THE KOREAN VERSE

 Ghaziabad Triple Suicide Case Updates: The three minor sisters who allegedly jumped to their deaths from a ninth-floor flat in Ghaziabad on Wednesday left a diary with an eight-page note detailing their love for Korea and K-Pop. The girls were reportedly in distress as they were unable to watch K-dramas.

According to the sources, the three sisters - Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12) - had created a social media account that gained a significant number of followers. They identified themselves with Korean names - Maria, Aliza, and Cindy.

The police received information around 2.15 am that three girls had jumped off the balcony of a ninth-floor flat in a tower of Bharat City under the Teela Mor police station limits in the Sahibabad area.

On reaching the spot, the police found that the girls had fallen to the ground floor and suffered fatal injuries. They were rushed by an ambulance to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arAssistant Commissioner of Police Atul Kumar Singh said the sisters were heavily engrossed in a task-based Korean “love game.” Their father said they had been playing this particular game for about two-and-a-half to three years.Singh added, “Their parents had restricted their mobile phone usage for the past few days, which distressed them. This may have triggered their decision to take this extreme step.”

The sisters developed a strong interest in online gaming during the pandemic and reportedly played almost non-stop. In their diary, they listed a wide range of survival, horror, and interactive gameThe diary also lists cartoons, animated characters, and other apps for entertainment, such as Doraemon, Shinwen, PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, and Disney characters, Elsa, Ariel, and Cinderella.  

Beyond Korean culture, the diary lists an extensive range of global entertainment that captivated the sisters, including Chinese, Thai, and Japanese actors, songs, movies, and BL dramas. Hollywood films, shows, and English songs also featured in their diary rival.

RED FORT CAR EXPLOSION

10 November, Red Fort

 On November 10, around 6.55 p.m., a car exploded near the Red Fort in Delhi, killing 13 people and injuring several others. An FIR has been registered since then at the Kotwali police station, and the case has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency. During the probe, security agencies found that Dr. Umar ul Nabi, a “wanted” member of the ‘white-collar’ terror module, missing since October 7, and associated with Al Falah, was behind the wheel of the car that went up in flames. He died in the explosion. So far, the J&K Police have arrested nine suspects in a separate case registered on October 19, which now appears closely linked to the Delhi blast.

This is alleged to be an act of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization founded in neighboring Pakistan, to avenge the death of 10 family members of its leader, Masood Azhar. This attack took place just a few months after Operation Sindoor, an Indian tri-services military operation that aimed to neutralize terror groups involved in cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, showing that terrorism cannot be eradicated but can only be controlled. Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the Pahalgam attack of April 22, 2025, that killed 26 civilians (25 Indian and 1 Nepalese) in Baisaran Valley in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. Operation Sindoor led to four days of intense tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan on the border and received widespread international attention. President Donald Trump claims that his administration negotiated a ceasefire between the two neighbors, though India’s government rejects this claim.

If the reports are true, the security forces in Kashmir likely knew that such an incident was likely to occur. The when, where, and how were the imponderables. That there was a terror group that was working on this incident demonstrates that such cells can be located anywhere.

The details of the explosive material captured are revealing. Authorities found several weapons and two tranches of chemicals that can be converted to explosive devices. In all, they amounted to 2,600 kg of explosives in 88 bags, another 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, and 2 AK series of weapons and ammunition. The explosive material was bought in small quantities over an extended period to avoid detection, suggesting long-term planning of an operation.

The most significant aspect of this incident is that it was done by a well-educated person. Umar, who initiated that blast, was an assistant professor of medicine. So are the alleged coconspirators who have been arrested, including Shaheen Sayeed, Muzammil Ahmed Ganaie, Mujammil Shakil, Muzaffar Rather, and Adil Ahmed Rather. Allegedly, all of them seem to have been recruited and radicalized by Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic at the GMC Srinagar hospital. The backgrounds of these perpetrators have given rise to the term “white collar terrorism.” Social media appears to have been used to influence first and radicalize second, motivating even educated people to carry out such acts.

