Season five draws to an epic and emotional close

Christal HayesLos Angeles

BBC

Millie Bobby Brown has starred in Stranger Things since its launch in 2016

• Warning: This article contains spoilers about the final episode of Stranger Things

Stranger Things has drawn to an epic and emotional close, with a dramatic two-hour finale that briefly jammed Netflix’s servers.

Viewers rushed to watch the final episode, which concludes the 10-year run of the sci-fi horror series, as it was released at 01:00 GMT.

Some fans also attended special cinema screenings of the finale in cities across the US and Canada, several of which were attended by the show’s stars.

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things first aired in 2016 and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.

The dramatic two-hour series finale, titled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, initially overloaded Netflix servers.

Several fans said they were shown an error message as they tried to play it – something that often happens with big new releases on streaming platforms.

But the episode was soon restored and viewers were able to watch a finale that included massive battle scenes and emotional tributes that brought in all five seasons, giving closure to the characters that we’ve fallen in love with over the years.

The finale left you on the edge of your seat at moments and had you both cheering and crying in others.

Netflix

Finn Wolfhard was cheered by fans as he arrived to introduce the finale at a screening in Vancouver

A lot was riding on Netflix and The Duffer Brothers, who created the 1980s-inspired, monster-infused, inter-dimensional series. Ending any beloved series comes with both anticipation and a lot of critics.

So far this season, fans have picked apart scenes and gone through past seasons in an attempt to piece together how it all might end in the Upside Down.

Viewers have been quick to point out gaps in the story or issues they felt with the script writing, pointing out flaws in Will Byers’ coming out scene or issues such as Holly Wheeler’s jacket having a logo for Under Amour (a brand that wasn’t created until 1996) appearing on screen.

Countless theories discussed on social media only hyped up the ending of this saga.

Fans guessed about possibilities like time travel coming into play (clocks have been a major plot point for multiple seasons, after all), took bets on what main character might die and some had far-fetched thoughts on Henry Creel “Vecna” using mind control on the characters throughout this season to explain various holes in the storytelling.

In the end, some theories were spot on. Others, not one bit.

Do not read any further if you do not want to know what happens in the finale of Stranger Things.

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Actor Brett Gelman attended a screening in Topanga as part of the multi-city finale premiere

Netflix

These fans attended a screening in Los Angeles to watch the finale on the big screen

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Actress Cara Buono attended a premiere in New York and introduced the finale from cinema stage

In the finale, we see an epic final fight that requires all the characters to finally defeat Vecna and the Mind Flayer before worlds merge and Hawkins, Indiana – and Earth as we know it – is taken over.

We don’t see dramatic deaths in the core group of stars we’ve come to love over five seasons – though we did see the death of Kali (Eight).

What happened to Eleven, though, is up for interpretation. She is left with an impossible choice.

At first, viewers are left to believe she chose to remain behind in the Upside Down as it explodes and is demolished forever in order to eliminate the possibility of being used to create more children with powers like hers.

But later, in a lengthy epilogue scene, Mike Wheeler takes us down another possibility – Eleven using Kali’s illusion powers to make it seem as though she died before making a grand escape.

Netflix

He says he thinks she finally made it the place they talked about running off to – a land with three waterfalls.

Mike says it’s what he likes to believe – and each member of their Dungeons and Dragons party – Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max – all agree that they, too, believe.

It’s a fitting end that leaves open the possibility that Eleven, too, has a happy ending.

The epilogue takes us 18 months into the future after the Upside Down is demolished and Vecna – and the Mind Flayer – is defeated.

We see Hooper and Joyce get engaged and the older crew of teens talk about their lives in university and in their careers.

It’s a happy ending for everyone.

But even with such an epic finale, there are certainly holes in the story that weren’t fully explained in the last episode.

It’s sure to be a finale that pleases some fans and has others wanting more.

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Several fans dressed up to attend the finale screenings – including this pair in Vancouver

Netflix

Netflix handed out merchandise such as bags, figurines and T-shirts at many of the screenings

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Two fans in Vancouver, pictured with a special Demogorgon Crunch breakfast cereal

In the US and Canada, the finale was given a full cinematic release in theatres.

Fans in Los Angeles stood in the rain for hours outside The Egyptian Theatre along Hollywood Boulevard to watch it in one of Netflix’s very own theatres.

The streaming giant, which is currently attempting to purchase Warner Bros, renovated the historic 1922 theatre and now uses it to host premieres and special screenings of projects.

Fans, many dressed up as characters or demogorgons, took pictures in the Stranger Things – themed lobby. Netflix handed out special merchandise, such as T-shirts and figurines.

