Tejas & Htt-40 Trainers, Dhruv Choppers Take Flight: Hal's Big Push To Build India's Aerospace Power

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over Tejas twin-seater trainers and HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, along with Dhruv NG helicopters to Pawan Hans, at a Bengaluru ceremony marking a key self-reliance milestone. The HTT-40, with 56% indigenous content and 70 units ordered for Rs 6,800 crore, replaces the Pilatus PC-7 at the basic flying stage, while Tejas trainers support advanced fighter conversion, together strengthening India's homegrown pilot training pipeline. The HTT-40 delivery is running a year late and still relies on an American Honeywell engine. This comes even as the broader Tejas Mk1A fighter programme faces serious delays, with only 10 of a needed engine supply delivered by GE Aerospace against 27 airframes built. Looking ahead, the IAF is also drafting demanding requirements for its next advanced trainer, featuring fly-by-wire controls, NavIC-based navigation and simulator-linked training systems, signalling a broader push to build a genuinely indigenous training ecosystem for India's fighter pilots.#HAL #HindustanAeronauticsLimited #Tejas #TejasTrainer #TejasMk1A #HTT40 #DhruvNG #IndianAirForce

In 1971, a passenger collected $200,000, parachuted from a plane and vanished; the FBI investigated for years without discovering his identity

In a bold move in 1971, a man known as Dan Cooper commandeered a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, demanding cash and parachutes. After receiving his ransom, he leapt from the aircraft into the unknown. The FBI launched a thorough investigation over the years, uncovering some of the money later, yet Coopers ultimate fate remains a captivating mystery that continues to spark the imagination of many.

Tamil Nadu Delta farmers continue sit-in protest near Tiruchirappalli demanding full loan waiver

The News Mill

HAL hands twin-seater Tejas fighter jet trainers, HTT-40 basic trainers to IAF

Digital Desk | Bengaluru, Sep 18 (IANS) Government-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas final operational clearance twin-seater trainers and three HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), along with four Dhruv next-generation helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited, on Friday. The platforms were displayed, and a pooja was performed in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu at the handing-over ceremony. Singh also sat inside the Dhruv next-generation (NG) chopper, which was displayed at the venue. The helicopter is a HAL-designed and manufactured 5.5-tonne, light twin-engine, multi-role helicopter. The handover marks an important milestone in the countrys self-reliance journey, as the event highlighted the role HAL and its industry partners play in strengthening the domestic aerospace ecosystem. The Defence Minister said combat effectiveness can be ensured only through a combination of well-trained personnel, advanced technology, integrated systems, and rapid decision-making. He said the LCA trainer will play a crucial role in preparing pilots for this demanding operational environment. He added that while the Dhruv-NG exemplifies indigenous civil aerospace prowess, the LCA trainer stands as a symbol of indigenous military aerospace capability and the maturity of its fighter aircraft ecosystem. Singh said India had relied for years on imported aircraft to meet its basic training requirements, but HAL is now manufacturing the HTT-40 indigenously to meet the IAF's needs. Highlighting the aircrafts export potential, he said the HTT-40 would find demand in international markets and fulfil its intended role in strengthening Indias aerospace capabilities. The Defence Minister highlighted HALs expertise across aircraft manufacturing, helicopter development, overhaul, repair, maintenance, and aerospace engineering, calling it a pillar in Indias endeavour to build indigenous aerospace capabilities. He exhorted HAL to further expand its capabilities across the entire aerospace value chain, including design, development, manufacturing, certification, lifecycle support, and global marketing. Singh called for realistic project timelines to address delays in ongoing technical projects. He noted that delays can create gaps in meeting critical defence requirements, lead to cost escalations, and increase the risk of technology obsolescence. Terming R&D a crucial priority area, the Defence Minister urged young scientists, engineers, designers, test pilots, and technicians to take it as a challenge to create technologies that do not exist today. He urged them to develop capabilities that secure India's leading position in the global aerospace technology landscape over the coming decade.

Court rejects BRS leaders remand after dramatic arrest over social media post

Digital Desk | Hyderabad, Sep 18 (IANS) A city court on Friday rejected the remand of BRS leader Manne Krishank, hours after his dramatic arrest by police, who broke open the locked door of his residence. Nampally court refused to send Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) social media convenor Krishank to judicial custody after his arrest over a social media post. On a remand petition filed by the police, the court said it was rejecting the remand request in view of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court. Earlier, police arrested Krishank from his residence after high drama. A large number of policemen had surrounded his residence since early morning. As the BRS leader had locked himself in, the police officers made repeated requests to him to come out. As Krishank did not come out, police broke open the lock of the iron grill to enter the house and arrested him. Krishank was booked for a social media post about an incident in which BRS Working President K. T. Rama Raos personal assistant and public relations officers were allegedly attacked in Saifabad Police Station on September 14. Why did they need to come with 100 policemen just because I tweeted asking who entered the Saifabad police station wearing masks? Am I some criminal? Am I trying to escape anywhere? asked Krishank. He said police came to his house at 5 a.m., broke the locks on the gate, and even tried to break the door. He said his 7-year-old child had an exam but couldn't go because of the police raid. He said the child sat at home, terrified by the police brutality. Is all this happening just because I questioned Congress corruption, atrocities, and failures and spoke about Revanth Reddy's brother's shell company? They've already filed numerous illegal cases against me and put me in jail twice. No matter how many illegal cases they file or how much they threaten me, I have no intention to stop questioning them, he said. K. T. Rama Rao condemned the manner in which police arrested Krishank. He questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi if criticising the government is a sin. Rahul Gandhi, you carry a copy of the Constitution and preach sermons. You claim your politics is about Mohabbat Ki Dukaan. You talk about free speech. But your government in Telangana is acting in exactly the opposite manner. Telangana police broke open the doors and barged into the home of our party leader Krishank, arrested him over a mere social media post criticising the government. Krishanks daughter was left crying inconsolably as police personnel created chaos, Rama Rao said in a post on X. Despite clear orders from the Honble Supreme Court and High Court against making arrests over social media posts, your Revanth government in Telangana is murdering democracy and flouting all democratic principles. Is questioning the Congress government a sin? Is criticising the ruling dispensation a crime? Is this the way to arrest an opposition party leader by terrifying his family members? Telangana is demanding answers, Mr Rahul Gandhi, he added.

Farmers walkout from grievance redress meeting demanding complete waiver of crop loans

Best Apple Watch 2026: Series 12 vs Ultra 4 vs SE 3

Macworld Choosing the right Apple Watch depends on your budget, lifestyle and which features matter most to you. As of September 2026, Apples lineup consists of the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch SE 3, although the various combinations of case size, material, color and band can make choosing one seem like a bit of a minefield. The Apple Watch Series 12 is the best choice for most people, combining a tougher display and more advanced heart-rate sensing with an S11 chip and 24-hour battery life. The larger and more rugged Apple Watch Ultra 4 is designed for endurance sports and outdoor adventures, offering precision GPS, diving features and up to 50 hours of battery life. The Apple Watch SE 3 remains the best-value option for buyers who want the core Apple Watch experience and can live without features such as ECG and the latest health sensors. Apple updated the Series and Ultra models in September 2026, but the SE was unchanged. However, the SE 3 only arrived in 2025 and includes significant improvements over its predecessor, including an always-on display, temperature sensing and the same S10 chip found in the Series 11. You may also find older models at a discount, but check that the saving is worthwhile and bear in mind that watchOS 27 no longer supports every older Apple Watch. See our roundup of the best Apple Watch deals for the latest prices. In this guide, well explain the differences between the current models and help you decide whether you need to spend more on the Series 12 or Ultra 4 or whether the SE 3 offers everything you need. Well compare their features, specifications and prices, as well as explain the choices of sizes, case materials, colors and bands, so you can buy the Apple Watch that best suits your needs. Best Apple Watch: At a glance recommendations Buy the Apple Watch Ultra 4 if Buy the Apple Watch Series 12 if Buy the Apple Watch SE 3 if Charging You regularly spend 2+ days away from a charger. You charge your watch daily without issue. You dont mind charging your watch daily. Activity You are a runner, hiker, cyclist, or diver. You are a general fitness user or casual athlete. You want everyday fitness and activity tracking. Display You need the brightest display (3,000 nits) for outdoor visibility. You prefer a lighter, less bulky watch. You want an always-on display at the lowest price. Health & Safety You want satellite communication for safety. You want the best value for the core health features. You dont need ECG or advanced health sensing. Need You need the toughest, most durable build (titanium, sapphire crystal). You want a choice of sizes (42mm or 46mm) and materials (aluminum, ceramic). You want an affordable watch for a child or older relative. Apple Watch Series 12 Best Apple Watch for most people Pros Advanced heart-rate sensing Tougher Ceramic Shield display Powerful Audio Intelligence features Cons Battery life same as previous generation No satellite connectivity Price When Reviewed: $399 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $389.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide The Apple Watch Series 12 is Apples mainstream premium smartwatch and the best choice for most people. Its S11 chip powers a redesigned heart-rate sensor system that measures your heart rate every five seconds throughout the day. It also enables Audio Intelligence features including Sound Recognition, Live Rewind and Siri Recap. The design remains familiar, but Apple has introduced new finishes: Light Gold and Dark Bronze replace Silver and Rose Gold on aluminum models, while Radiant Gold replaces Gold on titanium versions. Ceramic cases also return in Night Blue and Pearl White. Prices still start at $399, although some configurations cost more than their Series 11 equivalents. Key advantages and limitations Aluminum models now use Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims is 60 percent more durable than the Ion-X glass used on the aluminum Series 11. Battery life remains at 24 hours, but outdoor workout tracking increases to 10 hours and the watch can charge to 80 percent in around 30 minutes. Live Rewind can display a transcript of the previous 15 seconds of a conversation when you double-press the Digital Crown. However, assigning that gesture to Live Rewind means the traditional App Switcher is no longer available, making multitasking less convenient. The Series 12 also lacks the Ultra 4s satellite connectivity, 50-hour battery life and brighter, more rugged display. Who should buy the Apple Watch Series 12? The Series 12 is the best option for anyone who wants Apples latest health and smart features without the size or price of the Ultra 4. Its advanced heart-rate sensing, Readiness score, tougher display and relatively compact design make it particularly attractive to health-conscious users and anyone upgrading from a Series 9 or older. Who shouldnt buy one? Series 10 and 11 owners probably wont gain enough to justify upgrading, especially because the quoted 24-hour battery life is unchanged. Outdoor adventurers who need satellite connectivity, extended workout tracking or maximum battery life should consider the Ultra 4 instead. Should I buy an older version of the Apple Watch Series? A discounted Series 10 or 11 could offer better value if you dont need the new health sensing or Audio Intelligence features. The Series 9 is also still compatible with watchOS 27. Avoid the Series 8 and older models unless they are exceptionally cheap, because they cannot run watchOS 27 and will miss out on future feature updates. Apple Watch Ultra 4 Best Apple Watch for adventurers and endurance athletes Pros Exceptional 50-hour battery Advanced outdoor capabilities More frequent health measurements Cons Large and heavy Expensive for everyday users Price When Reviewed: $799 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $799 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is Apples most rugged and capable smartwatch, designed for endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers. It retains the Ultra 3s 49mm titanium case, 3,000-nit display, Action button, dual-frequency GPS, satellite connectivity, 100-meter water resistance and recreational diving support. Inside, the new S11 processor powers the redesigned heart-rate sensing system also found in the Series 12. It measures heart rate every five seconds throughout the day and enables Audio Intelligence features including Sound Recognition, Live Rewind and Siri Recap. Key advantages and limitations Battery life is the Ultra 4s biggest improvement, increasing from 42 to 50 hours under normal use. Extended Workout mode provides up to 25 hours with full GPS and heart-rate measurements, while Max Extended Workout mode can track outdoor runs and walks for up to 45 hours. Charging is faster too, with a 15-minute charge providing up to 18 hours of use. Satellite connectivity, precision dual-frequency GPS, diving support and the bright display make it particularly well suited to demanding environments. However, its 49mm case is large and heavy, while charging to 80 percent takes around 45 minutes, compared with approximately 30 minutes for the Series 12. The external design is also largely unchanged. Pricing remains at $799, twice the Series 12s starting price. Who should buy the Apple Watch Ultra 4? Choose the Ultra 4 if you need the longest Apple Watch battery life, highly accurate GPS, satellite connectivity, diving support or extended workout tracking. It is particularly suited to runners, hikers, cyclists, divers and anyone who regularly spends more than a day away from a charger. Its extended battery life could also appeal to travelers and people working long shifts, even if they dont participate in extreme sports. Who shouldnt buy one? Most people will be better served by the smaller and less expensive Series 12. It provides the same S11 processor, redesigned heart-rate sensing and principal Audio Intelligence features without the Ultras bulk or $799 price. If you dont need satellite communication, precision GPS, diving support or exceptionally long workout tracking, you are unlikely to benefit from the additional expense. Should I buy an older Apple Watch Ultra? The Ultra 3 remains a strong alternative if substantially discounted, although its battery lasts up to 42 rather than 50 hours. The Ultra 2 is the oldest model compatible with watchOS 27 and may also be worth considering at the right price, but it lacks some newer connectivity and battery improvements. Avoid the original Ultra unless it is exceptionally inexpensive, because it cannot run watchOS 27. Apple Watch SE 3 Best budget Apple Watch Pros Excellent value for money Useful always-on display Fast, capable S10 chip Cons Missing advanced health sensors Shorter 18-hour battery life Price When Reviewed: $249 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $249 View Deal $249 View Deal $249.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide The Apple Watch SE 3 is Apples most affordable smartwatch and the best-value model in the current lineup. Introduced in September 2025, it brought substantial improvements over the SE 2, including an always-on display, the S10 processor used by the Series 11, temperature sensing, fast charging and 64GB of storage. It also supports Double Tap and Wrist Flick gestures, on-device Siri and media playback through its speaker. The aluminum case comes in Midnight or Starlight, but there is no longer a Silver option. Prices start at $249/219, although it can fall as low as $199 during sales. Key advantages and limitations The SE 3 provides the essential Apple Watch experience, including fitness and sleep tracking, Sleep Score, heart-rate alerts, temperature-based cycle tracking, Fall Detection and Crash Detection. Its Ion-X display glass is four times more crack-resistant than that of the SE 2, while cellular versions add 5G connectivity. Battery life remains limited to 18 hours, although Low Power Mode extends this to 32 hours. Fast charging reaches approximately 80 percent in 45 minutes, and a 15-minute charge provides around eight hours of use. The SE 3 lacks ECG, Blood Oxygen monitoring, hypertension notifications and the redesigned Health Sensing System found on the Series 12. Its 1,000-nit display, thicker bezels and limited material choices also make it feel less premium. Who should buy the Apple Watch SE 3? The SE 3 is ideal for first-time Apple Watch buyers and anyone who wants fitness tracking, notifications and safety features without paying for advanced health sensors. It is also a strong option for children when using the cellular model with Family Setup, and for older users who could benefit from Fall Detection, Emergency SOS and heart-rate monitoring. Who shouldnt buy one? Choose the Series 12 instead if you want ECG, Blood Oxygen monitoring, hypertension notifications, more advanced heart-rate sensing or a brighter, more premium display. Buyers who need multi-day battery life, satellite connectivity or specialist outdoor features should consider the Ultra 4. Should I buy an older Apple Watch SE? No. The SE 2 cannot run watchOS 27 and lacks the SE 3s always-on display, temperature sensing, faster charging, newer gestures and additional storage. Even at a substantial discount, its reduced software lifespan makes it difficult to recommend in 2026. Read our full Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm) review watchOS 27 features: Whats new and what requires Series 12 or Ultra 4 Apple released a new version of the software that runs on the Apple Watch watchOS 27 on September 14, 2026, but not every new feature is available on every supported watch. Some improvements are software-led and work across compatible models, while others depend on the S11 chip and redesigned sensors in the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. The hardware-dependent health features unique to the 2026 Watches include background heart-rate measurements every five seconds and HRV (heart rate variability) measurements every five minutes . The Series 12 and Ultra 4 also gain the Readiness app , which analyzes recent activity, training load, sleep and health data to produce a daily recovery score. Other exclusives include daytime resting heart-rate and HRV data in Vitals, a real-time chart in the Heart Rate app, more accurate all-day step counting and a Steps complication that updates on the watch face. The S11 chip also enables Apples Audio Intelligence features . Automatic Music Recognition uses Shazam to identify nearby songs and display them in the Smart Stack, while Sound Recognition can detect doorbells, alarms, sirens and crying babies without relying on the iPhone. Live Rewind displays a transcript of the previous 15 seconds of conversation after a double-press of the Digital Crown; it does not save an audio recording. Siri Recap produces high-level summaries of conversations. Live Rewind and Siri Recap are expected to arrive in beta later in 2026 and require a compatible Apple Intelligence iPhone and Siri AI. Other watchOS 27 features are more widely available. These include the Dynamic App Grid , redesigned Find My app , menopause and perimenopause tracking, Call Context and Workout Buddy improvements. Apple has also introduced the Longevity section and Health Age . Compatibility is considerably more restricted than it was with watchOS 26. Series 9 and Ultra 2 are now the oldest supported models, while the SE 3 is the only compatible SE. The Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE 2 and original Ultra cannot install watchOS 27. Anyone considering a discounted older Apple Watch should therefore choose a Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2 or Ultra 3 if receiving current feature updates is important. See: These Apple Watches are now obsolete. Apple Watch comparison chart: Apple Watches specs compared Apple Watch SE 3 Apple Watch Series 12 Apple Watch Ultra 4 Price from $249/219 $399/369 $799/749 Screen size 40mm or 44mm 42mm or 46mm 49mm Display Always-on, up to 1,000 nits Always-on LTPO3, up to 2,000 nits Always-on LTPO3, up to 3,000 nits Weight from 40mm: 26.3g; 44mm: 32.9g 42mm: 32.2g; 46mm: 39.5g 63g Materials Aluminum Aluminum, titanium or ceramic Grade 5 titanium Colors Midnight, Starlight Aluminum: Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, Space Gray; Titanium: Radiant Gold, Natural; Ceramic: Pearl White, Night Blue Natural, Black Processor S10 S11 S11 Battery life Up to 18 hours; 32 hours in Low Power Mode; 080% in about 45 minutes Up to 24 hours; 38 hours in Low Power Mode; 080% in about 30 minutes Up to 50 hours; 84 hours in Low Power Mode; 080% in about 45 minutes Extra features Double Tap and Wrist Flick; on-device Siri; speaker media playback; 64GB storage Single Tap, Double Tap and Wrist Flick; Siri AI; Audio Intelligence; Readiness; Precision Finding; depth gauge; water-temperature sensor; media playback Series 12 features plus Action button, precision dual-frequency GPS, satellite communication, Siren, dual speakers, three-microphone array and extended workout modes Health features Heart-rate monitoring; high, low and irregular rhythm notifications; temperature sensing; Cycle Tracking with ovulation estimates; sleep stages; Sleep Score; sleep apnea notifications Health Sensing System; high-frequency heart-rate and HRV tracking; ECG; Blood Oxygen; hypertension notifications; Readiness; daytime Vitals; advanced Cycle Tracking; Sleep Score; sleep apnea notifications Same advanced health features as Series 12 Safety features Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, Fall Detection and Crash Detection Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Check In and Backtrack Series 12 safety features plus Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite, and Siren Water features Water resistant to 50 meters; suitable for swimming Water resistant to 50 meters; depth gauge to 6 meters; water-temperature sensor; suitable for swimming and snorkeling Water resistant to 100 meters; depth gauge and recreational diving to 40 meters; water-temperature sensor; suitable for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and high-speed water sports Connectivity Precision L1 GPS; optional 5G/LTE cellular Precision L1 GPS; optional 5G/LTE cellular; second-generation Ultra Wideband Precision dual-frequency GPS; 5G/LTE cellular; second-generation Ultra Wideband; satellite connectivity Which size Apple Watch should you choose? Choosing the right Apple Watch size depends on your wrist, how much display space you want and which model you prefer. Apples current lineup ranges from the compact 40mm Apple Watch SE 3 to the rugged 49mm Ultra 4. Model Available sizes Case dimensions Best for Apple Watch SE 3 40mm or 44mm 40mm: 40 34 10.7mm; 44mm: 44 38 10.7mm Smaller wrists, lighter watches and budget-conscious buyers. The 40mm version is the smallest current Apple Watch. Apple Watch Series 12 42mm or 46mm 42mm: 42 37 9.7mm; 46mm: 46 40 9.7mm The best balance of display size and wearability for most people. Apple Watch Ultra 4 49mm 49 44 12mm Athletes and adventurers who want the largest display, most durable construction and longest battery life. The Series 12 ceramic cases are slightly larger: approximately 43mm and 47mm rather than 42mm and 46mm. Apple Watch Series 12 (46mm) Price When Reviewed: $549 Best Prices Today: $549 at Amazon Foundry Consider your wrist size and comfort The watch should feel secure without dominating your wrist or restricting movement. The 40mm SE 3 is the best option for particularly small wrists, while the 42mm Series 12 provides a larger display in a case that remains manageable for most people. If possible, try both sizes in an Apple Store before buying. Consider display size and readability A larger screen makes text, notifications and onscreen controls easier to see and use. The 49mm Ultra 4 has the largest display, but its 63g titanium case is substantially heavier than the aluminum Series 12 or SE 3. The 46mm Series 12 offers a spacious display without the Ultras additional bulk. Consider whether you need the Ultra Dont choose the Ultra 4 solely because it has the largest screen. Its size makes most sense if you also need its rugged titanium construction, satellite connectivity, precision dual-frequency GPS, diving support or 50-hour battery life. For everyday use, the Series 12 will generally be more comfortable. Check band compatibility Apple Watch bands arent universally interchangeable. Bands designed for smaller cases generally fit the 38mm, 40mm, 41mm and newer 42mm watches, while larger bands work with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm and 49mm models. However, the older 42mm case belongs to the larger band family, so check the compatibility information before reusing or ordering a band. Aluminum, titanium or ceramic: Which Apple Watch material is best? Foundry Another consideration when buying an Apple Watch is its case material, which affects its durability, weight, appearance and price. Apple currently offers aluminum, titanium and ceramic cases, although the available materials depend on the model. Aluminum: Best for most people Aluminum is the lightest and most affordable choice. It is the only material available for the Apple Watch SE 3 and the entry-level option for the Series 12, helping to keep their starting prices at $249 and $399 respectively. It is a good choice for everyday wear, fitness and sleep tracking because it feels lighter on the wrist than the premium alternatives. The SE 3 uses Ion-X display glass, which Apple says is four times more crack-resistant than that of the SE 2. The aluminum Series 12 has the tougher Ceramic Shield 2 display, which Apple claims is 60 percent more durable than the Ion-X glass used by the aluminum Series 11. Titanium: Best for premium durability Titanium is available with the Series 12 and is the only case material offered with the Ultra 4. It provides a more premium finish and is paired with highly scratch-resistant sapphire crystal rather than the glass used on aluminum models. The Series 12 titanium case is available in Natural or Radiant Gold. It is a good option for anyone who wants a more luxurious and durable everyday watch without moving up to the much larger Ultra. The Ultra 4 uses a rugged Grade 5 titanium case in Natural or Black. It is designed for outdoor adventures, endurance sports and diving, with a 49mm case, 100-meter water resistance and recreational diving support. However, its size and 63g weight make it less comfortable for smaller wrists and sleep tracking. Ceramic: Best for distinctive styling Ceramic returns as a premium Series 12 option in Pearl White and Night Blue. It has a glossy, distinctive finish and uses a sapphire crystal display, but it is heavier and considerably more expensive than the aluminum version. The ceramic cases are also slightly larger than the other Series 12 configurations. Which material is best for Apple Watch? For most buyers, aluminum offers the best balance of price, durability and comfort. Choose titanium if you want a more premium finish, sapphire crystal or the Ultra 4s specialized outdoor capabilities. Ceramic is primarily a style-led luxury choice for buyers who want the most distinctive Series 12 and are prepared to pay more for it. Which Apple Watch strap should you choose? Eugen Wegmann The right Apple Watch strap depends on how you intend to use your watch. Apple offers options for everyday wear, sleep tracking, exercise, water sports and formal occasions, while third-party manufacturers provide an even wider range of styles and prices. Strap Best for Key characteristics Sport Band Everyday wear, workouts and swimming Durable rubber with a secure pin-and-tuck closure. Water and sweat resistant, but less breathable than fabric. Sport Loop Sleep tracking and all-day comfort Soft, lightweight and breathable nylon with an adjustable hook-and-loop fastener. Nike Sport Band Running and intense workouts Similar to the Sport Band but perforated for improved ventilation. Nike Sport Loop Running and everyday wear A breathable fabric alternative to the Nike Sport Band. Solo Loop Everyday wear and sleep Stretchable silicone with no clasp or buckle. Comfortable, but choosing the correct size is essential. Braided Solo Loop Comfort with a smarter finish A stretchable woven band that feels more premium than the standard Solo Loop. Alpine Loop Hiking and outdoor adventures Durable double-layer textile with a secure titanium G-hook. Designed for the Apple Watch Ultra. Trail Loop Running, hiking and all-day wear Apples lightest Ultra strap, with a pull tab for quick adjustments. Ocean Band Swimming, diving and water sports Water-resistant elastomer with a corrosion-resistant titanium buckle. Milanese Loop Work and formal occasions Metal mesh with a magnetic closure, offering a smart appearance and precise adjustment. Link Bracelet Formal and premium wear Apples premium metal bracelet, with removable links for adjusting the fit. Modern Buckle or Magnetic Link Smart everyday wear More formal alternatives to the sport-focused straps, available for selected case sizes. Herms straps Luxury and fashion Premium woven, rubber and metal designs made in collaboration with Herms. For most people, the Sport Loop is the best all-round choice because it is light, breathable and easy to adjust. Its softness also makes it particularly comfortable for sleep tracking. For workouts and swimming, choose a Sport Band or Nike Sport Band . The perforated Nike version provides better ventilation during intense exercise. Divers and regular swimmers should consider the Ocean Band , while runners and hikers may prefer the lighter Trail Loop or more rugged Alpine Loop . For work or formal occasions, the Milanese Loop , Link Bracelet , Modern Buckle and Magnetic Link provide a smarter appearance. Apples Herms collection offers the most luxuriousand most expensiveoptions. Before buying, check that the strap supports your Apple Watch case size and wrist measurement. Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop straps require particularly careful sizing because they cannot be adjusted with a clasp. Third-party straps can offer excellent value, but quality, fit and fastening security vary considerably. Do I need a cellular Apple Watch? Whether you need a cellular Apple Watch depends mainly on how often you plan to leave your iPhone behind. For most buyers, the answer is no: a GPS-only Apple Watch offers better value and can already do a great deal without an active connection to an iPhone. Away from your iPhone, a GPS Apple Watch can still track workouts, monitor health, record location data, use Apple Pay and play music or podcasts downloaded to the watch. When connected to a known Wi-Fi network, it can also send and receive messages, make calls and use many online services. See our guide to Everything an Apple Watch can do without an iPhone . Cellular becomes useful when you regularly leave your iPhone at home but still want calls, messages, music streaming, navigation and notifications. This makes it particularly valuable for runners, cyclists, swimmers and gym users who dont want to carry a phone. It can also provide reassurance when you are walking alone or exercising away from Wi-Fi, because the watch can contact emergency services after a fall or crash using its own mobile connection. A cellular model is also the right choice when setting up an Apple Watch for a child or older relative who doesnt have an iPhone. Apple Watch For Your Kids, previously called Family Setup, allows a family members watch to be configured from another persons iPhone. A cellular plan enables calls, messages and location sharing when the watch is away from the managing iPhone. The drawbacks are cost and redundancy. A cellular Series or SE generally costs more than its GPS equivalent, and you must also pay your network provider a monthly fee. If your iPhone is nearly always in your pocket or bag, the watch will normally use its connection instead, leaving you paying for cellular service that you rarely need. See: I switched to a cellular Apple Watch to prove I didnt need one . Our recommendation : The Ultra 4 includes cellular as standard, so there is no GPS-only version. For the Series 12 and SE 3 , choose cellular only if you expect to leave your iPhone behind regularly or need Family Setup. Otherwise, save your money and buy the GPS model. For a more detailed comparison, see The pros and cons of a cellular Apple Watch . Can you use an Apple Watch without an iPhone? Yes, but with important caveats. An Apple Watch can do a surprising amount without an iPhone nearby, but an iPhone is required for the initial setup and to manage some settings. You cannot set up an Apple Watch using a Mac, iPad or Android phone. The exception is Apple Watch For Your Kids, previously called Family Setup. This allows a parent or guardian to use their iPhone to configure a cellular Apple Watch for a child or another family member who doesnt have an iPhone of their own. Once it has been set up, an Apple Watch can perform many tasks without its paired iPhone nearby and some dont require an internet connection at all. These include: Tracking workouts and activity: Record runs, walks and other exercises, close Activity rings and collect GPS data. The results sync with the iPhone when it reconnects. Monitoring health: Measure heart rate, track sleep, log medications and use other health features supported by the particular watch. Playing downloaded media: Listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks stored on the watch using Bluetooth headphones. Using Apple Pay: Make contactless payments without an iPhone or internet connection once Apple Pay has been configured. Using offline tools: Set alarms and timers, use the stopwatch and compass, and view photos that have been synced to the watch. Other features require either Wi-Fi or a cellular connection when the iPhone isnt nearby. With an internet connection, the watch can make and receive calls, send messages, check email, stream music and podcasts, use Maps and access online apps and services. Fall Detection and Crash Detection can still recognize an incident without the iPhone, but the watch requires Wi-Fi or its own cellular connection to contact emergency services. This is an important consideration if you are buying an Apple Watch for an older relative or someone who may regularly be away from their phone. An Apple Watch therefore cannot completely replace an iPhone, but it doesnt need to remain beside it throughout the day. For a complete breakdown, read all the things an Apple Watch can do without an iPhone . How we choose the best Apple Watch Macworlds Apple Watch recommendations draw on more than a decade of hands-on experience. Our writers have tested and reviewed every generation since the original Apple Watch, comparing each new model with both its current rivals and previous generations before deciding whether it deserves a recommendation. Our assessment focuses on the factors that make a meaningful difference in everyday use: Real-world testing: We assess comfort, build quality, display visibility, performance, battery life, charging, health sensors, fitness tracking and software features. We also consider how well the watch performs during everyday activities, workouts and sleep trackingnot simply how its specifications compare on paper. Value and upgrade potential: A newer or more expensive Apple Watch is not automatically the best choice. We consider whether its improvements justify the price, whether owners of recent models would benefit from upgrading and whether a discounted previous-generation watch offers better value. Honest recommendations: We clearly identify compromises such as limited battery life, missing health sensors, a bulky design or features that most people are unlikely to use. We dont recommend a product simply because it has the most impressive specifications. Advice for different buyers: There is no single Apple Watch that suits everyone. We recommend the Series 12 for most buyers, the SE 3 for those seeking the best value, and the Ultra 4 for endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers who need its longer battery life, rugged construction and specialist capabilities. Our final recommendations therefore combine extensive testing, expert judgment, price analysis and practical buying advice. The aim is not merely to identify the Apple Watch with the longest feature list, but to help you find the model that provides the right balance of features, comfort and value for the way you will actually use it. FAQ 1. Is now a good time to buy an Apple Watch Yes. Now is a great time to buy an Apple Watch because the brand-new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 went on sale on September 18, 2026 and none of the line up is likely to be updated until September 2027. See: Should I buy an Apple Watch now or wait? 2. What is the difference between the Series 12 and SE 3? The Apple Watch Series 12 offers a brighter, tougher display, premium aluminum, titanium and ceramic cases, and the newer S11 chip. It also includes advanced health features such as ECG, Blood Oxygen monitoring, high-frequency heart-rate sensing and the Readiness app, plus exclusive Audio Intelligence features. Battery life is rated at 24 hours. The $249/219 SE 3 uses the S10 chip, lasts 18 hours and provides essential fitness, sleep and safety features, but lacks the Series 12s advanced sensors and premium materials. 3. Can you swim while wearing an Apple Watch? Yes, you can swim while wearing an Apple Watch, but the level of water resistance varies significantly depending on the model. The Apple Watch Ultra models are the most water-capable in the lineup. They are water-resistant to 100 meters and are suitable for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving (up to 40 meters), and high-speed water sports. The Ultra models also include a depth gauge (up to 40 meters) and a water temperature sensor, making them a genuine companion for divers and endurance swimmers. The standard Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10 are water-resistant to 50 meters and are described as swimproof. They are perfectly safe for swimming in a pool or the ocean, as well as for snorkeling and casual diving down to about 6 meters. The Apple Watch SE 3 is also water-resistant to 50 meters and is considered swimproof. To prepare your Watch before swimming by swiping up to open Control Center and tapping the water drop icon to enable Water Lock mode to prevent accidental screen taps. After your swim, turn the Digital Crown to eject any water from the speaker.

