Bengaluru stampede, RCB's IPL win, South Korea presidential election, and more: The week in 5 charts

The Hindu

19 hours ago

(1) 11 die in stampede at RCB cup celebration
What began as a day of rapturous celebration over the IPL victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) turned into one of crushing tragedy in Bengaluru on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) evening when 11 people died and 33 were injured after a massive build up of fans at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium led to chaos and stampede.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a magisterial enquiry into the incident that drew sharp criticism over failed crowd management by the opposition.
The tragedy unfolded near the gates of the stadium, where thousands of fans had gathered to mark RCB's historic first title win in 18 years. Overcrowding and narrow passageways led to a deadly rush. Mr. Siddaramaiah admitted that while the stadium could hold around 32,000 people, well over 2 lakh had gathered there. Doctors attributed all the deaths to asphyxia, a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen, causing unconsciousness or death.
(2) Floods and landslides hit northeast India
Rains and landslides wreaked havoc in the country's northeast over the past week, damaging infrastructure and resulting in deaths. Over 9 lakh people were affected by last week's floods in Assam alone, as per information released by the Disaster Management Division. Rivers flowed above the danger mark at several locations along the Brahmaputra in Assam, leading to flood alerts being issued.
The region recorded over 700 landslides, with Mizoram alone recording around 550 landslides. The week saw more rainfall than normal for the period across the northeast, with the departure being 312% in Mizoram.
The damage can be attributed to poor infrastructure coupled with the uniquely challenging geography of the northeast exacerbating flood and landslide risk after heavy rains.
(3) Royal Challengers Bengaluru lift maiden IPL title
Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden title with a six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the final here on Tuesday (June 3, 2025), ending an 18-year wait for the coveted trophy.
'This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It has been 18 long years. I've given this team my youth, prime and experience. I've tried to win it every season, and I gave it everything I have. To finally have the IPL title is an unbelievable feeling. I never thought this day would come, I was overcome with emotion after the last ball was bowled,' Kohli told after the famous win.
Punjab Kings bowlers did more than a decent job to restrict Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 190 for nine. However, their batters could not deliver under pressure as the Shreyas Iyer-led side could only manage 184/7 in 20 overs.
None of the Punjab Kings batsmen stood up to the pressure built by RCB bowlers except some crucial knocks Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis. Shashank Singh played a lone battle with wickets crumbling at the other end.
Krunal Pandya was the standout RCB bowler ending with two wickets for 17 runs in four overs.
(4) Lee Jae-myung elected South Korea's new President
South Korea's liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected President early on Wednesday (June 4, 2025), a victory that would cap months of political turmoil triggered by the stunning but brief imposition of martial law by now-ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol.
It was unclear whether Mr. Lee's election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea's foreign policy. Mr. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.
The toughest external challenges awaiting a new president are U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. But experts say whoever becomes President can't do much to secure major progress in South Korea's favor on those issues.
His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.
On foreign policy, Mr. Lee has has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn't much different from the position held by South Korea's conservatives.
(5) U.S. President imposes visa ban for 12 countries
U.S. President Donald Trump announced entry bans and restrictions for citizens from 20 countries on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) following a terror attack in Boulder, Colorado a day earlier. The attack was orchestrated by a man who supported Palestine against a rally held by a group of people rallying for the freeing of Israeli hostages in Gaza. In its aftermath, Mr. Trump's restrictions were pitched as a national security protection measure.
While Mr. Trump announced suspension of immigrant and non-immigrant visas for 13 countries, he announced partial suspensions of certain non-immigrant visa categories (B-1,B-2,B-1,2, F, M, J) for seven others along with suspension of all future immigrant visa issuing. The order does not apply to visas already issued.
In 2023, over 1,76,000 visas were issued for people from these countries by the U.S. under the notified categories. Over 42,000 of these were issued to Cubans.
While Mr. Trump pointed to overstaying, deficient screening and terrorism concerns, refugee aid groups denounced the move, calling it divisive. The ban took effect on June 9, 2025.