Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet Performs Rare, High-Risk Vertebral Artery Stenting to Prevent Major Stroke
Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet has successfully performed a rare and technically complex neurovascular procedure to prevent a potentially devastating stroke in a patient with rapidly progressive vertebral artery stenosis, a condition that is distinct from routine stroke interventions and far less commonly encountered. Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet Performs Rare, High-Risk Vertebral Artery Stenting to Prevent Major Stroke The patient,a 42 year old gentleman with a history of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, had been asymptomatic until six months ago. While driving from Bengaluru to Chennai, he suddenly experienced difficulty controlling his car steering, noticing that the vehicle was drifting to one side. Recognising the seriousness of the episode, he immediately sought neurological consultation. A CT angiogram revealed moderate (approximately 60%) narrowing of the left vertebral artery, one of the major arteries supplying blood to the brainstem and posterior parts of the brain. The right vertebral artery was normal. As this was his first episode, he was treated with optimal medical therapy, including dual antiplatelet agents, statins, and strict metabolic control, and was discharged with close follow-up. However, a few months later, despite strict compliance with medication, the patient experienced a recurrence of symptoms while driving. A repeat CT angiogram showed rapid progression of the narrowing to nearly 95%, placing him at very high risk of a posterior circulation stroke, which can be life-threatening and often disabling. Although the patient was young and initially stable on medication, the sudden progression of the blockage made intervention essential. Treating it in time ensured complete recovery without neurological damage ,, said Dr Venkatraman Karthikaeyan, Senior Consultant Neurologist, Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet. Given the recurrence of symptoms and the unusually rapid progression despite optimal medical therapy, the multidisciplinary team recommended endovascular vertebral artery angioplasty and stenting. Unlike routine stroke procedures, which commonly involve the carotid or intracranial arteries, vertebral artery interventions are infrequently performed and are technically demanding, as the artery supplies critical areas such as the brainstem and cerebellum. The minimally invasive procedure was successfully performed by the Interventional Radiologist of Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet. Through a tiny puncture in the groin or wrist, a catheter was navigated to the severely narrowed vertebral artery. Balloon angioplasty followed by stent placement was used to completely reopen the artery, restoring normal blood flow to the posterior circulation of the brain. The patient was monitored in the ICU for 24 hours and shifted to the ward the next day. He was discharged on the third postoperative day. On follow-up, he remained asymptomatic and has returned to normal daily activities without any neurological deficit. Speaking about the case, Dr. Sathya Narayanan R, Senior Consultant Interventional Radiology , said, This was not a routine stroke procedure. Vertebral artery stenosis progressing so rapidly despite optimal medical therapy is uncommon and potentially dangerous. Intervention in this artery requires high technical expertise, as it supplies vital structures of the brain. Endovascular angioplasty and stenting allowed us to restore blood flow safely without open surgery or prolonged hospitalisation . Commenting on the hospitals advanced capabilities, Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, said, This case reflects our focus on handling complex, high-risk conditions that go beyond standard stroke care. By combining experienced specialists with advanced minimally invasive technology, we were able to prevent a major posterior circulation stroke and ensure an excellent recovery for the patient. Vertebral artery angioplasty and stenting is a specialised neurovascular procedure, performed through a tiny puncture without any surgical incision. The successful outcome in this case highlights how rare, high-risk stroke conditions can be treated effectively with minimal pain, no visible scars, and faster recovery. Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet continues to be a regional referral centre for complex neurovascular and interventional radiology procedures, offering comprehensive stroke prevention and advanced endovascular care under one roof.
Nitish Reddy Attends Bhasma Aarti At Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple: India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy visited the sacred Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple and attended the divine 4:00 am bhasma aarti on Monday, after concluding his assignment with the Indian team, who lost the three-game ODI series to New Zealand on Sunday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. After the darshan, he was warmly welcomed and felicitated by the temple committee. Before the third ODI, former India captain and batting stalwart Virat Kohli, along with spinner Kuldeep Yadav and fielding coach T Dilip, visited the temple in Ujjain on Saturday, and the two cricketers were also felicitated. Earlier on Friday, a day before Kohli and Kuldeeps visit, head coach Gautam Gambhir and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul also offered prayers at the holy jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva. After clinching a thrilling four-wicket win in the series opener at Vadodara, India entered the second ODI with momentum but suffered a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against Michael Bracewells New Zealand. Both teams headed into the decider with intent, but the Kiwis edged past the hosts and clinched their first-ever ODI series win in India with a 41-run win over the hosts in the third ODI in Indore. After clinching a thrilling four-wicket win in the series opener at Vadodara, India entered the second ODI with momentum but suffered a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against Michael Bracewells New Zealand. Also Read: Live Cricket Score However, Virat Kohli continued his purple patch, leading the teams chase from the front with his 54th ODI hundred, but the Men in Blue fell short against the Kiwis, as brilliant bowling by Kristian Clarke and Zakary Foulkes in the final stages of the game helped the visitors initiate a collapse and clinch a victory. Article Source: IANS
North Korea-linked hackers target Naver, Google ads to spread malware
Seoul: A North Korea-linked hacking group has recently conducted a sophisticated malware distribution campaign by abusing online advertising systems operated by Naver and Google, a report showed on Monday, January 19. According to the online threat assessment report released by Genians Security Center, Konni, the hacking group tied to Kimsuky and other Pyongyang-sponsored hacking groups, Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
Its now or never for Indias FIFA World Cup push: Ashalata
New Delhi, Jan 17: Indian womens football stalwart Ashalata Devi says the dream of seeing the country play at the FIFA Womens World Cup remains alive, but stressed that sustained progress at the grassroots level is crucial to bridge the gap with the worlds elite. Our dream of the World Cup is still alive. We []
Assault on democracy: Gehlot alleges 1,300 fake objections in Alwar draft voter roll
Mr. Gehlot alleged that similar attempts were made across the State but were exposed in time.
Ashok Gehlot alleges nearly 1,400 fake objections in Alwar draft voter list
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has raised serious concerns over electoral roll revisions in Ramgarh, Alwar. He claims a BJP election agent filed 1,383 fake objections in one day. Gehlot alleges this is a conspiracy to undermine democracy and steal the public mandate. He has demanded criminal cases against those involved and strict action.
Veteran freedom fighter and former Karnataka minister Bheemanna Khandre has passed away at 102. A prominent Congress leader and cooperative movement stalwart, Khandre served as Transport Minister and was instrumental in keeping Bidar district within Karnataka. His contributions to agriculture and education were significant. He is survived by his son, current Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre.
As frustrating as it is that governments and businesses are running roughshod over our online freedoms, at least we have plenty of good VPNs to choose from to keep us protected online. There are so many fast, intelligently designed, full-featured and affordable services on the market that the biggest problem is picking one. For any use case, you can bet at least two providers will be neck-and-neck for first place. On the other hand, the VPN world is still the Wild West in some ways. It's easy enough to slap a cheap VPN together that the market is flooded with low-quality apps that put more money into advertising than infrastructure. They may look good, but it's all styrofoam under the hood. I built this list of the best VPNs after intensive testing to help you reorient your focus on the providers that actually deserve your time and money. Which one truly fits your needs is dependent on who you are and what you do online, but if you pick any of my seven recommendations, you can't go too far wrong. If you're interested in a service you can use without paying, head over to my list of the best free VPNs and if you're willing to pay but want to save money, I keep a list of the best VPN deals updated weekly. For each VPN on this list, I've shared which platforms it works on, how much it cuts into your download speed, where it offers servers, what other features are included and how much the best available deal costs. At the end, I'll list some honorable and dishonorable mentions, then answer some of the most common questions I hear about VPNs. Editor's note: This list is up-to-date as of January 2026. We intend to revisit this list every three months at a minimum, at which time our picks may be adjusted based on changes in pricing, features, testing results and other factors. Table of contents Best VPNs for 2026 Other VPNs we tested What to look for in a VPN VPN FAQs Best VPNs for 2026 Other VPNs we tested The VPNs in this section didn't crack our top list above, but we're summarizing them here so you can see their positives and negatives as of the time of our evaluation. Windscribe Windscribe is another well-known free VPN supported by paid subscriptions. In many ways, it takes the best from both Mullvad and Proton VPN, with the former's no-nonsense privacy and the latter's healthy free plan. Without paying, you can connect to 10 of Windscribe's server locations on an unlimited number of devices at once. Unfortunately, Windscribe didn't copy the most important part of Proton VPN's free plan the unlimited data. You're only allowed to use 10GB per month, which isn't enough for regular streaming. It's also committed to a cramped and headache-inducing user interface that stands out from the crowd in all the worst ways. Private Internet Access Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) has a deeply annoying name I assume whoever invented it also likes to hop in their Toyota Forward Motion to grab a gallon of Sustaining Cow Extract from the grocery store but it's a worthwhile VPN whose pricing provides incredible value. Its monthly and yearly plans are good enough, but its three-year plan is the clincher. Not only is it longer than average, but you can continue to renew at the three-year level, so you won't see an unpleasant price jump the first time you re-up. PIA's apps have a dark UI reminiscent of Proton VPN, which is always a good thing. It also supports port forwarding, custom DNS and the use of a SOCKS5 or Shadowsocks proxy as a second step in the VPN connection. You can even set the maximum data packet size to help out a struggling connection, as I cover in my full PIA VPN review . The downside is that your connection will struggle a lot. While well-designed, PIA's apps have a tendency to lag. In my most recent battery of tests, it dragged oddly on my internet in ways that weren't directly reflected in the speed tests. It's also not always capable of unblocking streaming services in other countries, and while its server network offers 152 IP address options in 84 countries, it's heavily bulked out by virtual locations. TunnelBear TunnelBear has a decent interface, which its target audience of VPN beginners will find very easy to use. Its speeds are perfectly good too, and I appreciate the depth and breadth of its transparency reports. But it's far too limited overall, with few extra features, less than 50 server locations and a free plan that caps data at 2GB per month. VyprVPN VyprVPN often flies under the radar, but it has some of the best apps in the business and a very good security record (there was a breach in 2023, but it didn't crack the VPN encryption itself). It's also got a verified privacy policy, a solid jurisdiction and runs every connection through an in-house DNS to prevent leaks. Despite all that, it didn't make the top seven because its connection speeds aren't up to scratch you'll likely notice a bigger slowdown than average. It also has a troubling history of wild, seemingly experimental swings in its pricing and simultaneous connection limits. Norton VPN Norton VPN is part of the Norton 360 package that includes the well-known antivirus software and other security apps. It's a nice bonus if you use Norton already, but as a standalone VPN, it falls short. My tests repeatedly showed it dropping encryption and revealing my IP address whenever I switched servers, and not all of its locations managed to unblock Netflix. This isn't to say Norton VPN is terrible. It has a fairly large server network, user-friendly apps and some cool features like an IP rotator. It also recently revamped its OpenVPN infrastructure to improve speeds on Windows. But you probably won't find those things sufficient to balance out significant speed drops on other platforms or poorly written FAQs. I especially advise against Norton VPN for Apple users, as its Mac and iPhone apps are much more limited than their Windows and Android counterparts. What to look for in a VPN Choosing a VPN can quickly get you mired in analysis paralysis. We're here to help, but since only you know your particular needs, you should know the major red and green flags so you can make the final call yourself. Every reputable VPN provider offers a free trial or refund guarantee you can use to run the tests below. Compatibility: First, make sure your VPN works on all the platforms you plan to use it on. Most VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, but those apps aren't always created equal check that the app for your chosen OS is user-friendly and has all the features you need. Speed: Use a speed testing app to see how fast your internet is before and after connecting to the VPN (I use Ookla's speedtest.net ). To check security, look up your IP address while connected to a VPN server and see if it's actually changed your virtual location. Be sure it's using expert-vetted protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2. Try connecting to streaming services and seeing whether the VPN changes the available content. Background: Do some outside research into the VPN's origins, especially its parent company, privacy policy and any past incidents. It's a dealbreaker if you can't figure out where the VPN is headquartered (which indicates a lax approach to transparency) or if it seems to have never passed a real third-party audit. Server network: Look at the server network to make sure the VPN has locations near you and in any countries where you'll want an IP address e.g. if you need a VPN to unblock Canadian Netflix, look for multiple server locations in Canada. Customer Service: I also advise testing the customer support options by looking for the answer to a straightforward question. If phone support (versus email and chat) is important to you, make sure to prioritize that and make sure it's available at convenient times in your timezone. Pricing: Finally, check prices. See if the VPN is affordable and decide whether you're comfortable taking a long-term subscription for better savings. If you do get a multi-year plan, check what price it will renew at, since many of the cheapest subscriptions are only introductory deals. VPN FAQs To wrap up, let's answer some of the most common questions we get about VPNs. Feel free to get in touch if you have a query I don't cover here. What is a VPN? VPN stands for virtual private network. There are a few different types of VPNs, but for this list, we're talking about commercial services that let individual users access the internet with an assumed identity. Whenever you get online, you're assigned an IP address a digital nametag that tells websites where to send the information you request. For an IP address to work, it needs to be unique, which means it's possible to create a record of what an individual does online. When you use a VPN, all the data you send to the internet goes through one of the VPN's servers before heading to its final destination. The VPN encrypts the connection between your computer and its server so the data won't trace back to you. Any website, ISP or third party that cares to look will only see the VPN's IP address, not yours. If you're interested in more detail, I've written a whole article on how a VPN works . What are some things VPNs are used for? The three main use cases for a commercial VPN are security, privacy and entertainment. Using a VPN conceals your real IP address from anyone who might want to use it for nefarious purposes like cyberstalking, DDoS attacks or deducing your real location. It also keeps your ISP from profiling you for ads based on where you live or what you do online. One side effect of borrowing a VPN's IP address is that you can make it appear as though your connection is coming from another country. You can use this to access streaming content and platforms that are only available in certain regions due to copyright. Changing your location can even get you better prices when shopping online. Location spoofing can also be used to get online in countries that censor internet access, like China and Russia, as well as certain US states or countries like the UK that are adding barriers like age-gating to previously unfettered online access. All you have to do is connect to a neighboring country (or locality) where the internet isn't blocked. If you plan to do this while traveling, make sure you have the VPN downloaded before you go, as some nations prevent you from even loading a VPN's homepage. Make sure you check with local laws regarding the legality of VPN use as well just because your VPN traffic is encrypted doesn't mean that authorities can't detect that it's being used in a given location. Are VPNs worth it? Whether a VPN is worth the price depends on how much you value those three use cases above. It's no secret that your personal information is profitable for a lot of people, from illicit hackers to corporations to law enforcement. A VPN will not make you completely anonymous, nor is it a license to commit crimes (see the next question) but it will give you a lot more control over what you transmit to the world. With entertainment, the value is even clearer. You can use a VPN to fight back against streaming balkanization by getting more shows and movies out of a single platform for example, a lot of shows that have been kicked off American Netflix are still on Netflix in other countries. What information does a VPN hide? A VPN does not make it impossible for you to be unmasked or taken advantage of online. It prevents you from passively leaking information, keeps your IP address undiscoverable on public wi-fi networks and gets you around online censorship. However, if you share personal information of your own volition, there's nothing the VPN can do. If you reveal your password in a social media post or click a link in a phishing email, that information bypasses the VPN. Likewise, if you do anything sensitive while logged into an account, the account holder will have that information even if you're using a VPN. A VPN is a critical part of your online security, but it can't do the whole job by itself. Healthy passwords, malware scanners, private search engines and common sense all have roles to play. Never forget, too, that using a VPN means trusting the VPN provider with access to information that's concealed from everyone else make sure you trust the privacy policy before signing up. Are VPNs safe? As far as we can determine, all the VPNs recommended in this story are safe to use. As with anything you subscribe to online, due diligence is important, but there's very little inherent risk; generally, the worst thing a bad VPN will do is fail to work, leaving you no worse off than before. All that said, there are some VPNs (usually offered for free) that transmit malware, and others that pretend to be independent services while all secretly working off the same backend . Always make sure to look up any complaints or warnings about a service before you download it. Can you get a VPN on your phone? Absolutely almost every VPN has apps for both desktop and mobile devices. A good VPN will redesign its app to be mobile-friendly without dropping too many features. Both iOS and Android natively support VPN connections, so you're free to choose whichever provider you like. What about Google's One VPN? Google One VPN was, as you might expect, a VPN provided by Google. It was launched in 2020 for Google One subscribers and discontinued in 2024 due to lack of use. If you really want a Google VPN, you can still get one if you have certain Pixel models or if you're a Google Fi subscriber. That said, I don't recommend using a VPN from Google even if you do still have access to one. Google is one of the worst big tech companies at protecting user privacy . While its VPN might not leak, I wouldn't trust it to guard your sensitive information. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/best-vpn-130004396.html?src=rss