SCR Pensioners Stage Protest At Rail Nilayam Demanding 8th Pay Panel Revision

The pensioners also demand scrapping of the validation Bill: Reports

More than 70 detained after police lathi-charge protesters demanding action for double murder in Kalaiyarkovil

ABVP Protests Alleging Election Fraud by NSUI During DUSU Elections

The ABVP staged a protest against NSUI, claiming election fraud during the DUSU elections, demanding accountability for alleged irregularities. ABVP Protests Alleging Election Fraud by NSUI During DUSU Elections

Delhi DTC Strike: Drivers Allege Threats, Inducements As Authorities Push Buses Back On Roads

Contractual drivers demanding 2,000 daily wages allege pressure tactics as authorities work to restore disrupted bus services across Delhi.

BJP protests in Shikaripura; accuses Karnataka government of neglecting farmers

Digital Desk | Shivamogga (Karnataka), Sep 18 (IANS) The BJP staged a protest in Shikaripura town in Shivamogga district against what it alleged were the Karnataka governments anti-farmer policies. BJP State President, B.Y. Vijayendra, accused the government of failing to understand and address the problems faced by farmers in the state. Addressing the protest, Vijayendra claimed the agitation was aimed at warning the government about the hardships faced by farmers and demanding that it take steps to resolve their problems. Referring to the problems faced by farmers living along forest fringes in the context of the Gadgil and Kasturirangan committee reports, Vijayendra said it could not be accepted that these committees were constituted only on the basis of orders from the High Court or Supreme Court of any state. He said the Gadgil and Kasturirangan committees were constituted during the tenure of the previous Congress-led UPA government. As a result of the impact of these reports, farmers living in forest-fringe areas are now forced to come onto the streets and protest, he alleged. Mr. Madhu Bangarappa (Minister for Education and Literacy), if you want to launch a protest, you must first understand your responsibility as a minister of the state government, Vijayendra said. Vijayendra alleged that the government had failed to seriously address irrigation problems faced by farmers in Shikaripura and surrounding areas. The Chief Minister does not even have the time to understand the problems of farmers. The government, which should respond to their hardships and find solutions, is ignoring their problems, Vijayendra alleged. He also questioned the governments achievements in addressing the basic needs of poor and vulnerable sections of society. Referring to the period since the Congress came to power, Vijayendra said the government had spoken extensively about its guarantee schemes but questioned what it had achieved in providing basic assistance to poor people. In the last three-and-a-half years, the government has not been able to provide a house to a single poor person. It has not been able to provide a single Ganga Kalyana scheme. The government is also not coming forward to provide pensions to eligible persons with disabilities, Vijayendra alleged. He criticised the government for allegedly focusing on political announcements instead of addressing the real problems faced by people. Vijayendra praised the discipline and fighting spirit displayed by BJP workers and farmers at the protest. For the last three-and-a-half hours, not a single worker has got up from their chair. This is the quality of the soil of Shikaripura; this is the spirit of struggle, he said. He said the people of Shikaripura and BJP workers had the strength to continue fighting for farmers and the common people. It can be noted that Vijayendra represents Shikaripura Assembly segment. Earlier, the constituency was represented by his father, former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Vijayendra expressed confidence that a BJP-led NDA government would come to power in Karnataka in the future. He recalled the development undertaken in Shikaripura during the tenure of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and said the people had witnessed that period of development. Nobody can stop us from bringing back good days when development works will once again be carried out in Shivamogga district and Shikaripura in the same manner, he said.

'No good can come from digging past': Ex-Babri Masjid litigant on Swara Bhaskar's Ram Janmabhoomi remark

Digital Desk | Ayodhya, Sep 18 (IANS) Reacting to actress Swara Bhaskar's controversial statement on the Ram temple case verdict, former Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi litigant Iqbal Ansari said on Friday that the court judgment on the Ram temple was announced by the Supreme Court, and people across the country respected the decision given by the apex court. He also added that there were no communal disharmony anywhere in the country following the verdict. Ansari said, The Ram Temple verdict was a court decision, and people across the country respected it. Not even a leaf was disturbed anywhere in the country. He added that digging the past can do no good to the country. Speaking to IANS, Ansari said that speaking on the matter should be avoided because the court judgment has already come. If anyone says anything regarding the Ram Temple verdict, it should be avoided, because people across the country had respected the decision of the court, he added. The decision has come, Ram Mandir has been built, prayers and rituals have been completed, people flock to the temple with complete devotion. Swara Bhaskar should avoid speaking on the matter, because all the people of the country have accepted the verdict respectfully, Ansari said. The former Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi litigant said, When all the people are coming and worshipping the deity, when there is no bias or discrimination Raising an issue of the past can bring no good, because we are residents of Ayodhya. We want Hindus and Muslims of the region to live in peace together with communal harmony. Lord Ram was born there. Hindus should be able to worship the deity. According to reports, actor Swara Bhaskar courted controversy after she said in a recent interview that the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi gave her a lot of pain and that she was really upset about it because she felt it was very unfair. Adding that she personally texted all the Muslim people in her contact list and sought their forgiveness. She added that she even messaged major stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. She went on to say in the interview that she felt ashamed and that she did not agree to the Supreme Court's verdict.

Foreigners Tribunal Member Arrested for Extortion in Assam

A member of the Foreigners Tribunal in Assams Udalguri has been arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe for bail facilitation. Foreigners Tribunal Member Arrested for Extortion in Assam

White Knight Corps commander reviews ongoing counter-terrorism operations in J-Ks Udhampur

Jammu, Sep 18: General Officer Commanding (GOC) White Knight Corps Lieutenant General P K Mishra on Friday reviewed the ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Brattal area of Udhampur district, officials said. They said the Army commander visited the general area of Brattal, Udhampur and reviewed the evolving security environment, operational dynamics and measures to sustain relentless operational tempo, ensuring a swift, coordinated and decisive response to emerging threats. During his visit, the GOC commended the successful neutralisation of two terrorists, and lauded the troops of White Knight Corps for their resolute action, high morale and unwavering commitment. He was accompanied by GOC Delta Force. The visit comes a day after two Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad militants were killed and an alleged over-ground worker was detained in a remote high-altitude area of Udhampur district. The joint operation was launched by the Army, Police and CRPF in the dense Brattal Sohan and Khubban forests of Majalta bordering Kathua district.

Assam: Foreigners tribunal member arrested for extortion

Digital Desk | Guwahati, Sep 18 (IANS) A member of a Foreigners Tribunal in Assams Udalguri district has been arrested for allegedly demanding Rs 15,000 from a person in connection with granting bail in a case, police said on Friday. The accused, identified as Bhupen Chandra Pegu, was arrested following an investigation into a complaint lodged at Mazbat Police Station in the district. According to a police statement, an FIR was registered on August 29 after a complaint alleged that Pegu had sought Rs 15,000 in connection with bail proceedings before the Foreigners Tribunal. Police have booked the accused under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with extortion. Authorities have not disclosed the identity of the complainant or provided details about the tribunal case in which the alleged demand was made. The arrest follows an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct involving an official associated with the quasi-judicial system that deals with citizenship-related proceedings in Assam. Foreigners Tribunals were established to examine cases involving individuals suspected of being foreigners under the applicable legal framework. These bodies determine whether a person referred to them is an Indian citizen or a foreigner, based on evidence and legal provisions governing the proceedings. The alleged demand for money in connection with bail has raised concerns about the integrity of proceedings involving individuals whose citizenship status is under scrutiny. However, the allegations against Pegu remain subject to investigation and legal proceedings. Police have not released further information regarding the evidence collected during the investigation or whether additional individuals are being questioned in connection with the case. The case comes amid continued scrutiny of administrative and legal processes related to citizenship determination in Assam, where Foreigners Tribunals play a significant role in adjudicating disputes. Further details regarding the investigation and court proceedings are awaited.

Tiger Suspected in Two Deaths Captured After 28-Day Search in Nilgiris

There were widespread public protests demanding action after a tiger killed two people in the O'Valley Lauriston area in August

Uri National Highway to Remain Closed on September 20

SRINAGAR: The Uri National Highway will remain temporarily closed to vehicular traffic on 20 September 2026 to facilitate hill-cutting work, according to an order issued by the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Uri. The permission for the closure was granted following a request from the Officer Commanding, 53 RCC (GREF), the order stated. The SDM has advised []

Had decided to leave politics after 2024 elections, says Shehzad Poonawalla on BJP exit

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Political analyst and former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday shed light his decision to resign from the party, saying that he had been considering a transition to the private sector after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Poonawalla said he had always intended to return to the private sector after the 2024 elections, but decided to continue working with the BJP for some more time due to the political situation following the polls. Speaking to IANS, Poonawalla said: After the 2024 elections, it was in my mind to transition to the private sector. The reason behind this was that when I joined politics in 2021 and became the national spokesperson of the BJP, I had previously been in the media. Before that, I drew a regular salary. I only knew media work and articulation. But when I joined politics and dedicated myself to it 24/7, I calculated how much savings I had and how many years I would be able to sustain working like this. When I realised that remaining active in a political party would only be feasible until the end of 2024, I had already made up my mind, he said. He further said that he wanted to re-enter the private sector. If you look at my earlier videos and statements, my intention had always been to leave politics after the 2024 elections and re-enter the private sector from where I had come, Poonawalla added. However, he said the BJPs tally of 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the political developments that followed made him reconsider his decision. Given the post-2024 election situation, where the tally stood at 240, I felt that leaving at that critical juncture would not be right. There were also crucial state elections approaching, and I wanted to contribute as much as I could. Finally, after the Bengal elections, I decided that the time had come to step into the private sector, he said. Poonawalla also said that his objective in politics had never been to seek an elected position. Secondly, my goal has never been to become an MP or an MLA. I do not work for positions; I work for a mission and a vision. Even today, I continue to work for the mission and vision of the BJP. I do not chase titles or posts; I believe in building stature, he said. On the row over the Umar Khalid documentary, Poonawalla criticised those who, according to him, portray Khalid as a hero while questioning the credentials of other prominent Indians. They never see a hero or a Nelson Mandela in Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, nor in Ustad Bismillah Khan. They only see one in Umar Khalid. And those shedding tears for Umar Khalid -- when the court gave a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya, they still label her a terrorist simply because she wears saffron. Yet someone whom the courts refuse to release is still portrayed by them as a martyr and innocent, he said. He quipped that the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, can become PM, but of Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi can become Prime Minister but perhaps of Pakistan. If he prefers, of Italy, or whichever country he frequently visits, like Bangkok -- if he wishes to take citizenship there, he could become Prime Minister there, since he spends most of his time abroad anyway. In India, he only visits briefly between his vacations. He could certainly become Prime Minister of those countries, but here, in 2029, Narendra Modi will be re-elected Prime Minister with an even bigger margin. In 2034, if he decides to contest, he will become Prime Minister in 2034 as well. In 2027, Yogi Adityanath will return with an even greater margin than the BJP received in 2017, he claimed. On actor Swara Bhaskers remarks regarding the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict, Poonawalla criticised her views and said the Supreme Court verdict should be respected. Swara Bhasker, please stop now! Because this anti-Hindu stance, anti-national rhetoric and constant belittling of Hindus must end. The verdict on the Ram Mandir came through the Supreme Court -- and these people claim to champion saving the Constitution. Do Rahul Gandhi and Swara Bhasker believe that the wisdom of the Supreme Court was flawed? he said. Recently, Swara Bhasker has revealed that when the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict was announced, she reached out to superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan to express her solidarity. She said she felt ashamed and, as such, reached out to all the Muslims she knew to tell them that she didnt agree with the verdict.

Asian Games: Indian men's soft tennis team bows out in QFs

Digital Desk | Nagoya, Sep 18 (IANS) Indian mens soft tennis team, comprising Jay Meena, Yogesh Choudhary, Aryan Thakur, Aniket Patel and Om Yadav, concluded its Asian Games 2026 campaign with a 02 defeat against Indonesia in the quarterfinals. Jay and Yogesh lost the first men's doubles tie to Tio Hutauruk and Fernendo Sanger 25, before Aryan Thakur lost to Bagus Pradewa 34. With this loss, Indias mens team campaign come to an end at the Asian Games 2026. However, the competition continues for the Indian athletes, with Jay and Aryan set to compete in the mens Singles on September 22. Jay will also feature in the Mixed Doubles on September 21. Indian Men began their campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Laos before suffering a 0-3 defeat to group toppers Chinese Taipei. Needing a win in their final group encounter to secure a knockout berth, India responded strongly and defeated Mongolia 3-0 to progress to the last eight with four points from three ties. India made a confident start against Laos as Jay and Yogesh clinched the opening doubles match 5-0. Aryan then registered a comfortable 4-0 victory in the singles contest before Aniket and Om completed the clean sweep with another dominant doubles win. Chinese Taipei, however, proved a tougher challenge. Meena and Choudhary lost the first doubles match 0-5, while Thakur went down 1-4 in the singles tie. Patel and Yadav also suffered defeat in the second doubles match as India lost the contest 0-3. With a quarter-final place at stake, the Indian players bounced back in style against Mongolia, sealing a comprehensive 3-0 win to finish behind Chinese Taipei in the group standings. Aniket and Om won the opening doubles match against Mongolia by 5-0, and Meena then registered a comfortable 4-0 victory in singles before Thakur and Choudhary completed the clean sweep with another dominant doubles win. Indias campaign is being led by Jay , one of the countrys most accomplished soft tennis players in recent years. The Madhya Pradesh athlete represented India at the 2018 Asian Games and won the mens singles gold medal at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat. Meena also etched his name in history in 2024 when, alongside Aadhya Tiwari, he secured Indias first-ever medal at the World Soft Tennis Championships by winning bronze in mixed doubles. He followed it up by becoming national champion in 2025 and later claimed bronze in mens singles at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships, becoming the first Indian to win a medal at the continental event.

