Categories
India: Heavy monsoon season claims more than 100 lives
India: Heavy monsoon season claims more than 100 lives
Mahima Kapoor with AP, AFP and ReutersPublished 08/05/2026Published August 5, 2026last updated 08/05/2026last updated August 5, 2026Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms have claimed dozens of lives across India, with more rain forecast in several states. Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina is set to make a speech from India later today. Follow live.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IHoMWhat you need to know
- Death toll from heavy rain rises in southern state of Kerala
- Several die in lightning strike in Jharkhand
- Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina vows to return to her country during a Delhi-based video conference
This blog is now closed. Here's a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Wednesday, August 5:
Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.
Skip next section We are closing our India news blog08/05/2026August 5, 2026We are closing our India news blog
We'll be back tomorrow with more updates and analysis from India. Until then!
https://p.dw.com/p/5ILBnSkip next section Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina blasts political rivals, promises return in controversial speech08/05/2026August 5, 2026Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina blasts political rivals, promises return in controversial speech
Sheikh Hasina, who has been in exile in India since a popular uprising in August 2024, gave her first major speech since her ouster on Wednesday.
The former Bangladeshi prime minister appeared via a video link in a conference titled "Sheikh Hasina's Homecoming," which was hosted by the Delhi-based Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia.
Even before the event, Dhaka had expressed outrage that India was platforming Hasina, who faces a death sentence over the response to the youth-led protests in Bangladesh. The Indian government insisted it was not connected to Hasina's speech in any way.
During her address, Hasina blamed a wide-ranging conspiracy organized by her political rivals, which include current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his late mother Khaleda Zia, for the violence which took place in Bangladesh in 2024.
"The truth about July and August 2024 it that it was not a peaceful student movement. My government tried to resolve the conflict peacefully through dialogue," Hasina said.
In a frail voice, the 78-year-old said that "using the language of reform, organized groups were working to turn students demands into a violent political system. It was no spontaneous student protest… it was organized, directed and used to create a path to power outside the ballot box."
She also called for the ban on her Awami League party to be dropped and vowed to return to Bangladesh, saying "fear cannot decide my duty to the people."
https://p.dw.com/p/5IKlQSkip next section Youth-led CJP movement shifts focus to fuel policy, unemployment08/05/2026August 5, 2026Youth-led CJP movement shifts focus to fuel policy, unemployment
Darko Janjevic EditorCockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke told Indian media on Wednesday that now that his group's protests against the NEET paper leak were over, there were plans to focus on other issues facing the country's young people.
These include rising youth unemployment and the government's policy ethanol-mixing policy that reduces fuel efficiency for people using anything but the latest cars and equipment.
Dipke ruled out the possibility of running for office, saying the CJP would remain a "pressure group" and not become a political party.
"People have lost faith in the judiciary, politics, media and Election Commission. Our agitation received nationwide support. As the agitation grew, the support was not merely limited to education issues, it was also about these institutions. Hence, to bring accountability in these institutions, there is a need for a public pressure group," he was quoted by the PTI news agency as saying.
He encouraged CJP members to support student protests in Jharkhand, eastern India, saying: “We will definitely go to Jharkhand, we will stand with them and support their every demand in the agitation.”
Dipke issued these statements as part of a two-day CJP leadership meeting on the group's future following legal changes and the resignation of India's ducation Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IKGXSkip next section Kashmir's book ban: A crackdown on dissent?08/05/2026August 5, 2026Kashmir's book ban: A crackdown on dissent?
Is India's government tightening control over ideas in Kashmir? In July 2026, authorities in the region instructed schools, colleges and universities to review books, research papers and academic theses deemed considered "objectionable."
https://p.dw.com/p/5IIzCSkip next section Indian lawmakers demand Zuckerberg apology over removal of Modi's video08/05/2026August 5, 2026Indian lawmakers demand Zuckerberg apology over removal of Modi's video
A parliamentary standing committee in India demanded an apology from Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, the Press Trust of India reported, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech was briefly removed from Facebook.
The controversy began when a selfie-video posted by Modi on July 23, addressing students about a leaked medical entrance exam question paper, was briefly taken down.
A notice initially told viewers that the video had been taken down due to a "legal request," which Meta later told news agency ANI that the removal was the result of a technical error.
While the video was restored within hours, the incident sparked a significant backlash from lawmakers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ,who have been demanding a personal apology from Zuckerberg.
A letter to the secretary of the IT ministry said that Zuckerberg's legal protection and immunity should be withdrawn is an apology was not issued within three days.
"The removal of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's video addressing students and Gen Z regarding examination controversies and strict actions against paper leaks from Facebook for 5-6 hours viewed very seriously by the Committee," said the letter.
In July, police in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over multiple videos posted on Facebook that allegedly depicted Modi in an "abusive manner." Indian social media at the time was flooded with anti-Modi content amid student-led protests in New Delhi and dozens of other cities.
Meta has repeatedly drawn the ire of the Indian government over content posted by its users and has faced criticism from opponents who say it does too little to curb hate speech and misinformation on Facebook and Instagram.