Goas devpt not about multi-storey bldgs & nightclubs, says Bhembre
Margao: As Goa observed Opinion Poll Day on Friday, Opinion Poll stalwart Uday Bhembre called for serious introspection on whether the State today reflects the vision that guided the historic struggle against merger with Maharashtra. Speaking at the Asmitai Dis programme organised by Ganvbhavacho Ekvott, Chandor, Konknni Bhasha Mandal and the Directorate of Official Language []
Asmitai Vars unveiled to celebrate 60 yrs of historic Opinion Poll
Margao: Terming it a timely and meaningful initiative, senior advocate and Opinion Poll stalwart Uday Bhembre said that Madganvcho Awaazs decision to commemorate 60 years of the historic Opinion Poll of 1967 through year-long activities would help create milestones for future generations rather than one-day events that are soon forgotten. He was speaking at the []
CyberGhost VPN review: Despite its flaws, the value is hard to beat
CyberGhost is the middle child of the Kape Technologies VPN portfolio, but in quality, it's much closer to ExpressVPN than Private Internet Access. I mainly put it on my best VPN list because it's so cheap, but I wouldn't have done that if it didn't earn its place in other ways affordable crap is still crap, after all. My universal impression of CyberGhost is a VPN that's not perfect but is always genuinely working to make itself better. It makes decisions based on what will help its users, not to set itself apart in a crowded market. This makes it similar to a lot of other VPNs, but that's not a bad thing especially at such a low price. Other than its price, the best things about CyberGhost are its intuitive app design, its frictionless user experience and the super-low latencies that make it an ideal pick for gamers. Download speeds are great up close but middling far away. While I love how many servers it's got in Africa and South America, a few too many of them are virtual locations. I'll get into all this and more in the review; feel free to read straight through or use the contents table to find the area that interests you most. Editor's note (1/16/26): We've overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we'll continue to update both our best VPN list and individual reviews (like this one) as circumstances change. Most recently, we added official scores to all of our VPN reviews. Check out how we test VPNs to learn more about the new standards we're using. Findings at a glance Category Notes Installation and UI Windows app has more options and the most sensible organization macOS app is very easy to use, but a bit lacking compared to Windows Android and iOS both have simple main pages and slightly confusing preferences No browser extensions (free proxy doesn't count) Speed Excellent latency tests, with ping times short enough to lead the VPN field Great download and upload speeds on close-in servers Distant servers lag somewhat on both upload and download, bringing down the worldwide average Security Uses WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols, but they aren't all supported on all platforms Blocks IPv6 and prevents WebRTC and DNS leaks Disconnects when switching servers Pricing $12.99 per month $41.94 for 6 months ($6.99 per month) $56.94 for 28 months ($2.03 per month), renewing at the same price for 12 months ($4.79 per month) Seven simultaneous connections Bundles Dedicated IP address for $2.50 per month Privacy policy Anonymizes all personal data Can share data with other Kape subsidiaries, but only if they're based in areas with good privacy laws RAM-only servers and full-disk encryption confirmed by audit Has never given information to police Virtual location change Unblocked Netflix perfectly in five different regions using streaming-optimized servers and WireGuard Server network 125 server locations in 100 countries Good global distribution, with nine locations in South America and six in Africa However, most servers in the southern hemisphere are virtual locations that may not give the best speeds Features Kill switch cannot be turned off except on Windows Split tunneling by app on Android and by URL on Windows Content blocker can only be turned on or off, no customization Large network of torrent-optimized servers and streaming servers Smart Rules automation is both user-friendly and deep Customer support Online help pages are well-written but poorly organized Live chat responds quickly; there is a bot but it's easy to get past Can also submit email tickets through an online portal Background check Founded in 2011 and based in Romania Acquired by Kape Technologies in 2017 Installing, configuring and using CyberGhost CyberGhost gets installation and UI largely right. There are no needless hurdles in the setup process. All its app designs put the important controls front and center and don't overload you with needless information. I've broken up my thoughts by platform, as CyberGhost is pretty different depending on where you use it. Windows CyberGhost downloads and installs amazingly fast on Windows 11. I didn't even have to grant any permissions. I just opened the .exe, clicked through a licensing agreement and logged into the desktop client. It took about two minutes end-to-end, including time I spent digging around in my password vault. The CyberGhost VPN client for Windows 11. Sam Chapman for Engadget Once inside, you're greeted with a UI that looks an awful lot like Surfshark and if it's not broken, don't fix it. Options for special servers are on the left, the server list is in the middle and the connection interface is on the right. The arrangement prioritizes the most important controls and keeps clutter to a minimum. The only thing I can find to complain about is that clicking on a country with multiple locations doesn't open the menu to choose between them; instead, you have to click on a hard-to-see arrow to the right of the name. To access any of the special servers, click the appropriate tab in the left window, then choose from the list. Everything connects quickly. A gear icon at the bottom-left leads to all the special features and options, organized into three tabs: General (to do with the VPN app itself), CyberGhost VPN (to do with the VPN connection) and Account (to do with your subscription). The names could be better, but I can't argue with the clear and useful descriptions on each feature. Mac The download process on macOS Sequoia is as easy as it is on Windows 11. CyberGhost walks you through every step, installs its helper tools with minimal fuss and is ready to go out of the box. It's best to download directly from cyberghostvpn.com , since the App Store version is designed for iPads, not desktop computers. Right after launching, the Mac app is pinned to the taskbar. To open it as a separate window, click the arrow button at the top-left. While it's in the taskbar, the only things you can do are connect, disconnect and switch to one of your favorite locations. You can do all that from the standalone window, too, so there's not much reason to ever leave it pinned. CyberGhost's VPN client for macOS Sequoia. Sam Chapman for Engadget The interface on Mac differs from the Windows client in other noticeable ways. For one thing, it's permanently in dark mode, whereas Windows users get to choose between light and dark. There are fewer categories of servers in the left-hand column, with only torrenting (called For Downloading) and streaming options available you can still connect to NoSpy, but only by going to the Romania location on the main list. Also, the control panel gear is in the exact opposite location, sitting at the top-right of the connection window. The organization of options is also completely different and generally not as useful, with all the actual controls crammed into a single General tab. This happened to me once or twice when my internet connection had no problems. Sam Chapman for Engadget Compounding the sense that CyberGhost didn't give its Mac app as much attention as its Windows app, I kept getting the odd error pictured in the screenshot above. The client would tell me I had no internet connection (my internet was fine) and direct me to run a connection test. This would always turn up all green lights and let me connect without any incident. It rarely tripped me up for more than a moment, but it was still bizarre. Android CyberGhost on Android is streamlined to the extreme, focusing on ease of use above all else. Connections happen quickly, and the server selection is narrowed down, with only the streaming locations getting their own tab. It's nice, but it does sometimes remind me of when I'd clean my room by shoving all the clutter under the bed. CyberGhost connected on an Android phone. Sam Chapman for Engadget That's mainly because tapping the gear at the top-right opens up a preferences menu with a lot more going on than the main screen. Most of the options here aren't too complicated, but the shift is still jarring, especially since Android doesn't do as well as Windows at explaining what everything does. Anonymous statistics and Share network data for troubleshooting sound like the same thing to me, and we get nothing on the esoteric concept of Domain Fronting. Still, I'm nitpicking a bit. CyberGhost's Android client does 95 percent of its job very well. Most of the settings aren't necessary anyway, so you can pick your favorite server and be on your way. iOS Much like its Android app, CyberGhost's iOS offering is sleek on the front end, a little cluttered in the back, but overall quite easy to use. Connections happen within seconds. The main page includes a useful option to tap on your current Wi-Fi network and immediately set Smart Rules for it. As with Android, only streaming-optimized servers and favorites are separated from the rest. The main page of CyberGhost's iPhone app. Sam Chapman for Engadget The control panel also looks very similar to what you get on mobile. The apparent clutter comes from simple on-off toggles and more complex submenus being all jumbled up together, but you can use the VPN just fine without engaging with any of it. For the most part, CyberGhost on iOS does a lot to help you and nothing to get in your way. Browser extensions CyberGhost doesn't have a full-service browser extension. If you look for an extension link on the download hub, you won't find anything. What it does have is free proxy add-ons for Chrome and Firefox, which can be used to change your IP address to a new location. However, proxies do not encrypt your traffic, leaving out one of the critical aspects of how a VPN works . The extension library pages for the CyberGhost proxies are vague about this, but they're no substitute for a full VPN. They're free and may be convenient for occasional streaming if they don't get caught, but they aren't secure. CyberGhost speed test I conducted all these tests on a wireless connection using the WireGuard protocol. For each, I selected either a physical server or a virtual location close to its physical source. Here's what each metric means in the table below: Ping, measured in milliseconds (ms), is a measure of latency how long it takes to send a signal from your device to its destination via the VPN server. Lower pings are better. Since signals can only move so quickly, latency tends to increase with distance. Download speed, measured in megabits per second (Mbps), is what you probably think of as internet speed how fast websites load and how much video you can stream without any pause to load. Upload speed, also measured in Mbps, determines the rate at which data travels from your device to its destination. It's useful for posting content, saving files to the cloud, torrenting and two-way video calls. Server location Ping (ms) Increase factor Download speed (Mbps) Percentage drop Upload speed (Mbps) Percentage drop Portland, USA (unprotected) 16 58.70 5.80 Seattle, USA (fastest location) 22 1.4x 55.88 4.8 5.60 3.4 New York, USA 155 9.7x 45.43 22.6 5.43 6.4 Montevideo, Uruguay 111 6.9x 46.25 21.2 5.55 4.3 Lisbon, Portugal 328 20.5x 45.60 22.3 4.36 24.8 Johannesburg, South Africa 632 39.5x 34.12 41.9 3.68 36.6 Vientiane, Laos 350 21.9x 38.04 35.2 4.78 17.6 Average 266 16.6x 44.22 24.7 4.90 15.5 CyberGhost's speed test gave me mixed results mostly good, but with some reasons for caution. To start on the positive side, latency results were excellent. No matter where I went in the world, the numbers only jumped above 400 milliseconds in one place, and that was the Johannesburg server that had problems across the board. CyberGhost's 266 average is significantly better than I got when testing Surfshark , currently the fastest VPN overall. A speed test using the fastest location chosen by the CyberGhost app. Sam Chapman for Engadget Download and upload speeds looked good in my fastest location, Seattle. Using CyberGhost only slowed my browsing by 4.8 percent and dropped my upload rates by 3.4 percent, comparable to most of its leading competitors. At a distance, though, speeds started to falter. Things in New York remained reasonably fast, but with a lot of fluctuation between tests; unlike Seattle, numbers swung between the 30s and 50s. As I virtually traveled the world, I saw more and more swings, plus sharp declines in South Africa (which is always the problem child of VPN servers, for some reason). To put this in perspective, CyberGhost never dragged that much on my browsing speed, and the internet remained usable no matter where I went. It's just slightly more sluggish than my favorite VPNs in every area except latency, where it soars ahead. CyberGhost security test VPNs need to secure your internet activity against two things: intentional attacks and leaks due to negligence. A VPN should be watertight enough that it never lets your information slip by accident, while also defending your data against outside interference. It's not hard to test whether a provider is meeting these two criteria. First, make sure it's using safe VPN protocols with modern encryption. Second, use an IP address checker to test for DNS, WebRTC and IPv6 leaks. Third, test encryption itself to ensure it's being applied equally to all data packets. Let's get started. VPN protocols CyberGhost supports three different VPN protocols, all of them up-to-date and secure. OpenVPN, available on Windows, Android, Linux and Fire TV, is my typical recommendation, balanced and secured through a multi-decade history of refinement. WireGuard, supported on every platform, is the new hotshot on the block, fast and stable but not quite as rigorously tested as OpenVPN. IKEv2, which works on macOS, iOS and Windows, connects more quickly than the others but isn't open-source. I have some quibbles about how available these protocols are. OpenVPN should always be an option for everybody; leaving it off Apple devices doesn't make sense. Ive asked CyberGhost about this and will update here when I get a reply. In the meantime, I can't complain about the protocols themselves, which use uncracked encryption ciphers and present no obvious weak points. Leak test I used ipleak.net to check CyberGhost for leaks. There are three likely causes for a VPN to accidentally reveal your real IP address: it failed to account for different IP types (IPv6 leak), a real-time connection went outside the encrypted tunnel (WebRTC leak) or it used a domain name server that an ISP could read (DNS leak). CyberGhost never leaked my real IP address. Sam Chapman for Engadget CyberGhost blocks all IPv6 traffic, so there's no chance of an IPv6 leak. I checked for WebRTC leaks and didn't find any. Likewise, every time I connected to a VPN server and refreshed the page, I saw that server's IP address, proving that CyberGhost isn't leaking. There is one important exception here: whenever you select a different server on your CyberGhost client, it disconnects from that server before connecting to the next one. This means that your data is exposed during the transition. It's annoying, but as long as you remember not to do anything risky while changing locations, you'll be fine. Encryption test For my final test, I used WireShark to capture images of the data packets CyberGhost was routing from my device to its servers. Sure enough, the outer layer of each data stream was encrypted no matter which VPN protocol I used. Ultimately, all my probing showed that CyberGhost is secure against both negligence and interference. How much does CyberGhost cost? CyberGhost sells three different subscriptions, all of them with the same features. The only difference is how long the plan lasts. You can save money overall by signing up for six months or two years at a time, but it costs more upfront. Each plan can be used on seven devices simultaneously. These prices are subject to change. Sam Chapman for Engadget One month of CyberGhost costs $12.99, and it renews automatically at the same price at the end of each billing month. Each monthly renewal comes with a 14-day, money-back guarantee. You can get six months for $41.94 total, which works out to $6.99 per month. At the end of six months, it auto-renews at the same price. The six-month plan comes with a 45-day refund guarantee. Finally, there's the two-year plan, which comes with a lot of fine print. The first time you sign up, it costs $56.94, which gets you a total of 28 months (working out to $2.03 per month). However, after your 28 months are up, all subsequent renewals instead get you a 12-month plan still for $56.94, but now working out to $4.79 per month. That's still