Infinity Social Updates

Schools were ordered shut from Saturday in the restive Indian state of Manipur after a rocket attack by insurgents killed a civilian and wounded six others. Fighting had broke out in the northeastern state more than a year ago between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The conflict simmered since then, splitting previously cohabitating communities along ethnic lines. A local government notice said that all schools in the state would be closed on Saturday, when classes are usually held, to protect the “safety of the students and teachers.” The day before, a group had fired rockets in the state’s Bishnupur district, an attack that local police attributed to “Kuki militants.” A 78-year-old man was killed in the barrage and six people were wounded, according to police statement. Officers responding to the attack “were fired upon by suspected Kuki militants but the police team retaliated robustly and repelled the attack”, the statement sa

The government is renegotiating contracts with independent power producers (IPP) to rein in “unsustainable” electricity tariffs, said the head of the power ministry, as households and businesses buckle under soaring energy costs. Rising power tariffs have stirred social unrest and shuttered industries in the $350 billion economy, which has contracted twice in recent years as inflation hit record highs. “The existing price structure of power in this country is not sustainable,” Federal Minister of Power Division Awais Leghari told Reuters in an interview on Friday. He said discussions were underway between power producers and the government because “there is a clear understanding on both sides that the status quo can’t be maintained.” Leghari stressed that all stakeholders would have to “give in to a certain point” — though without compromising completely on business sustainability — and this would have to be done “as soon as possible”. Faced with chronic shortages a decade ago,

Pakistan’s Haider Ali won bronze in the Men’s Discus Throw F37 on Friday with a 52.54m throw, clinching his fourth Paralympic medal. Uzbekistan’s Tolibboy Yuldashev took home gold with a massive 57.28m throw, setting a personal best on his sixth attempt. Canada’s Jesse Zesseu won silver with a 53.24m throw. A jubilant Ali could be seen taking his victory lap after the competition was over, hugging the other medallists and competitors in the process. Ali led the field in the first attempt with a solid 52.28m throw, his season’s best since the Paralympics marked his first competition of the year. But Zesseu overtook Ali in the third round, with a 52.81m throw, moving up to first place. Yuldashev then stole the spotlight from both, with a huge 53.48m throw in the fourth attempt. But the Uzbek had a surprise for the crowd — and himself with a whopping 56.03m throw in his fifth attempt, setting a new personal best. The 21-year-old wasn’t done for the day, throwing a monstrous per

A year after extremists forced Muslim neighbours from their homes in India, victims live in despair as their tormentors seek to drive Islam from what they consider a Hindu “holy land”. Mohammad Salim shudders when he remembers the campaign that erupted in May 2023 against his Muslim minority community in Purola, a seemingly sleepy town surrounded by forested hills in the northern state of Uttarakhand. “If I had not escaped that day, they would have killed me along with my family,” said Salim, 36, a married father of three young daughters. Salim, whose clothes shop was looted, now lives in basic accommodation with his family around 100 kilometres away in the city of Haridwar, struggling to make ends meet. Rakesh Tomar, 38, is one of those who celebrated his departure. The hardline Hindu nationalist activist, based in the state capital Dehradun, spouts hate-filled rhetoric against a minority he feels threatens him. “Uttarakhand is the holy land of Hindus,” Tomar said, referring to

Up to 50 per cent of all vehicles bought in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some form in line with global targets, BYD Pakistan, a partnership between China’s BYD and Pakistani car group Mega Motors, said. Warren Buffett-backed Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD last month announced its entry into Pakistan, making the South Asian nation of 250 million people one of its newest markets. The partnership has announced plans to open an assembly plant in early 2026 but will introduce vehicles for sale later this year, after launching three models in August. “I see conversion to new energy vehicles NEV at up to 50pc,” Kamran Kamal, BYD’s spokesperson in Pakistan, told Reuters in an interview at his office on Thursday. Kamal is also the CEO of Hub Power, which owns Mega Motors. The target is an ambitious one for Pakistan’s auto sector, which has been largely dominated by Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Suzuki, with vehicle sales hitting a 15-year low in the fiscal year

Vast crowds of Indians bearing candles marched through the streets of Kolkata early on Thursday, demanding justice nearly one month on since the rape and murder of a doctor. The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 9 has stoked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women. “We want justice”, read one message spelt out in flickering candles and clay lamps. “Let there be light, let there be justice”, a sign held by protesters read. The brutal murder has triggered protests across India — and repeated strikes by medics — demanding safer conditions for women. While many protests and strikes have since calmed in the rest of India, regular demonstrations continue in the sprawling megacity of Kolkata. Police said as many as 100,000 took part in the rally in Kolkata. Similar but smaller rallies were also held in the capital New Delhi. “The heart of the entire nation is torn,” said protester Rubina Mukherjee.

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