Morning Digest: Pakistan armed forces hold series of exercises, CWC urges Modi govt to teach lesson to Pakistan; and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on May 3, 2025

Amid expectations of potential Indian military action following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan’s armed forces are conducting several exercises near the Line of Control (LoC) and in the Arabian Sea. Concurrently, Pakistan has closed several air traffic routes between Lahore and Islamabad and issued multiple ‘Nav Area’ warnings along its coastline, as some officials reportedly caution about an “imminent” attack by India.

Urging the Narendra Modi government to “isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror,” the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday (May 2, 2025) also insisted on a “time-bound accountability into the serious security and intelligence lapses” in Pahalgam, located in one of the most heavily-guarded regions of the country.

In a major crackdown on irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Testing Agency (NTA) have uncovered multiple instances of malpractice, including impersonation and the use of leaked question papers. Following the probe, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges and institutions to immediately suspend 26 MBBS students found complicit in the violations.

The Supreme Court on Friday (May 2, 2025) held that licensed stamp vendors perform a highly important public duty and come within the definition of ‘public servant’ under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The judgment by a Bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala was based on an appeal filed by a licensed stamp vendor, Aman Bhatia, who was convicted by a trial court under the anti-corruption law for demanding ₹2 extra for a ₹10 stamp paper 22 years ago in the national capital.

Security in Manipur has been heightened amid calls for a shutdown to mark the second anniversary of the ethnic conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that broke out on May 3, 2023. Security personnel intensified patrolling in the “buffer zone” – the foothills around the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley – and frisking of vehicles in vulnerable locations in the valley as well as in the adjoining Churachandpur and Kangpokpi hill districts dominated by the Kuki-Zo people.

Prince Harry said that he wants to reconcile with his family after losing a court battle on Friday (May 2, 2025) over his publicly funded security that he said led his father, King Charles III, to stop talking to him. “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Mr. Harry told the BBC. “I don’t know how much longer my father has.” But Harry took aim at Buckingham Palace officials after the court of appeal rejected a bid to restore his police protection detail that was stripped by a government committee when he stepped away from his royal duties and moved to the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (May 2, 2025) said he planned to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, the latest salvo against the Ivy League school amid a larger crackdown on elite U.S. universities. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Mr. Trump said in a post on his social media platform, without specifying when he might take action.