India hits back after intercepting Pakistan strikes

Escalating tensions, Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks at various locations along the western borders with India late on Thursday (May 8, 2025) evening, but the Indian armed forces swiftly intercepted them, official sources said. This came after the Indian air defence systems thwarted Pakistan’s attempts to strike civilian and military locations in northern and western India with a “substantial” number of missiles and loitering munitions in the early hours of Thursday.

India gave executive orders to block 8,000 accounts, says X

Social media platform X said on Thursday (May 8, 2025) that it has started blocking 8,000 accounts in India following executive orders from the government. In a post on X’s Global Government Affairs handle, the platform said it received executive orders from the Indian government requiring it to block over 8,000 accounts in the country “subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees”.

American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost elected Pope, takes name Pope Leo XIV

Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the United States on Thursday (May 8, 2025), picking the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Tens of thousands of people packed in St. Peter’s Square cheered as Prevost appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, waving with both hands, smiling and bowing.

Indo-Pak tension: Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh on alert mode

The States of Punjab and Haryana and Union Territory, Chandigarh, continued to be on alert mode in the wake of India’s action against terror emanating from Pakistan. On Thursday (May 8, 2025), leaves of government personnel in government departments including police and health were cancelled and personnel were asked to be geared up round-the-clock.

Two days of intense, substantive conversations on several critical fields at The Hindu Huddle

After a five-year pause, The Hindu Huddle has returned to Bengaluru as a marquee event of The Hindu Group and an ideas conclave that showcases the cutting-edge of innovation, creativity, and resolve, and the blue-sky vision of leaders across fields such as government, business, artificial intelligence, climate change, entertainment and health care.

All educational institutes closed for two days in J&K: govt.

In the backdrop of growing escalation between India and Pakistan, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday (May 8, 2025) decided to close all the educational institutes for the next two days in the Union Territory (UT) and put senior officers in charge of border districts to improve communication interface in case of any eventuality.

‘State funeral for terrorists in Pak’: Foreign Secretary slams Pakistan’s links to TRF, LeT, and JeM leaders

Pakistan’s links to a number of UN-designated terror groups have been exposed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, officials said on May 8, 2025. This not only includes The Resistance Front (TRF) that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, but also the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Falah-i-Insaniyat-Foundation (FIF), whose leader Hafiz Abdur Rauf led prayers for the dead in Muridke, as well as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), whose leader Masood Azhar reportedly lost several members of his family in the Indian Air Force strikes, including his brother and JeM commander Abdul Rauf Azhar.

Fill up High Court judges’ vacancies expeditiously, SC tells govt

The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 8, 2025) urged the Centre to clear recommendations made by the top court Collegium for High Court judges’ appointments while noting that vacancies are affecting justice administration across the country. “The Central government needs to act and ensure that the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium for judge appointments are cleared expeditiously,” Justice A.S. Oka, who is also a Collegium member, said in an order.

If Rohingya refugees are ‘foreigners’, they will be dealt with as per the law: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 8, 2025) observed that if Rohingya refugees are found to be ‘foreigners’ under the Foreigners Act, they will be dealt with by the Centre in accordance with law. A three-judge Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s power to deport Rohingya refugees.

PIB cautions against ‘Pakistan-sponsored propaganda’, flags false claims

The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Thursday (May 8, 2025) cautioned against “Pakistan-sponsored propaganda” on social media and urged people to scrutinise information.

IPL 2025 PBKS-DC clash called off amid blackout in Dharamsala

The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals here on Thursday (May 8, 2025) was cancelled midway following air raid alerts in neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot, putting the entire league at risk of being called off due to India’s ongoing military conflict with Pakistan.