While waiting for the special screening, fans in the theatre traded theories on who might die or how it all could end. Many pointed to popular theories of Steve Harrington’s demise and clung to hope that he would survive the last battle.

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Fans in Los Angeles braved the rain to attend a finale screening at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre

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Fans Liv and Alina Valdez described the ending as “an emotional roller-coaster”

Liv and Alina Valdez, dressed up as fan favourite buds Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, and said they couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all ended.

“It’s been basically 10 years,” Liv told BBC News, wearing Harrington’s Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop uniform outside the theatre.

“The Duffer Brothers did a good job of giving the audience what we needed, maybe not necessarily what we wanted.”

They both applauded the both happy-at-times and perhaps, bittersweet ending.

“It was an emotional roller-coaster,” Alina added, noting Eleven’s up-for-interpretation-ending was perfectly done.

“It was just a lot of emotions,” Diana Espinoza told the BBC, standing in the lobby of the theatre with a new Demogorgon plush.

“I lost control of my tears!”

She donned a lengthy mind-flayer dress to the screening and said she’d attempted in vain to steer clear of various fan theories that have been going viral on social media because she wanted to be “blown away” by the final episode.

Being in a theatre with fellow fans screaming and crying during pivotal scenes was the cherry on top.

“I loved the finale. There was no better way to end this,” she said, calling it both bittersweet, emotional and the “happy ending” that everyone deserved.

Additional reporting by Steven McIntosh.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/season-five-draws-to-an-epic-and-emotional-close/

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Today's weather: Where will it rain in Gujarat today, the weather has increased the tension in 12 states of the country

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How Much Aid Has India Given Afghanistan, Will It Ever Be Recovered? | World News

New Delhi: Over the last two decades, India has provided nearly $3 billion (around Rs 25,000 crore) to Afghanistan. This support has been entirely in the form of grants, not loans. The money has been used to build roads, hospitals, schools, administrative buildings and energy projects, including the iconic Salma Dam, often called the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam. The focus has been on strengthening infrastructure and institutional capacity, rather than earning financial returns.

Aid, Not Loans

Much of India’s assistance has gone into direct development projects. These include the construction of the Afghan Parliament in Kabul, various roads and highways, hospitals, schools, scholarships and humanitarian relief. The primary objective has always been to empower Afghan institutions and people, rather than to recover money as a lender would.

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Will India Ever Get This Money Back?

Since this aid was given as grants, there is no repayment expected. Official reports confirm that India has never demanded reimbursement from Afghanistan.

Experts describe this approach as soft power diplomacy, where the priority is regional stability and trust-building rather than financial gain.

Impact Of The Taliban Takeover

After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, India suspended new development projects in Afghanistan. However, none of the previously granted assistance was converted into loans.

India continues to provide humanitarian support, including wheat, medicines and other relief supplies, without attaching any financial conditions.

India’s People-Centric Policy

India’s engagement in Afghanistan has always been people-focussed, emphasising aid for the Afghan population rather than treating the country as a borrowing client like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank. This explains why questions of debt recovery simply do not arise.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/how-much-aid-has-india-given-afghanistan-will-it-ever-be-recovered-world-news/

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US military says five killed in strike on alleged drug boats

The US military says it struck two boats it alleges were carrying drugs on Wednesday, killing five people on board.

US Southern Command did not say where it had carried out the latest strikes but US forces have been targeting vessels they suspect of smuggling narcotics through the Caribbean and eastern Pacific for the past three months.

Wednesday’s strike came a day after the US targeted what it said were “three narco-trafficking vessels travelling as a convoy”, killing at least three people.

The Trump administration has cast its operations as a non-international armed conflict with the alleged traffickers but legal experts say they could be in violation of the laws governing such conflict.

In total, there have been more than 30 strikes on vessels as part of the Trump administration’s “war on drugs” with more than 110 people killed since the US carried out its first attack on a boat in international waters on 2 September.

That first attack has come under particular scrutiny from lawmakers in Washington since it emerged that US forces struck the targeted boat twice.

Two people who had survived the first strike and were clinging to the hull of their boat were killed in the second.

Some lawmakers expressed concern that the “double-tap” strike breached the rules of engagement.

In its post announcing the strike on a convoy of three boats carried out on 30 December, US Southern Command said that there had been a number of survivors, without specifying how many.

It said that “the remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels”.

It added that the US Coast Guard had been “immediately notified” to search for the survivors.

Reuters news agency reports that it was told by a US official who asked to remain anonymous that eight survivors were being searched for.

It is not yet clear if any of them have been found.