Residents of Sheikhpura Hold Officials Hostage Amid Flood Protests

In Sheikhpura, Bihar, residents protested against flooding, holding officials hostage and demanding the area be declared disaster-stricken. Residents of Sheikhpura Hold Officials Hostage Amid Flood Protests

No Sense Of Discrimination: Delhi Board Director On Hosting India-Afghanistan T20I Series

As India concluded the Afghanistan T20I series with a commanding 3-0 win, Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam Sunder said that hosting the India-Afghanistan T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi was a great experience.

No political angle in removal of Siddaramaiah statue: Karnataka Minister Ajay Singh

Digital Desk | Mangaluru (Karnataka), Sept 18 (IANS) Minister for Minor Irrigation, Ajay Singh, on Friday said the removal of a nine-foot statue of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Kalaburagi was carried out as the statue had been installed without the required permission, and there was no political angle to the development. It can be noted that another statue of Siddaramaiah installed at the same location around three years ago had been removed as well by the authorities at that time. Minister Ajay Singh hails from Kalaburagi district and he is the son of former chief minister N. Dharam Singh. Speaking to reporters, Ajay Singh said, There are rules for installing any statue. The Siddaramaiah statue was removed for this reason. There is no connection between Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumars visit to Kalaburagi and the removal of the statue. He said Shivakumar had repeatedly maintained that Siddaramaiah was their leader and dismissed speculation linking the statue's removal to the Chief Minister's visit. Ajay Singh also said neither Siddaramaiah nor Shivakumar knew about the installation of the statue. There is no confusion regarding this matter. The statue was installed without permission and was removed as per the rules, he said. It can be noted that a nine-foot statue of Siddaramaiah was installed overnight at High Court Circle in Kalaburagi by his supporters. The Kalaburagi City Corporation subsequently removed the statue on Thursday amid tight police security after officials found that the required permission had not been obtained from the district administration or the city corporation. According to officials, around eight to 10 people, including members of the Kuruba community, were involved in installing the statue. The group had reportedly been demanding that High Court Circle be named after Siddaramaiah. The same group had reportedly installed a Siddaramaiah statue at the location around three years ago. Authorities had removed it at that time as well. The latest installation took place along the route taken by Shivakumar during his visit to Kalaburagi and his onward journey to the Ganagapura temple, leading to speculation over the timing of the move. However, officials maintained that the statue was removed solely because it had been installed without the necessary permission. Police were deployed at the spot during the removal to prevent any law-and-order issues.

Asian Games cricket: India storm into Asian Games semis after 8-wicket win over Japan

Defending champions India advanced to the Asian Games women's cricket semifinals. They secured a commanding eight-wicket victory over an inexperienced Japan side. Indian spinners Charani and Shafali Verma were instrumental in restricting Japan to 57 runs. Shafali Verma then led the chase with an unbeaten 40 runs off fifteen balls. India will now face Bangladesh in their semifinal match on September 20.

Rajasthan civic polls: Police, Congress workers clash in Degana; Kuchera power tussle intensifies

Digital Desk | Jaipur, Sep 18 (IANS) Political tensions flared in Rajasthan's Degana late Thursday night as the police lathi-charged Congress workers protesting outside the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office over alleged irregularities in the nomination process for the Kuchera Municipal Council Chairperson post. The Congress alleged that facts were concealed during the nomination process for the Kuchera Municipal Council Chairperson post. Congress workers staged a sit-in outside the SDM office, demanding an enquiry into the nomination process and action against the Returning Officer. Several Congress workers gathered at the SDM office and raised slogans. A police team led by station house officer (SHO) Ashok Kumar Jhajharia reached the spot after being informed about the protest. Citing the Model Code of Conduct, the police urged the protesters to end the sit-in. However, the Congress workers remained firm on their demands, calling for scrutiny of the nomination papers and action under the rules over the alleged concealment of facts. During attempts to persuade the protesters to disperse, an altercation broke out between police and Congress workers, followed by a scuffle. As the situation escalated, the police attempted to clear the area and used lathi-charge to disperse the protesters. Some youths were also chased away from the area. The police action led to chaos around the SDM office, Tehsil office and surrounding areas. Amid the commotion, the police arrested Congress block president Prakash Kunkuna. Congress workers subsequently raised slogans against the police action. They alleged that the administration and the police were acting under pressure and claimed that protesters were subjected to a lathi-charge during the night. Congress members informed Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Govind Singh Dotasra about the developments. Nagaur District Congress president Hanuman Bangda also reached the spot. The Congress has reiterated its demand for an inquiry into the nomination process. Dotasra condemned the police action and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was misusing power to form boards in the municipal elections. He said Congress workers in Degana were demanding a fair hearing on objections raised against a BJP candidate over alleged concealment of facts in nomination papers. He also referred to developments in Mandhan, where he alleged that elected councillors were being prevented from taking their oaths, and to the situation in Khandar, where he alleged that the family of BJP councillor Manvendra had been seeking his release after he was taken away. Dotasra said the incidents raised questions about the functioning of the police, administration and the government, and urged the BJP to accept the peoples mandate. Meanwhile, the political contest over the Chairperson's post in Kuchera Municipality has also intensified. Following the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, some individuals allegedly attempted to stop vehicles carrying Congress-backed councillors near Jhunjhala while they were travelling to Nagaur under the leadership of outgoing Chairperson Tejpal Mirdha. According to allegations, a pickup truck and a camper vehicle were used in attempts to ram the councillors' vehicles. The councillors managed to leave the area and reached the Mundwa DSP's office, where they reported the incident. They were subsequently brought to Nagaur under police protection led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharam Poonia. A police contingent led by DSP Jatin Jain was also deployed outside Tejpal Mirdha's vehicle showroom on Bikaner Road. Kuchera Municipality has 12 Congress and eight BJP councillors. Four independents have extended support to the BJP camp, taking its tally to 12, while 13 councillors are required for a majority. With the numbers closely balanced, the single remaining vote, currently with the Congress, has become crucial to the Chairperson's election.

Punjab Police ASI shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men during night patrol in Amritsar

In a shocking incident, an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) was shot dead while on patrol in Punjab's Amritsar in the early hours of Thursday. The incident took place at around 2:30 am near Dana Mandi in...

Strengthening patient safety critical in addressing burden of NCDs: Govt official

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Patient safety cannot be the responsibility of a single programme or department and needs to be embedded across the health system, particularly in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of noncommunicable diseases, a senior government official has said. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reiterated the governments commitment to strengthening patient safety, improving quality of care and building safer health systems across the country. The ministry, commemorated the World Patient Safety Day 2026 with the theme Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). Addressing the gathering, Patnaik said that nearly 63 per cent of all deaths in India are attributed to NCDs, making patient safety an important component of healthcare delivery. Referring to recent achievements in public healthcare, she highlighted that 96 per cent of immunisations and 90.6 per cent of institutional deliveries, as reported under NFHS-6, are being conducted through public health facilities. She stressed the need to further strengthen quality and safety practices within healthcare institutions, particularly in patient referrals and continuity of care, to ensure timely access to appropriate services and improved health outcomes, according to an official statement on Friday. Patnaik also emphasised the need for a clear roadmap and action plan to achieve 100 per cent NQAS certification of Ayushman Aarogya MandirSub Health Centres (AAM-SHCs) by March 2027, followed by certification of Ayushman Aarogya MandirPrimary Health Centres (AAM-PHCs). She underscored that a structured and time-bound approach to quality assurance would be critical for institutionalising a culture of patient safety across all levels of care. India has also been strengthening the institutional framework for quality and patient safety through initiatives such as the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) and the National Patient Safety Implementation Framework. The observance of World Patient Safety Day 2026 provided an important platform for bringing together stakeholders, sharing experiences and best practices, and reinforcing a culture of patient safety across all levels of healthcare delivery.

Bihar Army soldier dies of burn injuries, villagers protest demanding action

The protesters also raised questions over the police handling of the case

Shabana Azmi thanks Vidya Balan for expressive gift ahead of 75th birthday, says it brought a big smile to her face

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 18 (IANS) Veteran actress Shabana Azmi will soon be turning 75 on the 18th of September. The actress celebrated the occasion a day prior to her actual birthday, surrounded by friends and colleagues from the film industry. Ahead of her special day, the actress received an unusual and expressive birthday tribute from actress Vidya Balan and producer husband Siddharth Roy Kapur, which left her smiling. Shabana took to her social media account to share a glimpse of the special birthday gesture, which was a cake featuring an artistic representation of her alongside the words Batwarapan! A talent that is borderless! EST. 1950 STILL GOING STRONG/EST. Thanking Vidya and Siddharth for the thoughtful gesture, Shabana wrote: Thank you so much #Siddharth Roy Kapur and #Vidya Balan for this innovative message. It brought a big smile to my face. The actress also shared a glimpse of her birthday celebrations, giving fans a peek into the intimate gathering attended by many of her industry friends. In another post, Shabana shared a group picture featuring her actress friends and simply captioned it, Pretty women. The celebrations saw many familiar faces from the film fraternity come together, including Divya Dutta, Tanvi Azmi, Dia Mirza, Richa Chadha, Vidya Balan and Shahana Goswami, among others. The gathering was seen turning into a lively celebration as the veteran actress marked the milestone with friends. Filmmaker-producer Boney Kapoor was also among those who attended the celebrations. In a glimpse from the gathering, he and Shabana were seen enjoying pani puri together. Shabana was also seen spending time with her childhood friends, with the group joining in for a rendition of the iconic song Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge from the 1975 cult classic Sholay. For the uninitiated, born on September 18, 1950, Shabana Azmi is the daughter of celebrated poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi and theatre actress Shaukat Kaifi. She made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's Ankur in 1974. The film became a landmark in her career. Over the decades, Azmi established herself as one of Indian cinema's most acclaimed performers, balancing parallel cinema alongside mainstream films. Her notable works include Nishant, Junoon, Arth, Khandhar, Paar, Mandi, Masoom, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Sparsh, Amar Akbar Anthony, Fakira, Godmother and Fire, among several others.

Delhi-NCR likely to receive light to moderate rain; AQI remains in 'satisfactory' category

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Rain is expected in Delhi-NCR on Friday, with the Meteorological Department forecasting partly cloudy skies and the possibility of light to moderate showers. As the monsoon begins to withdraw, only minimal rain clouds are forming over the region. However, the weather department has not issued any warning of heavy rainfall or thunderstorms. The daytime temperature is expected to remain between 33 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to settle between 23 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius. Humidity is also expected to remain noticeable during the day. Over the next 24 hours, the weather is likely to remain partly cloudy, with occasional clear spells. With the monsoon weakening, weather conditions in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and the NCR continue to fluctuate. Several areas experienced heavy rain accompanied by strong winds on Thursday. However, the Meteorological Department has forecast moderate rain and partly cloudy skies for Friday. Morning temperatures are expected to remain between 25 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, while the mercury could rise above 33 degrees Celsius as the day progresses. Humidity is likely to remain between 60 per cent and 80 per cent, adding to the discomfort. The sky is expected to remain generally clear with intermittent cloud cover. Light rain or drizzle may occur in some areas, with the probability of rainfall estimated at 5 to 12 per cent. No warning of storms or thunderstorms has been issued. According to the weather department's forecast, conditions are likely to remain largely clear over the next 24 hours, although isolated rainfall cannot be ruled out. While Delhi and surrounding areas received rain on Thursday, the hilly regions also witnessed snowfall, providing relief to tourists. Weather conditions in the hills are also expected to change on Friday. As the monsoon weakens across North India, rainfall activity is likely to remain negligible in the coming days. Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR's air quality remained in the 'satisfactory' category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) readings included CRRI Mathura Road (104), Burari Crossing (95), North Campus (121), Pusa (83), Aya Nagar (62), Shadipur (66), NSIT Dwarka (47), ITO (68), DTU (62), Sirifort (127), Mandir Marg (89), R.K. Puram (99), Ashok Vihar (70), Dwarka Sector 8 (88), and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (117).

Army soldier dies after alleged petrol attack in Bihar; locals protest demanding action

Army soldier dies after alleged petrol attack in Bihar; locals protest demanding action Patna: Army soldier Shatrudhan Yadav, a resident of Sahuka village under Ramgarh police station in Kaimur district of Bihar, died on Wednesday evening while undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries sustained in an alleged attack 8 days earlier. Following his death, a [] The post Army soldier dies after alleged petrol attack in Bihar; locals protest demanding action appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

35 of 52 J&K corruption FIRs are bribe-trap cases in 2026

The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered 52 corruption-related FIRs across the Union Territory up to September 2026, 35 of which involve trap operations in alleged cases of demanding and accepting bribes. The ACB's 2026 case register shows that trap cases account for 67.3 per cent of the total FIRs registered so far this year. In other words, roughly two out of every three corruption cases recorded by the Bureau have involved allegations of direct bribery. The 52 cases have been registered in different districts and cover allegations ranging from bribery and disproportionate assets to illegal mutations, abuse of official position, financial irregularities, illegal appointments and alleged encroachment. Jammu Province accounts for 31 cases, including 20 trap cases, while Kashmir Province has 21 cases, of which 15 are trap cases. Thus, trap cases constitute about 65 per cent of the cases in Jammu and more than 71 per cent in Kashmir. The individual cases show that allegations of bribery cut across several departments. Revenue officials, particularly patwaris, appear repeatedly in the ACB's trap cases, with allegations concerning payments for revenue extracts, mutations and other official work. Police personnel, junior engineers, municipal officials, forest employees, treasury staff and other government functionaries also figure in the cases registered during the year. In Jammu Province, Rajouri has six cases listed in the ACB register and all six are trap cases. Udhampur has seven cases, including six traps. The ACB Jammu police station has five cases, four of them trap cases, while the ACB Central police station has 11 cases, including four traps. Doda has two cases, neither classified as a trap. In Kashmir Province, Srinagar accounts for 13 cases, including nine trap cases. Anantnag has six cases, five of them traps, while Baramulla has two cases, including one trap case. The alleged bribe amounts recorded in the cases range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The ACB register includes allegations involving Rs 5,000, Rs 8,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 12,000, Rs 15,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 30,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 70,000, besides the Rs 1 lakh case. The Rs 1 lakh case was registered by ACB Anantnag on May 21 against a Ziladar and a Patwari of the Irrigation Division, Anantnag. According to the case record, the two were booked in connection with an allegation of demanding and accepting the amount. Another case involved an alleged Rs 70,000 bribe, with the ACB registering a trap case against a Patwari of Patwar Halqa Gole and an alleged associate. The cases have continued to be registered during September. The ACB case register includes a September 1 trap case in Srinagar involving an alleged Rs 15,000 bribe, a September 7 case involving an alleged Rs 11,000 bribe and a September 9 Rajouri case involving an alleged Rs 20,000 bribe. The pattern is notable when compared with the ACB's annual figures for previous years. During the whole of 2025, the Bureau registered 78 corruption-related cases, including 36 trap cases, 18 disproportionate-assets cases, 15 cases involving alleged abuse of official position, eight cases relating to fraudulent alienation of custodian land and one case concerning illegal appointments. The 35 trap cases registered up to September 2026 are therefore already just one short of the 36 trap cases recorded during the whole of 2025. The comparison is between a part-year figure and a full-year figure, however, and the 2026 figure may change before the year ends. The 2026 cases also indicate that the ACB's investigations extend beyond direct bribery. The case register includes allegations of disproportionate assets, illegal mutations of land, abuse of official position, financial irregularities in development works, illegal appointments and alleged encroachment. In Jammu Province, the concentration of trap cases is particularly visible in Rajouri and Udhampur. All six cases listed under Rajouri are trap cases, while six of the seven cases registered by ACB Udhampur are traps. In Kashmir, nine of Srinagar's 13 cases and five of Anantnag's six cases are classified as traps. The alleged bribe amounts also indicate that the cases concern both routine government services and larger transactions. Several allegations involve sums of Rs 5,000 or Rs 10,000, while others involve Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000, Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh. A trap case generally begins with a complaint alleging that a public servant has demanded a bribe. After verification, the ACB conducts a trap operation to establish the alleged demand or acceptance of illegal gratification. The operation may result in the arrest of the accused and subsequent investigation.

Vande Bharat trains in J&K equipped with special heating, defogging systems: ICF Chennai Engineer

Vande Bharat trains operating in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, have been equipped with special features to cope with the regions extreme winter conditions, including sub-zero temperatures and dense fog. Interacting with a group of Kashmir-based journalists visiting Chennai under a PIB tour, Anupam Chouhan, Chief Workshop Engineer, LHP Division, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), said trains operating in challenging climatic conditions require specialised features to ensure smooth and safe operations. Elaborating on the Vande Bharat trains deployed in Kashmir, Chouhan said a special heating arrangement has been provided along the water-pipe network. The system is designed to prevent water from freezing in the pipelines during sub-zero temperatures and ensure uninterrupted water supply for lavatories and other facilities inside the train. He said another important feature incorporated in the Kashmir-specific Vande Bharat trains is a strong defogging system. Dense fog and condensation can affect visibility through the front and rear panes, particularly for the locomotive pilot. To ensure clear visibility and an unobstructed line of sight, strong defoggers have been provided in trains operating in Kashmir, Chouhan said. The specialised systems are part of efforts to adapt modern railway services to the demanding climatic conditions of Jammu and Kashmir, where severe winters pose operational challenges for railway infrastructure and rolling stock. He points out that the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, one of the three major coach manufacturing facilities of the Indian Railways, is marching ahead with increased production and a gradual shift towards manufacturing Vande Bharat coaches. The oldest and largest coach manufacturing facility in the country, ICF was inaugurated on October 2, 1955, by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Since its inception, the factory has rolled out more than 80,000 coaches, making it one of the world's largest single-site coach manufacturing facilities. The Chennai-based factory employs around 8,500 personnel from the government sector and nearly 6,000 workers from the private sector for various manufacturing and allied activities. ICF produced around 3,500 coaches during the last financial year, while the production target for the current year has been fixed at 3,865 coaches. Chief Workshop Engineer, LHP, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, Anupam Chouhan said the facility was moving ahead with the changing requirements of Indian Railways, particularly with a focus on enhancing Vande Bharat coach production. He said work was underway for manufacturing four Vande Bharat chair-car train sets and four Vande Bharat sleeper train sets in the near future. Besides, one Vande Bharat freight train has already been rolled out and is currently undergoing trials, while another such train is under manufacturing. The shift towards Vande Bharat coaches comes amid the Railways' stated plan to gradually replace older conventional train coaches with newer-generation rolling stock. The move is aimed at modernising passenger services and facilitating faster train movement across the country. Chouhan also said that the facility is catering to the needs of the entire country and different sectors.

iPhone buying guide 2026: Which iPhone should you buy?