relatively cheap, but not nearly as affordable as some VPNs with perpetual two-year plans. CyberGhost side apps and bundles CyberGhost doesn't have much in the way of additional subscription offers, but that's honestly refreshing. In an age when even the best providers also need to be antiviruses, insurance agents and probably vacuum cleaners, it's nice to see a VPN that's content with just being a VPN. CyberGhost does have a broader security suite, but it comes at no extra cost and is currently available on Windows only. More info on that in the Extra features section below. Dedicated IP You can pay an extra $2.50 per month to add a dedicated IP address to your CyberGhost plan. With a dedicated IP, you'll have a stable address whenever you get online through the VPN, which makes it a lot easier to connect to firewall-protected web services. It's also exclusive, so nobody else can get you in trouble by misusing the IP address. Close-reading CyberGhost's privacy policy CyberGhost is located in Romania, which makes it subject to the strict privacy laws of the European Union. It's not legally required to keep tabs on its users or install government backdoors. That's a great start, but to be certain about a company's approach to privacy, it's best to look at its own words. A VPN makes your online activity anonymous to anyone else who tries to look at it, but the VPN itself still has the power to violate your privacy if it chooses. This leads some people to advise against using commercial VPN services at all, though I don't go that far. The best VPNs build in features that make it impossible for them to abuse their access to your web traffic, such as RAM-only servers and full-disk encryption. When trying to determine if you can trust a VPN with your privacy, the first place to look is its official privacy policy. This document lays out everything the VPN does to handle your personally identifiable information (PII). If the provider violates its policy, they can be sued, so it's not in their interest to lie outright in the document. I went over CyberGhost's privacy policy with a fine-toothed comb it can be found here if you'd like to follow along. It starts with the usual promise of uncompromising protection: CyberGhost swears that we are NOT storing connection logs, meaning that we DON'T have any logs tied to your IP address, connection timestamp or session duration (all emphasis theirs). That's the standard I'll be checking against: a total lack of any way for CyberGhost to read or share information on its own users. Let's see how it holds up. These may just be words, but they have legal force, at least in civil court. Sam Chapman for Engadget The privacy policy wins early points by clarifying all the data it collects. You can see the whole quote in the screenshot above, but to summarize, any PII (like your email or IP address) will never be connected with anything you do online. Since absolute anonymity is impossible, this is the best we can hope for from a VPN. Later on, the policy clarifies everything CyberGhost might do with personal data, none of which involves turning it over to authorities or selling it to advertisers. The most suspicious reasons given are fraud detection/prevention and To enforce the terms of service, but these both relate to kicking users off CyberGhost itself, not tattling on them to the government. The only potential problem comes in the section titled Sharing Your Personal Data. Here, CyberGhost states that we may communicate your personal data to a member of our group of companies, meaning all subsidiaries of Kape Technologies. I won't rehash the case against Kape in full my ExpressVPN review covers it in detail. Suffice to say the only real risk here is that CyberGhost might share PII with another Kape company located in a region with worse privacy laws than Romania or the EU. To me, this isn't a serious concern. First of all, Kape doesn't own any companies based in truly anti-privacy nations like China, India or Russia. Moreover, the privacy policy states that CyberGhost won't share information with any entity not located in the EU or another jurisdiction offering equivalent data protection standards. Every bit of data gets the same protections. This may mean PII enters a country in the Five/Nine/14 Eyes alliance, but the Eyes only matter if a VPN is already logging data it shouldn't have. It's not that abuse of intelligence-sharing agreements isn't a problem; it's just that the risk it poses starts with the VPN itself, not where it's located. To sum up, I didn't see any red flags or loopholes in the CyberGhost privacy policy. Some clauses could be tightened up, and it always pays to be suspicious, but I'm confident that using this VPN doesn't risk your personal privacy. Independent corroboration CyberGhost has been audited twice by Deloitte Romania, once in 2022 and again in 2024 . Following that pattern, I'll be looking out for another one this year. You need an account to read the full audit report, but it's only 10 pages and easy to summarize: the auditors found nothing in CyberGhost's systems that conflicted with its privacy policy. The audit notes CyberGhost's server infrastructure as evidence. All servers are run on RAM with full-disk encryption, making any information they store completely ephemeral. Even if CyberGhost staff wanted to spy on you, they wouldn't see anything. The same goes for third-party hackers. CyberGhost also posts a regular transparency report that lists how often law enforcement has asked it for information. As far as I could find, after hundreds of requests, there's never been a case where CyberGhost provided any information to cops. Can CyberGhost change your virtual location? For this section, I used Netflix to test whether CyberGhost's virtual location changes are detectable by other websites. Ideally, every time I change location with CyberGhost, Netflix would accept it as real and show me the content library from that country. If either of those things doesn't happen within three tests, the VPN has a problem. Since CyberGhost has servers built for streaming, I used those for each of the five locations. You can see my results below. Server location Unblocked Netflix? Changed content? United Kingdom 3/3 3/3 Japan 3/3 3/3 Germany 3/3 3/3 Australia 3/3 3/3 Brazil 3/3 3/3 This test was a smashing success for CyberGhost. Every time, it showed me the proper video library for the location I chose and never once got caught by Netflix's firewalls. It's the best result I've seen in this section since I tested Proton VPN , and that's high praise if you know me. CyberGhost unblocks Netflix Japan, revealing exclusive titles. Sam Chapman for Engadget Investigating CyberGhost's server network CyberGhost has 125 server locations in 100 countries. Of those locations, 75 are real and 50 are virtual, which makes the math easy: CyberGhost's VPN server network is 60 percent bare-metal and 40 percent virtual. That's good, since physical servers let you calculate how much performance will deteriorate over distance virtual servers are just as safe, but speeds might fluctuate depending on where they really are. Region Countries with servers Total server locations Virtual server locations North America 9 21 5 South America 9 9 9 Europe 45 56 13 Africa 6 6 3 Middle East 6 6 4 Asia 23 23 16 Oceania 2 4 0 Total 100 125 50 Looking at the distribution of servers, we get good news and bad news. The good news is that there really are 100 different countries and territories to choose from, encompassing nearly all the virtual globetrotting you're likely to need. There are also lots of servers in the southern hemisphere, which is often the last place VPNs grow into. There's a wealth of choices in South America, plus several options in Africa and Central Asia. CyberGhost's selection of VPN servers. Sam Chapman for Engadget The bad news is that the distribution of real servers is skewed toward Europe and the United States. None of the nine South American servers are actually located in South America; worse, a large number of them are physically located in Miami. If you're using CyberGhost in Argentina, don't expect top speeds from the Buenos Aires server, since it's actually over 4,000 miles away. CyberGhost's support center does include a list of where the virtual servers are relayed through, but it's not up to date. Extra features of CyberGhost CyberGhost has a few features beyond the VPN itself, though not as many as you might think. Compared to a provider like NordVPN , which goes all in on extra features, CyberGhost's offerings look pretty lean. But that doesn't matter as much if the features work well. Let's see how they do. Kill switch CyberGhost takes an unusual approach to its kill switch. In case you aren't familiar with the term, a kill switch cuts off your internet connection if your link to the VPN ever drops, protecting your anonymity in case of unexpected incidents. Most VPNs let you toggle the kill switch on and off, but on CyberGhost, it's fully engaged 100 percent of the time except on Windows, where you can turn it on and off as desired. Turning on the kill switch is almost always a good idea, but it's still annoying that Cyberghost gives many of its users no way to turn it off. In rare cases, kill switches can get overzealous, preventing you from getting online even when conditions are safe. It's an odd choice to remove a potential troubleshooting step from the user's control. Split tunneling Split tunneling lets you name some apps or websites that will run unprotected even while the VPN is active. This can help with certain services that refuse to work if they detect a VPN, or alternatively, can protect only one sensitive app or site while the others enjoy faster unprotected speeds. CyberGhost only has full split tunneling on Android. It also offers a slightly different feature called Exceptions on Windows. Android split tunneling works by app, while Exceptions works by URL. In both cases, you choose individual apps or websites to leave out of the VPN. It's limited, but works as advertised. Optimized servers As I mentioned in the Netflix testing section, CyberGhost includes specialized servers designed for specific tasks. Other than the add-on dedicated IP servers, these come in four forms: For gaming, For torrenting, For streaming and NoSpy. Gaming servers are apparently built to keep latency low, but I couldn't see much difference between them and the normal servers. For torrenting is called For downloading on Mac, but it's all the same torrent-optimized servers. These are built to meet the download and upload speed requirements for effectively using P2P filesharing clients. CyberGhost has P2P servers in 86 countries, which makes it a good VPN for torrenting; only the lack of port forwarding keeps it from being truly great. A few of CyberGhost's specialty servers on a MacBook. Sam Chapman for Engadget Each streaming server is built to unblock a specific streaming site in a particular country, occasionally for a single type of device. For example, United States streaming servers are aimed at Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and more, many in their Android or Smart TV forms. UK servers work for Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, ITV and more. In total, there are 106 streaming servers in 22 countries not quite as extensive as the overall list, but it's important to remember that non-optimized servers still work fine for streaming. Finally, the NoSpy options connect to a set of servers in Romania that CyberGhost claims to manage entirely in-house, with nobody able to access them except CyberGhost's own team. This is good, but it leaves me suspicious about who's running the rest of the servers. Are they all run by third parties except the NoSpy locations? That's relatively common, but it creates vulnerabilities if the VPN provider doesn't insist on high standards from collaborators. Content blocker CyberGhost's content blocker is underwhelming. All you can do is turn it on and off. There's no customization like you get with Windscribe's R.O.B.E.R.T. and no clear statement of where it's getting its list of domains to block. In practice, it does block in-page ads, but without specifics I couldn't test it in more detail. There's no customization on CyberGhost's blocker -- just turn it on or off. Sam Chapman for Engadget Smart Rules The Smart Rules automation suite is the crown jewel of CyberGhost's features and the most common reason I recommend it. Using Smart Rules, you can automate CyberGhost's behavior to a degree inconceivable on most other VPNs. You can program CyberGhost to take different actions on each of your usual networks. Sam Chapman for Engadget Smart Rules come in two forms: actions performed automatically when CyberGhost launches or connects and actions that respond to new Wi-Fi networks. In the former category, you can set CyberGhost to connect when you open the app, determine which location it connects to and even set an app to automatically open after it connects. Wi-Fi rules depend on whether the network CyberGhost detects is secured or not. For each type of network, you can set the VPN to connect, disconnect, ask you what to do or ignore it entirely. Once it recognizes a Wi-Fi network, you can set specific rules for that network. It's at once very easy to use and capable of surprising depth. CyberGhost customer support options CyberGhost primarily offers customer assistance through its online portal, which can be reached at support.cyberghostvpn.com or by going through the app. If you choose the options CyberGhost VPN help or FAQ in the app settings, you'll be taken to the support pages in a browser. I recommend going through the URL, since that takes you to the highest-level page. The support center feels distressingly like an afterthought. Written guides are divided into four sections: Guides, Troubleshooting, FAQs and Announcements. The latter has only one article and the former three are roughly interchangeable if I'm having trouble connecting to a server, is that an FAQ, a Guide or Troubleshooting? Looking for any particular subject here is a needle-in-a-haystack search. Fortunately, there is a search bar, but this presents its own problems. A simple search for connection issues macos turned up 72 results, including one called Troubleshooting connectivity on macOS and another titled Troubleshooting VPN connection on mac. These two articles are in different sections, but mostly contain the same information, except that the former has an extra walkthrough on renewing your DHCP lease. It's a shame, because the articles themselves are mostly clear and helpful, with lots of well-chosen screenshots. Someone clearly worked hard on the content, but the overall organization left me thinking the knowledgebase was thrown together years ago and hasn't been checked since. Live support experience If you have trouble finding what you need in the written guides, you can get personal support in two ways. One option is to submit an email request through a Zendesk portal . This gives you all the time you need to frame your question and add supporting materials, at the cost of waiting longer for a reply. Your other option is to access live chat, which you can do from anywhere on cyberghost.com by clicking the chat button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Live chat starts with a CyberGhost AI Assistant (what we used to call a chatbot in the good old days) which runs you through several diagnostic questions. To its great credit, the bot does not try to link you to articles in the knowledgebase, understanding as too many providers don't that nobody tries live chat unless the FAQ isn't working for them. It didn't take me too long to get in touch with what was apparently a live expert. Sam Chapman for Engadget I decided to bother CyberGhost about the connection issue I wrote about in the Mac UI section. Within seconds, the chatbot offered me a button that would transfer me directly to a live agent. I only had to wait about 4 minutes before the agent got in touch. After that, each response took about a minute and explained everything carefully and efficiently. It was as helpful as the written knowledgebase wasn't. CyberGhost background check CyberGhost was founded in 2011 in Bucharest, Romania, where it's still headquartered today. It claims to have around 38 million subscribers and a staff of 70. It appears to be most popular in France and Germany. The only thing that makes me at all uncertain about CyberGhost is that I can't find much information about its history it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page in English. By far the most likely explanation is that CyberGhost is exactly what it seems to be: a reliable, drama-free VPN provider that doesn't court controversy. Still, I'm naturally paranoid, so I'd understand if this lacuna sends you running back to a better-documented VPN. There is precisely one date in CyberGhost's history that everyone lists: 2017, when it was purchased by Kape Technologies. As a VPN reviewer, I have to think about Kape a lot. My opinion is that the fear around it doesn't measure up to reality. For example, back when it was known as Crossrider, Kape was not a malware distributor; it sold an ad-injection plugin that turned out to be a useful malware vector. Perhaps Crossrider could have worked harder to stop its platform from being misused, but that doesn't make it a security threat today. Similarly, being owned by a businessman from Israel does not mean that Kape or CyberGhost are secretly controlled by Mossad. I'm not here to defend Kape I'm just pointing out that a lot of the fear isn't backed up by evidence. To my mind, Kape's consolidation of the VPN industry (it also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access , plus two websites that review VPNs) is bad enough without having to look for additional conspiracies. It's up to you to decide whether or not CyberGhost's parent company presents a hard line you won't cross. Final verdict At the end of my journey with CyberGhost, I may not be blown away, but I'm definitely pleased. After my poor experience with PIA, I was afraid the only budget VPN I could wholeheartedly recommend was a two-year subscription to Surfshark. CyberGhost is a meat-and-potatoes VPN it's not pushing any envelopes, but it's cheap and it does the job. All that said, I recommend it more to casual users than to people who really need secrecy. There are just enough reddish flags that I wouldn't necessarily trust it with life-and-death information: the (possible) use of third-party managers for all servers outside Romania, the freedom to share information with any Kape subsidiary, the loss of encryption when switching servers. It'll keep you anonymous and let you stream foreign TV for cheap, but you should still choose Proton VPN if you need serious privacy. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/cyberghost-vpn-review-despite-its-flaws-the-value-is-hard-to-beat-200000250.html?src=rss
Syed Jaleel Ahmed, legal luminary and social pillar, passes away
Hyderabad grieves the loss of one of its most distinguished legal minds and community stalwarts, Senior Supreme Court and High Court advocate Syed Jaleel Ahmed, who succumbed to a brief illness on Wednesday, January 14. He was 85. Born in the modest lanes of the Old City, Ahmed rose from humble beginnings to become a Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
Maharashtra civic poll results: Congress sweeps Latur Municipal Corporation with 43 seats
Local political observers believe Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan's controversial remarks on Congress stalwart and late CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, who hailed from Latur, backfired
Your Windows PC needs this patch to ward off nasty bootkit malware - update now
The January Patch Tuesday updates for Windows refresh the expiring certificates for Secure Boot, which protects your computer against bootkit malware.
