New Delhi Post - NDP

Religious freedom conditions in India deteriorated significantly throughout 2025, according to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is calling on Washington to formally designate India as one of the world's worst violators of religious rights. The report, which covers events across the year, documents attacks on Muslim and Christian communities by Hindu nationalist mobs, a wave of new anti-conversion legislation across multiple states, and the forced deportation of religious minorities whom officials have labelled illegal migrants. India's government has not publicly responded to the findings. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently dismissed international criticism of its minority policies as interference in domestic affairs. Mob attacks and communal violence Hindu nationalist groups carried out a series of attacks on minority communities throughout the year, the report says, largely without po...

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a large-scale military operation by the United States and Israel, Iranian state media and multiple international sources confirmed, triggering a major escalation in a conflict that has spread across the Middle East. Iran’s state broadcasters announced early on Sunday that the 86-year-old leader died after an airstrike hit his compound in Tehran during an offensive launched late on Saturday. The joint Israeli–American campaign was presented by both capitals as a coordinated effort to target the country’s senior leadership and strategic military infrastructure, according to statements from Israeli and U.S. officials. Iran declared 40 days of national mourning following the announcement of Khamenei’s death. The strikes were among the most extensive on Iranian soil in decades, and state media reported that other senior military officials, including commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were also killed in the ...

A debut film from India's most troubled state just won one of cinema's highest honours. Its director prayed for peace on a London stage. Back home, tens of thousands are still living in camps. The Prime Minister took 864 days to visit. The Leader of Opposition visited three times and was stopped by police on his way in. On Sunday evening, inside the Royal Festival Hall in London, a filmmaker from Imphal walked up to a podium and accepted the Bafta award for Best Children's and Family Film. Lakshmipriya Devi's debut feature Boong, a quiet, tender Manipuri-language story about a boy searching for his missing father, had beaten Disney's Lilo and Stitch, the animated blockbuster Zootopia 2, and a French sci-fi film to take one of British cinema's most prestigious prizes. It was, by any measure, a remarkable moment. The first Indian film ever to win a Bafta in this category. A debut feature made in a language few outside the north-east have heard spoken, ...

India and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to significantly expand their economic and strategic relationship, announcing a long-term liquefied natural gas supply deal alongside a pledge to double bilateral trade to $200bn by 2032. The agreements were finalised during a brief visit to New Delhi by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, where he held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. State-owned energy companies from both countries signed a 10-year contract under which Abu Dhabi National Oil Company will supply liquefied natural gas worth up to $3bn to India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, beginning in 2028. Indian officials said the deal would make India the UAE’s largest LNG customer within the next decade, accounting for roughly a fifth of Abu Dhabi’s LNG exports by 2029. The agreement is part of a broader effort by New Delhi to secure long-term energy supplies while reducing exposure to volatility in global markets. Trade between the two countries has ...

Christmas celebrations in parts of India were disrupted this year following a series of incidents involving vandalism, arson and clashes, largely affecting Christian institutions and public festivities, according to police reports and civil society groups. The incidents were reported across several states between 20 and 25 December, with churches, schools, prayer meetings and Christmas decorations among those targeted. In many cases, groups involved claimed they were acting to prevent alleged religious conversions, allegations denied by Christian organisations. Rights groups say the events come amid a broader rise in attacks on Christians in recent years. The United Christian Forum (UCF), which documents incidents against the community, recorded more than 700 cases nationwide in 2025 up to November, with Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh reporting the highest numbers. Incidents Before Christmas In central India’s Chhattisgarh state, violence was reported in Kanker district days before...

The Bihar Assembly elections delivered one of the most decisive results in the state’s political history, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing a remarkable 202 out of 243 seats. The landslide has reaffirmed Nitish Kumar’s standing as one of India’s most durable political figures and strengthened the BJP’s position as a dominant force in Bihar. The outcome surprised even members of the ruling bloc. Coming after months of speculation about Nitish Kumar’s health and political longevity, the verdict reflected a clear vote of confidence in his leadership. Women voters, who turned out in exceptional numbers, were widely credited for shaping the final outcome. Welfare schemes targeting education, safety, mobility and financial independence translated into a powerful pro-incumbency force that cut across caste lines. The alliance between the JDU and BJP, often tested in the past, worked with unusual precision throughout the campaign. BJP not only acted as the organisational engi...