The following has been reported, though there has been no official statement or confirmation from India’s government on these claims. On October 19, 2025, some posters were found in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, which said that “Some people shelter these Indian predators in their shops, which obstructs our work; therefore, we want to say openly to those people: stop, otherwise strict action will be taken against them as well.” The government had begun to investigate these posters and had identified the suspected terrorist group of the upcoming Red Fort attack. At 6:10 p.m. on November 10, 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Police put out a message on X saying that “You can run but you can’t hide.” By then, Umar had arrived in Delhi and parked his car near Red Fort.

REASONS BEHIND PUNJAB FLOODS

PUNJAB FLOODS 2025

 In August 2025, around 1400 villages in more than 13 districts of Punjab, India faced a devastating flood crisis, regarded as the worst in nearly four decades since 1988.The floods, caused by unusually heavy monsoon rains in the upper catchment areas (particularly Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir), along with surplus water releases from several dams notably Pong, Ranjit Sagar, and Bhakra which intensified flooding in downstream districts, particularly along the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.

The severely affected districts of Punjab were Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Kapurthala and Fazilka. Other districts like Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Rupnagar, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala and SAS Nagar (Mohali) also been heavily impacted by the floods suffering crop damage, displacement, and infrastructure loss.

Over 1,400 villages across Punjab were inundated, and more than 3,71,475 acres of farmland were submerged, particularly in districts such as Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar and Barnala. The floods affected approximately 3.5 lakh residents in the state with more than 29 dead, prompting large-scale evacuations, widespread disruption and school closures. About 30 km of fencing along the zero line on the Indo-Pak international border has been damaged. The BSF post near the Kartarpur Corridor is submerged, and BSF personnel have temporarily relocated to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Dera Baba Nanak.

STORMY MAT LEAVES DELHI WITH 507% EXCESS RAINFALL

New Delhi

Delhi in rain

Temperature soared on saturday afternoon amid cloudy skies but thunderstorm along with gusty winds in some parts brought a relief as the mercury dropped sharply towards the evening. However, only trace amount of rainfall was recorded in some areas, bring an end to a month that was the third wettest May for Delhi since 1901, according to the weather department.

Forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest similar weather condition to continue for the next few days. However, gusty winds that started late afternoon and continued till evening brought the gross temperature down. According to IMD data, Safdarjung, recorded a maximum wind speed of 40kmph at 4.30pm, and saw a fall in temperature by 6 degree celcius between 3.30 and 5.00pm. other stations recorded steeper drops at pritampura, the maximum fell by 8.3 degree celcius between 3.15 and 5.00pm, Delhi university saw a drop of of 8.4 degree celcius, Ayanagar 8.1 degree celcius and Najafgarh witnessed a 7.8 degree drop. While parts of the city recorded wind of speed 37-63kmph, no major rain was recorded in the city. The DU station recorded 0.5mm of rain between 2.30pm and 5.30pm, with only trace amount of rain recorded at a few more stations.Lat month was the third wettest May since 1901 Safdarjung received a total of 186.4mm rain this month, as compared to the normal of 30.7mm, recording an excess of 155.7mm rain, according to IMD data.

"Similar weather conditions are expected to continue at least till Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies will continue to persist. There is a possibility of very light rain, along with thunderstorm, lightnings and gusty winds of speed 40-50kmph, or even reaching 60kmph," said an IMD official. However, no weather alerts have been issued for the next few days.

The maximum is expected to be around 37-39 degree celcius on sunday and then go down further. The minimum is expected to be around 25-27 degree celcius on Sunday. Despite windy conditions, th e air quality deteriorated significantly, falling into the "poor" category. The 24 hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 241 at 4pm, according to the central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin. It was 167 (moderate) at the same time on Friday.

Forecast by the Centre's Early warning System. However, show the air quality is likely to improve and return to the "moderate" category from Sunday." The air quality is likely to be moderate category from Sunday to Tuesday." The outlook for subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the moderate to poor category. said the EWS on Saturday. 

HOW CITIES ARE KEEPING COOL?

Sydney pop-up cooling hub 

 In Seville,Spain: A shade policy,and names and categories for heatwaves

Seville is installing large awnings across streets, public playgrounds, hospital entrances,taxi stops and school grounds,with the understanding that access to shade can save lives even in pre-heatwave conditions.

The city is also planting thousands of trees as part of this effort. "We call it a policy of shade,"Antonio Mufioz said in 2022-23 during his time as the city's mayor.Meanwhile, in 2022, Seville also became the first city in the world to name and categorize heatwaves. That year, Zoe, a category 3 heat event, triggered a targeted public-health response that included free access to city pools and water parks for certain age groups.