Bomb-Like Object Found in Rajasthan's Alwar, Bomb Squad to Examine Object
Following the discovery, police cordoned off the area and immediately moved the object to an isolated location near Jaisamand dam, about six-and-a-half kilometres from the city, as a precautionary measure
Kallis, Boucher back Rohit, Kohli for 2027 ODI World Cup
Paarl, Jan 11: Two of South Africas modern greats Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher have thrown their weight behind Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, backing the veteran duo to feature at the 2027 ODI World Cup despite advancing age and mounting scrutiny over longevity. In recent weeks, debate has intensified over []
Chennai Metro Rail train chugs along from Porur to Vadapalani
The Chennai Metro Rail Limited conducted a trial run after the elevated viaduct fromPorurtoVadapalaniwas completed. The sectionincludes a 4-km double-decker line from AlwarthirunagartoAlapakkam
17.5 Million Instagram Accounts Compromised In Massive Data Leak: Report
A data breach affecting around 17.5 million Instagram accounts has been reported by cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes. The leaked data is already being shared freely on hacker forums and the dark web, putting millions of users at risk
Last week, several Instagram users reported receiving unexpected password reset emails, sparking concerns of a possible data breach. The users were asked to reset their Instagram passwords not initiated by them and the concerns drew more attention after Malwarebytes claimed the activity was linked to a breach associated with 17.5 million Instagram users. Meta has denied these claims.
Nadine de Klerk leads RCB to three-wicket win against MI in WPL opener
NAVI MUMBAI, Jan 9: Royal Challengers Bengaluru, riding on an all-round display by South African stalwart Nadine de Klerk, defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets in a last-ball thriller in the opening match of the Womens Premier League Season 4 here on Friday. Thanks to de Klerk, who returned excellent bowling figures of 4/26, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 154 for 6 with Sajeevan Sajana (45) and Nicola Carey (40) sharing an 82-run stand for the fifth wicket. [] The post Nadine de Klerk leads RCB to three-wicket win against MI in WPL opener appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
Kauvery Hospital & Tamil Nadu Seniors Tennis Club Organise Open Tennis Tournament
Kauvery Hospital and Tamil Nadu Seniors Tennis Club successfully organised the Open Tennis Tournament for senior citizens on January 3rd and 4th at the YMCA Grounds, Nandanam, Chennai. Tennis Tournament The two-day tournament witnessed enthusiastic participation from around 210 senior tennis players from Chennai and nearby regions. The matches were conducted across multiple age categories, including 4550, 5055, 5560, 6065, 6570,7075 and 75 above, highlighting the growing passion for competitive sport among senior citizens. The tournament featured seven categories each in singles and doubles, offering players an excellent platform to compete, stay active, and engage socially. The matches were played in a spirited yet friendly atmosphere, reflecting the importance of physical fitness, mental well-being, and camaraderie in promoting healthy and active aging. The awards were presented by Dr. Singaravadivelu V, Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon, Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet who graced the valedictory function. Participants expressed their appreciation for the smooth organisation and facilities provided throughout the event. The successful conduct of the tournament reaffirmed the commitment of Tamil Nadu Open Senior Tennis Club and Kauvery Hospital towards encouraging fitness, wellness, and active lifestyles among senior citizens through sports initiatives.
It would be silly to underestimate Kohli, Rohit: Bracewell
NEW ZEALAND ODIS Mumbai, Jan 6: New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell on Tuesday said it would be silly to underestimate Indian batting superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and backed the stalwarts to play next years ODI World Cup. Kohli and Rohit, now only single-format players for India, will be back in action in the []
Mood Of The Nation Today Is Dhurandhar
The word Dhurandhar () is a powerful Hindi and Sanskrit term that essentially describes a stalwart or an expert. Top gun. It is used to honour someone who is a master of their craft or who carries immense responsibility with ease. Depending on the context it is Ace, Top gun or veteran. In modern Continue reading Mood Of The Nation Today Is Dhurandhar The post Mood Of The Nation Today Is Dhurandhar appeared first on OurVoice | WeRIndia - Analysis & Opinion .
Can't Erase My Dad's Name: Riteish Deshmukh on BJP Leader's Remarks
In controversial remarks, Ravindra Chavan said memories of the late Congress stalwart would be wiped out from his hometown Latur
Single Papa: Kunal Kemmus comedy-drama renewed for season 2
The show also stars Prajakta Koli, Manoj Pahwa, Ayesha Raza, Neha Dhupia, Suhail Nayyar, Dayanand Shetty, Aisha Ahmed, Dhruv Rathee and Isha Talwar
Drifting Quicksands of Bengal Politics: Can Mamata Hold Fort?
By Anjan Roy West Bengal is witnessing hectic political manoeuvring by leading political figures, even though the assembly elections are a clear six months away at least. One of these, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was once a stalwart of the Congress, not only in the state but nationally, is being seen on his home turf, Murshidabad and nearby areas, seeking to regain his lost ground. Chowdhury had been Congress state president and later, leader of the Congress party in [] The post Drifting Quicksands of Bengal Politics: Can Mamata Hold Fort? appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
InnovHer Enters a New Growth Chapter with Jeet Vijay Joining as Co-Founder
InnovHer has announced a major leadership milestone with Jeet Vijay joining the organization as Co-Founder. The appointment marks a defining moment in InnovHers journey as it formally transitions into InnovHer 2.0, its next phase as a full-scale venture institution focused on startups, SMEs, and regional economic development. Jeet Vijay Joins InnovHer as Co-Founder, Ushering in InnovHer 2.0 and a New Era of Institutional Venture Building Over the past two years, InnovHer has steadily built credibility as a Tier-2 venture platformdeploying capital, enabling co-investments, facilitating early exits, and positioning Jaipur as an emerging national convergence point for founders and investors. With this transition, InnovHer is sharpening its focus on institutional design, governance rigor, and long-term capital stewardship. The inclusion of Jeet Vijay significantly strengthens this ambition by adding policy depth, national-global perspective, and execution discipline. A Leader Shaped by Policy, Capital, and Ecosystem Building Jeet Vijay brings over 18 years of experience across venture capital, private equity, startup policy, and ecosystem leadership. Most recently, he served as the CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, the Government of Indias nodal agency for technology startups. In this role, he operated at the center of Indias innovation architectureworking closely with central ministries, investors, incubators, accelerators, and founders across the country. His work has spanned national advisory roles, startup funding frameworks, and large-scale ecosystem programs, giving him a rare vantage point on what differentiates activity-driven initiatives from institution building. Beyond domestic policy leadership, Jeets international exposureincluding collaborations with the University of Texas (USA)has shaped his understanding of how mature ecosystems integrate universities, capital, and enterprises into long-term economic engines. Equally significant is Jeets strong regional grounding. Hailing from Alwar, Rajasthan, and coming from a business family, he brings first-hand insight into the realities of Tier-2 and Tier-3 India. This perspective aligns closely with InnovHers founding belief that regional India requires durable institutions, not episodic programs, to unlock sustainable growth. Commenting on his decision to join InnovHer, Jeet Vijay said, Coming from Alwar, Rajasthan, I have always believed that regional India should not just export talent to metros, but build strong institutions at home. Joining InnovHer is my way of contributing backby bringing policy experience, global exposure, and capital discipline to strengthen startups and SMEs in Rajasthan and other Tier-2 regions. If we want sustainable growth, we must build local economic engines that can compete nationally and globally while remaining rooted in their communities. Strengthening InnovHers Strategic and Institutional Output As Co-Founder, Jeet Vijays role will focus on sharpening InnovHers strategic direction, governance frameworks, and institutional architecture. His presence brings greater rigor to venture selection, capital structuring, and policy alignmentensuring that InnovHers growth is disciplined, auditable, and scalable. More importantly, his inclusion expands InnovHers horizon. With a deep understanding of national policy, global best practices, and regional execution, Jeet strengthens InnovHers ability to support startups and SMEs as long-term economic contributors, not merely high-growth bets. This approach is increasingly relevant as Indias next growth cycle is expected to be driven by MSMEs, regional enterprises, and innovation-led local economies. InnovHer 2.0: Building a Venture Institution from Tier-2 India InnovHer 2.0 represents a deliberate shiftfrom a venture platform to a venture institution . The next phase is designed to deliver deeper, more structured support to: SMEs seeking capital readiness and sustainable growth pathways Startups requiring governance-first scaling frameworks Local economies aiming to build durable innovation capacity With Jeet Vijay joining as Co-Founder, InnovHer reinforces its commitment to institution-grade execution, long-term capital stewardship, and ecosystem accountability. The organization aims to demonstrate that venture institutions built from Tier-2 India can deliver outcomes on par with, or better than, metro-centric models. A Shared Vision for National Impact The alignment between InnovHers founding leadership and Jeet Vijay is rooted in a shared conviction: Indias most resilient innovation will emerge from regions when supported by strong institutions. InnovHer 2.0 seeks to set a national benchmark by proving that disciplined venture building, policy alignment, and regional grounding can coexist with scale and global competitiveness. As InnovHer steps into this new chapter, the appointment of Jeet Vijay is not merely a leadership announcementit is a signal. A signal that InnovHer is building for scale with discipline, for growth with purpose, and for impact with longevity.
Drifting quick-sands of Bengal politics: Can Mamata hold fort?
Didi is now resorting to temple run to woo back Bengali Hindus By Anjan Roy West Bengal is witnessing hectic political manoeuvring by leading political figures, even though the assembly elections are a clear six months away at least. One of these, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was once a stalwart of the Congress, [] The post Drifting quick-sands of Bengal politics: Can Mamata hold fort? appeared first on Northlines .
Clicking on Happy New Year Link on Whatsapp Could Empty Your Bank Account
As India gears up for New Year celebrations, cybercrime authorities warn of a new 'greeting scam' targeting users on messaging platforms. Fraudsters disguise malware as festive greetings to steal personal data and drain bank accounts, exploiting the holiday season's goodwill.
India vs New Zealand ODI 2026 squad announcement - All you need to know
India are set to host New Zealand for an eight-match limited-overs series featuring three ODIs and five T20Is from January 11 to 31. The ODI leg of the series is expected to draw significant attention, particularly with stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma making their anticipated return to the 50-over format after the South Africa series. Meanwhile, the T20Is will act as a final testing phase for Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side as they prepare for their T20 World Cup title defence.
Punjab: How a School Protest Turned Against RSS in This Hindu Majority Town
A proposal to privatise the BBMB DAV School has sparked outrage across Talwara, with some calling it an RSS ploy.