The US has provided no evidence that the boats it has targeted are carrying drugs but in its most recent post, Southern Command again insisted that “intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking”.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/us-military-says-five-killed-in-strike-on-alleged-drug-boats/

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County Wicklow: Settlement find may challenge Vikings first towns theory

Cherie Edwards

Dr Dirk Brandherm was part of the research team that undertook the excavation

A recently discovered large hilltop settlement could challenge the theory that the Vikings built the first towns in Ireland, a researcher has said.

Dr Dirk Brandherm and his colleagues have identified more than 600 suspected houses in the Brusselstown Ring making it, to date, the largest nucleated settlement ever discovered in the entirety of prehistoric Britain and Ireland.

The settlement, which is thought to have emerged at about 1200 BC (the Late Bronze Age), is located within a region called the Baltinglass Hillfort Cluster in the south-western edge of the Wicklow Mountains.

It is among the 13 large hilltop enclosures spread across the mountain range where there are structures dating back to the Neolithic period and Early Bronze Age.

Cherie Edwards

Between 23 August and 4 September, a three-person team comprised of PhD researcher Cherie Edwards (left), her primary supervisor Dr Brandherm and research fellow Dr Linda Boutoille undertook an excavation at the site

The findings were recently published within Antiquitya peer-reviewed journal of world archaeology.

The study states: “Given its exceptional size, density of occupation and architectural complexity, Brusselstown Ring represents a unique case within both the Baltinglass hillfort cluster and more widely within the Atlantic Archipelago.”

Survey work has been conducted over the last two decades but researchers believed critical questions about “the date, development and function of both the enclosing elements and the internal settlement remain unanswered”.

Therefore, researchers initiated test excavations in 2024.

“The available evidence indicates their occupation mainly during the Late Bronze Age, with continued use or reuse of some house platforms in the Early Iron Age.

“This makes Brusselstown Ring the largest nucleated settlement agglomeration by far in prehistoric Ireland and Britain,” the study highlighted.

What makes it significant?

Fergal Flannery

Dr Dirk Brandherm and his colleagues have identified more than 600 suspected houses in the Brusselstown Ring

Dr Brandherm, a reader in prehistoric archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast, said the Brusselstown Ring is significant due to “the large number and the concentration of roundhouses” in one spot.

The image archaeologists had is that during the Bronze Age the settlement structure was based on small hamlets (one to five dwellings) and there were no villages or towns.

In 2002, about 74 roundhouses dating back to the Bronze Age were discovered during the Corrstown excavation in Northern Ireland.

The researcher said Corrstown was the first village from that era, but the Brusselstown Ring is “a different ball game altogether”.

The Brusselstown Ring discovery questions the idea that the first towns on the island of Ireland were founded by the Vikings, according to the researcher.

“Because if you’ve got more than 600 roundhouses, and potentially a large stone built cistern, that’s no longer a village,” Dr Brandherm told BBC News NI.

“We’re talking a proto-town of sorts, and that’s 2000 years before the Vikings.”

James O’Driscoll

More than 600 suspected house platforms have been identified

There are two widely spaced ramparts (defensive walls) encompassing the enclosure.

These ramparts do not only enclose its own summit but also that of the nearby Spinas Hill One – meaning it is one of the very few hillforts in Europe to span more than a single hill

Through the use of aerial surveys and photogrammetry mapping, it is suspected that 98 of the house platforms were inside the inner enclosure and more than 500 were located between the two ramparts.

Dr Brandherm said: “Based on the data that we presently have all the house platforms would appear to date to the same period.”

Cistern ‘a first in Ireland’

A stone-lined, flat-floored chamber was also discovered near one of the trenches at the site.

Dr Brandherm described it as being “boat-shaped” and “slightly larger than a round house”.

It appeared to have been fed by a stream from a outcrop uphill, and archaeologists believe it may have been a water cistern to store fresh water.

Further samples in the coming months will determine if the cistern dates back to the same period as the roundhouses.

He said, if confirmed, the discovery is a “first in Ireland”, as there are similar structures from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in France and Spain.

Excavation process

Cherie Edwards

Four test excavations were completed by archaeologists to understand the site’s occupation

Four test excavations were completed by archaeologists to understand the site’s occupation.

The tests ranged from six-to-12m in diameter to represent house platforms of different sizes.

The idea was to investigate whether architectural differences in the platforms would signify if there were social or economic stratification within the community.

Dr Brandherm said the smaller houses were about four to five metres in diameter, with the larger ones being 11-12m in diameter.

“But the fact that we do have different sizes it you know it begs the question if there is some social differentiation sitting behind that,” he said.

However, based on the current data, Dr Brandherm said it cannot be confirmed whether there was a social hierarchy in the settlement.

