lördag 25 juli 2026
Student protests in India
Indian minister resigns after protest movement demands
India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is resigning, Al Jazeera reports. The student movement "Cockroach Party", which has been putting heavy pressure on the government in recent weeks, has had the minister's resignation as its main demand.
In a letter published on X, Pradhan himself writes that he is resigning to preserve national unity. He also warns that "anti-national elements" are trying to exploit the protests for their own purposes and mislead students.
Modi tries to reach young people on Instagram - breaks record
The student protests sweeping across India have prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to test a new approach on social media to reach young people, writes Bloomberg.
In several posts published in recent days, the Prime Minister has spoken directly into what appears to be the selfie camera on a mobile phone.
According to The Next Web, one of the clips on Instagram Reels has received over 300 million views in 24 hours. 75-year-old Modi thus breaks the previous record of Youtuber Ishowspeed, which was set in connection with the World Cup.
Whether this is enough to win the trust of the protesting students is unclear – many of them have already started to make fun of the prime minister’s new film technology.
The cockroaches agree to end the protests
The student movement “Cockroach Party” has agreed to end its large-scale demonstrations in India, a spokesperson announced according to Reuters.
Just hours earlier, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, which had been one of the movement’s most important goals.
Further talks between the movement and the government are to take place in four weeks, reports The Hindu. The cockroaches’ other goals mainly concern measures against those behind the invalidation of two million medical entrance exams, as well as compensation for the families of students who took their own lives after the scandal.
The “Cockroach Party” protest movement — it’s about the matter
- The Indian youth movement “Cockroach Party” has grown from a satirical online phenomenon to a mass movement with over 22 million followers on Instagram.
- The movement was started by recent graduate Abhijeet Dipke after India’s Chief Justice called unemployed young people “cockroaches”.
- Two days earlier, two million students had been forced to retake their medical entrance exams after the exam questions were leaked and sold to the highest bidder. At least 20 students took their own lives after the scandal.
- The protests have included hunger strikes, demonstrations and petitions.
- The movement has grown to encompass broader demands for education reforms, measures against youth unemployment and corruption, and has received support from parents, opposition politicians and other community groups.
Forest fires in Europe
Powerful forest fires approaching Bordeaux in France
The powerful fires in France are approaching Bordeaux in the Gironde region, several media outlets report.
Several areas near the city have been forced to evacuate as a "precautionary measure", writes AFP.
"Due to the ongoing fires in Gironde, it is strongly advised not to travel to or cross the region. Postpone your trip if possible", writes the road information service Bison Futé according to Le Monde.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the military is being mobilized to support civil society. According to Expressen, there are over 1,000 soldiers in Gironde.
Horses flee the fires in France - could not be evacuated
In several videos from southern France, a large group of horses can be seen fleeing the streets from the heavy smoke after the forest fires, writes Le Figaro.
The horses are said to have come from an equestrian center near Biscarrosse, south of Bordeaux, which decided to release them after a failed evacuation attempt.
The severe forest fires are approaching Bordeaux and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate.
Fire inferno draws closer to Bordeaux – more evacuated
“Unprecedented scale”
Sophie Brocas, prefect of the region, said late Friday that the fire had assumed an “unprecedented scale” and was now approaching the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Evacuations were underway overnight in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles and three other suburbs as a “preventive measure,” Le Figaro reports.
The fire in Gironde has so far swept over more than 30,000 hectares, the mayor of the municipality of Biganos told BFMTV. This is twice the size of the large forest fire in Västmanland in 2014.
In Spain, giant fires are being fought around Madrid and in the neighboring province of Ávila. Two of three large fire areas have merged just outside the capital, and the fire has been described as “impossible to control” by local rescue services during the day. Authorities warned on Saturday that the fires could worsen due to unpredictable winds.
Nasa affected
The fires have also affected the American Nasa, which evacuated its Spanish facility for communication with space probes. According to the authority, flames have swept past the area.
According to an AFP compilation, at least 166,000 people had been ordered to evacuate in the two countries, overnight Saturday. Of these, 141,000 are in France and 25,000 in Spain. In addition, thousands have been urged to stay indoors. Both Le Var and Gironde are common holiday destinations for Scandinavian travelers.
Starship postponed – new test
Space X has carried out another test launch of the giant Starship rocket.
On board were 20 of the company's most advanced Starlink satellites.
The 124-meter-high rocket lifted off from the company's base in Texas. Before the launch, six of the 33 engines were replaced after an aborted launch attempt last week. The test launch in May also suffered problems.
The launch was the 13th for the world's largest rocket and the second this year of the new V3 version. The launch had previously been postponed after the July 16 attempt and due to Tropical Storm Bertha.
NASA was monitoring the launch ahead of upcoming moon missions.
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