Macworld Apple now has a wider iPhone range than ever, making it harder to decide which model is right for you. Your choice will largely come down to price, camera capabilities, display, performance, battery life, size and storage. You may also be wondering which screen size suits you, how much storage you need, or whether to save money with an older model rather than buy the latest iPhone. Youll also want to consider which model offers the best balance of features and value. In this guide, we explain the differences between every iPhone currently available from Apple, paying particular attention to prices, cameras, displays, performance, battery life, durability and design. By the end, you should have a much clearer idea of which iPhone best meets your needs. If you simply want to know which models we recommend, you can also read our full iPhone reviews, linked below, and use our iPhone comparison chart to compare the latest models with the other iPhones Apple sells. Which iPhone should you buy? Quick guide If you already know what matters most to you, this quick guide will point you toward the iPhone that best fits your priorities. If you want Buy Best all rounder iPhone 17 Best camera iPhone 18 Pro Best battery life iPhone 18 Pro Max Biggest screen iPhone Duo Best value iPhone 17e Thinnest/lightest iPhone Air Cheapest Refurbished/discounted older iPhone Current iPhone lineup and prices Heres how Apples current iPhone lineup compares on price and the key specifications that are most likely to influence your buying decision. iPhone 17e iPhone 16 iPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 18 Pro iPhone 18 Pro Max iPhone Duo Starting price $699/699 $799/799 $899/899 $1,099/1,099 $1,199/1,199 $1,299/1,299 $1,999/1,999 Screen size 6.1 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.3 6.9 7.6 Storage 256/512GB 128GB 256/512GB 256/512GB/1TB 256/512GB/1TB/2TB 256/512GB/1TB/2TB 256/512GB/1TB/2TB Colors White, Black, Pink Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, Black Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, Black Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, Black Star White, Night Sky Display OLED with HDR (25321170-pixel at 460 ppi) OLED with HDR (25561179-pixels at 460 ppi) 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness OLED with HDR (26221206-pixel at 460 ppi), ProMotion 120Hz 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness, Always On OLED with HDR (27361206-pixel at 460 ppi), ProMotion 120Hz 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness, Always On OLED with HDR (26221206-pixel at 460 ppi), ProMotion 120Hz 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness, Always On OLED with HDR (28681320-pixels at 460 ppi), ProMotion, 120Hz 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness, Always On OLED with HDR (Inn er display : 18782670-pixels at 430 ppi), Outer display : 13982034-pixels at 460 ppi), ProMotion, 120Hz 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nit minimum brightness, Always On Processor A18 (4-core GPU) A18 (5-core GPU) A19 (5-core GPU) A19 Pro (5-core GPU) A20 Pro (7-core GPU) A20 Pro (7-core GPU) A20 Pro (7-core GPU) Battery capacity 4,005mAh, 26 hours video playback 3,692mAh, 22 hours video playback 3,561mAh, 30 hours video playback 3,149mAh, 27 hours video playback 4,056mAh, 36 hours video playback 5,391mAh, 45 hours video playback 4,700mAh, 31 hours video playback ( inner display ) 44 hours video playback ( outer display ) Wireless features 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband, Thread MagSafe Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes All the iPhones currently sold by Apple How to choose an iPhone To help you narrow down the right iPhone model, well look at the key questions that matter most when choosing an iPhone, including which has the best camera, battery life, display and performance, how much storage you need, and which model offers the best value. Which iPhone has the best camera? Apple The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have the best camera systems of any current iPhone. Both use the same triple-48MP rear camera setup, so there is no photographic advantage to choosing the larger Pro Max unless you also want its bigger display and longer battery life. The headline upgrade is the 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, a first for the iPhone. You can switch between /1.48, /1.8, /2.8 and /4.0, giving you more direct control over depth of field and low-light shooting. The Pro models also add a 48MP Ultra Wide and 48MP Telephoto camera, with 4x native telephoto and an 8x optical-quality zoom option. Apple also provides manual controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram viewing, plus ProRAW, ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2 support. The iPhone 17 remains an excellent camera phone for most people. It has a 48MP Main camera and 48MP Ultra Wide camera, plus a 12MP optical-quality 2x option cropped from the Main sensor. It also gains the 18MP Center Stage front camera, which can automatically reframe shots and supports Dual Capture. What you miss compared with the Pro models is the dedicated Telephoto lens, longer zoom range and more advanced pro photo and video controls. The iPhone Duo also has two 48MP rear cameras, with Main and Ultra Wide lenses plus a 2x optical-quality crop from the Main sensor. Its folding design introduces some unusual camera features, including Duo Preview and Smart Take, but it lacks the dedicated Telephoto and variable-aperture Main camera found on the Pro models. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17e are the least versatile current models, because each has only a single 48MP rear camera. Both can produce a 12MP optical-quality 2x view from the Main sensor, but neither has an Ultra Wide camera. The Air does at least get the newer 18MP Center Stage front camera, while the 17e retains a 12MP TrueDepth camera. The older iPhone 16 sits somewhere in between, with a 48MP Main camera and 12MP Ultra Wide, plus the same 2x optical-quality crop from the Main sensor. It is still a capable camera phone, but the iPhone 17 improves the Ultra Wide to 48MP and upgrades the front camera. Our recommendation : If photography and video are your priority, buy the iPhone 18 Pro . It gives you exactly the same camera system as the Pro Max for less money and in a more manageable size. We recommend: Apple iPhone 18 Pro Price When Reviewed: $1,199 Best Prices Today: $1199 at Apple iPhone camera specifications compared Heres how the current iPhone cameras compare. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max share the same triple-camera system, including the variable-aperture Main camera and 4x/8x Telephoto setup, while the iPhone 17 steps down to dual 48MP Main and Ultra Wide cameras. The iPhone Air and 17e are less versatile, each using a single 48MP rear camera. Most newer models also feature Apples 18MP Center Stage front camera with automatic reframing and Dual Capture, while the iPhone 17e retains a 12MP TrueDepth camera and the iPhone Duo uses separate outer and inner front cameras. iPhone Main camera Ultra Wide Telephoto / zoom Front camera iPhone 18 Pro 48MP Fusion Main, 24mm, variable /1.48/4.0 48MP, 13mm, /2.2, 120 48MP 4x, 100mm, /2.8; 12MP optical-quality 8x, 200mm; up to 40x digital 18MP Center Stage, /1.9 iPhone 18 Pro Max 48MP Fusion Main, 24mm, variable /1.48/4.0 48MP, 13mm, /2.2, 120 48MP 4x, 100mm, /2.8; 12MP optical-quality 8x, 200mm; up to 40x digital 18MP Center Stage, /1.9 iPhone Duo 48MP Fusion Main, 26mm, /1.6 48MP, 13mm, /2.2, 120 No dedicated Telephoto; 12MP optical-quality 2x; up to 10x digital 12MP Center Stage outer camera, /2.2; under-display inner camera, /1.8 iPhone 17 48MP Fusion Main, 26mm, /1.6 48MP, 13mm, /2.2, 120 No dedicated Telephoto; 12MP optical-quality 2x 18MP Center Stage, /1.9 iPhone Air 48MP Fusion Main, 26mm, /1.6 None No dedicated Telephoto; 12MP optical-quality 2x; up to 10x digital 18MP Center Stage, /1.9 iPhone 17e 48MP Fusion Main, 26mm, /1.6 None No dedicated Telephoto; 12MP 2x; up to 10x digital 12MP TrueDepth, /1.9 iPhone 16 48MP Fusion Main, 26mm, /1.6 12MP, 13mm, /2.2, 120 No dedicated Telephoto; 12MP optical-quality 2x; up to 10x digital 12MP TrueDepth, /1.9 Which iPhone has the best battery life? Mahmoud Itani / Foundry The iPhone 18 Pro Max has the best battery life of any current iPhone, with Apple rating it for up to 45 hours of video playback . That puts it comfortably ahead of the rest of the lineup and makes endurance one of the biggest reasons to choose it over the smaller iPhone 18 Pro . Its longer battery life comes from a combination of a larger battery, the more efficient2nm A20 Pro chip, and Apples lower-powerC2 modem. The iPhone Duo comes surprisingly close when used with its smaller 5.4-inch outer display, offering up to 44 hours of video playback . However, battery life drops to around 31 hours when using the larger 7.6-inch folding display, so the Pro Max remains the better choice if maximum endurance is your priority. If you want strong battery life without carrying the much larger and heavier Pro Max, the iPhone 18 Pro is an excellent compromise at up to 36 hours , while the iPhone 17 remains the best mainstream option at up to 30 hours . Our recommendation : If battery life matters above everything else, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the clear choice . Its combination of a 45-hour rating, huge 6.9-inch display and Pro-level performance makes it particularly well suited to heavy users, travelers and anyone who wants to get through a long day without worrying about charging. We recommend: Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max Price When Reviewed: $1,299 Best Prices Today: $1299 at Apple iPhone battery life compared Heres how the current iPhone lineup compares for video playback battery life, based on Apples official ratings: iPhone Model Video Playback (Apple Rating) iPhone 18 Pro Max Up to 45 hours iPhone Duo (outer display) Up to 44 hours iPhone Duo (inner display) Up to 31 hours iPhone 18 Pro Up to 36 hours iPhone 17 Up to 30 hours iPhone Air Up to 27 hours iPhone 17e Up to 26 hours iPhone 16 Up to 22 hours We compare battery life, capacity, mah and watt hours for every iPhone separately. Which iPhone has the best display? The iPhone Duo has the biggest and most distinctive display of any current iPhone. Opened up, its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen offers around 50 percent more screen area than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, making it especially good for video, gaming, reading and multitasking. The inner display supports 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness, while a nano-texture finish helps reduce reflections and make the fold crease less noticeable. There is also a 5.4-inch outer OLED display with 120Hz ProMotion and 3,000-nit outdoor brightness. If you want the best conventional iPhone display, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the standout choice. Its 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display combines an adaptive 1Hz to 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, Always-On support and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness. Ceramic Shield 2 provides additional protection, while Apple has also reduced the bezels and made the Dynamic Island smaller. The iPhone 18 Pro offers essentially the same display technology at a more manageable 6.3 inches. You no longer need to buy a Pro model to get Apples best core display technology, though. The iPhone 17 and iPhone Air also support ProMotion and Always-On, features that were previously reserved for Pro iPhones. Both reach 3,000 nits outdoors, with the iPhone 17 offering a 6.3-inch screen and the Air a larger 6.5-inch display. That makes the iPhone 17 particularly strong value if you want a premium screen without paying Pro prices. The older iPhone 16 and iPhone 17e are a noticeable step down. Neither supports ProMotion or Always-On, so their displays are limited to 60Hz. The iPhone 16 reaches up to 2,000 nits outdoors, while the 17e is dimmer still, with peak HDR brightness of 1,200 nits. The 17e also lacks the newer models ability to dim the display all the way down to 1 nit. Our recommendation : Ultimately, screen size may matter as much as display technology. Choose the iPhone Duo if you want the largest and most versatile screen, the iPhone 18 Pro Max for the best conventional large-screen iPhone, or the iPhone 17 if you want most of the premium display experience for considerably less money. We recommend: Apple iPhone Duo Price When Reviewed: $1999 Best Prices Today: $1999 at Apple Which iPhone is fastest? The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are the fastest iPhones you can buy, thanks to Apples new A20 Pro chip. The processor uses a 2nm manufacturing process and combines a six-core CPU with a seven-core GPU, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the previous A19 Pro. Apple says the GPU is up to 40 percent faster, while AI processing performance is roughly doubled. The Pro models also benefit from a much larger vapor chamber and a new chip-packaging design inspired by Apples M-series processors. Apple claims these changes deliver up to 40 percent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro, which should matter most during gaming, video editing and demanding on-device AI workloads. The iPhone Duo uses the same full A20 Pro chip, including all seven GPU cores, so peak performance should be very similar. However, its folding design makes cooling more difficult, so sustained performance is expected to be slightly lower than on the iPhone 18 Pro. Apple still claims up to 35 percent higher sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. Further down the lineup, the iPhone Air uses the A19 Pro but with one fewer GPU core and less thermal headroom, while the iPhone 17 uses the standard A19 and the iPhone 17e a reduced-GPU version of that chip. Our recommendation : For most people, all of these phones are more than fast enough. But if you want the best performance for gaming, video work or intensive AI tasks, the iPhone 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max is the clear choice. Which iPhone is best for gaming? The iPhone 18 Pro is the best iPhone for gaming for most people. It combines Apples new A20 Pro chip with a seven-core GPU, 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro, and a much larger vapor-chamber cooling system. Apple says the GPU is up to 40 percent faster and sustained performance is up to 40 percent better than on the iPhone 17 Pro, improvements that should matter most during long gaming sessions. Its 6.3-inch 120Hz ProMotion display also delivers smooth, responsive gameplay without making the phone especially bulky. The iPhone 18 Pro Max offers essentially the same gaming performance, but its 6.9-inch display and much longer battery life make it the better option for gamers who prioritize screen size and endurance. Apple rates it for up to 45 hours of video playback, compared with 36 hours for the 18 Pro. The iPhone Duo is an interesting alternative. It uses the same A20 Pro chip with a seven-core GPU and vapor-chamber cooling, while its 7.6-inch inner ProMotion display provides far more room for games. The trade-offs are its much higher price, 254g weight and folding form factor. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 are still very capable gaming phones, but they sit below the A20 Pro models for sustained graphics performance. Our recommendation : For most gamers, choose the iPhone 18 Pro ; choose the 18 Pro Max if you want the biggest conventional screen and longest battery life. Which iPhone is best value The iPhone 17 is the best-value iPhone overall because it gives you the strongest balance of price, display, cameras, storage and battery life without paying Pro prices. For $899/899, you get a 6.3-inch 120Hz ProMotion Always-On display, the A19 chip, dual 48MP rear cameras, an 18MP Center Stage front camera, 256GB of storage as standard and up to 30 hours of video playback. That is a substantial step up from the iPhone 17e, which is cheaper but drops ProMotion, Always-On and the Ultra Wide camera. The iPhone 17e is still the best budget choice if keeping the purchase price down matters most. It starts lower, still has the A19 chip and 256GB of storage, and offers excellent battery life, but its simpler display and single rear camera make it less complete. Our recommendation : Choose the iPhone 17 for the best overall value, or the iPhone 17e if your priority is spending as little as possible. We recommend: Apple iPhone 17 Price When Reviewed: $899 (was $799) We recommend: Apple iPhone 17e Price When Reviewed: $699 (was $599) Best Prices Today: $599 at Apple How to choose the right iPhone specs Choosing the right iPhone isnt just about picking the newest model. Youll also want to think about how much storage you need, what screen size feels comfortable, how much weight youre willing to carry, and whether features such as ProMotion, advanced cameras, longer battery life or extra performance are worth paying for. The right balance will depend on how you use your phone: someone who mainly messages, browses and takes occasional photos will have very different needs from someone who shoots lots of video, plays demanding games or wants a large display for reading and media. How much iPhone storage do you need? Choosing the right amount of storage is important because you cant add more internal storage later . iPhones dont have a microSD card slot, so its worth thinking about how much space youll need over the lifetime of the phone before you buy. The good news is that all of Apples current generation iPhones start with 256GB , including the iPhone 17e. Thats a much more comfortable starting point than 128GB, particularly as 48MP photos, 4K video, large games and system data all take up more space than they used to. It also makes the older 128GB iPhone 16 look like relatively poor value if it is only $100/100 less than a newer model with twice the storage. For most people, 256GB is the sweet spot . Before deciding, check how much storage youre currently using by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage . If youre already close to your limit, move up a capacity when you upgrade. Several things can quickly eat into your available space: Photos and videos: 48MP photos and 4K video files are much larger than older formats. Apple Intelligence: Apples AI features require several gigabytes of dedicated storage. Apps and games: Some modern games can take up many gigabytes. System data: iOS, caches and logs can consume a significant amount of space over time. Which storage size should you buy? 128GB: Only worth considering on an older discounted model if you mostly stream content and rely heavily on cloud storage. 256GB: The best choice for most people, with enough room for apps, photos, videos and several years of use. 512GB: Ideal if you shoot lots of 4K video, keep a large offline media library or install many large games. 1TB or 2TB: Best suited to photographers, videographers and creators who regularly work with ProRAW or ProRes files. Can you add more storage later? No. You cant upgrade an iPhones internal storage after purchase. You can, however, free up space with iCloud+ , which lets you keep full-resolution photos and videos in the cloud while storing smaller optimized versions on the iPhone. You can also connect a USB-C SSD or flash drive to compatible iPhones to transfer files or, on supported Pro models, record ProRes video directly to external storage. Our recommendation: Buy as much storage as you can comfortably afford. You cant add more later, and paying a little extra upfront is often preferable to running out of space a few years down the line. Read How much storage do you need on an iPhone? for more advice. Which iPhone processor should you choose? Apple Apples A-series chips have consistently set the benchmark for smartphone performance, but the current lineup now spans several generations and performance tiers. At the top is the A20 Pro , which powers the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo. It is Apples first iPhone chip built on a 2nm process and features a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, Dual 16-core Neural Engine and 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro. Apple says CPU performance is up to 20 percent faster than the A19 Pro, while GPU performance is up to 40 percent faster, with roughly double the AI compute performance. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the best choices if you want maximum performance, particularly for demanding games, video editing or intensive Apple Intelligence tasks. Their larger vapor chamber and revised chip packaging also improve sustained performance, with Apple claiming up to 40 percent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone Duo uses the same full A20 Pro chip, including all seven GPU cores, although its folding design places greater constraints on cooling. The previous-generation A19 Pro remains very capable. It powered the now-discontinued iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max and is still used in the iPhone Air. The Pro models used the full six-core GPU, while the Air has five GPU cores and less thermal headroom. The standard iPhone 17 uses the A19 , while the iPhone 17e uses a cut-down version with a four-core GPU. Both are still more than fast enough for everyday use, multitasking, gaming and Apple Intelligence. Our recommendation : For most people, processor choice shouldnt be the deciding factor: even the A19 offers more performance than typical users need. Choose an A20 Pro iPhone if you want the fastest graphics, best sustained performance and strongest long-term headroom; otherwise, the A19 in the iPhone 17 offers the best balance of speed and value. for everyday use, gaming and AI features. For most buyers, the choice between models is likely to come down to cameras and other features rather than processor speed alone. Finding the iPhone dimensions and design that suit you Which iPhone has the best looks? Apple Once youve narrowed down the features you need, think about which iPhone will actually be comfortable to carry and use every day. Screen size is only part of the story: dimensions, weight, thickness and materials can make two similarly sized iPhones feel very different. The most distinctive model is the iPhone Duo . Folded, it is short and wide at 117.8 x 84.1 x 11.3mm, but opens to 164.6mm wide and just 5.2mm thick, with a 7.6-inch inner display. At 254g, it is also the heaviest current iPhone. It uses a titanium frame, has Touch ID in the side button, and keeps Camera Control but drops the Action button. At the other extreme is the iPhone Air , which is only 5.64mm thick and 165g, despite having a 6.5-inch display. Its titanium frame and single rear camera make it the obvious choice if low weight and thinness matter more than camera versatility or maximum battery life. The iPhone 18 Pro measures 150 x 71.9 x 8.75mm and 211g, while the 18 Pro Max is 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm and 249g. The Pro Max is substantially heavier, so its worth handling one before buying. The iPhone 17 sits in the middle at 149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95mm and 177g, making its 6.3-inch display easier to manage. We recommend: Apple iPhone Air (2025) Price When Reviewed: $1,099 (was $999) iPhone 17e iPhone 16 iPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 18 Pro iPhone 18 Pro Max iPhone Duo Starting price $699/699 $799/799 $899/899 $1,099/1,099 $1,199/1,199 $1,299/1,299 $1,999/1,999 Screen size 6.1 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.3 6.9 7.6 Size (H x W x D) 146.7mm (5.78inches) x 71.5mm (2.82inches) x 7.80mm (0.31inches) 147.6mm (5.81inches) x 71.6mm (2.82inches) x 7.80mm (0.31inches) 149.6mm (5.89inches) x 71.5mm (2.81inches) x 7.95mm (0.31inches) 156.2mm (6.15inches) x 74.7mm (2.94inches) x 5.64mm (0.22inches) 150mm (5.91inches) x 71.9mm (2.83inches) x 8.75mm (0.34inches) 163.4mm (6.43inches) x 78mm (3.07inches) x 8.75mm (0.34inches) Closed : 117.8mm (4.64inches) x 84.1mm (3.31inches) x 11.3mm (0.44inches) Open : 117.8mm (4.64inches) x 164.6mm (6.48 inches) x 5.2 mm (0.21 inches) Weight 169grams (5.96ounces) 170 grams (6.00 ounces) 177 grams (6.24 ounces) 165 grams (5.82ounces) 204 grams (7.20 ounces) 231 grams (8.15 ounces) 254 grams (8.96 ounces) Colors White, Black, Pink Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, Black Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, Black Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, Black Star White, Night Sky All the iPhones currently sold by Apple Design differences Most current iPhones include Camera Control , the touch-sensitive side control for launching the Camera app and adjusting settings. The iPhone 17e is the exception. The Action button is also standard on most recent models, although the Duo omits it. Camera layouts vary too. The 18 Pro and Pro Max have three rear cameras across a broad Camera Plateau, the Duo and iPhone 17 use dual-camera systems, and the Air and 17e have a single rear camera. Color choices vary by model, from understated finishes on the Pro and Duo to brighter options on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16, so your preferred look may help narrow down the choice. Durability The neweriPhone 18 Pro models, iPhone 17, Air and 17e use Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, while the Air and Pro models also add extra protection to the rear. Current iPhones are also ratedIP68 for water and dust resistance, but that doesnt make them waterproof, so a case is still a sensible precaution. Our recommendation: Choose the iPhone Air if portability matters most, the iPhone 17 or 18 Pro for the best balance of size and usability, the Pro Max for a larger screen and battery, or the Duo if you specifically want the foldable design. Best way to buy an iPhone There are several ways to buy an iPhone, each with its own advantages. The two main options are buying directly from Apple or through a mobile carrier. In the U.S., iPhones are typically purchased on a carrier contract and are often locked to that network. In the U.K., you can also buy an unlocked, SIM-free iPhone outright from Apple or other retailers, either at full price or with a discount. Buy directly from Apple Jon Stoa Pros : You can get an unlocked, SIM-free phone (in most regions), access to the iPhone Upgrade Program, and the ability to trade in your old device for credit (up to $650). Its also the best place to pre-order a new model for the fastest delivery. Cons : You almost always pay full retail price. Buy from a Carrier Pros : This is where youll find the biggest discounts, often in the form of bill credits over 24 or 36 months when you trade in a phone and sign up for a qualifying plan. For example, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon frequently offer up to $830$1,000 off new iPhones with a trade-in . Cons : These deals come with significant strings attached, including long-term contracts and specific plan requirements. Always read the fine print A contract usually starts with an upfront payment that will vary depending on the iPhone model you go for and also how much youll be paying each month. That upfront payment is followed by monthly payments, normally for a total of 24 months, after which you own the phone (in most cases). Those monthly payments also cover data, minutes and texts. The following networks are worth checking for their contract offers: AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon Optimum Mobile Boost Infinite U.K. readers can find iPhone contracts from the following networks: O2 EE Vodafone Three Tesco Mobile Sky Mobile Virgin Mobile Carphone Warehouse Mobiles.co.uk E2save Mobile Phones Direct Buy from a third-party reseller Pros : In the U.K., resellers like Amazon, Currys, and John Lewis frequently sell unlocked iPhones at a discount, often offering the best upfront savings . For instance, Amazon has offered 200 off the iPhone Air. Cons : Availability and deals change frequently. You could try the following third-party resellers: Amazon Ao.com Argos Currys John Lewis Buy via Apples iPhone Upgrade Program Apple offers financing and upgrade options that let you spread the cost of an iPhone over monthly payments, although the schemes differ between the U.S. and U.K. In the U.S. , Apple has ceased the old iPhone Upgrade Program and now directs customers to Apple Upgrade , a lease-based option that lets you make monthly payments and upgrade to a new device at the end of the lease by returning your current one. Apple also offers carrier deals, financing and outright purchase options. In the U.K. , Apple has replaced the traditional iPhone Upgrade Programme with a Flexible Finance Account with Upgrade Option , provided by Creation. Eligible iPhones can be bought on a 20-month 0% plan with an upgrade option after 11 payments , or a 30-month 0% plan with an upgrade option after 23 payments . Current plans start from 64.95 a month for the 20-month option or 43.30 a month for the 30-month option . Whether these plans are good value depends on how often you upgrade. They can be convenient if you like replacing your iPhone regularly, but if you usually keep a phone for several years, buying outright or using standard 0% finance may work out cheaper overall. Buy a refurbished iPhone Apple Buying an iPhone doesnt come cheap. However, if youre strapped for cash you dont have to dismiss the idea of buying an iPhone completely. You may be able to get a good deal on a refurbished model. Buying a refurbished iPhone is a smart way to save money while still getting a premium device, but the key is knowing where to shop and what to look for. Understand the difference between refurbished vs used Refurbished : Professionally inspected, tested and repaired where necessary. It should come with a warranty and may also have a replacement battery. Used or second-hand : Usually sold by an individual in its current condition, often without a warranty or any guarantee that it is fully functional. There is also a greater risk of hidden faults or Activation Lock problems. What to check before buying Warranty : Choose a seller offering a meaningful warranty, ideally for at least 12 months. Condition grade: Sellers use grades such as A, B and C, or Fair, Good and Excellent. Higher grades indicate less cosmetic wear but usually cost more. Battery health : Check the sellers minimum battery-capacity guarantee. Many refurbished sellers promise at least 80% of the batterys original capacity, while Apple-furbished iPhones receive a new battery. Unlocked or locked : Confirm that the iPhone is unlocked and can be used with your preferred mobile network. This is particularly important when buying in the U.S. Model age : Avoid iPhones that are close to losing software support. As of mid-2026, the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR are no longer sensible long-term purchases, while the iPhone 11 should be approached with caution. Shop at Apples Certified Refurbished Store Apples Certified Refurbished Store is generally the safest place to start and sets the standard for refurbished quality. Apple thoroughly tests each device, replaces the battery and outer shell, and supplies it in a new box with the appropriate accessories. Refurbished iPhones also come with Apples standard one-year warranty, 90 days of technical support and the option to add AppleCare+. Prices are typically around 15% lower than the original retail price, although availability varies. Apple operates refurbished stores in both the U.S. and U.K . Consider other trusted resellers If you cant find what you need at Apples Certified Refurbished Store, try one of these places to buy a refurbished iPhone . U.S.: Back Market : You get 30 days to change your mind and a 12-month warranty or occasionally more. Take careful note of the phones quality rating as the cheapest will have more visible signs of wear (stratches and scuffs) than the more expensive Excellent and Premium buys. Premium-quality iPhones also have the highest-rated batteries and only Apple parts. Amazon Renewed Store : This sites greatest benefit is that purchases are all backed by Amazons standard returns policy and its Renewed Guarantee lets you get a refund or replacement within a year of receiving your product. Best Buy : Best Buy doesnt offer a great deal of information on pre-owned iPhones condition, but you can return within 14 days if the item is unopened or defective in any way. Walmart : Walmart doesnt sell refurbished iPhones directly; rather, they are sourced from other sellers. Return policies vary from seller to seller, but there are minimum requirements that apply universally. U.K.: Back Market : You get 30 days to change your mind and a 12-month warranty or occasionally more. See above for more details on Back Markets quality rankings. Music Magpie : A good place to start looking for refurbished iPhones with a one-year warranty. You may find that sales reduce the price still further. Hoxton Macs : Dont let the Mac in the name fool you. Hoxton Macs has started selling refurbished iPhones, with a one-year Return to Base warranty. Reboxed : Pledges that devices are fully tested and in perfect working order. All come with a 12-month no quibble warranty. Amazon Renewed Store : While you cant really sell on Amazon Renewed unless youre a business, those looking to buy a refurbished iPhone Amazon Renewed have plenty of options to choose from. Its greatest benefit is that purchases are all backed by Amazons standard returns policy and its Renewed Guarantee lets you get a refund or replacement within 1 year of receiving your product. Envirofone : Also allows you to trade in your old phone for credit towards purchasing a refurbished phone.