Before this, the largest cluster of ancient settlements was in Mullaghfarna in County Sligo which is thought to have contained more than 150 houses during the middle Stone Age period of 3300-2900 BC and in the later Bronze Age between 1200-900 BC.

The research stated that future work at Brusselstown will “focus on confirming the nature and the date of the potential cistern, identifying structural features of the prehistoric roundhouses and establishing the nature and chronology of the enclosing elements”.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/county-wicklow-settlement-find-may-challenge-vikings-first-towns-theory/

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Two killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Iran

Two people are reported to have been killed during growing unrest in Iran on the fifth day of protests over the soaring cost of living.

Both the semi-official Fars news agency and human rights group, Hengaw, said people had died during clashes between protesters and security forces in the city of Lordegan, in south-western Iran.

On Thursday videos posted on social media showed cars set on fire during running battles between protesters and security forces.

Many protesters have called for ending the rule of the country’s supreme leader. Some have also called for a return to the monarchy.

Thursday marks the fifth day of protests in cities across the country, sparked by a currency collapse.

Videos verified by BBC Persian show protests in the central city of Lordegan, the capital Tehran and Marvdasht in the southern Fars province taking place on Thursday.

Fars reported that in Lordegan two people were killed, citing an informed official. The report did not specify whether those killed were protesters or members of the security forces.

Rights group Hengaw said the two killed were protesters, naming them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh.

BBC Persian has not been able to independently verify the deaths.

Separately state media said a member of the security forces linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) was killed in clashes with protesters on Wednesday night in the city of Kudasht, in the western Lorestan province.

The BBC has not been able to verify this and protesters say the man was one of their number and was shot dead by the security forces.

A further 13 police officers and Basij members were injured by stone throwing in the area, the state media report said.

Schools, universities and public institutions were closed across the country on Wednesday after a bank holiday was declared by authorities in an apparent effort to quell the unrest.

It was ostensibly to save energy because of the cold weather, though it was seen by many Iranians as an attempt to contain the protests.

They began in Tehran – among shopkeepers angered by another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency against the US dollar on the open market.

By Tuesday, university students were involved and they had spread to several cities, with people chanting against the country’s clerical rulers.

The protests have been the most widespread since an uprising in 2022 sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was accused by morality police of not wearing her veil properly. But they have not been on the same scale.

To prevent any escalation, tight security is now reported in the areas of Tehran where the demonstrations began.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his government will listen to the “legitimate demands” of the protesters.

But the prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, has also warned that any attempt to create instability would be met with what he called a “decisive response”.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/two-killed-in-clashes-between-protesters-and-security-forces-in-iran/

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Social media fuelled Mamdani's rise. Can he keep the momentum as mayor?

Grace Eliza GoodwinNew York

Watch: Zohran Mamdani sworn in as first Muslim New York City Mayor

Jumping into the frigid waters of Coney Island in January for a pun on “I’m freezing… your rent”. Visiting food trucks to discuss how city permitting processes have led to “Halalflation”. Walking the length of Manhattan to show New Yorkers they “deserve a mayor that they can see, they can hear, they can even yell at”.

Those social media videos helped propel Zohran Mamdani and his left-wing policies to a surprise win in New York City’s mayoral primary, and then to victory in the November election.

The democratic socialist, 34, engaged New Yorkers – particularly young voters who spend much of their time “doom-scrolling” – by using social media to build an image of someone who is authentic and joyful, experts told the BBC.

Now, after he was sworn in as mayor on 1 January, his next challenge will be keeping those same supporters engaged and maintaining the momentum in office.

After becoming the first New York mayor to take the oath of office with his hand on a Quran, Mamdani told thousands gathered to watch his inauguration ceremony in freezing weather that he would represent everyone in the city.

“I do not stand alone. I stand alongside you,” he said, adding: “I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor.”

About three-quarters of New York City voters under the age of 30 voted for Mamdani, according to an Associated Press voter poll.

Mamdani’s robust social media strategy engaged these voters by delivering an image of a political candidate that young people – frustrated with older, more established candidates – craved, said Jane Hall, a communications professor at American University who studies politics and the media.

A candidate does not have to be young to connect with young voters, Hall said, “but I think you have to be seen as being authentic and speaking to what people care about in a way that is hip and makes people want to be on the bandwagon”.

Jack Bratich, a journalism professor at Rutgers University who studies political culture and social media, said Mamdani has shown he is able to combine a lightheartedness with serious conversations.

That sense of fun stands in contrast to some of the negativity that President Donald Trump has leaned into on social media, Jennifer Stromer-Galley, who teaches communications, political science, and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, told the BBC.

