The Nagaland Baptist Church Council has voiced strong opposition to any directive making the singing of 'Vande Mataram' compulsory, especially for Christians. They argue that patriotism should not be reduced to forced conformity and that India's constitutional values of liberty, pluralism, and freedom of conscience must be respected. The council also called for dialogue and sensitivity from state institutions.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. Shah assured that the bill would not be retrospective. Various church and minority organisations have expressed concerns about the bill's impact on NGOs, schools, and healthcare units, urging its withdrawal or referral to a joint parliamentary committee.
Southern chief ministers fear population stabilisation could reduce their parliamentary representation and tax devolution benefits.
The Nagaland government has postponed its official International Day of Yoga programme from Sunday to Monday following significant opposition from student bodies, tribal organisations, churches, and political groups. These groups cited religious sentiments in the Christian-majority state against holding the event on a Sunday.
The recent move by the Church of England to allow ordination of women as bishops has caused ripples among traditionalists in the Indian church, especially in Kerala, the seat of Syrian Christianity, with top religious leaders opposing it tooth and nail, asserting that episcopacy was not the job of the fair sex.The historic decision of the Anglican Church, the most influential Protestant congregation, created a vertical split in the Anglican Communion in the world.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has altered the iconic 'Dancing Girl' figurine from Mohenjo-daro in its new Class 9 arts textbook, covering its bare torso with shading. This change has drawn criticism for misrepresenting the original artefact and sparking a debate on what is considered 'age-appropriate' in educational materials.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and 12 states on a PIL challenging the validity of their anti-conversion laws. The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) filed the PIL, seeking a stay on the operation of these laws.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has strongly condemned the "horrific and inhuman" killing of six Nagas in Manipur, demanding immediate action against those responsible. The incident occurred after Naga organisations facilitated the release of 14 hostages, but appeals for the reciprocal release of six Naga hostages allegedly held by the Kuki community ended in tragedy. Rio urged both the Indian and Manipur governments to ensure justice and called for peace and restraint among communities.
Security forces in Manipur's Kangpokpi district have launched operations to rescue individuals held hostage by armed groups. The operations include area domination exercises and search operations to locate missing persons and apprehend those responsible for the hostage situation.
Nagaland has launched the 'Jan Bhagidari Abhiyan -- Sabse Dur, Sabse Pehle' campaign to ensure government welfare schemes and essential services reach remote areas and underserved communities.
Nagaland is seeking to implement the Juvenile Justice Act and Adoption Regulations in a way that respects the state's customary laws and traditional systems of care, while remaining legally sound.
Meghalaya's opposition leader, Mukul Sangma, has called for an independent inquiry into the Garo Hills violence, citing the need for accountability and due process to restore public confidence.
From founding fathers to Europe's most unyielding rulers, these figures have not just held office, they have established a cult of leadership and will leave legacies, mostly mixed, that few can rival.
'We have nothing left -- no land, no house. We have lived here for 40 years and have nowhere to go. We will put up temporary sheds and stay here unless the government provides some arrangement.'
A leading Catholic Church daily in Kerala has described the Waqf amendment bill as a crucial test of secularism in Parliament, urging MPs to support it. The editorial in Deepika daily comes as the union government prepares to table the bill for parliamentary consideration. The editorial calls the bill a test of secularism and warns MPs that failing to support it would mark them in history as endorsing religious fundamentalism. The paper added that the bill will also put an end to the injustices faced by thousands of Hindu, Christian, and Muslim citizens who have suffered due to the Waqf law. The editorial also recalled the recent statement addressed to Kerala MPs by Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) where the KCBC President Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos urged amending provisions in the Waqf law that validate claims over land which people of Munambam have lawfully possessed. Opposition parties have slammed the bill as "unconstitutional" and against the interest of the Muslim community.
After Donald Trump became president of the United States, he unleashed economic weaponisation, upsetting the old world order, leading to much unrest. If that wasn't all, the threat of an imminent nuclear war was issued by the US, Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan. In today's fractious times, Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios would have made a dent, notes His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III.