ACEMAGIC Unveiled the F9A Pro 495 at IFA, Packing 192GB of Memory Into a Tiny AI PC

ACEMAGIC showcased its F9A AI Mini Workstation series at IFA 2026, including a new flagship F9A-PRO 495 configuration with up to 192GB of unified memory. The series is designed for running large AI models, development tools, and demanding creative workloads locally in a compact 2-liter desktop. The F9A first appeared on July 24, 2026 , when ACEMAGIC unveiled the original configuration powered by AMDs Ryzen AI Max+ 395 through its official community channel. ACEMAGIC followed with a formal product announcement on its website on August 17. That model combines a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 CPU with Radeon 8060S graphics , a 50-TOPS NPU, and up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 unified memory . For IFA 2026 , ACEMAGIC expanded the lineup with the F9A-PRO 495 , announcing the new configuration ahead of the show on August 31 and introducing it at IFA in Berlin beginning September 4. The new model moves to AMDs Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 , retaining 16 CPU cores and 32 threads while increasing boost frequency from 5.1GHz to 5.2GHz. It also adds Radeon 8065S graphics , a 55-TOPS NPU, and up to 192GB of faster LPDDR5X-8533 unified memory , bringing total system AI performance to a claimed 131 TOPS . The extra memory is critical for running large AI models directly on the PC. According to ACEMAGIC, the F9A-395 can allocate up to 96GB of its memory to graphics and AI workloads and handle mixture-of-experts models up to 200 billion parameters. The PRO 495 increases the allocation to 160GB and supports models up to 300 billion parameters. Both versions use the same compact 158.5 158.5 81.5mm aluminum chassis , with five heat pipes and a turbo fan designed to sustain 120W operation and reach 140W peak power. Connectivity includes dual USB4, OCuLink PCIe 4.0 x4, dual 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7, HDMI, DisplayPort, an SD card reader, and dual M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slots supporting up to 8TB . A four-microphone array and dual 2W speakers also support voice-based AI applications and conferencing. Pricing and retail availability for the F9A-PRO 495 have not been announced yet. ACEMAGIC F9A Series Key Specs Specification F9A-395 F9A-PRO 495 Introduced July 24, 2026 IFA 2026, September 4 Processor AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 CPU 16 cores / 32 threads 16 cores / 32 threads Max Boost 5.1GHz 5.2GHz Graphics Radeon 8060S Radeon 8065S NPU 50 TOPS 55 TOPS Total AI Performance Up to 126 TOPS Up to 131 TOPS Memory Up to 128GB LPDDR5X-8000 Up to 192GB LPDDR5X-8533 Max Shared Allocation 96GB 160GB Storage 2 M.2 PCIe 4.0, up to 8TB Same Expansion OCuLink PCIe 4.0 x4 Same Networking Dual 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Same Dimensions 158.5 158.5 81.5mm, 2L Same ACEMAGIC Unveiled the F9A Pro 495 at IFA, Packing 192GB of Memory Into a Tiny AI PC , original content from Ubergizmo . Read our Copyrights and terms of use .

Delhi High Court Raises Concerns Over Violence in University Elections

The Delhi High Court has expressed concerns over recent violence during student elections at Delhi University, demanding reports from involved parties. Delhi High Court Raises Concerns Over Violence in University Elections

Vigilance FIR against Mandi Parishad deputy director over disproportionate assets

The Marks Tell Only Half the Story: Can We Learn to See the Child?

A few winters ago, in a school perched on a hill in a remote tehsil of Kashmir, I watched a father wait outside a classroom, turning the pages of his son's result card over and over, as though the numbers printed on it might rearrange themselves into something kinder. When the teacher finally came out, his first question was not about his son's curiosity, his kindness to a younger classmate, or the wonder with which the boy had, only weeks earlier, tried to build a working water-wheel from twigs and thread. His question was the only one our system had trained him to ask: Kitne marks aaye? How many marks did he get? I have carried that image with me for years, because it captures, more honestly than any policy document can, the quiet violence of an assessment culture built entirely around numbers. In thirty years of teaching and teacher education across the high pastures of Kupwara and Silmone, Kargil, the crowded classrooms of Budgam, and now in the corridors of SCERT, I have watched children reduced, again and again, to a single figure on a page: 62%, 78%, 94%. Behind every one of those numbers sits a whole human being restless, curious, wounded, hopeful whom the number does not even attempt to see. It is this narrowness, this quiet erasure, that the Digital Holistic Progress Card (HPC), developed by PARAKH under the National Council of Educational Research and Training, now asks us to correct. And I believe, with the conviction of a man who has spent a lifetime in Kashmir's classrooms, that this is not a reform we should merely comply with. It is one we should welcome, wholeheartedly and without delay. From Recall to Recognition For generations, the Kashmiri report card, like report cards everywhere in India, has functioned as a scorecard of memorisation: how much content a child could retain and reproduce under the pressure of a three-hour examination. It rewarded recall over understanding, silence over curiosity, and conformity over the kind of thinking a child actually needs to face an unpredictable world. The Digital HPC proposes something different, and something, I would argue, closer to what education was always meant to be. It replaces the one-time summative verdict with a continuous, developmental profile one that asks not how much did the child memorise? but how has the child grown? It looks at whether a learner can apply knowledge to real situations, not merely recite it. It attends to physical, emotional, social, and creative growth alongside the academic. And it treats feedback not as a final judgement delivered once a year, but as an ongoing conversation between teacher and learner throughout the year. There is a line I return to often, from Saadi Shirazi's Gulistan: the gardener does not measure a sapling's worth by the flowers it has already given, but tends it patiently, trusting the blossoms that are yet to come. Our examination culture has too often behaved like an impatient orchard-keeper, judging saplings as though they were already full-grown trees. The HPC, at its philosophical core, asks us to become gardeners again to nurture rather than merely to grade. A 360-Degree Gaze Digitally Held What makes the Digital HPC genuinely new is not just its philosophy but its architecture. For too long, assessment in our schools has been a one-directional act: the teacher observes, the teacher judges, the teacher records. The HPC's digital portal distributes that gaze across four pillars: self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment, and parent or caregiver feedback, each entered and tracked through a common platform that follows the child's growth over time rather than capturing a single snapshot. This matters enormously in our context. Ask a child in Budgam or Bandipora to reflect honestly on their own learning, and you will often be met with hesitation not because they lack insight, but because no one has ever asked them to trust their own judgement about themselves. Peer assessment, too, is unfamiliar territory in classrooms where competition, not collaboration, has long been the operating logic. And parental involvement in our schools has traditionally meant one thing only: attending a meeting to be told how the child performed, rarely being asked what the parent has observed at home: the child's patience with a younger sibling, their curiosity about the stars, their struggle with sleep before an exam. The digital HPC does not merely add these voices as decoration. It structurally requires them, logging them into a shared, trackable record. Done honestly, this could be transformative for Kashmiri households, where the home and the school have too often functioned as separate, uncommunicating worlds. A mother's observation about her daughter's growing confidence at home becomes, for the first time, part of the official record of that child's education, not an afterthought whispered at the school gate. I would be doing my profession, and my readers, a disservice if I painted this transition as effortless. The HPC follows the NEP's 5+3+3+4 structure, with distinct cards for the Foundational stage (Balvatika to Grade 2), the Preparatory stage (Grades 35), the Middle stage (Grades 68), and the Secondary stage (Grades 912), each demanding a different kind of teacher fluency, from play-based observation in early years to guiding self-directed, modular learning by Grade 12. In Kashmir, this staged vision runs headlong into some stubborn realities. First, teacher training: rubric-based, competency-focused assessment is a fundamentally different skill from setting and marking a written paper, and many of our teachers, through no fault of their own, have never been trained in it. Second, digital access: a portal-based system presumes reliable connectivity and devices, assumptions that do not hold in large parts of Gurez, Karnah, Shuplain(Khag) or the higher reaches of Kokernag and Kangan, where even electricity can be intermittent. Third, our multilingual reality a classroom where Kashmiri, Urdu, and increasingly English circulate together means that rubrics and reflection prompts designed elsewhere may not translate naturally into how our children and parents actually think and speak. And fourth, and perhaps most dangerous of all: the risk that the HPC becomes, in practice, just one more form to fill a digital ritual performed for compliance rather than genuine understanding, adding to an already overburdened teacher's workload without changing a single thing about how a child is actually seen. These are not reasons to resist the HPC. They are reasons to implement it with humility, adequate resourcing, and patience, investing seriously in teacher capacity-building, ensuring offline or low-bandwidth alternatives for our remotest schools, and resisting the temptation to treat the rollout as a box-ticking exercise measured by how many logins occurred rather than how many children were genuinely better understood. An Invitation, Not a Circular It would be easy, and I have seen this happen before with well-intentioned reforms for the Digital HPC to arrive in our schools as just another directive from Delhi: a new form, a new portal, a new burden layered atop an already exhausted teaching workforce. I want to insist, as someone who has spent three decades inside this system, that this would be a tragic misreading of what is actually being offered. The HPC is not a mandate to be endured. It is an invitation to teachers, to SCERT, to every stakeholder in Kashmir's education system to finally build the kind of assessment our children have always deserved: one that sees them as whole, growing, unfinished human beings rather than as numbers awaiting compilation. If we, in Kashmir, choose to own this reform rather than merely administer it, training our teachers with genuine seriousness, adapting its rubrics to our own linguistic and cultural realities, and insisting on the resources our remote schools need to participate fully, we have the chance to model something the rest of the country could learn from. I think again of that father outside the classroom, waiting for a number to tell him who his son was. I would like to imagine a different scene, some years from now: a father and a teacher, sitting together, discussing not a percentage but a portrait: a child's growing confidence, his patience with others, the questions that keep him up at night with wonder rather than dread. That is the promise of the Holistic Progress Card. It is now on us teachers, administrators, and policymakers alike to make sure Kashmir does not let that promise go unfulfilled. (The author is a senior teacher educator, curriculum developer and education researcher with over three decades of experience in school education and teacher education. His work focuses on curriculum reform, foundational, middle and Higher secondary stage learning, assessment, multilingual education and the implementation of contemporary educational frameworks in Jammu & Kashmir. He can be reached at: sheikhgulzar1970@gmail.com )

Army reviews security, counter-terrorism ops in Poonch

Jammu, Sep 17 : General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma on Thursday visited Surankote sector in Jammu and Kashmirs border district of Poonch to review security arrangements and counter-terrorism efforts, the Army said. The northern commanders visit to Surankote comes three days after General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps [] The post Army reviews security, counter-terrorism ops in Poonch appeared first on Northlines .

NIMS doctors threaten strike over abuse of colleague

Hyderabad:The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) at the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) has strongly condemned an incident in which relatives of a patient allegedly abused and threatened a resident doctor on duty, demanding that a first investigation report (FIR) be registered immediately against those involved. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening, September 16, when 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 .

India crush Afghanistan by 127 runs in 3rd T20I to take series 3-0

Abhishek Sharma smashed the fastest Indian T20I century off just thirty balls. His explosive 108 powered India to a commanding 221 for seven against Afghanistan. India then bowled Afghanistan out for a mere 94 runs in the third T20I. This dominant performance secured a comprehensive 3-0 series victory for the visiting Indian team. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each for India.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer

Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max earlier this month, arriving three years after the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Three generations of changes make for a substantial upgrade, bringing larger displays, an all-new design, improvements to every camera, significantly longer battery life, and faster charging. The iPhone 16 Pro introduced larger displays with thinner borders, the Camera Control, a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and improved video and audio recording. The iPhone 17 Pro replaced the titanium frame and glass back with an aluminum unibody, added vapor chamber cooling and Ceramic Shield 2, and upgraded both the telephoto and front-facing cameras. This year's refresh centers on the A20 Pro chip, a variable-aperture Main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island , and a further increase in battery capacity . For iPhone 15 Pro owners, all three sets of changes accumulate. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, $200 more than the iPhone 15 Pro's $999 launch price, although the entry storage tier has doubled from 128GB. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, $100 more than the iPhone 15 Pro Max's equivalent starting configuration. Here are the key differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro: Design and Display iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Brushed titanium frame with full glass back Aluminum unibody with partial Ceramic Shield back, improving heat dissipation Glass rounded square camera bump Full-width rounded rectangle aluminum camera plateau iPhone 15 Pro : 6.1-inch display iPhone 15 Pro Max : 6.7-inch display iPhone 18 Pro : 6.3-inch display iPhone 18 Pro Max : 6.9-inch display iPhone 15 Pro : 2,556-by-1,179-pixel resolution iPhone 15 Pro Max : 2,796-by-1,290-pixel resolution iPhone 18 Pro : 2,622-by-1,206-pixel resolution iPhone 18 Pro Max : 2,868-by-1,320-pixel resolution Wider borders around the display Thinner borders, with the initial reduction of 30% introduced on the iPhone 16 Pro Approximately 2-4 nits minimum display brightness 1 nit minimum display brightness More power-efficient display Ceramic Shield front Ceramic Shield 2 front, with Apple claiming 3x better scratch resistance than the iPhone 16 Pro Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating only Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and Apple-designed anti-reflective coating to reduce glare 2,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor) 3,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor), a 50% increase 2x better outdoor contrast, as stated in the iPhone 16 Pro comparison Dynamic Island supports up to two simultaneous Live Activities Smaller Dynamic Island, supports up to three simultaneous Live Activities Camera Control capacitive button with sapphire crystal cover Available in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Blue Titanium Available in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy 99% or more fiber-based packaging 100% fiber-based packaging, suitable for recycling Dimensions and Weight iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Height iPhone 15 Pro : 146.6mm (5.77 inches) iPhone 15 Pro Max : 159.9mm (6.29 inches) iPhone 18 Pro : 150.0mm (5.91 inches) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 163.4mm (6.43 inches) Width iPhone 15 Pro : 70.6mm (2.78 inches) iPhone 15 Pro Max : 76.7mm (3.02 inches) iPhone 18 Pro : 71.9mm (2.83 inches) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 78.0mm (3.07 inches) Thickness 8.25mm (0.32 inches) 8.75mm (0.34 inches) Weight iPhone 15 Pro : 187 grams (6.60 ounces) iPhone 15 Pro Max : 221 grams (7.81 ounces) iPhone 18 Pro : 211 grams (7.44 ounces), an increase of 24 grams iPhone 18 Pro Max : 249 grams (8.78 ounces), an increase of 28 grams Chip, Performance, and Connectivity iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) A17 Pro chip A20 Pro chip Built with TSMC's N3B process (first-generation 3nm ) Built with TSMC's N2 process (2nm), Apple's first 2nm smartphone chip 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores 8GB LPDDR5 RAM 12GB LPDDR5X RAM 51.2Gb/s memory bandwidth 115GB/s memory bandwidth 6-core GPU 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators First-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing Faster hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores) Vapor chamber cooling with 3x more surface area than the iPhone 17 Pro New chip packaging that places silicon die beside memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamber Earlier video encoding hardware Enhanced video encoding hardware supporting higher-frame-rate recording and additional professional formats Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem iPhone 18 Pro : Apple C2 modem in all countries iPhone 18 Pro Max : Apple C2 modem in all countries except the U.S., where it uses a Qualcomm modem Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip Apple N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity Bluetooth 6 connectivity Rear Camera iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) First-generation quad-pixel sensor Newer sensor and computational imaging pipeline, building on the faster readout speeds and zero shutter lag introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro Fixed /1.78 aperture on the Main camera Variable aperture with four stops: /1.48, /1.8, /2.8, and /4.0, using six laser-cut blades API available for developers to control the aperture range within their own apps Night mode Faster Night mode, tied to the new variable-aperture lens Around 50% better Main camera low-light performance than the iPhone 16 Pro, with more detail in the back of group photos Pro controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide camera 12-megapixel Telephoto camera 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto camera iPhone 15 Pro : 3x Telephoto camera, with 77mm focal length iPhone 15 Pro Max : 5x Telephoto camera, with 120mm focal length 4x Telephoto camera, with 100mm focal length, also enabling 12-megapixel optical-quality 8x shots at 200mm iPhone 15 Pro : 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x zoom options, with optical-quality 2x derived from the Main camera iPhone 15 Pro Max : 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x zoom options, with optical-quality 2x derived from the Main camera 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x zoom options, with optical-quality 2x and 8x derived from the Main and Telephoto cameras Macro photography 48-megapixel macro photography Support for JPEG-XL format First-generation Photographic Styles Photographic Styles 3, with tone, color, texture, and grain controls Depth mapping for AR and portrait photography Enhanced depth mapping for AR and portrait photography, with more accurate background and subject separation and more realistic bokeh Smart focus tracking Apple Reference Image (Main camera only) Camera Control The iPhone 15 Pro already has an Action button that can launch the camera or Visual Intelligence , but it lacks the dedicated Camera Control introduced with the iPhone 16 lineup. The iPhone 18 Pro's Camera Control provides the following additional functions: Press Camera Control to launch the Camera app Press to capture a photo or press and hold to record video Light press to lock focus and exposure before reframing Slide across the capacitive surface to adjust settings such as zoom, exposure, styles, and tone Light-press controls overlay for quick access to camera settings Integration with supported third-party camera apps Press and hold to activate Visual Intelligence Video Recording iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, with Dolby Vision HDR up to 60 fps 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, 100 fps (Fusion Main), or 120 fps (Fusion Main) 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, or 120 fps (Fusion Main) ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Slo-mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion Main) Cinematic mode recording up to 4K HDR at 30 fps Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture to Fusion Main video shot at up to 60 fps Pro controls for lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram Smart focus tracking Improved low-light video at 1080p Time-lapse video recording with stabilization Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision QuickTake video QuickTake video up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps Apple Log Apple Log 2 ProRes RAW capture support Genlock support Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps Front Camera iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera with conventional rectangular sensor 18-megapixel Center Stage camera with square sensor and TrueDepth technology Tap to zoom Tap to zoom and rotate, allowing portrait and landscape framing without rotating the iPhone Center Stage for photos and video calls Ultra-stabilized video Dual Capture, recording the front and rear cameras simultaneously at up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps First-generation Photographic Styles Photographic Styles 3, with tone, color, texture, and grain controls Smart focus tracking, as described in the supplied comparison Pro controls for shutter speed, white balance, and histogram 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, with Dolby Vision HDR up to 60 fps 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture Improved low-light video at 1080p Time-lapse video recording with stabilization Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision QuickTake video QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision Apple Log Apple Log 2 ProRes RAW capture support Audio Recording iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Stereo recording Spatial Audio and stereo recording Studio-quality four-mic array Wind noise reduction Audio Mix with algorithms for higher-quality voices and the ability to isolate music Battery and Charging iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) iPhone 15 Pro : 3,274 mAh battery iPhone 15 Pro Max : 4,422 mAh battery iPhone 18 Pro : 4,056 mAh battery (SIM-tray models); 4,288 mAh battery (eSIM-only models) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 5,391 mAh battery (SIM-tray models); 5,567 mAh battery (eSIM-only models) iPhone 15 Pro : Up to 23 hours of video playback iPhone 15 Pro Max : Up to 29 hours of video playback iPhone 18 Pro : Up to 36 hours of video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max : Up to 45 hours of video playback iPhone 15 Pro : Up to 20 hours of streamed video playback iPhone 15 Pro Max : Up to 25 hours of streamed video playback iPhone 18 Pro : Up to 33 hours of streamed video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max : Up to 40 hours of streamed video playback Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher Up to 50% charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter or higher supporting Adjustable Voltage Supply MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with a 20W adapter or higher MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W, reaching 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higher Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W Storage and Pricing iPhone 15 Pro (2023) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) iPhone 15 Pro : Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 15 Pro Max : Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage iPhone 15 Pro : Launched at $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) iPhone 15 Pro Max : Launched at $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB) iPhone 18 Pro : $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,799 (1TB), $2,399 (2TB) iPhone 18 Pro Max : $1,299 (256GB), $1,499 (512GB), $1,899 (1TB), $2,499 (2TB) Now discontinued Sold directly by Apple Current purchase prices depend on third-party stock, condition, and warranty iPhone 18 Pro : From $49.95 a month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade iPhone 18 Pro Max : From $54.12 a month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade Which to Choose? For iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max owners considering a replacement, the iPhone 18 Pro is a worthwhile upgrade. Three generations of changes bring improvements to the display, each camera on the device, battery life, charging, and sustained performance. Battery life is likely to be the strongest argument for most users, particularly if their current device no longer comfortably lasts through the day, while faster wired charging makes brief charging stops more useful. The camera upgrade is especially compelling for anyone who regularly takes photos or records video. Higher-resolution Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras expand the options beyond the Main camera, while the variable aperture and Pro controls provide additional creative flexibility. The Camera Control also offers a dedicated way to launch the camera and adjust settings, although its value will depend on whether you prefer physical controls to the touchscreen. Owners of the smaller iPhone 15 Pro gain more native telephoto reach, moving from 3x to 4x, as well as the optical-quality 8x option. For iPhone 15 Pro Max owners, the camera moves from 5x to 4x, with the higher-resolution sensor enabling the additional 8x crop. For video creators, the accumulated changes are more consequential still. Higher-frame-rate 4K recording, ProRes RAW, Genlock, Apple Log 2, Dual Capture, and improved audio tools expand the range of work that can be completed on the device. The square front-camera sensor also makes landscape framing easier without rotating the phone, while Center Stage improves flexibility for group photos and video calls. The A20 Pro and vapor chamber cooling make the strongest performance case for users who play demanding games, record long video clips, or regularly push their device through sustained workloads. More RAM and additional AI processing hardware provide greater headroom for supported on-device tasks. For messaging, browsing, and other everyday activities, the A17 Pro remains capable, and access to iOS 27 , Apple Intelligence , or Visual Intelligence alone does not require replacing it. There are physical trade-offs to consider. Both newer models are larger and thicker, with weight increasing by 24 grams on the Pro and 28 grams on the Pro Max. The aluminum enclosure improves heat flow, but it may show dents and scratches more readily than the titanium frame. Users who chose the iPhone 15 Pro for its relatively compact size and light weight may find those changes less appealing, even with the improvements in screen size and battery life. If your iPhone 15 Pro still meets your needs and comfortably lasts through the day, there is not am urgent reason to replace it. It is still a capable device with support for iOS 27, Apple Intelligence, and Siri AI. A battery replacement may be worth considering if reduced health is your main complaint and you would otherwise be happy to keep the device. The upgrade becomes much easier to recommend when battery limitations coincide with a desire for the newer cameras, larger display, or improved performance. A discounted iPhone 17 Pro is another option if your priorities are the aluminum design, higher-resolution telephoto camera, square front-camera sensor, and vapor chamber cooling. Those upgrades arrived before this year's model. Paying more for the iPhone 18 Pro makes the clearest sense when you also want the variable aperture, Pro controls, A20 Pro, smaller Dynamic Island, and further improvements to battery life and charging. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max opened on Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: iPhone 18 Pro (Buy Now) Related Forum: iPhone This article, iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade? first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

The six people sitting on the board of Tata Sons

Here's a look at the six-member board of Tata Sons, the holding Tata Group company commanding India's largest conglomerate.