Reuters

The pair had a warm first meeting at the White House in November

Despite an unexpectedly friendly first meeting in November between the two politicians, where they said they agreed on a number of issues facing New York City, such as the affordability crisis, the pair locked horns during the mayoral race.

Trump painted Mamdani as an extremist “lunatic”, threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won, and said he would have him arrested if he stood in the way of immigration enforcement operations.

On election night, Mamdani snapped back in his victory speech, telling the president “to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us”.

That comment prompted a raucous cheer from his supporters at the time, but experts say the reality of governing may mean engaging with the Trump administration in a pragmatic way. That warm meeting in November may have been an early sign that Mamdani is willing to do so.

How he works with the White House – and the kind of relationship he cultivates with the president – could prove crucial for implementing his agenda.

While it may be easy to promise “fast, sweeping change” in campaign videos, things become much more difficult when it comes to actually “governing under a hostile administration”, said Ioana Literat, a Columbia University communications professor who studies youth online political socialisation.

“If his [social media] content doesn’t reckon honestly with those constraints, the same young people who made him go viral can just as quickly turn that energy into disillusionment or backlash,” she said.

Zohran Mamdai: From IMIGRT ROOTS TO NEW YORK CITY

To succeed in office Mamdani will need to keep his supporters engaged with day-to-day governing – and that is not as thrilling as a high-stakes political race, Jonathan Nagler, co-director of NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics, told the BBC.

“It’s easy to mobilise people to oppose Trump. They already disagree with Trump on so many things, if we’re talking about New York City voters,” Nagler said.

“What’s much harder to do is to go on social media and say: “Hey, the New York City Council is in my way. I need you to get riled up about convincing the New York City Council to do something”.

Nagler added that it could be a challenge to educate some of those voters about how city government works.

“Like all election campaigns, the transition to governance via media is tricky,” Rutgers Prof Bratich said.

One strategy for keeping the momentum of his campaign could be to turn his captive social media followers into active grassroots organisers. After all, social media “was the front door into a huge field operation and youth volunteer corps” for the mayor-elect, Braitch said.

Mamdani’s posts during the campaign consistently directed followers toward protests, canvassing events, registration drives, and other forms of active participation – ultimately producing more than 100,000 volunteers.

“But if his administration stumbles and the feeds keep promising more than he can deliver, it could harden a sense among young voters that ‘even the internet’s mayor couldn’t change anything,'” Literat said.

“That broader reputational risk is part of what makes his governing-era social media so consequential,” she added.

Mamdani’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

But there is at least one major sign that that the grassroots momentum surrounding Mamdani will continue.

In November, his allies announced a new advocacy group that aims to use his deep well of volunteers to raise funds for his agenda. The nonprofit, Our Time for an Affordable NYC, was founded by Mamdani volunteers and members of the Democratic Socialists of New York.

While Our Time is legally separate from Mamdani and his transition team, the group says it is focused on pushing forward the mayor-elect’s affordability agenda through “door-knocking, phone-banking, communicating, and organising at the neighbourhood, city, and state level”.

Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony on Thursday took place inside the original City Hall subway station, which is now abandoned for regular transit.

“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” he said. “I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term.”

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/social-media-fuelled-mamdanis-rise-can-he-keep-the-momentum-as-mayor/

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Who Was Pope Gregory XIII? Meet Man Behind Your New Year Celebrations; Your Party Planner From 443 Years Ago | India News

Happy New Year 2026: The Gregorian calendar, followed across most of the parts of world today, was introduced more than 400 years ago by Pope Gregory XIII. While the calendar is now a global standard, many people know little about the man who brought this major reform.

Pope Gregory XIII was born in 1502 in Bologna, Italy. He came from a noble family and was well educated, studying law and theology before entering the Church. In 1572, he became the 226th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, serving until his death in 1585.

He is best remembered for introducing the Gregorian calendar, a system that corrected errors in the earlier Julian calendar.

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Why Was a New Calendar Needed?

Before Gregory XIII, most of the world followed the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. Over time, this calendar slowly drifted out of sync with Earth’s actual orbit around the Sun.

By the 16th century, the calendar was off by about 10 days. This caused problems, especially for the Church, as important Christian festivals like Easter no longer fell in the correct season.

(Also Read: Hindu New Year 2026 Isn’t On January 1… The Real Date Will Surprise You – Check Religious Significance)

The Birth of Gregorian Calendar

To fix this, Pope Gregory XIII appointed a group of astronomers and scholars to reform the calendar. In 1582, he introduced the Gregorian calendar, which corrected the error by skipping 10 days. In countries that adopted it, October 4, 1582, was immediately followed by October 15.

