immodest for me as a leader of the delegation to say that, but I believe we acquitted ourselves rather well. We had good conversations everywhere,” he said.

Tharoor said that Indian embassies did a brilliant job by arranging for appointments with various high-level government heads, think tanks, etc.

“Pretty much every country, our embassies did a very good job of arranging high-level contacts to meet the highest levels of government in some countries, top legislators dealing with these issues, think tanks, media, influential media, press, public, and of course, where possible and appropriate, the diaspora. So we covered a lot of bases,” he said.

Tharoor said that even after a busy trip, the delegation has the satisfaction that they could send the message across that why Operation Sindoor was necessary and reaffirmed the relations of each country with India.

“But at the end of the day, two satisfactions. One is, I believe, we got our message across about what happened in Pahalgam. And about Operation Sindoor and why it was necessary. And secondly, we use the opportunity to reaffirm the importance of relations with India with each of these countries,” he said.

The delegation discussed not just terrorism, but also the countries’ relations, areas of cooperation with India.

“Everywhere we went, we talked about terrorism, we talked about our response, but also our interlocutors were keen on discussing. Larger issues of cooperation with India, Indian involvement in their development, and their involvement in our development. It’s been a terrific experience. I would say these two weeks have been well spent. They have been intense, but at the same time, they’ve been productive,” he said.

Tharoor said that the trip revealed how much support they had from various countries, and it was much better than what they expected.

“In many ways, it was revealing of the fact that we had so much support, so much solidarity expressed. Perhaps we expected a little more resistance or a little more scepticism. We got a tremendous amount of support and sympathy. Some more in private than in public, some also openly expressed, but on the whole, looking back on this, it’s an excellent experience. The 8 members of the delegation are leaving feeling they have accomplished something for the nation,” he said.

The purpose of the visit is to brief key US stakeholders on Operation Sindoor, India’s diplomatic effort launched to combat terrorism and disinformation following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people and injured several others. (ANI)