What should have been a moment of celebration for a young bride in a village near Udaipur has turned into a political campaign for rights after she was forced to dismount from a mare she was riding as part of the festivity.

On April 29, in Hariau village under the Dabok Police Station limits, Pooja Meghwal, a member of the Dalit, was part of her wedding procession, riding a mare—a symbol of pride and joy—when some local strongmen forced her to dismount.

“People forced me to dismount the mare. I felt insulted. My family members were assaulted,” Ms. Meghwal told reporters. Villagers say the incident lingered far beyond the wedding day, with many describing it as a deeply humiliating experience.

In the days since, the incident has gained traction online, with users reacting sharply and sharing similar experiences, while locally, the disquiet has taken a more visible form.

On Thursday (May 7, 2026), members of the Bahujan Samaj Party and people from the Dalit community gathered in large numbers at the municipal premises before marching to the district collectorate in Udaipur.

Ms. Meghwal joined them at the collectorate, where she came riding the mare again. The protesters raised slogans against the administration and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor, demanding a fair probe.

They alleged that around a dozen people, including some women, were involved in the incident, but only four arrests have been made so far. They also questioned the fairness of the investigation and demanded that the probe be handed over to another officer.

Bhim Army State president Jitendra Hatwal demanded that the police take strict action instead of making token efforts that appear to shield those with a casteist mindset.

He alleged that the facts of the case are clear and already known to the police, stating that the bride was forced to dismount the mare, stones were pelted, and processioners were attacked with sticks and rods.

Bhim Army vice-president Roshan Meghwal said the organisation has demanded the immediate arrest of all nine named accused, alleging that only four have been arrested so far.

He added that they have also sought a change in the investigating officer, along with security and compensation for the victim’s family. The outfit will launch a protest in Jaipur if their demands are not met, he said.

Police said they had filed an FIR at Dabok Police Station and were conducting an investigation.

Villagers say the wedding festivities have ended, but conversations around that evening continue in neighbourhood discussions, at community gatherings and on mobile screens, turning a single event into a larger, lingering debate about dignity, equity and change.

Three Indian-origin persons have been found guilty of first-degree murder by a court in Canada in connection with the killing of a couple in Abbotsford, according to local broadcaster CBC News.

Arnold and Joanne De Jong were found dead in their Abbotsford residence in May 2022.

Four years later, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Brenda Brown on Friday (May 8, 2026) ruled that Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor played a willing and integral role in the couple’s murder, the broadcaster reported.

The judge agreed with prosecutors that the murders were financially motivated and rejected defence arguments that the deaths resulted from a robbery that went wrong, the report said.

Plan to rob and kill

Prosecutors told the court the three men had jointly planned to rob and kill the couple, and they stole credit cards, cheques and a power washer from the house.

The three men worked together for a cleaning company owned by Abhijeet Singh, which had previously carried out work at the De Jongs’ home.

The accused, all in their 20s, had pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder at the start of the trial.

The couple were found dead in separate bedrooms, with Arnold’s head and face wrapped in duct tape while Joanne was found with blood around her. Their hands and feet were bound with rope.

Evidence presented

CBC News said prosecutors presented circumstantial evidence linking all three accused to the killings, including DNA recovered from the crime scene, rope allegedly used to tie up Arnold De Jong and a metal baseball bat recovered from the suspects’ vehicle.

Prosecutors also cited phone data evidence showing Abhijeet Singh carried out internet searches after reading news reports about the killings, including searches related to how murderers are punished in Canada, the report said.

Sentencing for the three is scheduled for May 28.

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son in Hyderabad following allegations of sexual harassment of a minor girl, with the accused alleging extortion and criminal intimidation by the teen and her parents.

According to the 17-year-old girl’s mother, Sanjay Kumar’s son Bhageerath, who was in a relationship with her daughter, sexually harassed her.

“The alleged relationship began about seven-eight months ago,” police said. They are yet to examine the girl, who is a student.

Meanwhile, Bhageerath complained to the police in Karimnagar that the girl who got acquainted to him, invited him to her family functions and group gatherings. An FIR was registered based on the complaint.

Bhageerath said in the complaint that, believing the girl’s family to be trustworthy, he accompanied them and visited some holy places, as part of a friends group.

Subsequently, the girl and her parents intimidated him to marry her, but he rejected the proposal, following which the girl’s parents demanded money and also threatened him with false complaints if he failed to pay the amount. Out of fear, he paid ₹50,000 to the girl’s father, but they demanded ₹5,00,00,000. If he failed to comply, the girl’s mother would commit suicide, Bhageerath alleged in his complaint.

Five terrorists were killed in operations conducted by security forces in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

Based on intelligence reports, the security forces initiated two separate operations in the Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts on May 7 and 8, it said in a statement.

Four terrorists belonging to the banned Teh­reek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in the military engagement in the Tank district, the statement said.

In Dera Ismail Khan, another TTP member was killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces.

Weapons and ammunition have also been recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists, the statement said.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, predominantly targeting the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel, and security forces.

Attacks increased after the banned TTP broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.

