The Quint

It took Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee's humiliating defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly election to burst the bubble of arrogance cocooning the INDIA bloc, which had come to believe in its own invincibility after it stopped the Modi juggernaut in its tracks in the 2024 parliamentary elections.Two and a half years after they beat all odds to deprive the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of a full majority, Opposition parties have woken up to the fact that they are back to square

India’s total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1 for the first time in the country’s history. This trend is observed across most states, with only a few, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, remaining above the replacement threshold. Delhi’s fertility rate is now 1.2, which is lower than that of Finland. India’s population continues to grow due to population momentum, but the rate of growth is expected to slow in the coming years.According

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) will decide its strategy "on the go", said its spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya. Dahiya spoke to The Quint on the sidelines of the CJP's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. When asked about the CJP's demand for education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Dahiya said, “Some qualified man or woman should be the minister.”He emphasised that there is an urgent need to address the systemic flaws in India's education system. Vijeta Dahiya, CJP Spokesperson to The Quin

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a one-time budgetary support of ₹10,000 crore to stabilise aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices for Indian airlines. The fund aims to shield airlines from extreme fuel price volatility, particularly in the context of recent global disruptions and the ongoing West Asia crisis. The support will be provided as interest-free advances to oil marketing companies (OMCs) and will cover both domestic and international airline operatio

The United States House of Representatives voted 215 to 208 to approve a resolution restricting President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran. Four Republican members joined Democrats in supporting the measure, which directs the president to withdraw US troops from hostilities involving Iran unless Congress formally declares war or authorizes military force. The resolution marks the first successful House effort to curb presidential war powers in this conflict, foll

On the night of 12 May 2026, Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal was shaken by the death of Twisha Sharma. A 33-year-old corporate professional, Sharma was found dead in her marital home. Her family claimed she had been subjected to harassment and dowry-related coercion by her husband and mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, a retired judge.Following a nationwide outrage, the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case under Supreme Court oversight. With the trial underway at a Bhopal Court, the case has b

On 3 June, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education. This leadership change occurred alongside the transfer of outgoing Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta, with Varun Bhardwaj named as the new Secretary. The administrative overhaul follows scrutiny of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system and technical issues affecting post-result services.According to Hindustan Times, Prash

The theatre of the US-Israel war on Iran has monopolised global attention while an escalating catastrophe is unfolding in southern Lebanon—one whose logic, methods, and impunity are unmistakably familiar.Since Israel resumed its major military offensive against Lebanon in March 2026, at least 3,400 people have been killed; over a million displaced, exceeding 20 percent of the country’s population; and thousands more wounded.On 8 April alone, Amnesty International documented strikes across more t

On 3 June, the United States military conducted strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island following Iranian missile launches targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Air raid sirens were activated in both countries, and defensive systems were deployed. The US Central Command stated that all Iranian missiles and drones aimed at American and allied targets were intercepted or failed to reach their intended destinations. No US facilities reported damage from the attacks.According to The Indian Express, the U

A woman in Faridabad was compelled to deliver her baby in the parking area of a government health facility after reportedly finding the hospital gates locked during the night. The incident occurred at the Government Primary Health Centre in Sector 3, Ballabhgarh, on the night of 15–16 May 2026. The family, unable to access immediate medical assistance, conducted the delivery under torchlight. Both the mother and newborn were later confirmed to be healthy by authorities.According to The Indian Ex

Delhi’s rise as an imperial capital, national capital, and modern metropolis was built not only by creating grand avenues, government buildings, monuments, and planned colonies, but also through the repeated absorption, displacement, and erasure of villages that had long occupied the land beneath the city. From the Delhi Durbar of 1911 to the building of New Delhi, from the aftermath of the 1857 uprising to the refugee crisis that followed Partition, rural settlements around the city suppli

The Delhi High Court has declined to immediately order the unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party’s X account. The petition, filed by founder Abhijeet Dipke, challenged the blocking of the satirical collective’s social media handle. The court stated that any decision on interim relief would be made only after hearing responses from both the central government and X, and directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s review committee to examine the matter. The next hearing is

From fake claims circulating about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asking the US to hand over the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party to an old video of Muslim cattle traders heckled in Bengal shared as a recent incident, here are five of the most viral pieces of misinformation we debunked this week.Video Compilation Falsely Shared as Cockroach Janta Party Members Protesting1. Video of EAM Asking US To Hand Over Cockroach Janta Party Founder Is a DeepfakeA video showing External Affairs

There is a popular proverb: "Whether the watermelon falls on the knife, or the knife falls on the watermelon, it is the melon that suffers." It is usually used to describe how the vulnerable, when caught between forces beyond their control, always bear the cost. This time, the proverb turned literal and the fruit itself was in the dock; prosecuted by poor journalistic standards and a misinformation ecosystem that moves faster than facts.On 26 April, a barrage of news reports came up stating that

On 28 May, the United States military accused Iran of violating the ongoing ceasefire by launching a missile attack on Kuwait. The incident occurred amid ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran to extend their truce, with both sides exchanging strikes and raising concerns about the stability of the ceasefire agreement. Kuwait’s military confirmed it had faced a missile and drone attack but did not specify the targets or provide casualty figures.According to The Hindu, the US Central Command

The government is actively considering deploying the Indian Air Force to manage the logistics and transportation of NEET-UG 2026 re-test question papers. This move follows the cancellation of the original examination due to allegations of a paper leak. The re-test is scheduled for 21 June 2026, and the proposal aims to enhance the security of the examination process by reducing the risk of leaks during paper transit.According to The Hindu, a high-level meeting was convened at the residence of De

The Supreme Court of India has upheld the constitutional validity of a 28 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on online gaming, including its retrospective application. The decision affects all real-money gaming platforms, fantasy sports operators, and casinos, reviving tax demands estimated at over Rs 2.5 lakh crore. The ruling follows a series of legal challenges by gaming companies and industry bodies, and comes amid a broader regulatory crackdown on online money gaming in India.According to

Last week, the Supreme Court issued an order clarifying the limits of its effective stay on Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (the erstwhile provision on sedition). The court said that where an accused charged under the provision consents to continuation of proceedings, courts may proceed notwithstanding the general stay currently operating on proceedings involving Section 124A. The clarification arose in a petition filed by an accused whose appeal challenging his conviction has remained pen

If Twisha’s mother-in-law—Giribala Singh, a retired district judge—had kept up the charade of a grieving mother-in-law without sharing her comments so generously in the media, this case might have remained just another statistic in dowry litigation. The suicide of Twisha Sharma and the rape of Dalit women are two sides of the same social problem: Brahmanical patriarchy. The more Giribala spoke, the more mechanisms of Brahmanic

Foreign Ministers from India, the United States, Australia, and Japan convened in Delhi on 26 May for the first Quad Foreign Ministers meeting in nearly a year. The meeting was hosted by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at Hyderabad House, with all four ministers—US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi—scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discussions focused on maritime se