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IIM Kozhikode has released a statement that it has terminated the deal with Turkey's Sabancı University effective from the date of this letter as a measure in line with national interest.

The five-year deal in September 2023 as a gesture of student transfer academic collaboration to the extent has been unilaterally cancelled by IIM Kozhikode owing to the latest developments and national interest matters. All corresponding academic endeavors also have been revoked, an institute statement released in regards to the same stated.

IIM Kozhikode has also notified Sabancı University of this step and asked the Turkish university to remove IIM Kozhikode's name from the whole official reports, website, and pages of the Turkish university.

In a letter of decision, IIM Kozhikode Director Prof. Debashis Chatterjee stated: "At IIM Kozhikode, we have highest in maintaining our international alignments in national interest. The decision to withdraw the MoU with Sabancı University is taken after due consideration and as part of our institutional practice of protecting the values and national interests of our nation. We are firm in having the establishment of international alignment in a spirit of mutual respect, strategic positioning, and common national values."

IIM Kozhikode reaffirms its commitment to maintaining the highest level of academic achievement and cooperation with foreign institutions founded on Indian learning and strategic interests.

It is being initiated by other leading Indian universities in the quest for the same, which includes Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Lovely Professional University (LPU) and IIT Roorkee.

The universities guaranteed their nation of seniority continues as they make a transition to international scholarly interaction on the platform of India's intellectual and strategic agenda.

The above decisions are an expression of a change of overall Indian institutions of higher learning policy towards international coordination, i.e., with Turkey affiliated institutions.

British scholar and author Nitasha Kaul has provided evidence to the report that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) tag was cancelled by the Government of India. Government of India notification listed her "anti-India activities" as grounds for cancellation of her OCI, for having done so in bad faith and repeatedly trying to intrude into India's sovereignty in international forums and social media. The Kashmiri Pandit intellectual had deposed before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2019 against the Indian government for "human rights abuses" in Kashmir.

Nitasha Kaul shared a portion of the government notification on X on 18th May:

".and whereas it has been brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history."

The government statement went on, "By your diverse critical writings, orations, and journalism pieces on different foreign websites and social media, you continuously besmirch India and Indian institutions in the matter of India's sovereignty."

The majority of social media also welcomed the government action of revoking Kaul's OCI status and felt that she "didn't deserve any kind of access to India.".

Kaul was deported within the hours she landed at Bengaluru's international airport in 2024. She had visited India on a special invitation from the Karnataka Congress government and her deportation was an offer of a big hue and cry. 

KEY WITNESS IN US HOUSE COMMITTEE AGAINST INDIA ON ARTICLE 370

Nitasha Kaul was one of the principal witnesses to a 22 October, 2019, hearing conducted by the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the condition of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir.

This followed the August move to abrogate Article 370 by annulling the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian Constitution and bifurcating the state into two union territories.

Kaul is a lecturer in the politics, international relations, and critical interdisciplinary studies of University of Westminster. Her witness statement appears on the website of the university.

"Both Indian and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have instances of the misuse of human rights. India is part of Jammu and Kashmir but never ceases to be the same non-respectful vis-a-vis the inhabitants of Kashmir and does not shy away from depriving them of their basic human rights.".

"The Indian reaction to Kashmiri protests, peaceful, peaceful, if violent, has been more state violence," she continued.

Kaul is also credited to "commemoration of one massacre at the expense of the other".

She also demanded revocation of Article 370.

"Whatever was done on 5 August 2019. Jammu and Kashmir by another name in the Indian constitution – did it have de jure autonomous statehood?" And in fact, the act was followed by a lock down in the state," she said.

"This is India's routine run, neither colonial autocracy nor democracy," she vowed while taking oath. "Thousands of young people, including children, have been arrested and taken to prisons in far-flung parts of India so that their parents cannot welcome them with a monumental inconvenience."

NITAHSA KAUL, Delhi University civil rights activist

Nitasha Kaul is a departmental research fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster. She is a post-graduate from Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), and holds a Master's and PhD from Hull University, UK.

On May 18, in her weblog, she applied the term to the 2024 one when she herself was deported the very moment she arrived at Bengaluru airport and had termed it an "insult" to the non-BJP Karnataka state government who had invited her.

The Karnataka state government likewise invited Kaul to speak at a convention, but immigration authorities allegedly kept her out by "informally" making "references" to her "censure of the RSS.".

"DDdenied entry to India to give a speech on democratic & constitutional values. Invited to a conference as (an) distinguished delegate by (the) Govt of Karnataka (Congress govt) but (the) Centre refused me entry. All my documents were valid & in time (UK passport & OCI)," Kashmiri Pandit scholar had tweeted shortly after the event in 2024.

The OCI card on which the tweet was made has been revoked now.

A Texas woman has been arrested and charged with allegedly providing her son with ammunition and tactical equipment as he prepared to attack his San Antonio middle school. Ashley Pardo, 33, was charged on Monday with facilitating the commission of terrorism after the authorities alleged that she knowingly provided her son with items that were meant to be used in a plot for mass violence at Rhodes Middle School.

Pardo's son had been displaying frightening behavior for months, according to court filings obtained by CNN, ABC News, and KSAT. In January, school officials found his sketch of a map of the school marked "suicide route" with the name of the school next to a rifle. The boy had reportedly declared fascination with previous mass shooters, even reading the manifesto of the Christchurch mosque gunman. He was suspended in April for searching on a school computer about the 2019 New Zealand mosque shooting that killed 51 individuals.