The new calendar also introduced a revised leap year system to prevent future drift. This made it far more accurate and reliable.

Global Impact and Adoption

Although introduced by the Catholic Church, the Gregorian calendar gradually spread worldwide due to its accuracy. Many Protestant and non-Christian countries adopted it centuries later. Today, it is the international standard used for civil purposes, trade, science, and global communication.

Pope Gregory XIII’s calendar reform remains one of the most influential changes in human history.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/who-was-pope-gregory-xiii-meet-man-behind-your-new-year-celebrations-your-party-planner-from-443-years-ago-india-news/

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Around 40 dead in Swiss ski resort bar fire

Video shows Swiss ski resort bar on fire

Around 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a ski resort in southern Switzerland, police have said. A further 115 people are injured, many of them “severely”.

The fire broke out at around 01:30 (00:30 GMT) during new year celebrations in a bar called Le Constellation in Crans-Montana.

Officials investigating the incident have not mentioned any cause, but categorically ruled out an attack.

People from multiple countries have been affected. Regional police commander Frédéric Gisler has said the priority in the coming days was to identify those who have died “so that their bodies can be returned rapidly” to their families.

Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were sent overnight to the scene of the fire in the Valais region, which is popular with tourists.

Most of the injured experienced severe burns and were sent to Valais hospital, said Mathias Reynard, the region’s council leader, in a press conference on Thursday morning.

Its intensive care unit had reached full capacity and Reynard said the local community must take extra care to avoid needing hospital treatment unnecessarily.

Some people have been taken to hospitals in Lausanne and Zurich which have specialist burns units.

A spokesperson for Lausanne University Hospital said they were treating 22 patients with burn injuries, while Zurich University Hospital said it was treating 12 patients for burns.

Details are still emerging, and it is not yet known the precise number of people who have been killed and injured, their nationalities, the cause of the fire or how many people were in the bar. Officials have, however, confirmed that several nationalities were involved.

The Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated around 40 people had died.

Police at the press conference said “several dozen” were presumed dead, but did not give a more precise number when responding to questions from the media.

EPA/Shutterstock

Local media reports earlier on Thursday suggested pyrotechnics could have caused the incident, although this is unconfirmed.

Valais canton prosecutor general Beatrice Pilloud said an investigation was under way “to identify the circumstances which caused this dramatic situation to occur”.

She told the press conference “currently we are favouring a fire and at no time is there question of any attack”, adding out of respect for the families she cannot say more at this time.

Police initially referred to an explosion but later changed their definition to a fire, adding it was too early to speculate on the cause.

Asked about the cause at the news conference, regional security official Stéphane Ganzer said it “is not the detonation of an explosive device that causes the fire, it is the fire which, as it develops, causes an explosion and a general conflagration of the premises”.

Work is ongoing to identify the victims and return bodies to families as quickly as possible, Ms Pilloud said, adding: “To do that there is significant work which needs to be carried out. And this significant work will require the closure of the district.”

The Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, said that it will take weeks to identify the dead.

A helpline has been set up for families: +41 848 112 117

Watch: BBC reports from the scene of Swiss resort bar fire

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said: “A moment of joy turned into a tragedy that has touched the whole of Switzerland and abroad.”

Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort, famous in the 1980s for hosting the World Cup skiing.

Le Constellation, which has been around for decades, has an upstairs with TV screens where people go and watch football matches, and a large bar downstairs for drinking and dancing.

The UK Foreign Office said its “thoughts are with all those injured and killed in the terrible tragedy” and consular staff were on standby to provide support to any British nationals affected.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/around-40-dead-in-swiss-ski-resort-bar-fire/

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From Puducherry Curse To NYC Skyscraper Jump: Is Black Orlov Diamond Really Cursed? Fact vs Fiction Explained | India News

The Black Orlov, one of the world’s most mysterious diamonds, has fascinated historians, jewellers, and conspiracy theorists for decades. Known for its deep black colour and dramatic past, the 67.49-carat gemstone is often described as one of the most “cursed” diamonds in history. But how much of this reputation is fact, and how much is myth?

According to reports, the Black Orlov was once a 195-carat black diamond known as the “Eye of Brahma.” It is believed to have been stolen from a statue of the Hindu god Brahma in a temple in Pondicherry, India, sometime in the 19th century. It is claimed that the theft brought a powerful curse upon anyone who possessed the stone.

However, historians point out that there is no solid evidence proving the diamond ever belonged to a temple or that it originated in India. In fact, India is not known for producing black diamonds, raising questions about the story’s authenticity.