'They have to prove the credibility of their talk; whether they want to focus on the secular face of India, whether they want to focus on democracy and above all freedom of an individual to practice his or her religion.'
Four cardinals from India, including two from Kerala, are eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave to elect the new Pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, as per the regulations. Anthony Poola, the Archbishop of Hyderabad; Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman; Cardinal Baselios Cleemis of the Syro-Malankara Church; and George Koovakkad, the newly appointed cardinal, are the four who can cast votes in the upcoming conclave.
The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Somebody strong is playing a game behind the violence in Manipur.' 'It is a pre-planned attack on churches, Christian organisations and Christians.'
Pope Francis's connection with India was marked by a mix of hopes and challenges. His long-held wish to visit the country remained unfulfilled, but he made significant contributions to the Catholic community in India, including elevating Indian figures to sainthood and appointing an Indian priest as a Cardinal. While his efforts to resolve conflicts within the Syro-Malabar Church were unsuccessful, his legacy will be remembered for his efforts to promote unity and understanding in the Catholic Church.
'In diabetes remission, you go below a 6.5 HbA1c without medication.' 'And this happens only when you lose 10 to 15 per cent of your body weight with a good amount of lifestyle and dietary changes, exercise and sometimes medication.' 'You have to be able to sustain your HBA1C below 6.5 for at least a year without medication to say that the patient is in remission.'
With elections elsewhere in India showing that multi-pronged contests usually work to the BJP's favour, the party can gain if it hangs on stubbornly. In the meantime, any additional support helps. That is why the archbishop's comment attracted political traction in Kerala, observes Shyam G Menon.
The voice of the six bells of St Peter's Basilca announced that the Church has its new Pope.
The Kerala BJP has contradicted the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's justification of the arrest of two Keralite Catholic nuns, stating they were not involved in human trafficking or forced conversion attempts and promising to help them.
The arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion has ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties criticizing the arrest and the Chief Minister defending the police action.
The negotiations between the priests protesting against the the Synod's decision to introduce a uniform mass and a sub-committee comprising three bishops constituted by the Synod to find a way to solve the matter.
'They should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.'
Dr. Vece Paes laid to rest as Ganguly, Tirkey join mourners in funeral procession
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the chief secretary of Manipur said it was unfortunate that the platform of the top court was being "misutilised", apparently referring to the lawyer's claim.
Fresh clashes broke out between people belonging to Zomi and Hmar tribes in Manipur's Churachandpur district, hours after a peace settlement was reached between the apex bodies of the two communities. The Zomi Students' Federation imposed a shutdown in the district after a group of men tried to take down a flag of a Zomi militant outfit. Several persons were injured in the clashes. Meanwhile, MLAs and tribal organisations appealed for peace, urging the administration to take necessary measures to restore law and order.
'Parents are forced to provide their children to Russian re-education camps in occupied territories and in different parts of Russia, for example, in Chechnya, where Ukrainian children wearing military uniform are taught to use weapons.'
Kerala priest Fr Shaiju Kurien of the prominent Orthodox Church, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party with around 50 Christian families, has been temporarily removed from his positions in the diocese pending an inquiry, authorities said on Friday.
Two powerful blasts triggered by Islamic State in two churches packed with worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria cities.
The Goa church has demanded that the government withdraw all the criminal cases filed against anti-illegal mining activists across these years as their stand is vindicated after the tabling of the Justice M B Shah commission report.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said he has directed the police to arrest within 48 hours the culprits who hurled stones at a catholic church in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
The Egyptian government has ordered military special forces to assist the police in securing vital state facilities across the country.
A group of clerics today asked the government not to hold peace with the banned Pakistani Taliban after it condoned the recent bomb attack on a church in Peshawar that killed over 80 people.
Did he have any first-hand knowledge of what JP stood for, asks Nitish
