Vivek Mishra works as an Assistant Editor with Eastern Eye and has over 13 years of experience in journalism. His areas of interest include politics, international affairs, current events, and sports. With a background in newsroom operations and editorial planning, he has reported and edited stories on major national and global developments.
NEPAL’s Supreme Court has ruled that Hindu holy men who follow the tradition of remaining unclothed cannot be barred from entering the Pashupatinath temple. The court said that nudity, when practised as a religious custom, is not the same as obscenity.
The ruling concerns the Naga sadhus, ascetics devoted to Lord Shiva who renounce family ties and worldly possessions, including clothing. Covered in ash and wearing dreadlocks, they are a familiar sight at the temple during major festivals.
“I want to thank the Supreme Court,” said 45-year-old Eakadasa Baba, who travelled from India on a pilgrimage to the temple. “It does not mean we roam around the city or villages without clothes. We remain unclothed only in our own place, within the temple,” he added.
The case arose from a petition seeking to stop their temple entry, claiming their nudity disturbed other devotees. The court dismissed it, saying: “Nudity and obscenity are not the same. Nudity, when practised as part of religious or cultural tradition, cannot automatically be considered offensive.”
The judgment, issued last year, was published this week, court spokesperson Nirajan Pandey said.
Hundreds of Naga sadhus visit Kathmandu every year for the Maha Shivaratri festival at Pashupatinath. Many stay on at the temple after the event, which is held in February or March. The temple provides food and a travel allowance to the sadhus.
Rajendra Giri, a 51-year-old Nepali Naga sadhu, said their tradition does not “disturb” anyone.
“They have designated spaces and follow strict disciplines,” cultural historian Govinda Tandon said. “As the court rightly noted, their nudity is not obscenity, it’s a core part of the Naga tradition.”
The court said banning their entry would violate national and international protections of religious freedom.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the administration plans to change the H1B programme, widely used by Indian IT professionals, as well as the Green Card process. (Representational image: iStock)
DHS proposes new rules to limit stay for foreign students and media personnel in the US
F visa “duration of status” system could be replaced with fixed terms
Trump team plans changes to H1B and Green Card processes
Proposal comes amid US-India tensions over tariffs on Russian oil
THE TRUMP administration has proposed new rules to limit how long foreign students and media personnel can stay in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Wednesday that if finalised, the rule would restrict the stay of certain visa holders, including students.
Change to “duration of status” rule
Since 1978, foreign students on F visas have been admitted to the US for an unspecified period known as “duration of status”. Unlike other visas, this designation allows students to remain in the country indefinitely without further screening, according to DHS.
The administration said some students have used this policy to stay in the country as “forever” students by continuously enrolling in higher education programmes.
“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the US virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the US,” the spokesperson added.
Visa limits for foreign media
Foreign media personnel working in the US on an I visa currently receive a five-year visa that can be extended multiple times. Under the proposed rule, the initial admission period would be up to 240 days.
They could seek an extension of up to another 240 days, but not longer than the duration of their temporary assignment.
Four-year cap for students and exchange visitors
Under the plan, foreign students and exchange visitors would be allowed to stay for the length of their programme, but not longer than four years.
Extending stays would require applying to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), giving DHS the authority to reassess visa holders before approving additional time.
This proposal was originally introduced by the Trump administration in 2020 but withdrawn in 2021 under President Biden.
Planned changes to H1B and Green Card
Separately, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the administration plans to change the H1B programme, widely used by Indian IT professionals, as well as the Green Card process.
“I'm involved in changing the H1B programme. We're going to change that programme, because that's terrible,” Lutnick told Fox News on Tuesday.
He added that changes are also being planned for the Green Card system that provides permanent residency in the US.
Strain in US-India ties
The proposal comes amid tensions between the US and India after the Trump administration imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian purchases of Russian oil, effective from Wednesday.
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Inaugurated last year by prime minister Narendra Modi, the sanctuary reportedly houses over 10,000 animals from 330 species, including tigers, elephants, Komodo dragons, and giant anteaters.
INDIA’s Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into allegations of illegal animal imports and financial irregularities at Vantara, a private zoo run by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
Vantara describes itself as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre” and is located in Gujarat. According to India’s Central Zoo Authority, it houses more than 200 elephants, 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles, along with other species.
Wildlife groups have raised concerns that endangered animals are being kept on flatlands near a large oil refinery without plans to return them to the wild.
On Monday, the Supreme Court said it had set up a panel headed by retired judges to examine allegations of unlawful animal acquisition, especially elephants, violations of wildlife rules, and possible money laundering.
“We consider it appropriate... to call for an independent factual appraisal,” the court said.
The judges said the panel would also look into whether Gujarat’s climate is unsuitable for the animals and examine “complaints regarding creation of a vanity or private collection”. The order followed petitions based on media reports and wildlife organisations’ complaints.
In March, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Vantara imported about 39,000 animals in 2024, including from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The zoo has also transported dozens of elephants in special trucks from different parts of India.
In a statement on Tuesday, Vantara said it would give “full cooperation” to the inquiry team and “remains committed to transparency, compassion and full compliance with the law”.
“Our mission and focus continues to be the rescue, rehabilitation and care of animals,” it said.
Vantara was also one of the venues for Anant Ambani’s wedding celebrations in 2024, which included private performances by Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Damaged cemented blocks lie in the water beside an under-construction dam on the Tawi River, following heavy rainfall in Jammu, on August 27, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)
HEAVY rain in northern India has led to flooding and landslides, leaving at least 34 people dead and disrupting essential services, officials and local media said. More rainfall has been forecast for Wednesday.
A landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine on Tuesday killed at least 30 people on the popular pilgrims’ route, ANI reported.
This comes after downpours in the Himalayan region last week killed 60 people and left about 200 missing in Kishtwar in Indian Kashmir.
In Jammu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 368 mm (14.5 inches) of rain on Tuesday.
The IMD has predicted further rainfall and thunderstorms with strong winds in Ladakh, along with heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Schools have been ordered shut in several areas of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Telecommunication services were “almost nonexistent,” said Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, as authorities worked to restore connectivity.
Officials said overflowing water in the Tawi, Chenab, Jhelum and Basantar rivers caused flooding in low-lying areas. Three people were killed in Doda district in Jammu.
“The immediate priority is restoration of electricity, water supply and mobile services, for which the authorities have been working continuously overnight,” Jitendra Singh, India’s science and technology minister, posted on X.
Singh also said that the Madhopur bridge was severely damaged on Wednesday morning.
Television footage showed vehicles plunging from the bridge as it collapsed. Several highways connecting Jammu with the rest of India were also affected.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Pakistan is facing similar monsoon conditions.
On Tuesday, Pakistan reported that its eastern Punjab province was under “very high to exceptionally high” flood risk due to heavy rain and the release of water from two Indian dams.
Authorities said more than 150,000 people in Punjab have been displaced, including about 35,000 who left their homes voluntarily after flood warnings since August 14.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bihar party president Rajesh Ram and others during 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', in Bihar. (AICC via PTI Photo)
INDIA’s opposition Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, intensified their attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Patry (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing them of colluding to “steal votes” in Bihar state, which goes to the polls later this year.
Priyanka joined Rahul at a protest on Tuesday (26) in Supaul, Bihar, alleging that the ruling coalition in Bihar, led by the BJP, had “lost the trust of the people” and was now “hatching a conspiracy to steal votes across the country.”
“The voting rights of millions of poor and deprived citizens are being snatched away. No power can take away this right given by the constitution. We will not allow even a single vote of the poor to be stolen,” she told supporters.
Gandhi has accused the ECI of refusing to share digital voter records, detailing what he said was a list of errors after his supporters spent weeks combing through vast piles of registration lists by hand.
Earlier this month, he claimed authorities manipulated voter rolls by adding fake names in the 2024 general election and other recent polls.
"There are serious discrepancies in the election system, and we will diligently keep exposing them,” Gandhi said.
The BJP and the Election Commission have both denied the rigging charges, which are rare in the world's most populous democracy of 1.42 billion people.
Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the ECI stood “rock solid” with all voters and would not bow to political pressure. He asked opposition leaders to either provide proof of fraud under oath or apologise to the nation.
Gandhi’s comments came ahead of a closely contested state election in Bihar.
“The Bihar election is looking very close, but we are rising and they are declining,” he said.
One of India's most politically important states, Bihar goes to polls by November. It is ruled by an alliance of prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP, but according to a recent survey by the VoteVibe agency, the opposition has an edge largely because of a lack of jobs.
Gandhi launched a month-long "voter rights" rally in the key battleground state of Bihar on August 17, receiving an enthusiastic public response.
India's top court stepped in last week, allowing a biometric ID most residents possess to be accepted in Bihar's voter registration. The "Special Intensive Revision" (SIR) of voter registration is set to be replicated across India.
Gandhi called the exercise in Bihar the "final conspiracy".
Voter verification in Bihar is scheduled to be completed by September 25, with the final list released five days later.
"They aim to steal the elections by adding new voters under the guise of SIR and removing existing voters," Gandhi said.
The ECI has defended the registration revision, saying it is in part to avoid "foreign illegal immigrants" from voting.
Members of Modi's BJP have long claimed that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India's electoral rolls.
(with inputs from PTI)
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Rescuers patrol through floodwaters in the Haqu Wala village of Pakistan's Kasur district on August 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA has alerted Pakistan about a possible flood in the Tawi River, according to a media report on Monday, while heavy rains and rising river levels have forced evacuations in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Citing official sources, The News reported that India contacted Pakistan to share information about potential flooding in Jammu’s Tawi River. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, the paper said. There has been no official confirmation from either India or Pakistan.
The report added that Pakistani authorities have issued warnings based on the information. It is the first such contact since the India-Pakistan conflict in May, according to the paper. Normally, such alerts are shared through the Indus Water Commissioner.
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which had governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries since it was brokered by the World Bank.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of heavy rainfall across most parts of the country until August 30. The country has already been hit by earlier monsoon spells from June 26 to August 20, which left 788 people dead and 1,018 injured as of Saturday.
Flooding has worsened in Punjab, where around 20,000 people have been evacuated over the past 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.
“People from Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar and Vehari have been moved to safety after several villages submerged under floodwater,” Farooq Ahmad, spokesperson for Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122, said.
The affected areas are located near the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum rivers. Ahmad said evacuations of populations in the Sutlej and Ravi riverbeds have been completed.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said emergency operations were continuing across multiple districts, with a fresh monsoon spell forecast until August 27.
The Sutlej River has reached a high flood level at Ganda Singh Wala. “The situation at Ganda Singh Wala is critical and expected to persist for the next 48 hours,” the PDMA warned, adding that water levels in the Indus at Tarbela and Kalabagh are also rising.
“The epicentre of the crisis remains Sutlej, where authorities are focusing evacuation efforts in areas like Jalalpur Pirwala. We have begun relocating residents to prevent any potential damage. Their lives and property are our primary concern,” the authority said.
The government has urged citizens to cooperate with rescue agencies and avoid recreational activities near rivers and canals.