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A Trail of Tragedy and Mystery

The legend of the curse grew stronger in the early 20th century. One of the most widely circulated stories claims that a diamond dealer named J.W. Paris jumped to his death from a New York skyscraper in 1932 after selling the gem. However, no official records confirm this incident.

The story continues with two alleged Russian aristocrats—Princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and Princess Nadezhda Orlov—who were said to have owned the diamond and later died by suicide. However, historical records cast doubt on these claims. One princess had already died decades earlier, while the other was in her late 80s at the time of her supposed death, making the stories difficult to verify.

(Also Read: Who Was Pope Gregory XIII? Meet Man Behind Your New Year Celebrations; Your Party Planner From 443 Years Ago)

Breaking the Curse

In the 1950s, the diamond came into the possession of jeweller Charles F. Wilson. Believing in the curse, he decided to “break” it by cutting the original stone into three pieces. The largest piece, weighing 67.49 carats, became the Black Orlov as it is known today. The other two stones disappeared, adding further mystery to the gem’s history.

A Mythic Jewel Today

Today, the Black Orlov is set in a diamond-studded necklace and is considered one of the world’s most famous black diamonds. While many experts dismiss the curse as a clever mix of myth and marketing, the stone’s dark beauty and dramatic backstory continue to capture global attention.

Whether cursed or simply misunderstood, the Black Orlov remains one of the most fascinating gemstones ever known.

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What we know about the Switzerland ski resort fire

Watch: BBC reports from the scene of Swiss resort bar fire

Several dozen people are thought to have died and more than 100 injured following a fire in a ski resort in south-west Switzerland, officials have said.

Police said several nationalities were likely involved in the New Year’s Day fire, which happened at 01:30 local time (00:30 GMT) in a bar called Le Constellation in the resort of Crans-Montana.

It is being treated as a fire and there is “no question” of an attack, the region’s chief prosecutor said.

A helpline has been set up for concerned families: +41 848 112 117

Here’s what we know so far.

What do we know about the victims?

At a news conference on Thursday morning police said “several dozen” people were presumed to have died in the fire, although it was too early to give a precise number.

The Italian foreign ministry – citing Swiss police – said it believed around 40 people had died.

More than 100 people were injured, mostly with severe burns, Swiss officials said. They have been transported to hospitals across Switzerland. A burns unit in Milan in neighbouring Italy has also been made available.

The director of Lausanne University Hospital told a Swiss newspaper that 22 patients had been transferred to her centre’s care so far, mostly aged 16-26.

Work is ongoing to identify the victims and return bodies to families as quickly as possible, the region’s chief-prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said.

But the Italian ambassador to Switzerland warned it could take weeks to identify the dead. Earlier, Italy’s foreign minister said identification would be difficult due to the severe burns.

People from several countries are believed to be involved. The Italian Foreign Ministry has told the BBC that 16 Italian nationals are currently missing, and between 12 and 15 others are receiving treatment in hospital.

French media has reported that at least two of the injured are French nationals.

French President Emmanuel Macron has offered “the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support” to Switzerland.

The UK embassy in Switzerland says it is monitoring the situation but it has not been approached for assistance.

Consular staff are on standby to support any British nationals affected, a Foreign Office statement said.

What caused the fire?

The cause is currently unknown but authorities say initial evidence does not suggest an attack.

Asked about earlier reports of an explosion, regional security official Stéphane Ganzer said it “is not the detonation of an explosive device that causes the fire, it is the fire which, as it develops, causes an explosion and a general conflagration of the premises”.

Two French nationals who said they were in the bar at the time described seeing a waitress put a birthday candle on top of a champagne bottle.

“One of the candles was held too close to the ceiling, which caught fire. In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood.” Emma and Albane told French media outlet BFMTV.

They described the evacuation as “very difficult” because the escape route was “narrow” and the stairs to get outside “even narrower”.

The regional police commander Frédéric Gisler said smoke was first seen emanating from a bar at around 01:30 local time, at which point emergency services were called.

The first police officers were quickly on the scene followed by a major deployment of rescue teams, Mr Gisler said.

Video shows moment Swiss bar fire appears to start

What do we know about Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana?

Le Constellation is a large bar in the the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana which has been around for many years.

Although the resort itself is quite upmarket, Le Constellation was not particularly posh, the BBC’s Silvia Costeloe reported from the resort.

Upstairs, there is an area with TV screens where people go to watch football matches. Downstairs is a big bar where people were likely drinking and dancing.

It could hold up to 300 people and had a small terrace, although it is unknown how many people were there at the time of the fire.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are one of the busiest times of the year for Alpine ski resorts, and it is likely the bar was full of Swiss people and tourists celebrating the start of 2026.