Complaint seeks probe into alleged fake Garo identity claims

Shillong, Sep 17: Social activist Greneth M. Sangma has filed a petition before the South Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner demanding re-verification of his decade-old complaints alleging unlawful claims of Garo tribal identity. In his letter, Sangma urged the administration to revisit his complaints filed on August 13, 2014, March 12, 2015, and September 19, 2018, [] The post Complaint seeks probe into alleged fake Garo identity claims first appeared on Highland Post .

Northern Army commander reviews security, counter-terrorism operations in Poonch

Jammu, Sep 17: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma on Thursday visited Surankote sector in Jammu and Kashmir's border district of Poonch to review security arrangements and counter-terrorism efforts, the Army said. The northern commander's visit to Surankote comes three days after General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps Lt Gen P K Mishra visited different operational locations in the sector. Lt Gen Sharma visited Surankote sector to review the prevailing security posture and ongoing Counter-Terrorism efforts. The Army Commander was briefed on the ongoing operations, including sustained efforts towards focused targeting of terrorists, joint intelligence framework and enhanced synergy with sister agencies, the Udhampur-based Northern Command said in a post on X. It said the commander interacted with troops, boosting their morale as he commended them for their professional conduct of operations in the challenging terrain and weather conditions.

Assam CM disburses Rs 278 crore to 82,219 entrepreneurs, pushes youth towards self-reliance

Digital Desk | Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday distributed financial assistance worth more than Rs 278 crore to young entrepreneurs under the Chief Ministers Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA) 1.0 and 2.0, reaffirming the state governments focus on promoting entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance among the youth. Speaking at a financial assistance distribution ceremony held at the Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir in Khanapara in Guwahati, Sarma said the initiative was aimed not merely at providing financial support but at encouraging young people to establish businesses and become successful entrepreneurs. Under the scheme, beneficiaries in the General Category receive Rs 2 lakh each, comprising a 50 per cent grant and a 50 per cent interest-free loan. Entrepreneurs under the Professional Category are eligible for Rs 5 lakh, structured under the same funding model. According to programme details, a total of 82,219 entrepreneurs are covered under CMAAA 1.0 and 2.0. The first phase includes 9,552 general-category and 26 professional-category beneficiaries, while the second phase covers 72,447 general-category and 194 professional-category entrepreneurs. The government is distributing more than Rs 196 crore under CMAAA 1.0, while the allocation for CMAAA 2.0 stands at over Rs 182 crore. Sarma said the government had previously provided Rs 75,000 during the initial phase and Rs 25,000 in a subsequent phase to support young beneficiaries pursuing entrepreneurship. However, several beneficiaries failed to meet the eligibility requirements for further assistance. Of approximately 13,000 beneficiaries, around 9,552 met the requirements, while nearly 4,000 did not qualify. The Chief Minister attributed some unsuccessful cases to beneficiaries taking up jobs and discontinuing their businesses. The initiative also includes skill development training and marketing support to help entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and improve their prospects for long-term sustainability. Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises Minister Bimal Borah, officials and participating entrepreneurs attended the ceremony.

EPFO wage ceiling hike to expand social security net, strengthen retirement protection: Industry

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The governments decision to raise the monthly wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 has been welcomed by industry and labour representatives, who said the move would widen the social security net, support formal employment and strengthen long-term financial protection for workers. FICCI Director General Jyoti Vij said the revision had been overdue, pointing out that the previous wage ceiling was set in 2014, while wage levels, incomes and the structure of employment have changed significantly since then. Speaking to IANS, Vij said the increase to Rs 25,000 was in line with changing economic conditions and would bring around 51 lakh additional employees under the formal social security framework. She said the move could contribute to the formalisation of employment while helping companies retain employees and strengthening retirement security. Vij noted that access to provident fund, pension and other social security benefits can improve employee morale and job stability, creating benefits for both workers and employers. When employees have confidence that they will have financial security after retirement, they are likely to remain more committed to their work and stay longer with an organisation, Vij said. The decision was also welcomed by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). Girish Chandra Arya, All India Secretary of the organisation and in-charge of the banking sector, said trade unions had been demanding an increase in the EPFO wage ceiling for a long time. Arya said the Rs 15,000 threshold fixed in September 2014 had become inadequate considering the current economic environment and changing wage structures. He described the revision after nearly 12 years as an important step for employees. He said the impact of the decision could extend beyond the immediate beneficiaries, as the governments efforts to promote formal employment and bring workers from the unorganised sector into the organised workforce could bring more employees under schemes such as EPF, ESI and bonus benefits in the future. Arya also emphasised that the move should not be viewed merely as an increase in provident fund coverage. According to him, broader EPFO coverage would also strengthen workers access to long-term pension and insurance protection.

'UPI Tax' Row: CPI(ML) Demands Rollback Of New MDR

CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has strongly criticised the newly introduced Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI transactions, labelling it a UPI tax and demanding its immediate rollback. He drew parallels with demonetisation, arguing that the new framework would negatively impact small shopkeepers, MSMEs, and ordinary citizens by increasing prices.

Sikh truck driver stabbed 17 times in Wyoming days after DHS's Mr Singh post

A Sikh truck driver was brutally stabbed seventeen times in Wyoming. This attack occurred just four days after a controversial US government post. Sikh Americans are demanding a full investigation into the assault. They want authorities to determine if hate played a role in the incident. The community fears this incident reflects a concerning climate for them.

Farmers continue stir demanding full crop loan waiver and penal interest

The protesters are demanding halt to recovery proceedings by cooperative societies; waiver of dues up to March 31; and writing off interest and penal interest

Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer Under Pressure After UK Setbacks, Harmanpreet Kaur

Cricket at the Asian Games enters another chapter in 2026, with India heading into the competition with contrasting storylines in the mens and womens events. While Harmanpreet Kaurs womens team arrives after a commanding Asia Cup campaign, Shreyas Iyers men will be looking to put recent T20I struggles behind them. Cricket was first introduced at [] The post Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer Under Pressure After UK Setbacks, Harmanpreet Kaurs Team High On Confidence appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .

Rekha Gupta Performs Hawan At Khatu Shyam Mandir On PM Modis Birthday

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed a 108-Kundiya Hawan at the Shree Khatu Shyam Mandir on GT Karnal Road on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modis 76th birthday.

Members of Parliament offer prayers for PM Modi on his birthday

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Several BJP MPs extended warm greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and visited places of worship to pray for his health and success. BJP MP Sambit Patra visited Puris Jagannath Temple, offered prayers, and performed puja. Fellow party MP Tarun Chugh visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar and offered prayers, wishing the Prime Minister a good and healthy life. Speaking to IANS, Patra said: On the occasion of our dearly beloved Prime Minister Modi's birthday, we offered our prayers to Lord Jagannath and performed puja. We prayed for the PMs long and healthy life. We are all part of his family who have benefited from various policies launched by PM Modi. Some of us have benefited from Ayushman, some through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, some from Ujjwala, and some from Ujala. More than 80 crore people have benefited. Thus, we prayed for his long, healthy life. The people of Puri prayed at the Almightys feet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains healthy. I would urge others to do the same. Similarly, Chugh visited Sri Harmandir Sahib, where he offered prayers for PM Modis long life and good health. Speaking to IANS, he said, Sri Harmandir Sahib always guides and blesses all of us. We draw strength from here, which allows us to move forward. Today is Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday. Acknowledging PM Modis contribution, MP Chugh said: He has devoted his entire life to service, to the progress of the country and to ensuring that Indias name shines across the world. Today, 25 years of his service as a head of government have been completed, and every moment of these 25 years has been dedicated to serving and advancing the nation, he added. Praising PM Modis achievements as a leader, Chugh said that owing to his policies, the nation has recorded a 7.8 GDP growth. Today we are the worlds 4th most powerful nation (in economic terms). He also added that nearly 18-19 crore households have water supply and 6 crore people have been given homes. Under PM Modis leadership, India has emerged as a powerhouse and nearly 100 crore people are benefiting from all the welfare schemes launched by the Modi government. Chugh further said it was his desire that PM Modis vision of Viksit Bharat is fulfilled, and that Punjab also gets developed under Viksit Bharat, and that is why the people of Punjab are praying to the Almighty for the Prime Ministers good health and long life. suruchi/vd

34-year-old woman told Rs 9 crore sent to her from abroad was stuck at customs; she paid for its release, lost Rs 1.2 crore to fraud

A 34-year-old West Delhi woman allegedly lost around Rs 1.2 crore after fraudsters told her a diplomatic parcel containing 7 lakh was stuck at customs. The alleged scam continued for nearly a year, with fake bank, high commission and international officials demanding customs, tax and transaction payments while promising a parcel, cheque and bank transfer.

Over 13K Junior Teachers Stage Mass Protest in Bhubaneswar Demanding Job Regularisation

Lower PMG turned into a massive demonstration ground as nearly 13,000 primary and upper-primary junior teachers from across all 30 districts of Odisha converged on Mahatma Gandhi Marg for a sit-in. The agitation, organised under the banner of the Odisha Junior Teachers Association, erupted over administrative delays in executing official notifications regarding the regularisation of [] The post Over 13K Junior Teachers Stage Mass Protest in Bhubaneswar Demanding Job Regularisation appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .

The NSE IPO investor playbook: Should you subscribe to the mega issue or pick rival BSE instead?

The NSE IPO has sparked a valuation debate as investors weigh subscribing at the issue price against waiting for a post-listing correction or considering BSE. With NSE commanding a dominant share of Indias equity markets, analysts point to its strong financials and scale, while flagging rich valuations and risks around options volumes.

India goes for big push towards self-reliance in semiconductors

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Indias semiconductor story has advanced rapidly in a short period. In 2021, the country had no commercial chip plant. By 2026, 12 units have been approved, and five are in production. Students across hundreds of colleges are now designing chips. Semicon 2.0 is the natural next chapter in this account. It does not begin afresh -- it takes a functioning ecosystem and completes it, according to a factsheet issued by the government on Wednesday on the occasion of the 'SEMICON India 2026' event. Semiconductors form the core of modern electronic systems as smartphones, computers, medical equipment, automobiles, defence systems, satellites and data centres use semiconductor-based components. Establishing a strong semiconductor ecosystem is, therefore, essential for technological resilience, economic security, and national self-reliance. Building on the successful implementation of Semicon 1.0, the Union Cabinet approved Semicon 2.0 on July 15, 2026 with an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore. While the first phase laid the foundation for India's semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, Semicon 2.0 advances the next phase through six strategic pillars. These include research and development, chip design, machines and materials, setting up more fabs, talent development, and further strengthening the ATMP/OSAT industry, the factsheet states. It highlights that India is witnessing rapidly rising semiconductor demand. It is projected to reach $110 billion by FY2030 and exceed $200 billion by FY2035, while domestic manufacturing remains at a nascent stage. India spent almost $150 billion on semiconductor product imports during FY17FY25. Imports grew at a compound annual growth rate of 23 per cent during this period. If this trend continues, annual imports could reach $240 billion by 2035. Building a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem is, therefore, an urgent national priority, the factsheet states. Semicon 2.0 rests on six pillars: design, machines and materials, setting up new fabs, further advanced packaging, research and talent development. Its purpose is to build the complete chip value chain within the country, and not merely its closing stages. This effort carries India towards supply chain resilience, strategic autonomy and high-value employment in a technology that now underpins every modern industry. The global semiconductor market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5 per cent between 2014 and 2024. It is projected to grow at 8.5 per cent over the next 510 years. However, recent disruptions have exposed vulnerabilities in the interconnected global semiconductor value chain. Geopolitical tensions have further highlighted the risks of supply dependence. The road ahead is demanding. Chip manufacturing ranks among the most complex industries in the world. It requires patience, precision, and steady policy support. Semicon 2.0 provides that support for the long term. For citizens, the gain will be quiet but real. Devices will be manufactured more fully within India. Critical systems will depend less upon distant supply chains. Young engineers will find high-value work closer to home, the factsheet said.

Telangana ACB arrests two police officials for taking Rs 5 lakh bribe

Digital Desk | Hyderabad, Sep 17 (IANS) Telanganas Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested two police officers for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to do an official favour, officials said on Thursday. In an operation conducted around midnight, the ACB sleuths caught Dyapa Gnanender Reddy, Sub-Inspector of Police, Keesara Police Station, Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate, red-handed when he was accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe. The anti-graft agency said the Sub-Inspector was accepting the bribe on the instruction of Arkapally Anjaneyulu, Inspector of Police/SHO, Keesara Police Station. The ACB said in a release on Thursday that the accused officers demanded and accepted the bribe from the complainant for granting station bail and not harassing the complainant and his friend in the case already registered at Keesara Police Station. Both the Inspector and Sub-Inspector have been arrested. They will be produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases, Nampally, for judicial remand. The case is under investigation, the ACB said. The complainant had approached the ACB after the officials were allegedly harassing him and demanding money. There were also allegations that the complainant was repeatedly asked to bring biryani and cold drinks over the past few days. The officials had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh. A deal was struck for Rs 5 lakh. The Inspector/SHO had given the responsibility of accepting the bribe amount to the Sub-Inspector. The anti-graft agency laid a trap and caught Sub-Inspector Gnanender Reddy when he was accepting the bribe amount in a car near Keesara lake while he was on Ganesh immersion duty. On seeing the ACB officials, the SI tried to flee but was apprehended. Following the trap, ACB officials conducted searches at Keesara Police Station and officials' residences. The operation was conducted by ACB City Range-I under the supervision of DSP Majid Ali Khan. The ACB has said that in case of a demand for a bribe by any public servant, they can contact the ACB toll-free number 1064 to take action as per law. The name and details of the victim/complainant will be kept secret.

CM Fadnavis welcomes Jarange Patil ending hunger strike, says 12 out of his 13 demands accepted

Digital Desk | Sambhajinagar, Sep 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday expressed relief and satisfaction after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil ended his hunger strike on its 20th day. Addressing media, he welcomed the development, noting that the government had proactively engaged with the activist to resolve the standoff peacefully. We are glad that Manoj Jarange Patil has called off his hunger strike. We had urged him to do so. Out of his 13 demands, 12 have been accepted by the government. One demand could not be fulfilled due to legal constraints, which was duly communicated to him, he stated. The Chief Minister assured that the commitments made by the cabinet sub-committee would be strictly fulfilled. The state government will hold necessary meetings and take required administrative steps to implement these promises. Reaffirming the states commitment to Maratha community, Fadnavis emphasized that our doors remain open and claimed that no previous administration has taken as many concrete decisions for the welfare of the Maratha community as the current government. Extending appreciation to key leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and legislator Prasad Lad for their mediation, CM Fadnavis highlighted that the agitation concluded peacefully without disturbing upcoming festive celebrations. Earlier, Jarange Patil on Thursday at Patoda in Beed district announced the suspension of his 20-day hunger strike following his discussion with a government delegation comprising Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Dadaji Bhuse, MLAs Prasad Lad and Suresh Dhas, and the Beed District Collector. Following the talks, Jarange Patil granted the government a 90-day deadline, demanding the implementation of the Satara Gazette within three months. He warned that if the government betrays them, he will march to Mumbai. Announcing the suspension of his hunger strike, he clarified that the agitation would continue, asserting that the battle would not stop until it succeeded. Giving a three-month ultimatum for the Satara Gazette implementation, he stated that antagonising the Maratha community is unacceptable. He remarked that despite any mistakes by Minister Vikhe Patil, people should treat him with affection, and expressed similar sentiments toward DCM Eknath Shinde. He added that he would not stay silent if ministers criticised them and noted that officials who previously avoided talks had finally come to negotiate, emphasising that the community's dignity is more important than reservations. The government delegation gave him assurances including implementation of the Satara, Kolhapur, Pune, and Aundh Gazettes within three months by issuing a Government Resolution (GR), issuance of a revised GR to grant Kunbi certificates in accordance with the Hyderabad Gazette, continued validation of certificates issued per the Hyderabad Gazette, no reduction in the 58 lakh Kunbi records found by the Shinde Committee and validation of the revoked Kunbi certificates of four elected representatives from Marathwada.

Anil Kapoor credits daughters Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor for his success in life: Having two daughters is a double bonus

Anil Kapoor is set to begin a new chapter with India Ke Top 1%: The Anil Kapoor Show, which premieres on September 19 at 8 PM on Star Plus and JioHotstar. Ahead of the shows premiere, the actor reflected on his own experiences of balancing a demanding career with family responsibilities during a conversation with one of the contestants. The contestant shared that he had decided to take a break from work after realising that his family needed more of his time. His experience led Anil Kapoor to recall a particularly difficult phase of his own life, when his professional commitments kept him away from an important family moment. Speaking about the importance of making time for family, Anil Kapoor said, Bahut log kehte hain ki main apni family ke liye kaam karta hoon, lekin main bhi ab yeh seekh raha hoon ki family ko waqt dena kitna zaroori hai. Hamare jo sons-in-law hain, woh family aur work ke liye proper time nikaalte hain. Jab main aapki umar ka tha aur Rhea paida hui thi, main hospital late pahuncha tha. Main aaj tak khud ko forgive nahi kar saka. Rhea ki delivery ho gayi thi aur main kuch waqt baad wahan pahuncha. Main poori raat shoot kar raha tha aur meri aankh lag gayi. Jab main utha, tab tak Rhea was born. Having a daughter is a bonus, aur meri do daughters hain, Sonam aur Rhea, toh mere liye double bonus hai. The actors comments highlighted how his long career sometimes came at the cost of spending time with his family. He also acknowledged the way his sons-in-law manage their professional commitments while making time for their families. At 69, Anil Kapoor continues to remain active across films and television. With India Ke Top 1%, he will take on a new role as the host of a quiz-based show, where contestants will compete by testing their logic, observation and general understanding. The format will also allow viewers to participate from home. Through JioHotstar, audiences can Play Along and stand a chance to win prizes, including Smart TVs and smartphones, while attempting to see if they can make it to Indias Top 1%. India Ke Top 1%: The Anil Kapoor Show premieres on September 19 at 8 PM on Star Plus and JioHotstar. Also Read : Ganesh Acharya on his first collaboration with Anil Kapoor, I had wanted to work with Anil sir for a long time

US lawmakers seek early passage of bill to protect access to places of worship

Washington, Sep 17: US lawmakers made a bipartisan pitch for early passage of a bill that seeks to create a 100-foot protest-free buffer zone around places of worship during religious services. More than 30 groups, including those representing Hindus, Sikhs and Jews among others, gathered at Capitol Hill on Wednesday to rally support for the draft legislation introduced in the House by Congressmen Tom Suozzi and Brad Knott. The Right to Worship Act would establish a 100-foot, protest-free buffer zone around houses of worship during religious services, making it unlawful to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending. Exercising your right to worship should not require you to exhibit particular courage as you enter your synagogue, church, mosque, temple, mandir, or gurdwara, said Suozzi, a Democrat from New York. The breadth of support for the Right to Worship Act is very gratifying. So many groups recognise the horrifying reality that the threat to the freedom to worship is not unique to any one faith or congregation. Every religious community feels it, which is why this bill will protect everybody, Suozzi said. Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, said the right to worship was under threat, which amounted to a First Amendment violation. If people in the United States cannot worship, we do not have a First Amendment. And the right to worship is under attack, Knott said. The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects core individual liberties, including freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition. Suozzis Right to Worship Act builds on his earlier introduction of the Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption (SACRED) Act in April, which also aimed to establish a 100-foot protest-free buffer zone around places of worship. The Right to Worship Act is a bipartisan and bicameral effort introduced in August. Representatives from Hindu American Foundation, UNITED SIKHS, American Jewish Committee, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Coalition of Hindus of North America and Jewish Federations of North America were among the organisations supporting the measure. In recent years, we have seen a disturbing rise in the harassment of devotees and disruption of services at Hindu mandirs across America, which has deeply shaken the sense of safety for our families and devotees, said Suhag Shukla, Executive Director at the Hindu American Foundation. By making it unlawful to intentionally disrupt or harass individuals within 100 feet of a religious establishment and establishing civil penalties, this legislation ensures that our mandirs remain the sacred spaces of peace and community they are meant to be, Shukla said. Protecting religious freedom and protecting freedom of expression are not mutually exclusive. Both are essential to a free, diverse, and democratic society. The right to worship freely and the right to express oneself freely go together, said Gurvinder Singh Gill, International Aid Director of UNITED SIKHS. Four of our mandirs have been vandalised in recent years, and a family should never have to think twice before walking through the door of a house of worship, said Mukesh Swaroop, Director of Government Relations for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. This is a much-needed step to help ensure that devotees of every faith can visit their places of worship and pray without fear of being targeted or intimidated for simply exercising their First Amendment rights, said Hitesh Trivedi, COO of Coalition of Hindus of North America.