UniAcoustic has been awarded the Most Innovative Products honour at FOAID Mumbai 2025, Indias foremost Festival of Architecture and Interior Design. This recognition marks the brands second consecutive industry accolade in 2025, following its win at ORGATEC India earlier this year, underscoring UniAcoustics growing influence on the future of acoustic design in India. Team UniAcoustic receiving the Most Innovative Products Award at FOAID 2025 The FOAID recognition reflects direct appreciation from the architecture and interior design community. UniAcoustics showcase drew strong engagement from leading architects, designers, consultants, and industry stalwarts many of whom personally visited the booth to experience the products, material innovations, and design language firsthand. What set UniAcoustic apart was not just performance, but the introduction of acoustic designs the industry has not seen before solutions that challenge the traditional perception of acoustics as purely functional elements. The brands systems were widely appreciated for their ability to seamlessly integrate into architectural narratives, offering visual richness, depth, and material expression without revealing their acoustic core. A central reason for this distinction lies in UniAcoustics patented Virtual Material Technology (VMT), which enables hyper-realistic, lifelike surface expressions on high-performance acoustic substrates. VMT allows designers to achieve the visual richness of natural and architectural materials while eliminating the instability, maintenance challenges, and environmental impact associated with conventional finishes making it a sustainable alternative to material-heavy design approaches. Sustainability remains a key pillar of UniAcoustics innovation philosophy. The brands products are engineered to reduce material waste, extend lifecycle performance, and support healthier indoor environments through low-emission surfaces. All systems comply with stringent global standards including EPD Certification, ISO 354, ISO 11654, EN 13501-1, ASTM E84, and E1/VOC, ensuring alignment with WELL, LEED, and IGBC frameworks. The award also recognises UniAcoustics solutions-led approach, where acoustics are not treated as afterthoughts but as integral components of spatial design whether for workplaces, hospitality environments, retail spaces, educational institutions, residential projects, or large public buildings. With sound absorption values reaching NRC 0.95, the brand delivers performance that is both measurable and experiential. In India, UniAcoustics innovative acoustic systems have already been deployed across several landmark projects for leading organisations including HDFC, SwissRe, Avalara, IBM, Coco-Cola, AstraZeneca, Accenture, NPCI etc reflecting strong client confidence in the brands design-led and performance-driven approach. Receiving this recognition at FOAID a platform defined by design leadership is especially meaningful , said Mr. Shabir Rajkotwala, Managing Director, UniAcoustic . It reflects how the industry is responding to acoustic solutions that are expressive, responsible, and genuinely innovative. Our focus remains on empowering architects and designers with materials that expand creative freedom while meeting the highest performance and sustainability benchmarks . As part of a Great Place to Workcertified organisation, UniAcoustic also reflects a culture rooted in people-centric values, long-term thinking, and continuous improvement principles that directly influence how its products are conceived, engineered, and delivered. With sustained recognition across two of Indias most influential design platforms, UniAcoustic continues to set new benchmarks for what acoustic products can be visually, technically, and responsibly shaping more human-centric, high-performing, and future-ready environments across India and beyond. About UniAcoustic UniAcoustic is shaping a new direction for acoustic design in India with its commitment to design-first thinking, sustainability, and patented next-generation technologies. Through its strategic collaboration with Vicoustic, the brand brings globally recognised expertise to introduce unique, never-seen-before acoustic solutions tailored for modern Indian spaces. With strong technical support, customisation capabilities, and a solutions-led approach, UniAcoustic delivers high-performance systems that enhance comfort, aesthetics, and overall spatial experienceoffering architects and designers a refined balance of functional excellence and visual sophistication.
Vaikunta Ekadashi at Hare Krishna Golden Temple Hyderabad
The auspicious festival marks the transcendental occasion when Lord Sri Vishnu Himself welcomed His dear devotee Sri Nammalwar into Vaikunta.
Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat divided over khap panchayats ban on smartphones, dress code for minors
BAGHPAT: People in Baghpat district are divided over the khap panchayats ban on the use of smartphones and wearing half-pants in public places by those under 18. In its Saturday diktat, the panchayat also objected to holding weddings in banquet halls, asserting that marriages should be held in villages and homes. It suggested the kurta-pyjama for boys and the salwar-kurta for girls. While some sections have welcomed the decisions, several intellectuals and social activists have strongly opposed them. Historian Amit Rai Jain termed the decisions Tughlaqi diktats and said mobile phones have become a necessity in present times. Talking to PTI, Jain said education, social networking and work are heavily dependent on mobile phones, making any ban impractical. He also pointed out that the authority to frame laws rests with the government and administration, not with panchayats. Deshkhap Mavi's Thambedar Chaudhary Yashpal Singh said he did not oppose the decisions but added that nothing could be imposed forcibly. He stressed the need to counsel children and instil good values, saying cultured children naturally stay away from wrong practices. The khap's decisions have also received political support. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MP from Baghpat, Rajkumar Sangwan, and senior Congress leader Chaudhary Yashpal Singh said preserving social values is the need of the hour. Sangwan said the khap's views were respectable as they strengthen the community. Thamba Patti Mehar Deshkhap's Chaudhary Brijpal Singh and khap leader Subhash Chaudhary said efforts would be made to implement the decisions by holding discussions with responsible members of village communities. They added that attempts would be made to extend these decisions across Uttar Pradesh by coordinating with other khaps. Former Chhaprauli MLA Sahendra Singh Ramala said the foundation of values begins at home. He said if the panchayat had taken such a decision, its members must first set an example themselves. He also stressed the need for balance in the use of mobile phones, adding that spending time with children and being their friend is equally important.
Humpy and Erigaisi settle for bronze at World Rapid Cships
Doha, Dec 29: Indian chess stalwart Koneru Humpy suffered a massive heartbreak in her bid for a third world rapid title, finishing with a bronze in the womens section of the FIDE World Rapid Championships after being cruelly done in by the tie-break rule, here on Sunday. Humpy, the winner of the world rapid title []
Amitabh Bachchan on an artists need to reflect on their work after the job is done
Mumbai: Bollywoods stalwart Amitabh Bachchan used his blog to reflect on an artists need to constantly work on his craft and be better to attain the satisfaction that he has done justice to the job. Talking about what job done actually means to him, Big B wrote, when work calls , it calls for attention Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
Jaipur Diary: Hard launch of junior Pilot Aarav at Save Aravallis rally?
Dhankhar makes quiet appearance in Jaipur Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhars quiet return to Jaipur on Thursday set political circles abuzz. On a one-day visithis first since stepping down as the Vice-PresidentDhankhar briefly interacted with the media, sharing warm memories of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Away from the spotlight for several months, Dhankhar chose to keep it low-key, having lunch with family at his brother Randeep Dhankhars residence before meeting a senior Vishva Hindu Parishad leader. By the evening, he quietly drove back to Delhi. Notably, Dhankhar had largely vanished from public view after his sudden resignation in July. Hard launch of junior Pilot Aarav at rally? The Congress has seized the row over the Aravallis to train guns on the BJP. State president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully have led protests in Jaipur and Alwar, while former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has kept the issue alive on social media. But it was AICC General Secretary Sachin Pilots teenage son Aarav Pilots presence at an NSUI rally in Jaipur to save the Aravallis that has got tongues wagging. Political observers are seeing the fresh-faced boys appearance at the event as a symbolic launch, reading it as Pilots bid to project himself as a seasoned leader with a long-term vision. Social media storm over reel star IAS officer Barmer district collector Tina Dabi is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Some students taking part in a protest at a girls postgraduate college faced police action for allegedly calling her a reel star, sparking political chatter and online furore. Dabi, however, dismissed the drama in a written statement to a private channel, calling it an attempt to defame me and gain cheap popularity on social media. Known for her academic brilliance and penchant for making reels, Dabi frequently finds herself in the headlines. Now, the debate has shifted to whether administrative officers should face restrictions on creating reels. Rajesh Asnani Our correspondent in Jaipur rajesh.asnani@newindianexpress.com
Save Aravalli, Save Life drive gains currency in Rajasthan
JAIPUR: The Congress on Saturday intensified its agitation across all districts in Rajasthan over the exclusion of hills below 100 metres from the Aravalli range across all districts. Under the banner of Save Aravalli Save Life, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Juli participated in a major protest organised by the Alwar district party committee. In Jaipur, Congress leaders and workers marched from the PCC headquarters to Shaheed Smarak, raising slogans against the Centre and the state government. On Friday, the NSUI and Youth Congress organised protest marches joined by Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot. The agitation has gained momentum across the state, drawing participation from thousands. Protesters say excluding hills below 100 metres could lead to severe and irreversible environmental damage. Addressing the gathering, Juli alleged that a deliberate conspiracy was underway to destroy the Aravalli range. He warned that while affluent sections might escape the consequences, local communities would be left to face environmental devastation. The Congress will continue its struggle until the Aravallis receive complete protection, he added. In Jaipur, city Congress submitted a memorandum to the Police Commissioner addressed to the President. Protests in several districts turned confrontational. In Dausa, Congress workers attempted to force their way into a locked Dak Bungalow meeting hall. In Ajmer, tensions escalated when police objected to the use of a DJ system during the march, leading to clashes. Similar confrontations were reported from Dholpur. In Tonk, Deputy CM Premchand Bairwa defended the governments position. The Aravalli range is a national heritage. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Union ministers have made it clear that the Aravallis are already protected and reserved. No harm will be allowed. Attempts to politicise the issue are unacceptable, he said. Activists demanded stronger legal safeguards, emphasising that the Aravalli range is not merely a chain of hills but a vital ecological shield that sustains groundwater, biodiversity, and life across Rajasthan. The Centre and the state governments were accused of colluding with mining mafia to facilitate environmental destruction.
JAIPUR: Despite the Centre's assurance that no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli range, the political controversy over the protection of the ancient mountain system continues to intensify in Rajasthan. On Friday, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) organised a protest march in Jaipur as part of its campaign to save the Aravallis. The march was attended by Congress National General Secretary Sachin Pilot and NSUI state president Vinod Jakhar. Sachin Pilots son, Arhaan Pilot, also took part in the rally, marking his first appearance at a political protest. The Congress will continue its campaign on Saturday by holding a public awareness march in Alwar led by AICC General Secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully, and AICC media coordinator Pawan Khera. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also been consistently raising this critical issue on social media. Earlier, on Wednesday, a petition was submitted to the Presidents Secretariat in the name of President Droupadi Murmu opposing the definition that considers only hills with an elevation of 100 metres or more as part of the Aravalli mountain range. The petition demanded that the definition be revised on the basis of ecological and environmental considerations. The petition was filed by Charmesh Sharma, former director of the Rajasthan Seed Corporation and a Congress leader from Bundi, who has been vocal on Aravalli conservation. A complaint has also been filed with the National Human Rights Commission on the same issue. Row over Aravalli redefinition intensifies in Rajasthan even as Centre announces mining ban Congress sources say that while the party has staged protests on issues such as changes related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) and the National Herald case, they have not generated a widespread public response. In contrast, they claim there is huge public concern over the Supreme Courts decision related to the Aravalli range, with several social and environmental organisations openly expressing opposition. They argue that Rajasthan remains central to the issue, as nearly 90 percent of the Aravalli range passes through the state. According to departmental sources, the Aravalli hills extend over more than 50,000 square kilometres across 20 districts of Rajasthan. Of this, only about 8,000 to 10,000 square kilometres fall under areas with an elevation of 100 metres or more. Officials said the exact extent of the Aravalli range will be determined only after the preparation of the Master Plan for Sustainable Management (MPSM) by the Union Ministry of Environment. The Congress has indicated that protests may intensify in the coming days. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra recently said the party is preparing a strategy to hold demonstrations at district, block, and state levels in 19 districts of the state. Political observers also suggest the party may consider coordinated movements in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, where the Aravalli range extends. The issue has put the BJP on the defensive, with senior leaders largely avoiding detailed public responses. While Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has defended the governments position, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has assured that no harm will come to the Aravalli range. Opposition leaders, however, claim these assurances have yet to address public concerns.
PM Modi: Freed country from tendency to link all good works with one family
Prime Minister Modi, inaugurating a memorial in Lucknow, criticized past governments for glorifying a single family and neglecting national heroes. He stated the BJP government is rectifying this by honoring all contributors and dismantling barriers like Article 370. The memorial celebrates Jan Sangh stalwarts, emphasizing the BJP's commitment to merit-based recognition over dynastic politics.
Memorials of Vajpayee, two other BJP icons ready, Modi to inaugurate today
LUCKNOW: Spread over 65 acres next to the embankment of the River Gomti on Hardoi Road, on the outskirts of Lucknow, the memorial Rashtra Prerna Sthal dedicated to BJP icons Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, and Deen Dayal Upadhyay will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The complex will open to the public after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, which happens to be Vajpayees birth anniversary, an official statement said. Shaped like a lotus reflecting BJPs election symbol, the memorial features three towering bronze statues of Vajpayee, Mookerjee, and Upadhyay. It also showcases poems and speeches of Vajpayee, nationalist quotes by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyay, and audio presentations highlighting their contributions to nation-building. Developed at a cost of Rs 230 crore, the memorial comprises three statues, each measuring 65 feet and weighing 42 tonnes, making them the tallest among all statues of personalities in the state capital. The platform on which the statues stand is surrounded by a water body. A major attraction is a two-storey museum covering 6,300 sqm, with five galleries, 12 interpretation walls, and two theatres screening orientation films on the lives of the BJP icons. Galleries display texts noting the Jana Sanghs 1952 election success, the deepak election symbol, and a lamp, Sudarshan Chakra, and Bharat Mata statue. Other features include an amphitheatre for 3,000 people, a meditation hall, yoga centre, musical block, helipads, and a rally ground accommodating over two lakh people. Party sources said it is the first memorial to house statues of three BJP stalwarts at a single location.
PM Modi to inaugurate Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow on December 25
LUCKNOW: Spread over 65 acres, next to the embankment of River Gomti on Hardoi Road on the outskirts of the state capital Lucknow, the memorial, Rashtra Prerna Sthal, dedicated to BJP icons Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyay, will be inaugurated by PM Modi on Thursday. Shaped like a lotus reflecting the BJPs election symbol, the memorial has three towering bronze statues of Vajpayee, Mookerjee and Upadhyay. Replete with poems and speeches of Vajpayee, nationalist quotes by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya and audio presentations highlighting their contributions to nation-building, the memorial has many features. The complex will open to the public after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, which happens to be Vajpayees birth anniversary. According to the officials of Lucknow Development Authority, developed at a cost of Rs 230 crore, the memorial comprises three statues, each measuring 65 feet and weighing 42 tonnes, being the tallest among all statues of personalities installed in the state capital. The platform on which the statues stand is surrounded by a water body. One of the main attractions of the Rashtra Prerna Sthal is a two-storey museum developed over an area of 6,300 sqm. It has five galleries and 12 interpretation walls dedicated to three leaders. Two separate theatres are there where orientation films on the lives of the BJP icons will be screened. The displayed text on the walls reads that in the 1952 elections, the Jana Sangh achieved a remarkable success, and its election symbol the deepak became a symbol of the emerging nationalist politics in independent India. The lamp, Sudarshan Chakra and a statue of Bharat Mata have been installed in a gallery of the museum. There is also an amphitheatre, with a capacity to host 3,000 people, a meditation hall, a yoga centre, a musical block, helipads, and a rally ground that can accommodate over 2 lakh people. According to party sources, it is a unique memorial as it would be the first such project where statues of three of the stalwarts of the party are placed in a single place. Ahead of the inauguration on Thursday, the BJPs UP unit is working to ensure the presence of nearly 2 lakh people at the ground during PM Modis address. On Tuesday, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary inspected preparations. The party is also holding an organisational meeting in Lucknow and adjoining districts to make the event a success by ensuring the rally ground remains fully occupied during the PMs address.