Valais Cantonal Police

Police have released images from inside the bar after the fire showing chairs and benches strewn across the room

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STF disclosure in Kerala High Court, gold missing from many other artefacts in Sabarimala temple

Sabarimala scandal: The Special Investigation Team (STF) in the Sabarimala gold theft scam has made a major revelation in the court that gold is also missing from other artefacts of the temple. The SIT, which is investigating on the orders of the Kerala High Court, had registered two cases in connection with the missing gold from the door of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

Gold missing from many artefacts

Although the SIT has sought the custody of the alleged accused in a report submitted to the vigilance court in Kollam, the agency has said the scam is not limited to just two artefacts. It is further stated that gold is missing from the seven copper plates in the temple’s Prabha Mandalam, which cover the idols of Shiva and Vyali Rupam.

Earlier it was believed that only the two gatekeeper idols had lost gold. But now investigation has revealed that gold is missing from 7 more panels.

Gold is separated using chemicals

The gold is separated using chemicals at Chennai-based Smart Creations, the report said. It is currently in the possession of Bellary-based jeweler Govardhan Roddam. The SIT has sought the custody of 3 accused among the 10 arrested, self-sponsors Unnikrishnan Potti, Govardhan Roddam and Pankaj Bhandari of Chennai-based Smart Creations.

Ask for ISRO’s help

The SIT also told the court that it has sought technical assistance from ISRO’s center VSSC-Thiruvananthapuram to ascertain the exact amount of gold returned to various artefacts in the temple. VSSC scientists will collect samples from gold-plated copper plates, the report said.

The SIT has so far arrested 10 people, including three CPI(M) leaders, including former MLA A Padmakumar. Last week the SIT questioned former minister Kadkampalli Surendran, who was the minister of the Devaswam temple in 2019, when the alleged theft took place at the temple.

The matter came to light in October

The Sabarimala temple came into the limelight when the Kerala High Court in October 2025 ordered a probe into alleged irregularities related to the temple’s valuables and gold.

Also Read – Another Hindu attacked in Bangladesh, mob tries to burn him alive after assaulting him with sharp weapons

In which the court entrusted former judge KT Shankaran with the responsibility of preparing the list of valuables of the temple and directed the vigilance officer of the temple to investigate all the irregularities in the temple.

According to the vigilance officer’s preliminary report, the gold cover on the Dwarpal idols located in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was removed without informing the court. It is expected that after this revelation, the ruling party in the state, CPI (M), may come under more pressure.

https://timesofahmedabad.blog/stf-disclosure-in-kerala-high-court-gold-missing-from-many-other-artefacts-in-sabarimala-temple/

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Hindu Man Brutally Attacked, Critically Injured And Set On Fire By Mob In Bangladesh | India News

Bangladesh witnessed yet another attack on a Hindu man on 31 December, as concerns mount over escalating violence against religious minorities in the country. Khokon Das, 50, was allegedly assaulted with sharp weapons by a mob, beaten, and set on fire while on his way home in the Shariatpur district. This incident marks the fourth attack on Hindus in Bangladesh in two weeks.

The brutality of the assault has sparked outrage among rights groups who note an alarming rise in targeted violence, as per NDTV reports.

On 24 December, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal was reportedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union, while on 18 December, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was brutally killed in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh. In that attack, Das was accused of blasphemy by a Muslim coworker, killed by a mob, and his body was hanged from a tree before being set ablaze.

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The spate of attacks has drawn international criticism, with human rights organisations and neighbouring India expressing concern over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.

Last week, India raised objections to what it described as the “unremitting hostility” faced by Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists in Bangladesh, stating it was monitoring the situation closely.

The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed India’s concerns, calling them “incorrect, exaggerated, and misleading,” The ministry said.

“We observe that there are systematic attempts to portray isolated incidents of criminal acts as systematic persecution of Hindus and to maliciously use them to spread anti-Bangladesh sentiments in various parts of India… isolated incidents are exaggerated, misrepresented, and publicised in order to incite ordinary Indians against Bangladesh.”

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticised the interim Yunus-led government, saying it “fails to protect religious minorities and allows extremists to dictate foreign policy.” She added,

“This hostility is being manufactured by extremists who have been emboldened by the Yunus regime. These are the same actors who marched on the Indian Embassy and attacked our media offices, who attack minorities with impunity, and who forced me and my family to flee for our lives… A responsible government would protect diplomatic missions and prosecute those who threaten them. Instead, Yunus grants immunity to hooligans and calls them warriors.”

Amid these tensions, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka on 31 December to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. During his four-hour visit, he met her son and Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, delivering a letter of condolence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes amid frosty diplomatic relations following the rise of the Yunus interim government.

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