The grandmother of the boy alerted authorities when she found live ammunition, tactical equipment, and a crude explosive device in his bedroom. The device contained white supremacist symbols and mentions of Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant, including "14 words" and "SS" symbols. A list of names of mass shooters and the victim counts was also scribbled in handwriting.

Even after being cautioned by law enforcement, child protective services, and school authorities concerning her son's plans, Pardo is said to have had no apprehension and even defended his violent actions. She is said to have obtained the tactical gear such as magazines, ballistic vest, helmet, and military uniform via visits to a nearby surplus store and traded the items for babysitting her son's younger brothers.

On May 12, the boy went to Rhodes Middle School dressed in a camouflage jacket, tactical pants, and a mask but departed quickly, issuing a security alert. The campus was searched for potential threats, and more police officers were sent. The student was subsequently detained off-campus and charged with terrorism.

Pardo was freed from Bexar County Jail after posting $75,000 bond and is due in court again on July 17. Principal Felismina Martinez of Rhodes Middle School reassured parents in a letter that the school takes all such threats seriously and takes student safety seriously. The case raised immediate questions about how worries regarding possible school violence are dealt with and the role played by family members either in preventing or facilitating such threats.

The case is ongoing, with the local authorities and San Antonio Independent School District still keeping a close eye on the situation.

The Chicago Board of Education is hosting meetings throughout the city before it chooses its next superintendent and CEO.

Throughout May and June, there will be an event in each of the 10 CPS Elected School Board districts. There will be focus groups, community meetings, and an online survey that will be available.

The community of Chicago Public Schools is encouraged to give input in person as part of the search process.

The complete schedule of the community events is listed on the website of the Chicago Board of Education.

Chicago school board votes to terminate CPS CEO

The Chicago Board of Education voted to terminate troubled Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez in December of 2024.

The vote, unanimous, was the end result of a month-long battle, Martinez against the mayor, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the mayor's personally appointed school board.

He sued over the firing.

During September, Martinez claimed he turned down a demand from Mayor Brandon Johnson that he quit his position after he defied the mayor's plea to take out a $300 million high-rate loan to fund the expense of a new proposed teachers' contract and pension expenses formerly funded by the city. The entire former school board resigned last month after they were pressured by the mayor to remove Martinez. Johnson subsequently appointed a new school board in a matter of days.

Mayor Johnson has flatly denied requesting Martinez resign during ongoing Chicago Teachers Union contract talks—although sources informed CBS News Chicago that he did.

A woman in London has made a viral post on social media that includes "a warning" for all students who want to pursue a master's degree from the UK. Her post has created ripples on the internet, and netizens are engaged in a heated debate about studying abroad.

The woman, Janhavi Jain, who is a marketing professional, used the social networking site X (formerly Twitter) to warn foreign students against earning a master's degree in the UK. According to her, it is an uphill task finding employment after finishing studies. Janhavi mentioned that she herself pursued a master's program in the UK after graduating from India and was among the fortunate few who were able to find employment after graduation. But she added that 90 percent of her batch were frustrated and had to go back to India disappointed as they were unable to find placements.

She posted, "I get loads of texts about coming to the UK to do a master's. I will be honest with you — don't. 90% of my class had to return home because there are no jobs. If you don't have money to waste, don't think about it. In the news today, the UK government has doubled the requirement for residency to settle in the UK (Indefinite Leave to Remain) from five to ten years for most immigrants."

Once her post was trending, numerous users participated in the thread. Someone commented, "Who was ever finding jobs after a master's in the UK though? It's always been a destination for affluent children to party." Janhavi responded to this with, "60-70% used to find jobs in 6–12 months. It was never this bad."

Another member, concuring with Janhavi, contributed, "Pursuing a master's in the EU and settling down there seems a different story altogether today. Inflation in living expenses, limited career opportunities, and stiff competition make it harder than ever before. There used to be a time when migration to the UK seemed like going towards a promising future. Numerous of my European and British friends are struggling, and some even have gone back to India.

In a heartwarming series of developments that reflect growth, empowerment, and resilience, members of the Degel Menashe community have celebrated achievements across education, infrastructure, and skill-building.

Three remarkable women from Kibbutz Ma'oz Tzur—Rachel Ngainu Touthang, Esther Nengpichong Touthang, and Shifra Thomsong—recently completed a 10-day intensive workshop on mushroom cultivation held at Pearsonmum in Lamka. Sponsored by the State Bank of India, the workshop offered both theoretical understanding and hands-on training in mushroom farming, housing units, packaging, and environmental concerns. Designed to promote cottage industries and entrepreneurship, the program was conducted free of cost, with travel expenses covered by Degel Menashe.

All three participants, who are also mothers and caretakers in their kibbutz, passed the final examination and received certificates, marking the start of a promising new chapter in self-sufficiency and sustainable productivity for Ma'oz Tzur.

In another boost to the community, a long-standing monsoon challenge has been addressed with the construction of a 1,920-foot paved road leading to Ma'oz Tzur. The new stone-and-gravel road promises cleaner access during the rainy season, ensuring a more comfortable and hygienic daily routine for residents.

Academic excellence, too, shines bright in the Degel Menashe family. Yehoshua Elezra, a recipient of the community’s scholarship program, has earned a place on the Dean’s List at Machon Lev College in Jerusalem, where he is pursuing Computer Programming. The eldest son of Shimon and Ruth Elezra of Kiryat Arba, Yehoshua is a former IDF serviceman, balancing national service with academic distinction.

And finally, Degel Menashe extends a joyous Mazal Tov to Rachel Nengaithem Haokip on her Bat Mitzvah, wishing her a life paved with responsibility, success, and meaningful milestones.

From paving roads to paving futures—Degel Menashe celebrates its community’s collective journey forward.