Ektaa R Kapoor takes a DIG at out-of-touch creators: Humne desh se judna bandh kar diya; apne aap ko upar samajhte hain; Tamannaah Bhatia reveals her pandit, watchman was impressed by The Vvaans Chhath depiction

Sidharth Malhotra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ektaa R Kapoor, Deepak Mishra, Arunabh Kumar, Anup Soni, Sunil Grover, Maniesh Paul and Shweta Tripathi Sharma attended the trailer launch of their film The Vvaan at a multiplex in Mumbai. Ektaa R Kapoor talked about her association with Arunabh Kumar of TVF, Balaji jo banata hai aur TVF jo banata hai; our content is very different. (smiles). But my admiration has been there for the makers because inki jo kahaniyaan hain, woh mitti se judi hui hoti hain. The problem in our country is that most of the content creators, at least in this side (of the country), make content which is out of touch with the demands of the common man. Humne desh se judna bandh kar diya. Hum apne aap ko usse upar samajte hai. That cannot happen. Aap desh se judoge toh desh aap se judega! Aap nahin judoge aur apne aap ko upar samjoge, toh aapko gira dega! Hence, it's very important to be rooted. Because TVF makes rooted stories (I wanted to work with them). Ektaa R Kapoor continued, And then, Arunabh and I became friends. We became mandir friends (laughs). Very few people in our circle visit temples. We belong to that category. So, we collaborated because of our faith. Then, Arunabh narrated the story to me, set in Bihar and about a van devi. Iss pe hamari baatein hui, kabhi ek mandir mein, kabhi dusre mandir mein (laughs). Arunabh Kumar added, We went to Goa and even there, we found a mandir. Ektaa revealed, On the first day of the year, we wanted to go to a temple in Goa. We were searching for a temple in Goa (laughs). Meanwhile, the song 'Chhathi Maiya' featuring Tamannaah has become a rage as it's a rare Hindi film to depict the Chhath Puja. The actress spoke about it in the beginning in detail. Towards the end of the event, Tamannaah Bhatia stated, I was celebrating the Ganesh Chaturthi festival at my residence. We had a pooja and yesterday, we did visarjan. Mere pandit ji ne mujhe pakad liya! He told me, We would all go and watch this film. He was impressed by the importance of Chhath depicted in the film. He was even noticing finer details about the celebration shown in the song and he appreciated that as well. Tamannaah then said, Then today my watchman told me, Aap Chhath pe film bana rahe hai?. I explained, Our film is on van devi, but Chhath is an important part of the film. She said, According to me, Chhath is not just a festival. Its an emotion. We have depicted it in the film with a lot of devotion and sincerity. That song ('Chhathi Maiya') blows up into a nice, amazing sequence (smiles). The Vvaan releases in cinemas on September 25. Also Read: The Vvaan trailer launch: Tamannaah Bhatia INVENTS new word to describe Sidharth Malhotras dashing personality Handsome-ta: Handsome-ta ka jo title hai, the one who embodies handsomeness

Amsterdam Flames Seal 5-Wicket Win Over Glasgow Cosmic, Move Back to Second in ETPL

Amsterdam Flames completed their league campaign with a five-wicket victory over Glasgow Cosmic in Match 28 of the ETPL at Malahide, chasing down 127 with 24 balls to spare and moving back into second place in the standings. Glasgow were bowled out for 126, leaving Amsterdam with a target of 127. The Flames made the most of the opportunity, reaching 127 for five to seal the win and collect two valuable points in the race for the top positions. The result marked another important step in Amsterdams campaign. Having already recorded a tournament-high 214 in their previous match against Dublin Guardians, the Flames followed that performance with a successful chase to close out their ten-match league schedule. Amsterdams bowlers set up the result by restricting Glasgow to 126. David Payne and Bas de Leede were particularly influential, Payne claiming three wickets and de Leede took 4 wickets as the Cosmic batting line-up struggled to build a substantial total. Their spells ensured that Glasgow were unable to set a more demanding target. This was de Leede's career best figure delivering 4/6. With 127 required, Amsterdam approached the chase with the assurance of knowing that a steady innings would put them in a strong position. The Flames reached the target in 16 overs, finishing on 127 for five and completing a five-wicket victory with four overs remaining with a major contribution coming from Curtis Campher who scored 44 from 30 balls. The win carries major significance beyond the result itself. Amsterdam have now completed their quota of ten league matches and moved back into second place, putting themselves in a strong position as the remaining fixtures determine the final qualification picture. The Flames must now wait for the outcome of the remaining matches, particularly the meeting between Edinburgh Castle Rockers and Belfast Wolves. Belfast remain in contention to move above Amsterdam, but would need a substantial victory over Edinburgh to improve their net run rate sufficiently to overtake the Flames. Rotterdam Dockers remaining fixture is also crucial to the qualification race. A Rotterdam victory would strengthen their position in the standings, while a defeat could open the door for Belfast to secure qualification, depending on the outcome and margin of the Edinburgh fixture. For Amsterdam, the task is now complete. The Flames have finished their ten matches, secured another win and placed themselves in second as the league stage reaches its decisive point. Their 59-run victory over Dublin in the previous match established a new ETPL team-total record, and this win over Glasgow provided a timely follow-up. The Flames now await the final results, with their place in the standings and qualification hopes resting on the remaining contenders performances. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Amsterdam have done what they needed to do on the field. The final qualification picture will now be shaped by the results still to come.

Doordarshan celebrates 67th Foundation Day

New Delhi, Sep 16: Doordarshan, Indias iconic public service broadcaster, celebrated its 67th Foundation Day with a vibrant evening of music, dance and entertainment at Doordarshan Bhawan, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi. The celebrations, themed Doordarshan@67 Kal Bhi Apna, Aaj Bhi Apna, commemorated Doordarshans remarkable journey of over six decades and its enduring connect with generations of Indians. The evening featured a special musical performance by renowned singer Jyoti Nooran, which enthralled the audience with her powerful and soulful rendition. The celebrations also witnessed a spectacular Rhythm Without Borders fusion dance performance by Shikha Khare and her group. Adding to the evening was an engaging interaction with prominent artists associated with Doordarshans upcoming television serials Sanskar and Suraag 2.0. The interaction featured K. C. Bokadia, Mahesh Thakur, Aman Verma, Darshan Jariwala, Pankaj Berry, Sudesh Berry, Sai Ketan Rao, Jigyasa Singh and Rehan Shahrukh Mirzabeig. The celebrations were hosted by Namitaa Sachdeva and Ali Asgar, who kept the audience engaged throughout the evening while celebrating Doordarshans rich legacy and continued relevance in Indias evolving media landscape. For over six decades, Doordarshan has remained an integral part of Indias social and cultural fabric. From becoming a household presence across generations to embracing new platforms and technologies, Doordarshan continues to evolve while retaining its unique identity and public service mandate. The Doordarshan Foundation Day Celebrations 2026 brought together artists, television personalities and members of the Doordarshan fraternity in a celebration of its glorious past, vibrant present and promising future.

Zuhaib Mir seeks time-bound roadmap for NHM employees

PDP spokesperson and Constituency Incharge Lal Chowk, Zuhaib Yousuf Mir, has called for an immediate and time-bound resolution of the long-pending demands of National Health Mission (NHM) employees in Jammu and Kashmir. The struggle of NHM employees is not merely about salaries; it is about dignity, job security, recognition and a secure future. These workers have served patients across hospitals, health centres and remote areas, often becoming a crucial link in our public healthcare system, Mir said. NHM employees have been seeking regularisation, pay parity, job security and social-security benefits, including EPF, ESI, insurance and retirement benefits. Their agitation, which began earlier this month, has continued with employees demanding a concrete and time-bound roadmap. Mir, as per a statement, said that years of dedicated service cannot be met with continued uncertainty. Equal work deserves fair remuneration, and contractual status cannot become a justification for denying workers basic dignity and social security, he said. He urged both the J&K and Union governments to engage meaningfully with NHM employees and establish a transparent mechanism to address their grievances. The Union Government told Parliament in March that matters concerning regularisation, absorption and pay parity of NHM personnel fall within the jurisdiction of the respective State/UT governments. The National Conference government must listen to these workers instead of allowing the issue to drag on. Healthcare workers cannot be treated as expendable. Their service sustains our public-health system, particularly at the grassroots level. Their grievances must be heard and addressed through a transparent, fair and time-bound process, Mir said.

Practice Match Day 2: Qamran Iqbals 185 powers JKCA to 316/6 against Kerala

Qamran Iqbal struck a magnificent 185 as Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) reached 316 for six against Kerala on the second day of their three-day senior mens practice match at SK Stadium, Srinagar on Wednesday. Resuming their innings on Day 2, JKCA were powered by a commanding knock from Qamran, who emerged as the standout performer with a 185-run innings before being dismissed. Kanwalpreet contributed 29, while Musaif Ajaz scored 26 as JKCA posted 316 for six by the end of the day. At the close, Abid Mushtaq was yet to open his account, while Sahil Lotra remained unbeaten on eight. For Kerala, Edhan A Tom, Akhin Sathar, Ibnul Aftab, Abhishek P Nair, J S Anurajan and Pawan claimed a wicket each. Qamrans 185 was the defining performance of the day as JKCA head into the final day at 316/6.

SEBI chief urges Army personnel to invest with discipline, vigilance

SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Wednesday urged Army personnel to approach investment decisions with discipline, preparedness and vigilance, stressing the need to protect their savings and secure their families financial future. Pandey was addressing an Investor Awareness Programme organised by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) for Army personnel in Leh. Nearly 500 personnel, including commissioned officers and jawans, attended the programme. He said the demanding nature of military service and long periods away from home can leave personnel vulnerable to unauthorised investment schemes, fraudulent digital trading platforms, cyber fraud and promises of assured returns. Pandey advised investors to align their investment decisions with their financial needs, family responsibilities and risk-taking capacity rather than focusing solely on higher returns. He urged personnel to diversify investments, understand products and associated risks, invest regularly and deal only with registered intermediaries and regulated products. Cautioning against fraud, he advised investors to verify investment applications and payment details before transferring money. He highlighted SEBI initiatives including Validated UPI Handles, SEBI Check and the Verified App Label. Pandey also stressed keeping spouses or nominees informed about investments and maintaining updated KYC, nomination, mobile, email and bank details. He urged investors to rely on official information and verified sources and referred to Project Jagrook, SEBIs investor-awareness initiative. Summing up his message, Pandey said investors should Plan. Diversify. Verify. Nominate. Stay Invested. AMFI Chief Executive Venkat N. Chalasani said financial literacy also involved risk management, goal-based planning and protecting savings from cyber threats and unauthorised schemes.

Jharkhand Congress takes out protest march demanding separate OBC column in Census 2027

A 10-member Congress delegation submit memorandum to Governor; assert that obtaining accurate population data for the OBC community would strengthen the factual basis for policy formulation and decisions regarding representation

Iran War & Canada Tariffs: Kevin Warsh Defies Trump With Rate Hike; POTUS Shoots Firing Threat

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has opened a dramatic new front with Donald Trump after leading a unanimous quarter-point interest rate hike, pushing the federal funds target range to 3.75%4% despite the president demanding rates at 1% or lower.Trump reacted angrily, calling for rates to be cut fast and intensifying pressure on the Fed as inflation remains stubborn. The clash comes amid wider economic strain from the Iran war and Trumps tariff battles, including Canada, raising fresh questions over whether the White House could escalate its fight with Warsh and even move toward trying to remove him.

Tarun Chugh Visits Family of Gulzar Singh, Promises Justice

Tarun Chugh meets Gulzar Singhs family in Sangrur, pledging support and demanding justice amid serious allegations. Tarun Chugh Visits Family of Gulzar Singh, Promises Justice

Walnut growers to get harvesting machines

Srinagar, Sep 16: The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) is likely to introduce walnut harvesting machines in Jammu and Kashmir next year to make the process safer and reduce the risks involved in climbing trees manually. Dr Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, Professor and Head, SKUAST-K. Told Rising Kashmir that the move would help make walnut harvesting safer and more efficient for growers, many of whom continue to depend on traditional methods. Walnut harvesting machines are expected to be introduced next year, Dr Imtiyaz said, stressing the need to reduce the risks faced by workers who climb tall walnut trees during the harvesting season. He said mechanisation is an important step towards modernising the walnut sector and improving productivity. Manual harvesting can be physically demanding and exposes workers to the risk of falls and serious injuries. Dr Imtiyaz said SKUAST has already developed walnut washing and cleaning machines, which have been deployed in several areas, including Kupwara, Handwara, Tangdar, Uri and Chenab. He said the focus is now on introducing suitable machinery for harvesting walnuts, which could reduce dependence on manual labour and improve harvesting efficiency. Dr Imtiyaz also called for wider adoption of modern walnut cultivation practices. He said most growers still follow traditional methods, resulting in low tree density and limited production. He advised farmers to shift towards grafted walnut plants and high-density plantations. According to him, farmers can plant around 20 to 25 grafted walnut trees per kanal, compared with only four to five trees under traditional planting. He also urged growers to adopt improved varieties developed through research and seek technical guidance from SKUAST, regional research stations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. Dr Imtiyaz said modern cultivation, mechanisation and better post-harvest facilities are essential to strengthen Kashmirs walnut industry and help local growers compete in domestic and international markets.

A Saint of the Valley: The Life and Legacy of Swami Nand Lal Ji

A Lineage of Faith and Fortune Swami Nand Lal Ji was born in 1902 at Gurgari Mohalla, Zaina Kadal, Srinagar, to Pandit Sahaj Koul and Smt. Radha Mali. His birth fell during a particularly harsh Kashmiri winter, and family tradition holds that it coincided with the festival of Tilla Ashtami, when Pandit households along the Vitasta lit ceremonial fires to mark the occasion. The Koul family- known locally as the Kothdars - were prosperous and well regarded. Nand Lal Ji's forefathers had served as bankers to Maharaja Pratap Singh, and the household was known for its devotion to Goddess Sharika Devi of Hari Parbat. In every season, family members, men and women alike, would undertake the Parikrama to the shrine. Tragedy struck early: his mother died while he was still young, leaving behind two sons and a daughter. It was his stepmother, however, who became his first spiritual guide - her simple, disciplined way of life is said to have quietly shaped the boy who would later renounce the world altogether. Nand Lal Ji's granduncle, Ram Koul, had earlier built a temple and dharamshala near the Maha Lakshmi shrine at Hari Parvat - structures that reportedly still stand today, testament to the family's long-standing piety. A Restless, Commanding YouthAs a boy, Nand Lal Ji was energetic and somewhat imperious, the kind of temperament often seen in the sons of well-off families. At school he studied up to the eighth class, and among his juniors were his cousin, the late Pandit Naranjan Nath Koul, and Pandit Sham Lal Sapru - known affectionately as Boetoth Ji - both of whom he tended to dominate as boys. In time, both would become his devoted followers once he had transformed into a realized yogi. After a brief, roughly eighteen-month attempt at business, Nand Lal Ji left home at age of fourteen in pursuit of Sadhana. Once he walked out of his father's house, he never returned to worldly life - and for nearly twenty years afterward, he was largely untraceable, a wandering ascetic somewhere in the hills and forests of the region. Initiation Under Swami Lal Ji of Banaras Nand Lal Ji took the vow of brahmacharya and was formally initiated into sainthood by Swami Lal Ji of Banaras, himself a great yogi. So struck was the guru by his disciple's spiritual attainments that he is said to have once offered Nand Lal Ji his own aasana - an honour the disciple, mindful of the proper guru-shishya relationship, declined to accept. Swami Lal Ji reportedly remarked that Nand Lal Ji had accomplished, in a remarkably short span, a level of kriya yoga that had taken him personally years of practice to master. He is remembered to have said, in Kashmiri, that true greatness belonged only to one who could match Nand Lal Ji's will and discipline - a measure of how far the young ascetic had progressed. Sadhana at Bomai and the Ashram at Sharada Much of Nand Lal Ji's deep spiritual practice was carried out at Bomai Sadhamaleun near Sopore. He lived close to nature throughout his life - in his food, dress, and daily habits - and remained a strict vegetarian. He had a particular fondness for Sufiana music, and accomplished musicians of the tradition would travel to sit before him and perform. After completing his Sadhana, Swami Ji settled at Sharada, in the Tangdhar area, establishing a small ashram at the historic Sharada temple - still known locally, largely among the Gujjar community of the area, as the Sharda Mai temple. His following there drew heavily from traders of Tikker village in present-day Kupwara. Displacement in 1947 and a New Ashram at Tikker When Pakistani raiders occupied the Sharada area in 1947, Swami Ji relocated with his followers to Tikker village in 1948, where he established a new ashram atop a hill. Interestingly, a Namberdar named Zaman Lone of Sharda gave his horse to Swami Ji to help him cross the LoC and reach Tikker. Among the few precious belongings he brought with him from Sharda was a silver Mukut from Sharda Peeth. The same silver Mukut was installed by Swami Nand Lal Ji at the Sharda Mandir in Tikker when the temple was reconstructed in 1949. Due to unavoidable circumstances in the 1990s, the Mukut was kept in the safe custody of devotees. An episode from this period of upheaval is remembered vividly by his devotees: a Sikh man fleeing armed raiders took refuge in Swami Ji's ashram at Sharada. When the raiders demanded he come down to be shot for being a Kafir, Swami Ji calmly told him not to fear and to go down as instructed. As the story goes, the gunmen's weapons repeatedly failed to fire; astonished, they eventually fell at Swami Ji's feet, begged forgiveness, and left the Sikh man unharmed - though they urged Swami Ji himself to leave the area, warning him of the violence that would follow into the Valley. During the construction of the new ashram at Tikker, workers digging the foundation reportedly encountered snakes and other creatures that departed without causing harm, after Swami Ji had reassured his devotees beforehand not to be afraid. A few feet underground, the diggers uncovered a fire tongs, a kangri, a chillum, scattered rice, a dhooni with ash, and a saligram along with fresh flowers - items his followers took as a sign that Swami Ji had performed Sadhana at that very spot in a previous life. Turning to one bewildered devotee, Pandit Niranjan Nath, Swami Ji is said to have remarked, in Kashmiri, that there was no way to describe how much was hidden in that place. He instructed the workers to set the recovered articles - the chillum, kangri, tongs, and saligram - aside and proceed with laying the plinth. The ashram commanded a sweeping view stretching as far as Sopore and Handwara. Swami Ji later established a second ashram at Hushoora, near Budgam, again showing what devotees describe as an unusually keen eye for site and setting. Tales of Healing and Revival Many miracles are attributed to Swami Ji by those who knew him, though his followers acknowledge that not all such accounts can, or should, be told. Among those still recounted: At Sopore around 196061, a temple priest ran to Swami Ji in distress, saying his wife had died. Swami Ji sent him to fetch a tumbler of water from the Vitasta and told him to sprinkle it on her face. She is said to have revived within minutes and outlived her husband. On another occasion, a devotee who had passed away suddenly stirred back to life as his body was being ritually bathed, startling those present. He asked only for clothing, saying he would explain what had happened though because his revival had not been sanctioned by Swami Ji, he permanently lost the power of speech even as he lived on for many years. This is said to have occurred after Swami Ji had already attained Nirvana. A teenage boy in Jawahar Nagar, who privately doubted that a photograph of Lord Shiva on his wall held any real significance, later experienced a night of overwhelming light in his room, in which Lord Shiva himself reportedly appeared, seated and smiling. The next morning, Swami Ji, aware of the boy's earlier doubt, asked him whether he still questioned the photograph's meaning - leaving the boy to beg forgiveness at his feet. A government employee facing certain conviction for misconduct came to Swami Ji in desperation the night before his court judgment. Swami Ji drew on his chillum, producing a burst of flame, and told him to set his worries aside. The court building and its records were destroyed by fire before the verdict could be delivered. Perhaps the most elaborate account concerns a retired police officer from Kupwara who was rushed to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar and pronounced dead one night, to his wife's anguish - only to show signs of life again as his body was being moved, terrifying those present. He later described being led by two figures through a vision of his own life, shown a hilltop with a lush garden on one side and a dark forest on the other, and being pushed toward the forest, where a thorn (later found to be an iron nail) pierced his foot - at which point he glimpsed Swami Ji in the distance and was allowed to return. He kept the nail until his death. An Open Kitchen and Quiet Miracles at Tikker Those close to Swami Ji recall an ashram where food was never denied to anyone - the langar ran daily, free of charge, feeding fifteen to twenty people or more at both morning and evening meals, and Swami Ji himself never accepted money from visitors or sought attention from important people. One devotee, Jai Kishan, is remembered to have silently wondered about the identity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. One evening, three elderly Pandits in traditional dress appeared to be conversing with Swami Ji over tea; when Jai Kishan was asked to walk them partway down the hill, they vanished the moment he looked away. Swami Ji later told him this had been the answer to his unspoken question - the three visitors, he said, had been the Trikoti itself. In another account, Jai Kishan was unexpectedly transferred from Civil Aviation to the security detail of the Prime Minister's office not long after Swami Ji had asked him, in passing, whether he would like to see the world - a posting that eventually took him abroad in the Prime Minister's entourage. A young airman from Hoshura who wished to volunteer for a peacekeeping post in Congo was told by Swami Ji, Congo alone? Why not a world tour? He was later inadvertently carried aboard a cargo flight to Washington, spent time under Indian Embassy care in the United States, and was eventually routed home via Brazil - before returning to India to serve, more prosaically, as a postmaster. A Secular and Compassionate Outlook Swami Ji's following was never confined to one community. At Bomai, a Muslim resident named Mohammed Gosain is said to have once seen him in a vision resembling Lord Shiva astride Nandi, and became a devoted follower from that day. Another Muslim devotee, troubled that his cow had stopped giving milk, was told simply to place a pot before the animal and ask her, in Swami Ji's name, to give milk - which she did at once. Swami Ji is also remembered for a prophecy made in early 1967 warning that Kashmiri Pandits faced difficult times ahead - a warning his followers later connected to the community's upheavals later that decade. A Personal Testimony One devotee, recalling his own school days in 1965, described being caught apparently cheating during a Matriculation physics examination - only to find, when the invigilator opened his answer book, that the concealed material had simply vanished, sparing him from punishment. Visiting Swami Ji's ashram afterward, he was startled to be asked directly what had become of the book he had hidden during the exam - proof, in the devotee's telling, that Swami Ji's awareness and protection extended far beyond his physical presence, and continued for his followers even after his passing. Nirvana and Succession Swami Nand Lal Ji attained Nirvana in January 1966, on the day of Gauri Tritiya, at the Malviya Nagar residence of his disciple Pandit Prem Nath Sadhu in New Delhi. He left behind a wide circle of disciples and named three successors: Shri Vibhishan Ji, who continues at an ashram in Bordi; Swami Kral Bab Ji, who established an ashram at Gaddi, Udhampur, before his own passing some years ago; and Swami Mast Ram Ji, who has carried his guru's name and teaching to ashrams in Jammu, Karala (Delhi), and Haridwar - the last able to host up to 2,000 pilgrims at a time, free of charge. Among his earliest and most senior disciples were two men initiated in his own lifetime: Swami Sedhmol, born Vedh Lal, and Swami Sham Lal Sapru, Boetoth Ji - both of whom, like their guru, are remembered for quiet spiritual power exercised without any desire for recognition, and for their lasting contribution to the Kashmiri Pandit community. A Living Tradition: Smriti Yatra & Sharda Ashtami Mahotsav 2026 Six decades after his Nirvana, Swami Nand Lal Ji's memory continues to draw pilgrims back to the hills he once walked. The Mata Kheer Bhawani Asthapan Committee, Tikker, Kupwara, is organising theSwami NandLal Ji Smriti Yatra & Sharda Ashtami Mahotsav 2026, a spiritual and cultural yatra from 14th to 19 th September, held in remembrance of the saint's lifelong dedication to Kashmir's spiritual and cultural revival. The yatra will begin at Tikker on 14th September and proceed to Hushroo in Budgam, before moving on to Bomai (Sopore), Chandigam (Lolab), Kariham, and the Gaurishankar Mandir at Gotingoo, with devotees returning to Tikker thereafter. From there, the pilgrimage continues toward Jumagund and the banks of the Krishan Ganga, taking in Pushkar Naag, Kindreshwar Dham, Rudrawan (Ladewan), and Mokhta Sar, culminating in puja at the Krishan Ganga. The route then turns to Ramchandrun (Sita Sarayain) and Meeyal for further puja, Guru Vandana, and the offering of prasad. Devotees are scheduled to return to Tikker on 18th September to begin preparations for the Sharda Ashtami celebrations, which will include a Maha Aarti, Sharda Abhishek, Vedic chanting, a talk on the life of Swami Nand Lal Ji, and the formal conclusion of the yatra (Yatra Sampan). After decades, the same sacred Mukut is now set to be reinstalled at the Sharda Mandir in Tikker on the 19 th September. The organisers have extended an open invitation to devotees and well-wishers of the land to join the pilgrimage - to walk together, remember together, and help preserve the spiritual heritage that Swami Nand Lal Ji devoted his life to nurture. (The Author is a columnist)

