In the coastal district of Kannur, where politics has often been written in the language of street corner speeches and quiet sacrifices, a new chapter of old tensions unfolded on Tuesday. T I Madhusoodanan, a senior functionary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a former MLA from Payyannur, stepped forward to answer allegations that had been circulating inside the party’s local circles. For weeks, the voice of V Kunhikrishnan, the sitting MLA who has often stood apart from the party line, had been growing louder. Now he was claiming that a speech delivered by senior CPM leader Pinarayi…

When disaster strikes, the first thing people do is reach for their phones. They want to know if their loved ones are safe, where the flooding is worst, and how to get help or offer it. But in the chaos after the devastating floods along the Nepal–Tibet border, many people scrolling through social media found something else: a confusing, frightening swirl of fake videos, manipulated images, and fraudulent donation appeals. A BBC News report dated 31 August 2026 revealed that Nepalese authorities had had enough. They ordered Meta and TikTok to remove online content they considered misinformation about the floods,…