Mumbai

In the wake of El Niño concerns, the Maharashtra government has directed officials to complete water conservation works on a war footing under the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0 and prioritise measures to improve groundwater levels.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the functioning of the Soil and Water Conservation Department and directed officials to submit plans under the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0 before May 15.

“The administration should consider the urgency of repair works in the villages and [they are] to be executed immediately. The work should be accelerated by giving revised plans to the districts, whereas the work in the villages under Jalyukt Shivar should be prioritised,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

He also referred to meetings with Union Ministers to secure increased funds under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

According to the Soil and Water Conservation Department, 1,44,697 works have been approved under the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0, of which 1,10,120 have been completed. The remaining works are in progress and are planned to be completed at the earliest.

During the meeting, Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod, Secretary of the Soil and Water Conservation Department Jitendra Papalkar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi, Water Adviser to the Chief Minister Shriram Vedire, Officer on Special Duty Priya Khan, Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner Anjali Ramesh, and Maharashtra Water Conservation Corporation Managing Director Vijay Devraj were present.

Mr. Rathod said, “The work will now accelerate with our blueprint. The guidelines have also been prepared to ensure that the works are completed as per the original plan. However, permissions are required to remove encroachments at the Malgujari lakes.”

The work to conduct on-site verification of soil and water conservation projects is under way. So far, out of 15,15,000 works, 12,27,000 structures have been verified on-site. As many as 477.73 lakh cubic metres of silt have been removed from 1,435 reservoirs. As a result, water storage of 30,835 has been restored and 73,417 acres of land has become fertile.

Mr. Rathod said district-wise desilting work had been planned to be completed by June 15, according to the Soil and Water Conservation Department.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, 22,000 works have been completed and geo-tagged. Further, 57 Amrit Sarovars are being constructed under the watershed development component, and 31 of them are planned to be completed by June 15.

He also said that under the department’s five-year master plan, 1,21,583 works have been proposed across 27,942 micro-watersheds in the State.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the Centre’s Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-GRAM) scheme should be utilised for carrying out these works. It also said bamboo plantation should be considered along drains during nala deepening works to prevent silt accumulation.

The government has also directed officials to complete repair works of the Malgujari lakes in Vidarbha by June.

After a long wait of over five years, the Central government has fully operationalised the four labour codes by publishing rules, ensuring minimum wage and universal social security for all workers.

The four codes, namely the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, came into effect from November 21, 2025.

The four codes were introduced to modernise and consolidate 29 labour laws into a simplified and contemporary framework.

An official told PTI that the rules under the four codes are now notified in the official gazette of the government, and with this, the process of full implementation of the labour codes is complete. He explained that though the labour codes became law of the land on November 21, 2025, certain explanations were not provided owing to the absence of rules.

The draft rules were published on December 30, 2025, to seek feedback from stakeholders and were notified after legal vetting. The publishing of rules under the four codes was necessary to make the new laws fully operational.

The codification of 29 existing labour laws into the four labour codes was undertaken to address long-standing challenges and make the system more efficient and contemporary.

The codification aims to enhance ease of doing business, promote employment generation, ensure safety, health, and social & wage security for every worker.

Since labour is a concurrent subject, the appropriate governments, the Centre and States, are required to notify the rules under the four codes to enforce them fully across the country.

The enforcement of the codes will mark the next transformative step  — broadening worker protection, easing business operations and promoting a pro-worker labour ecosystem.

The provisions of the labour codes include a mandatory appointment letter, free health check-ups for workers aged 40 years and above, and equal work, pay and opportunity for women working in different shifts.

The new legal framework also mandates the establishment of a National Reskilling Fund, which will be utilised for reskilling workers who lose their jobs. The rules also capped the weekly working hours at 48 hours.

“The number of hours of work which shall constitute a normal working day for an employee whose wage period is other than on a daily basis shall be so fixed that the total number of weekly working hours shall not exceed forty-eight hours,” according to the rules.

The rules also provide for at least one weekend off or rest day to workers and payment of overtime for working beyond working hours.

The skyline of Kailasagiri gained a towering new landmark as a 65-foot-high Trident (Trishul) was inaugurated on Saturday (May 9, 2026), marking a significant step in the city’s push toward becoming a top-tier international tourism destination.

The inauguration was led by Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana, MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, and Visakhapatnam MP Matukumilli Sribharat, alongside several regional legislators and officials.

Feat of engineering and spirituality

The massive structure, which includes a Damarukam, was completed in approximately eight months at an estimated cost of ₹6 crore. Given Kailasagiri’s coastal elevation and susceptibility to high-velocity winds, the MP highlighted that the Trident was built to rigorous engineering specifications, capable of withstanding wind speeds of up to 250 km/h.

“Kailasagiri already holds immense spiritual significance due to the iconic Shiva-Parvathi statues,” Minister Narayana said.

MP Sribharat said, “the addition of this grand Trident enhances the destination’s grandeur, offering visitors a blend of spiritual reverence and breathtaking panoramic views of the city.”

Integrated ecosystem master plan

On the other hand, Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat revealed that a comprehensive master plan is currently in development to elevate Visakhapatnam’s tourism profile on the global stage. The strategy focuses on creating a tourism ecosystem that encourages longer stays.

