Open Magazine - Top Stories

Nepal Floods: over 180 Dead, more than 800 Missing as Gandak Surge Puts Bihar, UP on Alert
Nepal Floods: over 180 Dead, more than 800 Missing as Gandak Surge Puts Bihar, UP on Alert
5 min read
The Bhotekoshi flash flood has buried settlements, swept away bridges and trapped workers inside a hydropower tunnel near the Tibet border. Over 300 Indians are among those out of contact, while Bihar ...
Is Maharashtra Turning Cybercrime Into Cinema? The Story Behind ‘Digital Arrest’, Samay Raina and the 1930 Anthem
5 min read
Pankaj Tripathi, Sonali Bendre, Sharad Kelkar and Samay Raina gathered in Mumbai this week for what looked like a celebrity-filled launch. But the real story wasn't the stars. It was Maharashtra's att ...
Mohan Bhagwat in New York: Why Mamdani Opposes the RSS Event but May Be Unable to Stop It
7 min read
The RSS calls it a celebration of universal oneness. USCIRF wants Bhagwat’s visa revoked, rights groups want the gathering cancelled and a Hindu advocacy organisation has issued a security alert. Yet ...
A Taiwanese Actor, an Indian Woman and a Hotel Lobby: This Unconfirmed Romance is Internet's Favourite Love Story
4 min read
Nobody has confirmed a relationship. Nobody has even confirmed the woman's identity. Yet a year-old hotel video has turned Taiwanese actor Cheng Chang Fan and an unnamed Indian woman into social media ...
Ankit Baliyan Murder Explained: Why is the Gogi Gang Claim Under Police Scanner?
7 min read
The Haryanvi singer was ambushed outside a Shamli gym after building his fame through songs steeped in guns, courts and rural swagger. A viral post now links his killing to a hit about courtroom gunfi ...
Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97: The Woman Who Turned Terror Into Infinity
6 min read
The Japanese artist transformed childhood hallucinations into polka dots, pumpkins and mirrored universes. Dismissed, copied and nearly forgotten, she returned to become one of contemporary art’s most ...
First Tie the Rakhi. Then Read the Health Warning: When Pan Masala Started Giving India Moral Lessons
6 min read
Shikhar Pan Masala hides inside a three-minute sibling drama and reveals itself only after the emotional work is complete. The product arrives late; respectability enters first. Welcome to virtue-wash ...
Cockroaches, Expired Food, Rotten Fruit: How FSSAI is Putting India's Kitchens Under the Scanner
5 min read
Two luxury hotels in Delhi's Aerocity are under scrutiny after Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) inspections reportedly uncovered expired food, pest infestations and dozens of hygie ...
Meta’s $17 Billion Child-Safety Settlement: Will Instagram Finally Put the Brakes on Teen Scrolling?
8 min read
Teenagers face a two-hour daily cap, an overnight lockout, muted school-hour notifications and hidden likes under Meta’s proposed settlement with US states. But messaging, personalised feeds and targe ...