Stories from India

India's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for April dropped to its second-lowest level in four years. The decline is attributed to the ongoing crisis in West Asia.

The BJP has taken a lead in four of seven assembly by-elections currently being counted in India. Additionally, over 10 million voters under the age of 30 supported the party. The broadcaster noted that the party successfully leveraged the prevailing anti-government sentiment. The Indian National Congress won two seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party won one seat. BJP leader Shyam Modi addressed party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, describing the results as and. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commented on the election outcome. The remaining 18 seats were won by AI, NRC, and allied parties. Suvindu Adhikari secured a victory in the Nandigram seat. The results are part of a broader assessment of 126 assembly seats. The results were reported by AIR News 24x7. In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF has also achieved results.

The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board announced a 92.71% pass rate for the Grade 12 general stream. The Ahwa region in Dang district achieved the highest state result with a 97.88% pass rate.

According to Election Commission of India data, Mamata Banerjee is currently leading in the Bhawanipur seat. The constituency features a contest between Banerjee and BJP leader Shobhna Uddikari. The BJP is reported to be leading in 111 seats overall. Previously, Shobhna Uddikari was leading the race. Mamata Banerjee, minister and TMC leader, lost the Bhawanipur constituency by over 15,000 votes to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari also won the Nandigram seat. Congress candidate Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury lost the Baharampur seat. In Assam, the ruling BJP is set to form the government for the third consecutive time, with BJP and its allies winning 102 out of 126 assembly seats. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of Kerala for a decisive mandate, stating that democracy and the Indian constitution have won.

Approximately 26,000 teachers have lost their jobs following allegations of commission corruption. Some of the dismissed teachers were reportedly innocent of the allegations. The source stated that some of the affected teachers were innocent.

The TVK party is leading early trends with 82 seats, ahead of the DMK's 45 seats. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) also participated in the election. Major UDF leaders have reportedly been elected with clear majorities across the state. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) saw the CPI(M) secure 26 seats and the CPI secure 8 seats. Despite having no seats in the assembly, the BJP secured three seats. In Puducherry, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power with 30 members, achieving a comfortable majority of 18 seats. Joseph Vijay's party, Tamilagavetri Kadagam (TVK), emerged as the single largest party in its first contested election. The party won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, falling 10 seats short of a majority required to form a government. Joseph Vijay won seats in both Perambur and Tiruchirappalli.

A $15 billion complex in southeast India is being developed to serve as a labor reservoir for Silicon Valley. According to a study from Oxford University last year, half of all subcontractors utilize Indian men and women working alone from their homes.

A training camp for census field trainers is being held in Sirmaur. The camp aims to equip trainers with the necessary skills for the upcoming census. The camp focused on preparing personnel for upcoming census activities.

A special training camp was organized in Nahan to prepare field trainers for the 2027 Census in the Sirmaur district. Master trainers provided instruction on technical and practical aspects of the census process.

Counting has commenced at 62 centers across Gahati with high security measures in place. Over 4.58 lakh voters participated in this election cycle. The state consists of 188 general constituencies, 44 SC constituencies, and 2 SC constituencies.