The MP outlined a vision to integrate three of the city’s major landmarks; Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Kailasagiri Hilltop, and Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary.

“Our objective is to develop Visakhapatnam into a destination where tourists can spend four to five days immersed in nature, spirituality, and modern tourism within a single integrated hub,” Mr. Sribharat added.

Attendees of the event included MLAs Palla Srinivasa Rao (Gajuwaka), Vishnu Kumar Raju (Vizag North), Vamsi Krishna Srinivas (Vizag South), Panchakarla Ramesh Babu (Pendurthi), and Lokam Naga Madhavi (Nellimarla), as well as VMRDA Chairman Pranav Gopal and Commissioner Tej Bharat.

Enhancing visitor experience

Beyond the monument itself, the project includes: special pathway zones dedicated to walking areas for easier accessibility, improved amenities designed to handle the increasing influx of domestic and international tourists and scenic viewpoints which are strategically developed spots for photography and city-viewing.

For Delhi Capitals, IPL 2026 has been the same old wine in a new bottle. The franchise seems to enter every season brimming with optimism about breaking free from the shackles of the past, but invariably falls into a familiar abyss of despair. Even by its subpar standards, the 19th edition has been a conspicuous low, with the failures of the batting unit in particular acquiring a tedious pattern.

Venugopala Rao, DC’s Director of Cricket, said after the team’s loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday (May 8, 2026) that individuals in the batting department haven’t taken responsibility.

“Everybody has experience (at this level). At the end of the day, you need to read the situation and conditions,” Venugopala said. “Only when you adapt, you can win matches. We can’t keep sending messages to the batting group. The biggest challenge is responsibility. When things fail as a batting unit, you need to take responsibility. You have to say, ‘I’ll do it, rather than somebody else will do it.’ I think that is missing.”

With three games left in the league phase, Venugopala echoed skipper Axar Patel’s views at the post-match presentation about the rest of the campaign being an opportunity to try the bench.

“We will try the bench. When the skipper says something like that, we definitely want to try,” he said.

At the same time, DC will have to find a way of curbing its losing streak and ending the season on a high. Otherwise, it risks alienating a shrinking fan base even further.

Jhalmuri, the quintessential Bengali street snack that became an unlikely symbol in the bitter All India Trinamool Congress (AITC/TMC)-BJP fight for over a month, found pride of place at the swearing-in of West Bengal’s first BJP government at the Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

The State BJP set up 20 jhalmuri stalls across the sprawling venue in central Kolkata, while several independent vendors were also seen doing brisk business along the periphery.

Scores of people attending the ceremony made a beeline for the stalls to savour the snack made of puffed rice, green chillies, and an assortment of spices.

“I am loving jhalmuri more today because of our heady victory in the election,” said Manjari Basu, who came from Tollygunge, in Kolkata’s southern quarters, to witness the swearing-in ceremony.

Manish Yadav from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas, holding a paper packet of jhalmuri in hand, said, “the snack tasted sweet instead of spicy because of the BJP’s momentous victory.”

The humble snack hogged national limelight at the height of hustings during the recently concluded Assembly polls as the Prime Minister made an unscheduled stop during his campaign in Jhargram on April 19 to savour jhalmuri from a nondescript roadside stall.

Since then, ‘jhalmuri’ became part of the political crossfire with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee alleging that Modi’s pit-stop at the shop was “all drama” and the Prime Minister retorting that the rival party was feeling the heat of chillies after he had the snack. While Modi had remarked that the BJP would hold victory celebrations on May 4 and distribute sweets as well as jhalmuri among people, the then Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, said that she would send the Prime minister bhelpuri, which is available in Delhi.

“Britain’s Labour Party lost power on Friday (May 8, 2026) in Wales for the first time since its devolved Assembly was created in 1999, as the nationalist party Plaid Cymru won the most seats in local elections,” the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported.

With all 96 seats declared, the Plaid Cymru won 43 — falling short of a majority — while anti-immigration party Reform UK were second with 34 leaving Labour trailing in third winning just nine seats.

It represented a humiliating result in its traditional heartlands for centre-left Labour, the ruling party in London which has dominated the Welsh politics for more than a century.

Its leader in Wales, Eluned Morgan, lost her seat and promptly announced she was standing down from the role, after becoming the first head of a government in the U.K. to lose her seat while in office. “Welsh Labour has today suffered a catastrophic result,” she said shortly after the results were announced.

“It ends a century of Labour winning in Wales, and the party will need to take a really hard look at itself, and understand the depth of the challenge that we face,” she noted.

She later said Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour party — in power in London but deeply unpopular and also humbled in Thursday’s (May 7, 2026) local elections in England and Scotland — needed to “change course”.

Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, said the election showed Wales wanted a “change of leadership”. “Plaid Cymru stands ready to take the necessary steps to form the next government of Wales,” he later added in a victory speech.

The Welsh Parliament was created 27 years ago after the former U.K. Prime Minsiter Tony Blair’s Labour government devolved power from London to new legislatures in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast in key areas including healthcare, transport and social policies.

The U.K. government sets policies for England, and retains control over countrywide issues such as foreign policy and defence.