Morning Digest: Delhi goes to polls in 70 Assembly seats; 10 dead in Sweden school shooting, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on February 5, 2025

Over 1.56 crore electors are set to seal the fate of the Delhi Assembly polls as all 70 Assembly constituencies will vote in a single phase on Wednesday from 7 a.m. onwards with a total of 13,766 polling stations set up at 2,696 polling locations. There are 699 candidates in the fray, with the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress fielding 70 candidates each, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 68 candidates, giving two seats to its allies — JD(U) and LJP. 

Around 10 people were killed in a shooting at an education centre in central Sweden on Tuesday, including the suspected assailant who was not known to police, police officials said. Orebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters that police could “not be more specific” about the number. “The suspected assailant is not known to police.”

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Wednesday and at around 11 a.m., he will take a holy dip at the Sangam,” his office said. Maha Kumbh 2025, which commenced on Paush Purnima (January 13, 2025), is the world’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering, attracting devotees from across the globe. “The Maha Kumbh will continue until Mahashivratri on February 26,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Trump stops U.S. involvement with U.N. rights body, extends UNRWA funding halt

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continued a halt to funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA.

Elon Musk and his aides have taken control of the U.S. Treasury Department’s payments system, triggering a lawsuit charging he is illegally getting access to private data of millions of Americans. Mr. Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading U.S. President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Security forces rounded up scores of suspects on Tuesday in a major manhunt for attackers who killed an ex-Army man and left two of the family members injured in south Kashmir’s Kulgam on Monday (February 3, 2025). Following the attack, the National Conference (NC) and the Congress questioned the Centre’s claims of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.