Heroes, Villains, Side Artistes and Extras in Indias Politics of 2025
Stalwarts like Union home minister Amit Shah failed to douse the grave Opposition doubts in Parliament over the ECs functioning and the SIR issue.
JAIPUR: Environmentalists and social organisations staged demonstrations against the Supreme Courts acceptance of the Union Environment Ministrys definition of the Aravalli mountains in several cities of Rajasthan on Monday. Meanwhile, a political war of words has erupted between former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. Protests were held in Udaipur, Jodhpur, Sikar, Alwar and Ajmer, with police action reported at some places. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully described the Aravallis as the lungs of Rajasthan and warned that the agitation would intensify if the decision was not reversed. Responding to the protests, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma accused the Congress of spreading misinformation, saying, Former CM Ashok Gehlot is misleading the public on the Aravalli issue. The state government is fully committed to protecting the Aravalli range, and no decision will be allowed that causes harm to Rajasthans environment. The BJP further intensified its attack, with former Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore alleging that Gehlot was misinterpreting the Supreme Court order for political gains. Rathore said the 100-metre criterion was finalised during the Congress regime in 2003. Centre will draw up new conservation plan for Aravalli, says Environment Minister amid row over SC order Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav also sought to clarify the Centres stand , stating, The Aravalli range will remain protected. Hills and slopes above 100 metres continue to be under protection, mining is completely banned in the NCR, and limited mining is permitted in only 0.19 per cent of the area. Twenty wildlife sanctuaries and four tiger reserves in the Aravallis are fully secure. Yadav added that the government is committed to keeping the Aravallis green and to strengthen protection standards in the range. The Aravalli range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, and we are fully committed to ensuring that it remains green. At the same time, it is important to establish clear and uniform standards for its protection, MinisterYadav said in an interview. The 100-metre criterion refers to the entire mountain structure, from the peak down to the ground level where its permanent base is located. In the absence of a clear definition earlier, there were irregularities in the grant of mining permits in the Aravalli region, he said. Gehlot, however, strongly rebutted the Centres claims. In a statement issued onMonday night, Gehlot said, The claims being made by the Union environment minister are completely misleading and far from the truth. He argued that the 100-metre definition should not be viewed in isolation and alleged that recent decisions point towards a systematic weakening of environmental safeguards. Gehlot also alleged that attempts to alter the Critical Tiger Habitat in Sariska and the September 5, 2023 notification bringing the Supreme Court-monitored Central Empowered Committee under the Environment Ministry reflect the governments intent to open protected areas to mining interests. With protests spreading and political rhetoric escalating, the controversy over the Aravalli definition is expected to intensify in the coming days. SC ruling on Aravalli definition sparks opposition in Rajasthan, former CM Gehlot warns of ecological disaster
NAGPUR: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the BJP has set a record in local body polls with 48 per cent of councillors winning on the party symbol, and its candidates elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. He attributed the Mahayuti alliance's success in the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections to the BJP organisation and development agenda of the government. Counting of votes for elections to the posts of president and members in 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats held in two phases began in the morning. Fadnavis said the BJP has once again emerged as the single largest party. 48 per cent councillors have been elected on the BJP symbol, which is a record. The BJP has created another record with 3,300 councillors being elected from the party. BJP candidates have been elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. In 75 per cent of the local bodies, Mahayuti nominees have been elected as municipal presidents, he said. Fadnavis emphasised that the BJP's national leadership has put faith in the state leadership for elections. It is the team effort - the organisation and government. We fought the polls on the development plank. I led a positive campaign on the development agenda. I never criticised any political leader or party. I solicited votes on the development agenda, the work done by the government so far, and our blueprint for the future, the chief minister told a press conference. In the multi-dimensional contests, Mahayuti allies- the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP- contested against each other in some places. There were alliances as well as friendly fights among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents- the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress. The opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) virtually conceded defeat in the elections, accusing the election commission of facilitating the victory of the ruling Mahayuti. State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal congratulated the party candidates who won the posts of municipal president and councillors. In a terse comment, he congratulated the state poll body for helping the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut attributed the victory of Mahayuti to ampering of EVMs. He said the opposition couldn't withstand a hailstorm of money. His party colleague Ambadas Danve alleged money and muscle power shaped the Mahayuti win. The Mahayuti has bagged a larger number of seats as compared to constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, thanks to the muscle and money power deployed by the ruling parties, Danve told PTI in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan claimed the party had got a decisive mandate as voters had rejected the Opposition's fake narrative. He claimed the Mahayuti had won more than 250 councils, nagar parishads and nagar panchayats out of 288, with BJP candidates securing 134 out of 236 council chief posts and over 3,000 councillor seats. The Opposition levelled all kinds of allegations during the campaign, but people saw through them. Uddhav Thackeray himself said he had nothing to offer to the people and that is why his party was rejected. His party could not even win council chairperson posts in double digits, Chavan claimed. Now, Mumbaikars too would reject the opposition's narrative in the upcoming BMC polls, he said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the overwhelming success of the BJP was a victory of the (party) workers. This is a victory of our workers. Thank you to the people who supported the BJP by maintaining faith in its development-oriented working style, the Union minister stated. Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed the Mahayuti is headed to secure two-thirds seats. The Mahayuti has taken a very good lead in Maharashtra and the people have rejected the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), he added. State minister Shivendrasinh Bhosale claimed BJP candidate Amol Mohite was elected municipal president in Satara district by 42,000 votes, an outcome that even surpassed the vote margins typically seen in assembly elections. Minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam claimed the Mahayuti had registered a clean sweep in Khed municipal council in Ratnagiri district by winning all 21 seats, including 17 seats won by Shiv Sena. The BJP has won the president's post in four out of five local bodies in Udgir, Ahmedpur, Nilanga, and Renapur in Latur district, while its ally NCP bagged the seat in Ausa. In the Beed district, the Mahayuti combine has taken a decisive lead. People have demolished the plot of the Opposition to defame Parli and Beed through the results of the local body polls, former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde claimed. The Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) claimed they had retained their party bastions in Chandrapur and Sangli districts. The Congress won the municipal council president's post as well as 21 of the 23 seats in the Brahmapuri municipal council in Chandrapur district, party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said. The BJP and NCP have secured one seat each. In the Urun-Ishwarpur municipal council in Sangli district, the NCP (SP) has won 23 seats as well as the post of council president, senior leader Jayant Patil claimed. In Palghar district, the Shiv Sena has won the president's election in the municipal councils of Palghar and Dahanu, while the BJP bagged the president's posts in Jawhar municipal council and Wada Nagar Panchayat. Recounting of votes was ordered after the Congress objected to the 116-vote win of BJP candidate Ajay Agrawal in Kamptee municipal council polls in Nagpur district, an official said. In a setback for the BJP, the party candidate for the post of Loha municipal council president, Gajanan Suryavanshi, and his five kin lost. The post was won by Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, whose candidate, incidentally, is named Sharad Pawar. The NCP emerged victorious in Loha, Kandhar, Degloor and Umri, while the BJP won in Kundalwadi, Mudkhed and Bhokar in Nanded district. The Shiv Sena and Marathwada Janhit Party won from two places each, while the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress emerged victorious from one place each, officials said. Only the NCP (SP) led by opposition stalwart Sharad Pawar failed to capture any of the municipal councils that went to polls in the district, they added. BJP consolidates Mahayuti dominance in Maharashtra local body polls, big blow to MVA
Supreme Court ruling on Aravalli definition triggers huge protests in Rajasthan
JAIPUR: The Supreme Courts recent acceptance of the Union Environment Ministrys definition of the Aravalli hills -- restricting the range to landforms with an elevation of more than 100 metres -- has triggered widespread protests across Rajasthan. Political leaders, environmental activists, social media influencers and citizens have expressed strong opposition and warned that the move will entail serious ecological and economic consequences. Under the revised definition, nearly 90 per cent of the Aravalli range in Rajasthan, consisting of hills lower than 100 metres, will no longer be classified as part of the protected range. According to available data, only 1,048 out of nearly 1.6 lakh hillocks in the state meet the 100-metre criterion, effectively excluding the vast majority from regulatory safeguards. SC ruling on Aravalli definition sparks opposition in Rajasthan, former CM Gehlot warns of ecological disaster Laxmikant Sharma, professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, said the governments stance that only hills above 100 metres qualify as Aravalli would automatically exclude most of the range. In Rajasthan, the Aravalli hills are largely between 30 and 80 metres in height. This means nearly 90 per cent of the range is directly under threat, he said. Though the Supreme Court order states that new mining is not permitted, critics argue that illegal mining continues unabated. A 2018 report by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) revealed that around 25 per cent of the Aravalli hills in Rajasthan had already been destroyed. Against this backdrop, the Aravalli Heritage Peoples Campaign was launched a few days ago from Vinoba Gyan Mandir in Bapu Nagar in Jaipur. Kavita Srivastava, national president of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), urged the government to repeal the uniform definition of the Aravalli proposed by a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, calling it a threat to Indias ecological and cultural heritage. SC ruling on Aravalli definition sparks opposition in Rajasthan, former CM Gehlot warns of ecological disaster 'Road to hell is paved with good intentions': Congress slams government over new Aravalli definition Activists have demanded that the Aravalli rangespread across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhibe declared an Ecologically Critical Area and that the use of raw stone mined from the hills be stopped. Neelam Ahluwalia, founding member of People for Aravalli, said the recent court decision would leave more than 90 per cent of the range unprotected and vulnerable to mining. The situation is particularly alarming in Alwar district, where 31 of the 128 identified hills have reportedly been completely flattened due to mining. Environmental experts warn that excluding large parts of the Aravalli range from protection could further embolden mining mafias. Experts have also cautioned that extensive degradation of the Aravallis could alter regional rainfall patterns. Some warn that if the range is destroyed, monsoon moisture could shift westwards towards Pakistan, adversely affecting rainfall in Rajasthan. Nearly 80 per cent of the 700-kilometre-long Aravalli range passes through 27 districts of Rajasthan, forming the ecological backbone of eastern Rajasthan. Agriculture and farmers livelihoods in these regions depend heavily on the hills, as several seasonal riversincluding the Chambal, Banas, Sahibi, Sota, Katli, Kasavati, Gambhiri and Moreloriginate from the Aravallis. Modi government has 'nearly signed death warrant' for Aravalli hills: Sonia Gandhi Rainwater stored in the hills flows through streams and underground channels, sustaining these rivers and supporting small-scale farming and animal husbandry throughout the year. The Aravallis are also home to diverse plant species and vegetation. As the worlds oldest mountain range, their rock formations have a strong water-holding capacity, allowing groundwater to be stored for long periods. Rajasthan has around 32 major potable water reservoirs, many of which depend on the Aravalli system. In a desert state like Rajasthan, environmentalists point out that nearly 22 per cent of the Aravalli hills have already been destroyed due to excessive mining. According to studies, the unique structure of the Aravallis helps recharge nearly two million litres of groundwater per hectare annually, making the range the largest source of water in the region. As protests intensify, environmental groups have demanded an immediate review of the definition, warning that Rajasthans ecology, water security and rural economy are at serious risk. It remains to be seen how the agitation unfolds in the coming days. On International Mountain Day, campaign launched to save India's oldest mountain range Aravalli
MFA to honour stalwarts of Meghalaya football
Shillong, Dec 19: The Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) will honour past and present footballers, coaches and referees who have lifted the standing of the sport in the state over the years at an awards night on Monday. The function will take place at the State Convention Centre at 6pm where 40 individuals, both men and []
Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam in Tirumala on December 23
The purificatory ritual will be performed from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., during which period Astadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva will remain cancelled
JAIPUR: The Supreme Courts recent ruling, issued on the recommendation of the central government, to limit the definition of the Aravalli mountain range to landforms rising more than 100 metres above their surroundings, has triggered sharp opposition in Rajasthan. Joining the growing protests, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot has warned that the decision could lead to huge ecological damage. Gehlot termed the ruling a red carpet for illegal mining, and a direct invitation to environmental destruction. On November 21, the apex court held that only hills in the Aravalli region with a relative height of 100 metres or more would be considered part of the mountain range. The Aravalli is not just a mountain range for Rajasthan; it is our protective shield, Gehlot said. He argued that narrowing the definition on the Centres recommendation amounts to a death sentence for nearly 90 per cent of the states hills. According to him, almost 90 per cent of the Aravalli formations in Rajasthan are below the 100-metre threshold. Gehlot cautioned that excluding these hills from the legal definition is not a technical adjustment but the removal of a critical layer of environmental protection, leaving vast areas vulnerable to mining and degradation. Highlighting the ecological importance of the Aravallis, Gehlot said the range plays a crucial role in preventing desertification by blocking hot winds from the west and stopping the Thar Desert from advancing into eastern Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Experts, he noted, have pointed out that even small hills and mounds measuring 10 to 30 metres are effective in checking dust storms. Allowing mining in these areas, he warned, could accelerate desert spread towards the national capital. He further said that the rocky structure of the Aravalli range enables rainwater to percolate underground, making it a major source of groundwater recharge across the region. Removing these hills could prove disastrous for northwest India, which is already facing a severe water crisis, Gehlot said. He added that history would not forgive the injustice being done to future generations, alleging that although the Supreme Court proceedings began to protect the Aravalli, acceptance of the Centres recommendation has effectively erased 90 per cent of the range. He urged the court to reconsider the decision in the interest of future generations, calling it a direct invitation to destruction. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Tikaram Jully, also strongly criticised the move, warning that without the Aravalli range, nothing will be left. Launching a sharp attack on the central government and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, Jully said the looming threat to the Aravallis existence has become a question mark on the future of Rajasthan. Jully said that the fight to save the Aravalli range is no longer the responsibility of any single political party but a collective social duty to protect the state and the future of the coming generations. Targeting Union environment minister and Alwar MP Bhupendra Yadav, Jully said it was the greatest irony of democracy that those entrusted with environmental protection were now paving the way for destruction. He pointed out that Yadav was educated in Ajmer and represents Alwar, both regions closely linked to the Aravalli range and home to important pilgrimage sites such as Pushkar. Despite this, Jully alleged, the minister was acting like Dhritarashtra, the blind king from the Mahabharata, silently witnessing the destruction of the Aravalli range and ignoring the future of his own land and its people.