Meanwhile, the government has also steadily expanded its oversight of content on social media platforms, regularly directing companies to remove accounts and posts under India's IT laws.
On Tuesday, the Times of India reported that the central government was set to raise a range of concerns with Meta's global team during a meeting in India on August 5-6.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IIhpSkip next section ICYMI: India condemns attack on commercial vessel off Yemen coast08/05/2026August 5, 2026ICYMI: India condemns attack on commercial vessel off Yemen coast
India's Foreign ministry called for the restoration of free and safe navigation in international waters, while the shipping ministry condemned an attack on an India-flagged commercial vessel off the coats of Yemen.
The vessel's 14 crew members, including 13 Indians, were rescued by Yemeni officials. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh is currently overseeing their safe repatriation. The vessel itself capsized and sunk.
"The continuing incidents of attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome," the foreign ministry said.
"The targeting of commercial shipping in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest," it said.
India currently has more than 300,000 seafarers in the global shipping industry, accounting for more than 10% of the global total and ranking second only to the Philippines.
Indian seafarers pay the price in US-Iran war
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5IIBQSkip next section WATCH: How Chennai kids are fighting deadly urban heat08/05/2026August 5, 2026WATCH: How Chennai kids are fighting deadly urban heat
As extreme heat tightens its grip on Chennai, young people are stepping up with solutions.
Students at one alternative school spoke with fishermen, street vendors, sanitation workers and delivery riders to understand how rising temperatures affect daily life. Their findings showed that densely built neighborhoods and poorly designed homes often trap heat, making indoor conditions even hotter than those outside.
In response, the students developed ideas ranging from cooler school uniforms and improved market stalls to heat-resilient housing and public cooling shelters. Increasingly, youth-led initiatives are helping shape discussions with local authorities, who are already expanding measures such as cooling cabins and reflective cool roofs at 55 government schools.
By turning climate concerns into action, Chennai’s youth are proving they can play a vital role in helping their city adapt to a hotter future.
How Chennai kids are fighting India's deadly urban heat
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5IIBmSkip next section 14 killed in lightning strikes in Jharkhand08/05/2026August 5, 2026
14 killed in lightning strikes in Jharkhand
At least 14 people were killed and four others were injured in lightning strikes across multiple districts in the state of Jharkhand, authorities said.
Lightning strikes are common during monsoon rainstorms.
At least nine of those killed were farm workers who were working amid crops in open fields in the Giridih district, police officials said.
Jharkhand recorded more than 200 deaths attributed to "lightning associated with thunderstorms" in 2025, the India Meteorological Department said in January.
https://p.dw.com/p/5II4ISkip next section Assam: Death toll rises as state battles severe flooding08/05/2026August 5, 2026Assam: Death toll rises as state battles severe flooding
Two more people have died in the past 24 hours in the flood-stricken northeastern state of Assam, taking the total death toll to 89, officials said.
The state has been battling monsoon-related floods since mid-July.
According to an update from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday morning, more than 74,000 people are currently sheltering in relief camps and four people remain missing. Over 17,000 homes have been fully or partially damaged in the floods.
India's weather agency has issued a red warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated bouts of extremely heavy rainfall over Assam and the enighboring state of Meghalaya today.
India's Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda was on ground surveying the affected regions in Assam. Sarma said in a post on X that Nadda assured residents that the central government will "extend its full support to Assam in dealing with the crisis and ensuring proper rehabilitation measures."
https://p.dw.com/p/5IIGSSkip next section Kerala: Monsoon death toll rises, more rain expected08/05/2026August 5, 2026
Kerala: Monsoon death toll rises, more rain expected
The death toll from heavy rainfall and related incidents rose on Wednesday in the southern state of Kerala, Indian media outlets reported, as authorities worked to rescue residents from low-lying areas.
At least 25 people were dead, 10 injured and another four reported missing, news agency Press Trust of India said.
Heavy rain continued to lash parts of the state, with more rainfall forecast for the weekend.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts - the highest level of warning - for eight districts including Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam. These are ones that have born the brunt of the rainfall.
Visuals from the state showed men wading through waist-deep floodwaters along with small wooden boats. Looking to rescue those who may be stranded, some families walked through the water with children perched on their fathers' shoulders.
On Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan visited some of the affected areas to asses the damage and announced financial assistance to those whose homes were damaged by flooding.
The state recived nearly three times the normal rainfall between August 1 and August 4, data released by authorities showed.
Tidal flooding in Kerala: A crisis no one saw coming
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5IHzkSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/05/2026August 5, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Mahima Kapoor | Roshni Majumdar EditorHello! This is Mahima Kapoor and I will be your guide to the latest news from the country.
The capital and much of the the country are currently reeling under relentless monsoon rains.
In the state of Kerala, the death toll from abnormally high rainfall has risen as state authorities work to evacuate low-lying areas. Up north, in the state of Jharkhand, several people have lost their lives in multiple lightning strikes.
The national weather agency has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall for most of the country for the rest of the workweek.
Stepping away from weather, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said it is "closely monitoring the situation" regarding the repatriation of 13 Indian seafarers after an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked and sunk off the coast of Yemen.
Follow along.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IHvGShow more posts