Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

COVID-19 cases in India soar to 606; Modi likens lockdown to ‘Mahabharata war’

THE number of novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 606 on Wednesday (25) with 10 deaths being recorded across the country, a health ministry official said.

The number of active cases is 553.


Indian prime minister Narendra Modi warned of tough action against those misbehaving with people on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus like doctors and airline crew, and sought the cooperation of citizens with the administration to deal with the crisis.

Modi chose a video interaction with residents of Varanasi, the constituency he represents in Parliament, to respond to several queries related to the pandemic and his government's response to it, and asserted that focusing on a few incidents of shortcomings will not help at this hour.

"The difficulties being faced are only for 21 days. But if the coronavirus crisis is not over and its spread is not stopped, then we cannot imagine the harm it will cause," Modi said.

"The war of Mahabharata was won in 18 days and our effort is to win this war against the coronavirus in 21 days," he added.

Indian health minister Harsh Vardhan chaired a Group of Ministers meeting to assess the situation in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

While assuring that the government is making efforts to ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) and N-95 masks are available in adequate numbers to help the medical fraternity in their job, health ministry officials said 29 private laboratories with over 16,000 sample collection centres have been registered so far for testing of COVID-19.

"PPEs and masks have some imported components. There are disruptions with respect to import of certain items. The government is trying to address the issue," the official said.

According to officials, the ministry of home affairs is monitoring the lockdown through a control room.

The health ministry in its updated figures on Wednesday morning, stated the second death reported in Delhi was COVID-19 negative, thus bringing down the death toll to nine in India.

When quizzed about this, the official said, "Second reconfirmatory test of Delhi patient who died on Tuesday, came negative and so we reduced the death toll."

Tamil Nadu in southern India reported its first death du to coronavirus on Wednesday.

More For You

London Jains honour teens for completing Athai Tap fast

The young tapasvis seated during the community celebration

London Jains honour teens for completing Athai Tap fast

THE Jain community in London came together for a historic celebration, honouring five teenagers who successfully completed the eight-day Athai Tap fast, one of the most respected spiritual practices in Jainism.

The children – Moksh Shah, Labdhi Mehta, Mithil Shah, Svara Gandhi, and Dylan Shah – each from different families, were recognised for their discipline, devotion, and inner strength. Athai Tap involves abstaining from food for eight continuous days, a test of both body and spirit, undertaken as a way of seeking spiritual progress and self-control, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Edward Enninful warns fashion is sliding into anti-diversity as ‘being super-thin is the norm’

Enninful also gave his view on a recent American Eagle campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney

Getty Images

Edward Enninful warns fashion is sliding into anti-diversity as ‘being super-thin is the norm’

Highlights:

  • Former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful says “anti-woke” rhetoric is influencing fashion.
  • He warns the industry is reverting to European and super-thin beauty standards.
  • Enninful has launched a new inclusive media venture, EE72, with Julia Roberts on its debut cover.
  • He dismisses rumours of a fallout with Anna Wintour, saying she supported his departure from Vogue.
  • He also commented on recent advertising controversies, including Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign.

Fashion industry ‘in flux’

Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has warned that fashion risks going backwards on diversity, with super-thin and European looks once again dominating as the beauty norm.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Radical with Amol Rajan during London Fashion Week, he said that “anti-woke” and anti-diversity sentiment was “having a moment.”

Keep ReadingShow less
menstruation

The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women

iStock

Heavier bleeding and iron loss linked to long Covid in women, study finds

Highlights:

  • Survey of more than 12,000 UK women finds heavier, longer periods linked to long Covid
  • Symptom severity rises and falls across the menstrual cycle, worsening during periods
  • Tests reveal inflammation in womb lining and hormonal changes, but no damage to ovaries
  • Iron deficiency risk may exacerbate fatigue, dizziness and other common long Covid symptoms

Study highlights link between long Covid and menstrual changes

Women with long Covid are more likely to experience longer and heavier periods, putting them at increased risk of iron deficiency, researchers have found. The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women, which also showed that the severity of long Covid symptoms fluctuated across the menstrual cycle and often worsened during menstruation.

Findings from UK survey

Between March and May 2021, 12,187 women completed an online survey. Of these, more than 1,000 had long Covid, over 1,700 had recovered from the virus, and 9,400 had never tested positive. The study revealed that women with long Covid reported heavier and longer periods, as well as more frequent bleeding between cycles, compared with other groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
World Curry Festival 2025

The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations

World Curry Festival

Bradford’s first curry house traced back to 1942 ahead of World Curry Festival

Highlights:

  • Research for the World Curry Festival uncovered evidence of a curry house in Bradford in 1942.
  • Cafe Nasim, later called The Bengal Restaurant, is thought to be the city’s first.
  • The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
  • Festival events will include theatre, lectures, and a street food market.

Historic discovery in Bradford’s food heritage

Bradford’s claim as the curry capital of Britain has gained new historical depth. Organisers of the World Curry Festival have uncovered evidence that the city’s first curry house opened in 1942.

Documents revealed that Cafe Nasim, later renamed The Bengal Restaurant, once stood on the site of the current Kashmir Restaurant on Morley Street. Researcher David Pendleton identified an advert for the cafe in the Yorkshire Observer dated December 1942, describing it as “Bradford’s First Indian Restaurant”.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less