A legacy lost to neglect and silence
Remembering Kashyap Bandhu Avtar Nehru Many stalwarts and scholars within the Kashmiri Pandit community privately concede that Pandit Kashyap Bandhu was among its greatest figures for much of the twentieth century. He was widely respected as a public intellectual and, importantly, was deeply networked with the leading minds and institutions of his time. His stature was formally acknowledged when he was included among the 75 Personalities commemorated during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), marking seventy-five years of Indias independence in [] The post A legacy lost to neglect and silence appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
Beachville Caf hosts Carnatic concert series this Margazhi
As Margazhi fills Chennais sabhas, a parallel Carnatic concert series unfolds inside a caf in Alwarpet, where proximity, timing, and format reshape how the music is experienced
Inter-state criminal nabbed in Indore after returning to fill SIR voter form
BHOPAL: Coming back to his home city Indore reportedly to fill up his Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter enumeration form recently, a hardened inter-state criminal landed in the Madhya Pradesh polices net. Identified as Abdul Rashid, alias Talwar Singh (54), the criminal is accused in around 100 cases, including robbery, theft and murder in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states. He had recently returned to Indore after many years just to fill up the SIR enumeration form. On December 3, he broke into a closed flat in Indores Geeta Nagar locality and decamped with gold and silver jewellery valued in lakhs of rupees. Multiple teams were formed by the Indore Palasia police to crack the burglary-theft case, which led to the arrest of Abdul Rashid a few days later in Indore, following a specific tip-off. His questioning revealed that he had come down to his home city Indore after many years for filling up his SIR enumeration form. After filling the form, he committed the crime at the closed flat in Geeta Nagar, but acting on specific intelligence, the police arrested him a few days later, Indore police spokesperson and additional DCP of the city crime branch Rajesh Dandotiya told TNIE on Saturday. Subsequent investigations, based on Rashids sustained grilling, revealed that he was accused in around 100 cases of theft, robbery, burglary, murder and attempted murder in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states. Had he not come to Indore for filling up the SIR form and then not committed the burglary-theft, maybe we wouldnt have been able to nab him, a senior Indore police officer said. Stolen properties, including cash, jewellery and a two-wheeler, all valued at over Rs 7.5 lakh, were recovered from Rashids possession. He was originally a native of Indores North Toda locality and started committing thefts and burglaries from the age of 19. However, he later shifted to Akola in Maharashtra after the Indore police began searching for him. He married a woman in Akola and started living there. He earned the infamous sobriquet Talwar Singh a few years back, after he beheaded a man with a sword and then surrendered at the local police station with the severed head in Maharashtras Wardha.
Congress stalwart Shivraj Patil passes away at 90
PTI Latur Veteran Congressman Shivraj Patil, who served as the Lok Sabha speaker and was Union home minister during the 26/11 attacks, passed away at his hometown Latur in Maharashtra on Friday morning, family sources said. Patil (90) passed away at his residence Devghar after a brief illness, they said, adding his funeral will be [] The post Congress stalwart Shivraj Patil passes away at 90 appeared first on The Navhind Times .
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday disclosed that incidents of GPS spoofing and interference with flights have been reported at major airports in the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. In a written reply to questions raised by YSRCP MP S Niranjan Reddy in the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu confirmed that GPS spoofing was reported in the vicinity of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi. Some flights reported GPS spoofing in the vicinity of IGIA, New Delhi while using GPS based landing procedures, while approaching on RWY (runway) 10. Contingency procedures were used for GPS spoofed flights approaching to RWY 10. There were no effects on movements of flights, on other runway ends having conventional navigational aids being operational, the minister said. Global Positioning System (GPS)/ Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing and jamming refer to attempts to manipulate a user's navigation system by giving false signals. The minister stated that the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) has been directed to identify the source of the spoofing. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also requested Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) to possibly identify the source of interference/ spoofing. During the high-level meeting, WMO was directed to mobilise more resources to identify the source of spoofing based on approximate spoofing location details shared by DGCA and AAI, Naidu said in a written reply. WMO comes under the Department of Telecommunications. After being mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to report instances of GPS jamming/ spoofing since November 2023, regular reports are being received from other major airports in the country. GNSS interference reports are being received from Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai airports, the minister said. Last month, DGCA asked airlines, pilots and air traffic controllers to report GPS spoofing incidents within 10 minutes of the occurrences, amid recent such incidents at the Delhi airport. In the written reply, Naidu said Minimum Operating Network (MON), consisting of Conventional (Ground-based) Navigation and Surveillance Infrastructure, are retained in accordance with global best practices. India is also participating in global platforms to keep itself abreast of the latest methodology and technology for the timely implementation of the same. To a query, Naidu said the global cybersecurity threats to the aviation sector are in the form of ransomware/ malware. To enhance cyber security against global threats, AAI is implementing advanced cyber security solutions for IT networks and infrastructure. These actions have been taken in accordance with the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) guidelines. Cyber security is ensured by continuous upgradation. As the nature and type of the threat changes, new protective measures are being taken, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
Cong Worked Hard To Erase Sardar Patel From History, Says Nadda; Slams Nehru For Article 370
Vadodara, Nov 29: BJP president JP Nadda on Saturday said the Congress made great efforts to erase Sardar Patel from history, with the party even questioning the cost and need for the Statue of Unity constructed as a memorial to the stalwart by the Narendra Modi government. The Congress did not want Sardar Patel to be remembered, Nadda said while addressing a gathering at the Sardar@150 Unity March at Atladra village here. He also said the countrys first prime minister [] The post Cong Worked Hard To Erase Sardar Patel From History, Says Nadda; Slams Nehru For Article 370 appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
Delhi Police warns against fake traffic challan messages with malware links
Delhi Police warns of a surge in fraudulent WhatsApp and SMS messages impersonating traffic challan notifications. Scammers trick users into downloading malicious APK files to install malware, steal financial information, and gain remote control of devices. Citizens are urged to verify challans only through official portals and never click on suspicious links or download unknown files.
While the results of the Bihar assembly elections were agonizing to the Congress, the party is now faced with another serious pain in Karnataka, where it held power for the past over two and a half years. Two stalwarts behind the partys big electoral win there in 2023, namely Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief []
Pakistan's New WhatsApp-Based Spy Tactic Targets CAPF Officers After Red Fort Blast | Exclusive
Agents posed as officials on WhatsApp, lured CAPF officers into fake groups, then used the join link to infect devices with Trojan malware and gain remote access to sensitive data
Two more convicted in Vizag Navy espionage case
Ashok Kumar of Jhunjhunu district and Vikas Kumar of Alwar district in Rajasthan have bee awarded simple imprisonment of five years and 11 months
Two More Sentenced In Pakistan-Linked Navy Espionage Case, NIA Secures 8th Conviction
New Delhi, Nov 25: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday awarded over five years of simple imprisonment to two more accused in the Pakistan-linked espionage case involving surveillance of Indian Navy installations, taking the total convictions in the case to eight. The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar of Jhunjhunu district and Vikas Kumar of Alwar district of Rajasthan, will have to undergo SI of 5 years and 11 months under each of section 18 of [] The post Two More Sentenced In Pakistan-Linked Navy Espionage Case, NIA Secures 8th Conviction appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
2 More Accused Get Imprisonment in Visakhapatnam Navy Espionage Case
The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar of Jhunjhunu district and Vikas Kumar of Alwar district of Rajasthan, will have to undergo SI of five years and 11 months under each of section 18 of UA(P) Act and section 3 of Official Secrets Act
Iconic film personality, phenomenal actor: PM Modi's tribute to Dharmendra
The legendary Dharmendra, a stalwart of Indian cinema, has sadly left us at the age of 89. In a heartfelt tribute, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized him as a timeless icon and extraordinary performer. Spanning an impressive sixty years and more than 300 films, Dharmendra's passing signifies the conclusion of a cinematic chapter that shaped millions.
Fake call centre targeting US citizens busted in Navi Mumbai; 20 held
THANE: Police have busted a fake call centre in Navi Mumbai, from where cyber frauds involving at least Rs 12 crore were allegedly committed mostly against US citizens, and arrested 20 persons in this connection, officials said on Thursday. The police suspect that the scale of the crime is very large and many wanted accused are involved in it. The action against this call centre, which was in operation in Turbhe area of Navi Mumbai was taken on Thursday, they said. Navi Mumbai Cyber police station and the Crime Branch took the action. The police received a tip-off on November 18 that a call centre was in operation under the guise of various bogus companies to defraud citizens. Immediately, a joint team of police conducted a raid and uncovered two distinct methods of fraud being run from there. In the first method, the employees of the call centre targeted US-based citizens through WhatsApp groups and lured them by promising high returns on stock market investments. Separately, they also targeted the American citizens by carrying out ransomware or malware attacks on their computers, an official statement said. The raid brought to light a massive scale of the financial crime, it said. The investigators found 97 persons working at the fake call centre. They also found several WhatsApp numbers and bank accounts being used by those found at the location, it added. The transactions of 71 bank accounts, details of which were sent to US citizens and others, for fraud were checked. Out of these, 61 accounts were found to have transactions worth a total of Rs 12.29 crore. Some of these bank accounts were checked on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) developed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It was found that 31 cyber fraud complaints have been registered across the country, the statement added. The police seized 108 computers, 38 mobile phones, and 5 GSM servers, it said. A case was registered at the Cyber police station in Thane under Sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 319(2) (punishment for cheating by personation), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections of the Information Technology Act. So far 20 accused have been arrested and remanded in police custody till November 23 by a local magistrate, the police said. The scale of the crime is very large and many wanted accused are involved. After a thorough technical investigation of the crime, the amount of fraud is likely to increase further, the police said in the statement.
Nineteen years and counting: Nitishs unbroken grip on Bihar
On Thursday, Nitish Kumar achieved yet another rare political milestone, becoming Bihars longest-serving chief minister, despite his party repeatedly finishing as the second-largest partner in both the Mahagathbandhan and NDA alliances in recent times. With this latest swearing-in , he joins the group of Indias ten longest-serving chief ministersa list long dominated by political stalwarts such as Sikkims Pawan Kumar Chamling and Odishas Naveen Patnaik. Chamling served as chief minister for 25 years, while Patnaik has held office for 24 years. West Bengals Jyoti Basu governed for more than 23 years, and Arunachal Pradeshs Gegong Apang for over 22 years. Mizorams Lal Thanhawla also crossed the 22-year mark, while Himachal Pradeshs Virbhadra Singh served more than 21 years. Tripuras Manik Sarkar held office for 19 years. Nitish Kumar, similarly, has now completed roughly 19 years as Bihars chief minister. Tamil Nadus M. Karunanidhi served for more than 18 years, and Punjabs Parkash Singh Badal is also credited with over 18 years in office. In Bihar, however, what distinguishes Nitish Kumar most is his repeated return to the top post, even after shifting between alliances. While Prime Minister Modi promotes the mantra of Sabka Vikas with Sabka Saath through Sabka Prayas, Nitish Kumar is often described as Sabka CM. Political observers in the state believe this contributes to his steady influence among minority voters. He has again included a Muslim minister in his cabinet, and the JD(U) fielded four Muslim candidates in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections. Another point of alignment between him and Prime Minister Modi is his refusal to allow family members to hold roles within the JD(U), reflecting his firm stance against dynastic politicssomething that contrasts with many parties in the Mahagathbandhan. Just as Modi maintains a stance of zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism, Nitish Kumar has ensured that neither corruption, nepotism, nor communalism gains a foothold in his administration. The political chemistry between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi within the NDA is often regarded as one of the most dependable partnerships in Bihar. Both leaders have no family members active in politics and are widely seen by the public as hardworking, sincere, and trustworthy.
A massive collection of 2 billion email addresses and 1.3 billion passwords has been compiled. These credentials come from hundreds of past data breaches and malware infections. Users can now check if their information is exposed through Have I Been Pwned. This data helps identify compromised accounts. It is crucial to change passwords if found in the database.
Body of MBBS student found dead in Russia brought back to Rajasthan; family suspects foul play
JAIPUR: Ending an agonizing 11-day wait for the family, the body of Ajit Chaudhary, an MBBS student from Laxmangarh in Rajasthan's Alwar district, arrived in India from Russia on Monday morning. A medical board conducted a re-postmortem soon after the body reached Alwar, and the funeral was finally conducted. Ajits body arrived at Delhi airport at around 4:05 AM and was taken to Alwar District Hospital by 9 AM. Although a post-mortem had already been conducted in Russia, the family requested another examination. For this, a group of doctors was formed. Ajits father, Dharm Singh, a farmer, said his son was studying MBBS at Bashkir State Medical University in Russia and was in his third year. The family last spoke to him on 19 October, after which he suddenly went untraceable. A friend had called him, after which he disappeared. Later, we were told that Ajits clothes and shoes were found on the riverbank. His body was found 18 days later on November 6, Dharm Singh said. The grieving father further added, His mother was dying waiting for her son. Alleging negligence by both the administration and the government, Ajit's family bid him a tearful farewell and reiterated their demand for an impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death. Ajits uncle, Bhom Singh, expressed strong suspicion regarding the circumstances. He questioned why another student, Jeet Kasana, informed the family of the disappearance when the college had the familys contact details. He also raised doubts about why the body was found without clothes, saying, Why would someone committing suicide remove his clothes? He added that Ajit had asked for money shortly before 19 October and had reportedly argued with another student. We dont believe our son committed suicide; we suspect it is murder, he said. The family has already spent around Rs 29 lakh on Ajits education. Ajit had travelled to Russia in October last year to pursue MBBS at Bashkir State University in the Ufa region. His family had arranged the funds for his education by selling three acres of agricultural land. Since recieving the news about his death, Ajit's family had been struggling to bring the body home. Frustrated by the delay, relatives and locals last week staged a shutdown in Laxmangarh, demanding swift action from the government to expedite the repatriation.
