In the aftermath of India’s May 7 retaliatory strikes on Pakistan, Indian television news descended into an unprecedented frenzy, broadcasting fabricated reports and inflammatory rhetoric that not only contradicted official government messaging but also damaged the country’s international standing and domestic credibility.
While India’s military operation was characterized by government officials as “non-escalatory,” intended as a proportionate response to a terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir, Indian broadcast news delivered a wildly different narrative. Anchors claimed India had launched full-scale assaults on Karachi’s port, that its army had crossed international borders, that Pakistan’s leadership had fled, and even that a coup had taken place in Islamabad. None of these reports were true.
Yet these fabrications aired with dramatic backdrops of animated fighter jets and sirens. One anchor even called for the destruction of Karachi, while a guest hurled slurs at Iran’s foreign minister, sparking a diplomatic incident. The gap between government communications—measured, factual, and diplomatically cautious—and TV coverage—emotive, nationalistic, and misleading—could not have been wider.
The government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has long benefited from a supportive media ecosystem. However, this time, the very fervor that has helped project strength backfired. As Manisha Pande, a prominent media critic, noted, “If you’re claiming to be a nationalist news channel at least serve the national interest.”
Instead, the media’s unrestrained jingoism undermined both national security and public understanding. Border communities were left confused by exaggerated reports of drone swarms and mass suicide attacks. With newspapers lagging behind due to the nocturnal timing of the skirmishes, only a handful of fact-checkers and individual citizens helped debunk the torrent of disinformation in real time.
The final blow came with U.S. President Donald Trump’s unexpected May 10 ceasefire announcement, bringing hostilities to a halt just as Indian media had convinced viewers that total military victory was imminent. The sudden diplomatic resolution triggered disillusionment among the public, which had been led to expect nothing short of Pakistan’s defeat.
The backlash was immediate. Nationalists turned on the government, accusing it of capitulation. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and his family faced personal online abuse, and the BJP scrambled to contain the fallout. Modi delivered a national address on May 12, insisting that India would not enter broad talks with Pakistan despite U.S. claims to the contrary. Simultaneously, the BJP announced victory rallies across the country, attempting to recapture a sense of momentum.
Yet few were convinced. The government’s credibility suffered not because of battlefield outcomes, but due to the narrative it allowed to flourish on television. Indian TV news, by inflating expectations and distorting facts, transformed a moment of calculated deterrence into one of national confusion and frustration. The media’s descent into unfiltered nationalism may have entertained audiences, but it left the ruling party grappling with the consequences of its own echo chamber.
The US State Department has announced visa bans on owners, executives, and senior officials of India-based travel agencies accused of helping people enter the United States illegally.
India’s space agency, ISRO, has reported a failure in launching its EOS-9 surveillance satellite into the planned orbit after a technical problem during the rocket’s flight.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Kazakhstan is boosting support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to attract European investment and accelerate economic growth.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has apologised to Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts for being "overly rude" during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.
China announced a $500 million contribution to the WHO over five years, stepping in as the UN agency faces a funding shortfall after the U.S. cut support.
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in trade, transport, energy, and regional initiatives.
The North Atlantic right whale’s survival hangs by a thread as this year’s record-low birth numbers sound the alarm on a species racing against extinction.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
The EU and UK unveiled new sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow oil fleet and financial networks, acting independently of the US after talks failed to yield a Ukraine ceasefire.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has apologised to Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts for being "overly rude" during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.
China announced a $500 million contribution to the WHO over five years, stepping in as the UN agency faces a funding shortfall after the U.S. cut support.
Spain has been hit by a major mobile network outage just weeks after a massive power blackout disrupted the country. The outage, reportedly caused by network upgrades from telecom provider Telefónica, affected emergency phone services and landline communication in multiple regions.
Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir has been promoted to the ceremonial rank of field marshal, the first such promotion in nearly 60 years.
Kazakhstan is boosting support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to attract European investment and accelerate economic growth.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has apologised to Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts for being "overly rude" during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.
China announced a $500 million contribution to the WHO over five years, stepping in as the UN agency faces a funding shortfall after the U.S. cut support.
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in trade, transport, energy, and regional initiatives.
The North Atlantic right whale’s survival hangs by a thread as this year’s record-low birth numbers sound the alarm on a species racing against extinction.
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