In another long-term measure, the city is considering reviving an ancient persian technique that used underground canals to carry water across parts of the city, to cool it. In the pilot phase, there are also plans to pump this water up through shafts, to cool buildings.

In Paris:'Cool islands' and a heat zones app

Summers in Paris were so pleasant, most homes had no air-conditioning. That changed in 2003, when a deadly heatwave claimed more than 14,800 lives across France in a single two-week period(many were elderly and many died alone).

Determined that this should not happen again, the french government printed leaf-lets and posters to underline the idea that this was heat as French people did not know it. Detailed heat actions plan were framed, under which every government official has, and is accountable for,specific outreach and mitigation action.

By 2018, the municipality of Paris had begun setting up a network of "cool islands" consisting of shaded parks, pools, water fountains and misting areas.

The cool islands are mapped on the government-run Extrema heat Map app, which also alerts users during a heatwave.

In Sydney: Mobile cooling hubs

Designed by the homelessness and Heat Emergency Activation Team (HHEATeam), Sydney's mobile cooling hubs track alerts on the HeatWatch app (Developed by university of sydney). On days of extreme heat, they then make their way to areas where vulnerable communities such as the homeless are concentrated. There, they pitch tent and offer access to free oral-hydration stations, misting fans, shaded rest areas, doctors and nurses, and food.

In Ahmedabad: Heat insurance for daily-wage labourers

A quiet revolution began here, in 2023. It has since spread to 22 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Here's how it works.The trade union Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) offers "heatwave insurance" to members of the union. To sign up, they must contribute Rs. 250 a year. IN exchange, whenever temperature exceed 40 degree celsius in their region, each women receives Rs 400 in direct cash assistance, without a claim needing to be raised.

The programme is currently open to women from a range of occupations; farmers, construction workers, waste recyclers, head-loaders, sreet vendors, salt-pan workers, ship-breakers, and home-based workers. Between 2023 and 2024, the scheme accumulated 50,000 subscribers; total payout ammounted to Rs. 2.92 Crores.

The pilot project has been developed in association with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockfeller Foundation Resilience Center, the NGO climate resilience for All and the insurance providers Blue Marble and ICICI Lombard, who are also providing financial backing.      

WAS IT WAR OR CONFLICT?

Kargil war 1999

A Battle of semantics
Were we in a war with pakistan? Depends on who you ask.

The government's preferred term for the military exchanges with neighbor Pakistan that started May 7th is "Limited conflict"

This choice of semantics has its advantages. Academician and editor, INDIA'S WORLD, a foreign affairs magazine, Hapymon Jacob points out that when you call a conflict a war it becomes a legal phraseology.International bodies get involved which has all kinds of bilateral and legal implications.

Neither the army, nor the navy, nor the indian air force, crossed the international border or The Line of Control. The modern weaponry used meant that India hit targets deep inside pakistan, such as bhawalpur in pakistan's punjab province, without ships pr planes crossing over or using troops on the ground.

Second, unlike a traditional war, there isn't any territory at stake. India's clear objective was to disable terror infrastructure that enables attacks like Pahalgam. There wasn't a defend area conflict unlike in the 1999 Kargil war which India had to recapture or dismantle. Operational manoeuvres were characterised as proportional responses to previous attacks. During the Kargil war, the Pervez Musharraf-led pakistan army sent in troops across the Line of Control to take over strategic high-altitude positions in Kashmir. This led to a conflict that lasted two months and ended only on July 26 of that yaarvwhen the army regained control of key positions such as Tiger Hill.

If we go through the news reports at the time, the terms used to describe Kargil in May 1999 were "conflict" or "crisis". As the details emerged, India also referred to it as Operation Vijay. But as the conflict extended, as the troops moved in and the casualties started climbing, the term "War" became avoidable.

"No two wars are the same so comparisons are unfair,every war has its own intensity and Dynamic," says retired Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain. The 2025 exchanges between India and Pakistan were indeed a "Limited conflict", he says, since the definition of war and conflict is on a spectrum.This time, given the advanced munitions deployed and extended range of their deployment,there were greater chance of more civilians being caught in the line if Fire.

    Thankfully,the debate now will be on the semantics of ceasefire.