Watch: Indian student found dead in Russia: Family demands probe
A 22-year-old Indian MBBS student from Rajasthan, missing since October 19, was found dead near the White River in Ufa, Russia. His body has been brought back to Alwar after a post-mortem. The family, who had sold farmland for his education, suspects foul play and has urged the Indian government for a thorough investigation and urgent action.
Uttarakhand Police bust cybergang swindling victims of Rs 3.37 crore
NAINITAL: Uttarakhand Police have arrested four members of a major interstate cybercrime network for allegedly hacking into people's phones and transferring money from their bank accounts. The gang allegedly used to send links on social media to gain access to victims' phones. All transactions were made to mule accounts to keep their identities hidden, police said on Sunday. According to a preliminary probe, transactions of Rs 3.37 crore have been found to be suspicious. Tallital police intercepted a car at Bhediyapakhad mod in Do Gaon on Saturday during a checking drive conducted by Superintendent of Police Jagdish Chandra and Deputy Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar. Police said the four occupants of the car were found suspicious, and a thorough search revealed 11 phones, nine SIM cards, several Aadhaar and PAN cards, cheque books, QR codes, and several debit and credit cards. During interrogation, they revealed that they sent APK files via social media to access victims' phones. After hacking the devices, they transferred money to various mule accounts. Police said that a QR code was linked to a bank account related to a case in Delhi. Shubham Gupta from Alwar, Rajasthan; Piyush Goyal from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh; Rishabh Kumar from Ghaziabad, UP and Mohit Rathi from Gurugram, Haryana have been arrested. Several high-end smartphones and a car used by the accused have also been confiscated.
Not giving first over to your best bowler Jasprit Bumrah was questionable: Kumble
The opening Test saw India falling short against South Africa by 30 runs, sparking a discussion on the effectiveness of the Indian bowling strategy. Anil Kumble, a stalwart of cricket, expressed concern over the missed opportunity to utilize Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball on a pitch that demanded precision.
Bengaluru tech park scam: How fraudsters used ads, malware and fear to loot U.S. victims
Bihar election result: Big day of mandates dawns, political futures of many a stalwart at stake
Bihar Assembly election results: Most exit polls suggest the NDA, led by the BJP and JD(U), is on course for a comfortable victory with 130170 seats, well past the majority mark of 122. But beyond the numbers lies a deeper story -- about leadership fatigue, shifting loyalties and the search for new political narratives.
Congress leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh faces court case over alleged custody of MF Husain painting
JAIPUR: Assam Congress in-charge and former Minister of State for Home Affairs Bhanwar Jitendra Singh is set to face trial in Delhis Rouse Avenue Court for allegedly failing to return a painting by renowned artist Maqbool Fida Husain (M.F. Husain). According to the complaint, Singh, a member of Alwars erstwhile royal family, had borrowed the artwork from then Congress MP Prabha Thakur in 2014. Despite repeated requests from Thakur and her family, the painting was allegedly never returned. Prabha Thakurs son, Rohit Singh, has filed a petition in court over the matter. The court accepted the petition on November 11, 2025 and scheduled the hearing for November 25. Rohit Singh alleged that the former Union Minister had offered to give the family miniature Bundi paintings in exchange for the Husain artwork. However, despite several written and verbal reminders from his mother, the painting was never returned. The petitioner informed the court that he and his mother had purchased the M.F. Husain painting from Saatchi Gallery, Mumbai, in 2013 for Rs 2.25 lakh. He further claimed that the artworks current market value exceeds Rs 1 crore. Earlier, Rohit Singh had approached the Magistrate Court in March, but the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate dismissed the complaint, ruling that no case of fraud or criminal breach of trust had been established. However, the Special Judge later set aside that order, observing that the painting had been handed over to Bhanwar Jitendra Singh in April 2014 merely for viewing and possible purchase, not as a gift. Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, a senior Congress leader considered close to the Gandhi family, has previously served as a two-time MLA from the Alwar City Assembly constituency and was elected MP from Alwar in 2009. He later lost two consecutive Lok Sabha elections, and the party did not field him from Alwar in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Soch's Strategic Pivot Fuels E-commerce with 65% Growth and Disciplined Retail Expansion
Soch , India's leading evening and occasion wear brand, announced a significant leap in its e-commerce performance alongside a disciplined, profitability-driven retail strategy. The brands online business is on track to grow 65% year-on-year, looking to close at 90 crore this fiscal, underscoring the success of a purposeful pivot toward sustainable omni-channel growth. Soch's E-commerce site The Indian retail industry is entering a new era where profitability and sustainable growth are the north stars, not just raw expansion. Apparel and fashion brands are embracing a fewer, better philosophy, curating memorable destinations, integrating digital experiences, and leveraging analytics for sharper store selection. Reflecting this macro shift, Soch has redefined its growth playbook with an equal focus on disciplined offline expansion and accelerated e-commerce growth and profitability. While Soch continues to remain predominantly an offline-first brand, its e-commerce business has grown tenfold over the past five years, from INR 5.3 crore in FY20 to INR 54 crore in FY25, and is now targeting over six-fold growth to INR 350 crore by FY30 . The online channel contributed 12% of total revenue last year, projected to rise to 18% this year and to 30% of overall business within five years. This impressive jump in e-commerce revenue has not come at the sacrifice of profitability. On the contrary, its online division has transitioned from breakeven to delivering a 10% profit margin this fiscal, powered by exclusive online collections, sharper product curation, and data-led innovations. The brands omni-channel approach has also been a key enabler, integrating store-level inventory with digital fulfilment to ensure speed and availability across channels. While many brands began digital-first and are now exploring offline channels, Soch represents the next evolution, an offline-first brand mastering online with speed and precision. Our e-commerce transformation reflects the strength of our brand trust combined with the agility of technology. Its proof that growth and profitability can and should coexist , said Vinay Chatlani, CEO & Co-Founder, Soch . Soch exemplifies the Offline First, Digital Fast approach, leveraging its established offline trust to swiftly scale online. This blend of strong offline credibility with rapid digital growth creates a powerful growth flywheel, amplifying both brand loyalty and ecommerce profitability. Despite the recent success with its Online platforms, retail operations remain Sochs core strength. On this front the Brand is taking a measured approachfortifying its retail base while advancing in product and customer innovation. Over the last two years, the brand has consolidated its offline portfolio with a clear focus on performance. While continuing to expand new outlets in high-potential markets, it has closed its underperforming stores. This strategic optimisation is projected to deliver over 2.5% improvement in store-level EBITDA. With over 175 stores across India, Canada and Malaysia, Soch now prioritises same-store growth by driving customer conversion, ticket size, and average transaction value. This has been one of the outcomes of its premiumisation journey, which has seen the brand expand its evening and occasion wear portfolio to meet evolving customer expectations. In a 5-year period the brand has seen a 40% jump in ASP (average selling price), 50% increase in average transaction value along with a 10% increase in average basket size. The brand also records one of the highest trading densities in its category, exceeding INR 16,000 per sq. ft. Store openings today are sharper and more strategic , added Chatlani . We close locations that dont meet benchmarks and double down on those that drive value and engagement. Its not about being everywhere; its about being of substance wherever we are . Through a blend of offline trust and digital speed, Soch has built a resilient growth engine designed for the future of Indian retail. Our investments in technology, digital capability, and disciplined retail operations are already yielding strong results , said Chatlani . Weve built a business thats both resilient and ready for scale, anchored in profitability and confident in our ability to sustain and accelerate this momentum . The Brand has successfully navigated a challenging consumer environment where many have faced revenue and margin pressures. Soch is building a future-ready omnichannel business for steady, sustainable growth, positioning itself as a confident leader in Indian ethnic and occasion wearharnessing e-commerces momentum while strengthening its retail foundation for long-term success. About Soch Soch Apparels, the largest evening-occasion wear ethnic brand for women in India, seamlessly combines tradition and modern artistry. Our meticulously crafted outfits, featuring elaborate embroideries and handpicked fabrics, celebrate the rich heritage of Indian aesthetics. It offers a wide range of stylish designer ethnic wear, including sarees, salwar suits, kurtas, tunics, kurta sets, lehengas, and kaftans. With over 175 stores nationwide, Soch is the go-to destination for stylish and elegant designer ethnic wear. The brand has been consecutively recognized as the Best Ethnic Fashion Retailer of the Year 2023 and 2024 by IREC (Industry of Retail & eCommerce) and continues to redefine traditional Indian fashion. soch.com to explore our collection.
Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam Purifies Padmavathi Temple Ahead of Brahmotsavams
Singhal told reporters that elaborate arrangements were in place. Around 1,600 police personnel would be deployed, the TTD Annaprasadam wing will serve free meals to about 10,000 devotees daily, and nearly 75,000 devotees on Panchami Theertham day on November 25.
Sikar Chills at 7C as Cold Wave Grips Rajasthan
Fatehpur, Ajmer, and Alwar also record single-digit temperatures; dry weather likely to continue through next week, says Jaipur MeT Centre
Kids Can Grow Up But Should Be Obedient: BJP On Ajit Pawar's Land Scam Reply
The controversial land deal linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth, has given a new handle to the NCP stalwart's traditional political rivals to target him over his response to allegations.
Pak-linked hacker group targets Indian government, military networks with advanced spyware: Report
NEW DELHI: An Intelligence Agencys report has alerted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to a major cyber-espionage campaign by Pakistan-linked hacker group Transparent Tribe, which is targeting Indian government and military networks with an advanced spyware called DeskRAT, sources said on Friday. The report warns that the group has upgraded its tactics this year, moving from public cloud platforms like Google Drive to private servers, making detection and blocking more difficult. According to sources, the hackers are believed to be exploiting ongoing border tensions in Ladakh, attempting to intercept intelligence related to Chinas military movements through compromised Indian systems. Agencies said the attackers are using sophisticated phishing emails disguised as government notices, ZIP files and intelligence briefings, often timed with security alerts or border incidents, to trick officials into downloading infected attachments. Once installed, DeskRAT, a remote access tool tailored for BOSS Linux systems widely used in government offices, can secretly monitor, extract and transmit sensitive files without detection. The latest attacks are faster, stealthier and harder to detect, a source said. The report also highlights the hackers use of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to rapidly develop new malware variants, outpacing traditional cybersecurity defences. Experts have warned that only automated, real-time threat detection can counter such adaptive attacks aimed at long-term espionage of Indias defence and administrative networks. The Transparent Tribe has been previously linked to attacks distributing Crimson RAT malware, often through phishing documents disguised as security briefings. During the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, the group allegedly circulated fake government messages to lure officials into opening infected attachments. Following the alert, the MHA has directed all ministries and defence units to step up cyber vigilance and strengthen security protocols, calling the threat a matter of national security.
Films from Palestine and movies of stalwart filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak to be in the limelight in the coming week
Allahabad HC orders SP MP to pay Rs 30k monthly maintenance to his fourth wife amid marital dispute
LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has directed Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur and Imam of the Parliament Street Mosque, Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, to pay 30,000 per month as maintenance to his fourth wife, Rumana Nadvi. The order, issued on October 14, 2025, came following a petition filed by Rumana seeking financial support. The bench referred the matter to the High Courts Mediation and Conciliation Centre and granted both parties three months to reach a mutual settlement. The court said that until a resolution was reached, Nadvi must continue paying the maintenance amount. It also stayed the recovery of arrears from the date of filing till the order but warned that failure to comply would lead to revocation of the interim relief. Nadvis counsel, Narendra Kumar Pandey, informed the court that the case was a marital dispute and his client was willing to settle the matter amicably. To demonstrate goodwill, Nadvi offered to pay 50,000 upfront at the first mediation meeting. Rumana Parveen, who married Nadvi on October 22, 2012, alleged that he concealed details of his previous marriages and children from her. He deceived me at every step, she said, claiming that Nadvi forced her to leave her home and pressured her to abort their child. Currently living with her son in Agra, Rumana said that Nadvi married her without disclosing that he already had two daughters. I lived with him for about three years before he abandoned me, she added. This was also Rumanas second marriage. Nadvis personal life has come under intense scrutiny following the court order. According to close associates, his first marriage was to Afia Khatoon of Sambhal, who died of cancer ten years after their marriage, leaving behind two daughters. His second marriage to Najifa of Rampur lasted barely 15 days, as she returned to her parental home and never came back. The third marriage of the SP MP with a woman from Bulandshahr ended on the very night of the wedding when both decided to part ways. Rumana, his fourth wife, lived with him for over three years before filing the maintenance case. Nadvi later married Samra Naz for the fifth time. Naz is a relative of Nadvis first wife and has two children with him. In his 2024 Lok Sabha election affidavit, Nadvi mentioned five dependents two daughters from his first wife, a son from Rumana, and a son and daughter from his fifth wife. Besides serving as the SP MP from Rampur, Maulana Nadvi is also the Imam of the Parliament Street Mosque in Delhi. In July 2025, top SP leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav, met him, sparking debate over his growing influence within the party. Originally from Rajanagar village in Swar tehsil of Rampur, Nadvi currently resides at the Jama Masjid premises in Parliament House, New Delhi. However, his strained relationship with SP stalwart Azam Khan has become another political talking point. Both leaders have exchanged barbed remarks since Azams release from jail. When asked about Nadvi, Azam said he did not know who he was. Nadvi responded sharply, saying, He has become old. After being in jail for long, he naturally has trouble recognising people.
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From Bollywood heavyweights to other film stalwarts like SS Rajamouli and Jr NTR, they expressed immense pride, hailing the team's grit, spirit, and world-champion performance.
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Gummadi Narsaiah Biopic: Dr Shiva Raj Kumar steps into iconic role
NL Webdesk Beloved politician and peoples leader Gummadi Narsaiah needs no formal introduction. A stalwart of grassroots politics, Narsaiah served as the Member of Legislative Assembly for Yellandu across multiple terms, between1983 to 1994 and again from 1999 to 2009, winning as an Independent. Known for his unwavering commitment to the common man, he [] The post Gummadi Narsaiah Biopic: Dr Shiva Raj Kumar steps into iconic role appeared first on Northlines .
Hometowns of Kannada stalwarts to receive 1 crore each for development
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Theatre play, Yellara Ambedkar, to depict the stalwarts life tomorrow
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Virat Kohli second-highest run-getter in ODIs
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Rohit, Kohlis game plan to be decided post-SA ODIs: Gill:
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IBM says conventional AMD chips can run quantum computing error correction algorithm
The U.S. stalwart is racing to develop quantum computing against Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, which announced a breakthrough algorithm this week