When Students Speak, Governments Must Listen: Chhatron Ki Goonj in Jammu & Kashmir

For the youth of Jammu & Kashmir biggest question is no longer what the government promises but is when the promise will finally become an opportunity. Behind every recruitment notification is a young person who has spent months, years, preparing for a competitive examination. Behind every delayed result is a family waiting for financial independence, every cancelled or disputed examination is a generation being asked to start again. And behind every unemployment statistic is a young man or woman wondering how long they must wait before their education translates into a livelihood. This is why Rahul Gandhis Chhatron Ki Goonj initiative, which brings students into a direct conversation on education, recruitment and unemployment, has significance far beyond the political stages of the country. It raises questions that Jammu & Kashmirs political establishment can no longer afford to ignore. The youth of J&K are not demanding special treatment but a system that works, institutions they can trust and an economy that gives education a meaningful destination. At a time when political leaders are often more comfortable unveiling schemes, issuing statements and trading accusations than sitting down with students and listening to them, an initiative centred on the voice of the student offers a necessary challenge to the established style of politics. The real test of any government is not how loudly it speaks about the youth, but how seriously it listens when the youth speaks. For the youth of Jammu & Kashmir, the recruitment question is particularly important because government employment continues to be a one of the most stable and accessible avenues for educated young people. When recruitment is delayed, vacancies remain unfilled or examination processes become uncertain, the consequences are far greater than an administrative inconvenience. A delayed examination can mean another year of preparation, delayed result can mean another year of uncertainty and cancelled examination can mean that months or years of hard work have to begin again. Many students also face an age-related pressure that cannot simply be ignored. A young person may remain eligible for one recruitment cycle but lose that opportunity if the process is repeatedly delayed. The government must therefore establish a clear, annual and publicly accountable recruitment calendar for Jammu & Kashmir. Vacancies should be identified and communicated transparently and examinations should be conducted according to predetermined timelines also results should be declared without unnecessary delay and appointments should follow promptly. Where allegations of malpractice and irregularities arise investigations must be credible, independent and swift, while innocent candidates must not be made to suffer indefinitely. The principle should be simple government must protect both the integrity of the examination and the future of the candidate. Unfortunately, political leadership across the country often remembers students when an election approaches and forgets them once the campaign ends. This is precisely where initiatives such as Chhatron Ki Goonj can create a different political culture. Students do not need leaders who arrive once, make a speech, take photographs and disappear. They need leaders who return, listen, follow up and demand answers until the problem is resolved. In Jammu & Kashmir this type of distinction matters enormously. The larger issue, however, is not simply government recruitment. Jammu & Kashmir needs a comprehensive strategy for education, employment and economic transformation. It is neither realistic nor desirable to suggest that every graduate should depend upon a government job. The objective must be to create an economy in which a young person can choose between public service, private employment, entrepreneurship, research, skilled professions and new sectors of the economy. Our universities and colleges must become centres of opportunity rather than merely institutions that award degrees. Students should have access to modern laboratories, research opportunities, internships, career counselling, technology, industry exposure and entrepreneurship support. Skill development programmes must be judged not by how many certificates they issue but by how many young people actually find sustainable employment afterwards. J&K has enormous potential in tourism, horticulture, agriculture, handicrafts, food processing, information technology, renewable energy, logistics, creative industries and small and medium enterprises. Yet potential alone creates nothing. It must be supported by investment, infrastructure, credit, market access, professional training and predictable policy. A young entrepreneur should not have to spend more energy navigating bureaucracy than building a business. A graduate should not be told that a certificate itself is an achievement when what they desperately need is a livelihood. A modern employment policy for J&K must also recognise regional disparities. Opportunities cannot remain concentrated in a handful of urban centres. Students and young people in remote and rural areas must receive comparable access to education, coaching, digital resources and employment support. There is also a fundamental constitutional dimension to this debate. The promise of India is not simply that every citizen will be allowed to dream; it is that citizens should have a fair and equal opportunity to pursue those dreams. Equality of opportunity must be experienced, not merely quoted. A student from Budgam should believe that merit can take them as far as a student from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi or Indore. A young woman from a rural district should have the same access to educational and professional opportunities as anyone else. A graduate from Jammu should not have to leave home simply because there is no serious employment ecosystem available locally. And a student preparing for a competitive examination should be able to trust the institution conducting it. This is why the political response to student grievances should never be dismissive. When young people ask questions about recruitment, examination integrity, education costs or unemployment, they are not creating problems; they are identifying the problems that governments are responsible for solving. It is particularly disappointing when political leaders respond to such concerns with ridicule, slogans or counter-slogans. Calling a youth campaign a jhooth ki goonj may make for a political soundbite, but it does not answer a single unemployed graduate. If the concerns of students are false, answer them with facts. If they are genuine, answer them with action. The language of democracy should be dialogue, not dismissal. This is also why the absence of sustained student engagement from many political formations deserves criticism. Leadership should not be confined to assemblies, press conferences and election rallies. It must be present in classrooms, universities, coaching centres and communities where young people are actually experiencing the consequences of policy decisions. The youth of Jammu & Kashmir should not have to wait for an election season before someone asks them what they need. Their concerns should be part of governance every day. The real opportunity before the Congress and its leadership, therefore, is to transform the spirit of Chhatron Ki Goonj into a sustained national and J&K-specific movement for educational opportunity, transparent recruitment and dignified employment. Jammu & Kashmir should have its own structured student dialogue, involving universities, colleges, professional institutions, young graduates and aspirants preparing for competitive examinations. Their concerns should be documented district by district and converted into a concrete J&K Youth Employment and Education Charter with measurable commitments, a transparent recruitment calendar, time-bound filling of vacancies, safeguards for examination integrity, support for students affected by cancelled examinations, stronger public universities, affordable professional education, expanded career and skill programmes, entrepreneurship support and a deliberate strategy to attract private investment and create jobs across the Union Territory. Most importantly, there must be a culture of accountability in which governments are judged by outcomes rather than announcements. Jammu & Kashmirs youth do not need pity, political tokenism or another round of empty assurances. They need a fair system in which hard work has meaning. They need leaders who will stand with them when cameras are absent, when examinations are delayed, when recruitment processes stall and when a young graduate is wondering whether to continue preparing or abandon the dream altogether. Rahul Gandhis Chhatron Ki Goonj can become the beginning of that conversation. From Indore to Jammu & Kashmir, the message should be unmistakable: students are not merely the future of India but are citizens of India today, and their voices deserve to shape the policies that determine their tomorrow. Let their concerns be heard, let governments be held accountable, and let the politics of promises finally give way to the politics of performance. J&Ks youth are not asking for favours. They are asking for opportunity, equality, dignity and a fair chance to build their own future. That is not too much to ask from a democracy. It is the very least it owes them. (The Author is the Central Kashmir head of the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association, a UPSC educator and a political analyst)

Hegseth Survived, For Now: Mike Johnson Flees Impeachment Clash; Trump Faces Iran War Revolt

Pete Hegseth has survived an immediate impeachment showdown but the fight is far from over. House Speaker Mike Johnson cancelled votes and sent lawmakers home as Republican Rep. Thomas Massies impeachment push against the defense secretary threatened to force a politically explosive House vote.Massies move has opened a fresh Republican rebellion over the Iran war, with critics accusing Hegseth of violating congressional war powers and demanding accountability. Democrats quickly accused Johnson and GOP leaders of running from the vote, turning the Hegseth fight into another major pressure point for Donald Trump and his war strategy.

Pegula pulls out of Singapore after busy hard-court swing till the US Open

Digital Desk | New York, Sep 17 (IANS) American star Jessica Pegula has decided to skip next week's WTA 500 Singapore Open to recover from the busy campaigns in the hard-court season till the US Open. The Singapore Open and Korea Open, also being played next week, are the first two tournaments of the Asian Swing. They each kick off on September 21 and will run through September 27. Pegula announced her decision to give Singapore a miss on social media, pointing to the physical drain caused by her schedule in the United States. I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from Singapore, Pegula wrote in an Instagram story. After a long and physically demanding few weeks at the US Open, I'm just not quite ready to get back on court and compete at the level I expect from myself. I was really looking forward to playing in Singapore and hope I can come back in the future, she wrote in her post. It was quite a busy time in the hard-court swing for Pegula, currently at a career-high No. 3 in the WTA Rankings. She reached finals in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, with a run to the Round of 16 in Toronto sandwiched in between, before reaching the semifinals of the US Open for the second straight year. The 32-year-old went 15-4 in win/loss ratio during the American hard-court swing, and her 50 wins lead the WTA Tour. She's also currently third on the Race to the WTA Finals leaderboard, with 5,825 points. Pegula is still scheduled to play the China Open, the first of back-to-back WTA 1000s, at the end of the month. Pegula was going to be the top seed in Singapore. It will now be World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva. The 28-player field also includes Top 20 players Amanda Anisimova and Alexandra Eala. Maja Chwalinska, Elise Mertens, Barbora Krejcikova and Maria Sakkari will also be in the draw.

Narendra Modi daily routine: What Prime Minister's habits reveal about his journey

Narendra Modi's daily routine, personal habits: PM Narendra Modi's journey reflects discipline and enduring interests shaping his public persona. Yoga remains a consistent morning routine, strengthening his body and mind daily. Early responsibilities and RSS work instilled a demanding schedule and long working hours. Reading and writing are lifelong passions, influencing his communication and public engagements. Service over personal achievement guides his approach to governance and public life.

10 Years of Pink: Taapsee Pannu recalls choosing Minal Arora; says, Only I will do this film now

Taapsee Pannu is looking back at one of the most significant films of her career as Pink completes 10 years. Released in 2016, the Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury directorial featured Taapsee as Minal Arora, a young woman whose story becomes central to the films exploration of consent and societal attitudes. At the time, Taapsee had already begun attracting attention for taking on varied roles in Hindi cinema. Following her appearance in Baby, the actor recalled feeling the pressure of choosing a project that would build on the response to her earlier work. Pink eventually became the project that caught her attention almost immediately after she heard the script. She recalled saying, After Baby, there was a lot of pressure on me about what I was going to do next. In the first few Hindi films that I did, there was so much versatility in the characters I played that people were always curious about what I would take up next. There was this pressure that my next project had to be really good, and one step ahead of Baby. So, when Pink came my way, I heard the script and immediately found it interesting. The film was set in Delhi, and the makers had seen my work, so they called me and asked if I would be interested in doing it. Interestingly, they also asked me whether I thought a film like this should be made. As an audience member, I said, Definitely. Being a girl from Delhi, I genuinely wondered why nobody was making a film about an issue like this. So, when they asked me, I said, Yes, why not? I very authoritatively said, Only I will do this film now. And the rest is in front of you. Pink went on to become an important title in Taapsees filmography, with her performance as Minal receiving attention alongside the films subject and ensemble cast. The film also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang in key roles. A decade later, Taapsee continues to take on characters across different genres. Her recent work includes Gandhari, in which she plays Bani, a mother searching for her kidnapped daughter. The Netflix film has also reached audiences internationally, with the film reportedly trending across more than 70 countries. From Minal in Pink to Bani in Gandhari, Taapsees recent career has continued to include roles centred on emotionally demanding characters and stories. As Pink marks 10 years, her recollection of choosing the film offers a look back at the decision that became an important chapter in her journey in Hindi cinema. Also Read: Taapsee Pannu REACTS to Kirti Kulharis sidelined claim during Pink promotions: I cant discard her feelings

Gukesh, Sarin Lead India To Win At Chess Olympiad Opener

The Indian men's chess team, led by D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, and Vidit Gujrathi, secured a 3-1 victory over Thailand in their opening match at the 46th World Chess Olympiad, despite Arjun Erigaisi's unexpected loss. The Indian women's team achieved a commanding 4-0 win against the Dominican Republic, with Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal, and B Savitha Shri all registering wins.

CoMSO draws red line on UCC:

Shillong, Sep 16: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) has fired a strong salvo against the proposed Uniform Civil Code rollout in NDA-ruled states, demanding Meghalaya be kept out. In representations to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, CoMSO questioned under what constitutional mechanism the Centre proposes to apply UCC [] The post CoMSO draws red line on UCC: Political alliances cannot override Sixth Schedule first appeared on Highland Post .

Jail jammer issue: Advocates to stage protest during Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru

Advocates associated with the Mangaluru Bar Association will stage a protest in front of the Praja Soudha at Padil during the Cabinet meeting on Friday, demanding that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar direct the Mangaluru district prison authorities to remove the phone jammer at the jail.

Man Dies in Boudh Road Accident, Outraged Locals Block Traffic Demanding Action

A 35-year-old man, Tuna Nag from Bhaliapadar village, died in a road accident in Kantamal, in Boudh district, leaving the local area in deep mourning. The fatal mishap triggered intense anger among family members and villagers over growing road safety concerns. Demanding adequate financial compensation for the grieving family and strict action against those responsible, [] The post Man Dies in Boudh Road Accident, Outraged Locals Block Traffic Demanding Action appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .

CPI Demands Reversal of UPI Transaction Fee Decision

The CPI has criticized the governments decision to impose fees on UPI transactions, calling it anti-people and demanding its immediate withdrawal. CPI Demands Reversal of UPI Transaction Fee Decision

Higher Up The Order, I Get A Bit Giddy: Renshaw After Maiden ODI Ton

ICC World Test Championship: After scoring his first international century in almost 10 years to help Australia beat Zimbabwe, Matt Renshaw admitted he might not have made his first ODI century had he opened the batting for Australia against Zimbabwe. Renshaw smashed his maiden ODI century as Australia amassed 294/8 in the series opener, and a five-wicket haul from Nathan Ellis ensured Zimbabwe were bowled out for just 235 in reply at the Harare Sports Club. It was Renshaw's first international century since his only previous hundred, which came against Pakistan in a Test match in Sydney at the start of 2017, ending a drought of almost 10 years. Higher up the order I get a bit giddy, Renshaw was quoted by ABC News. For me, my tempo when I come in the middle overs is just trying to hit the gaps, hit where the fielders aren't. Came to bat at No. 6, the left-hander navigated a spin assault, shepherding Australia's middle and lower order to a commanding total on a far-from-flat wicket. With spin being a very big factor in that middle period I see it as my strength. I really understood my role. It made it really simple for me, he added. Renshaw's century made him the first Aussie to score an ODI century batting at No. 6 or lower since Glenn Maxwell's unforgettable unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, as the left-hander attempts to establish himself as a three-format player in the latter stages of his career. He is set to win a place in the playing XI for next month's ICC World Test Championship series in South Africa after being added to the 16-player squad. Even if Rabada misses some or all of the series through injury, Australia could field a threatening seam attack, with Renshaw on the front line. Renshaw's century made him the first Aussie to score an ODI century batting at No. 6 or lower since Glenn Maxwell's unforgettable unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, as the left-hander attempts to establish himself as a three-format player in the latter stages of his career. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories (But) the mindset going in will be quite similar to what I bring in white-ball. That brings the best out of my movements. So I'll probably have to, when time suits, hit some red balls at some point during these six ODIs. But batting, I think if you're in a good rhythm, just trying to get as much rhythm as you can before that that Test series. There's five (ODIs) still to go before that. Article Source: IANS

President's diplomatic menu gets Himachali flavour with traditional hill cuisines

Digital Desk | Shimla, Sep 16 (IANS) Indias diplomatic dining experience at Rashtrapati Bhavan is set to acquire a distinct Himachali touch, with traditional cuisines from the Himalayan state -- with a touch of nature's earthiness and the unmistakable aroma of guchhi, one of the worlds most prized morel mushrooms grown in high mountains -- being introduced to the menu for visiting dignitaries and elite guests after a special culinary training programme conducted by a government chef from Himachal Pradesh. Acclaimed chef Nand Lal Sharma, Consultant (Food and Beverage) with Himachal Tourism and President of the Himachal Chef Association, was invited by the Presidents Secretariat to train cooks at Rashtrapati Bhavan in authentic Himachali cuisines. During his week-long stay, he showcased traditional dishes from the Kangra and Mandi regions, highlighting the culinary heritage of the hills through recipes rooted in local ingredients, slow-cooking techniques and generations-old traditions. The most popular dham, a multi-course traditional saatvik (vegetarian) feast served by sitting together on the ground on special occasions like weddings and festivals and eating without forks or spoons, is prepared by Bhotis, the Brahmin chefs who have traditionally been cooking for generations. Most of the utensils used for cooking are made from copper or brass. For us, Himachali food is soul-rooted in Himalayan cultures and preserving its authenticity, as every dish has its meaning, and then showcasing culinary diversity of the mountain communities on the diplomatic table is the aim of my Rashtrapati Bhavans visit, Sharma told IANS in an interview on Wednesday. He cooked lip-smacking and mouth-watering recipes of the Kangra and Mandi regions, popularly known as Kangri and Mandiali dishes, during his weeklong stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Sharma, the President of the Himachal Chef Association, said that during his stay in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the food is served on pattals (broad leaves of a tree); rice first and then a round of other items. According to him, he also got an opportunity to train one personal chef of President Droupadi Murmu, besides three others. Sharma, who got an opportunity to interact with the President, said she liked the gucchi recipe most. Gucchi, or Morchella Esculenta, is a mushroom variety that grows naturally on snowy slopes. In Himachal Pradesh, gucchi is grown in dense deodar forests mainly in the interiors of Shimla, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts. Since its trade is not regulated by the government, there is no estimation about its overall production. Villagers have permission from the Forest Department to collect gucchi, which falls under the category of minor forest produce. The Presidents office, in a missive to the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director on July 16, asked him to depute Sharma to train cooks at Rashtrapati Bhavan in local and Himachali cuisines. During the recent visit of the Honourable President of India to Mashobra, Shimla, it was found that Shri Nand Lal Sharma has great expertise in local cuisines and the Honourable President of India was highly appreciative of this, reads the letter. For me it was a profound honour and, of course, a truly humbling experience to showcase our food cultures that will help connect communities across the Himalayan state, Sharma told IANS. In Himachal, the main course of Mandiali dishes comprises rajmah, kale chane ka khatta (sour), maa ki dal cooked in spices with generous amounts of desi ghee, karahi, sepu vadi, kaddu (red pumpkin) ka mitha (sweet) and a bowl of rice. The traditional multi-course meal of the Kangra Valley has mandra (spiced vegetable and yoghurt curry), mahni (spicy sweet and sour curry), maah, chana dal (split Bengal gram with fennel seeds), budane ka mitha (sweet), rainthla (date and spinach curry) and rice. Meethe chawal, or sweet-spiced fragrant rice, is a common dessert in Kangra. Sharma, the former chief chef at Hotel Holiday Home in Shimla, said the President, who relishes only a vegetarian diet without onion and garlic, liked bathu ki kheer, a special dessert prepared with chenopodium seeds grown in high reaches, milk and sugar. Also, the President liked the classic dish sepu vadi -- urad dal dumplings fried and then simmered in curd gravy. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

Vice-President Radhakrishnan to lead Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations

Digital Desk | Hyderabad, Sep 16 (IANS) Vice-President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan will be hoisting the National Flag at Secunderabad Parade Grounds here on Thursday to mark Hyderabad Liberation Day. Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan will be the chief guest at this years event. He will review the parade by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Central ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, G. Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and others will attend the event, which will also feature cultural programmes. It was on September 17, 1948, that the then Hyderabad State was annexed into the Indian Union. For the fifth consecutive year, the Centre is organising Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations. Like the last few years, the Central and Telangana governments will celebrate the day with different themes. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will unfurl the National Flag at the main event to be held at the Public Garden in Hyderabad. For the third year in a row, the state government is celebrating it as 'Telangana Praja Palana Dinotsavam (people's governance day)'. State ministers, government advisors, and key representatives will hoist the National Flag and take the salute at the official celebrations in all 32 district headquarters. The National Flag will also be unfurled at all government offices, urban local bodies, and gram panchayats. While the earlier Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government celebrated September 17 as 'National Integration Day' in 2022 and 2023, Congress, which came to power in December 2023, decided to celebrate the occasion as Praja Palana Dinotsavam'. In 2022, the Union Ministry of Culture started organising the celebrations in Hyderabad on September 17. In 2024, the BJP-led government at the Centre decided to celebrate September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day. It issued a gazette notification, mentioning that Hyderabad did not get independence for 13 months after India's Independence on August 15, 1947 and continued to be under the Nizam's rule. In 2022 and 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unfurled the national flag at Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations. Union Coal and Mines Minister Kishan Reddy led the celebrations in 2024, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the chief guest in 2025. The BJP has long been demanding an official celebration of September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day. Earlier, in united Andhra Pradesh and later in Telangana, the party used to organise protests demanding that the government officially organise the celebrations. Successive governments, however, avoided official celebrations in view of the objections from Muslim organisations, which claimed that a massacre took place in the name of 'Police Action' as 'Operation Polo' was popularly known. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and other parties strongly opposed the celebrations on the grounds that the entire India has one Independence Day. Accusing the BJP of giving communal colour to the issue, then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in 2023 decided to celebrate September 17 as National Integration Day. AIMIM also changed its strategy and celebrated it as National Integration Day. Last year, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invited Union Ministers Amit Shah, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kishan Reddy, and Minister of State Bandi Sanjay Kumar to attend 'Praja Palana Dinotsavam' to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival and heralding of democracy on Hyderabad soil. The BJP leaders, however, rejected the invitation. Kishan Reddy wrote that he cannot be part of an insincere ritual that blatantly attempts to erase the truth from the people.

Raveena Tandon: Apart from Lolo and me, dont think anyone else pairs up with Govinda as brilliantly

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 16 (IANS) Actress Raveena Tandon has spoken about reminiscing her iconic on-screen pairing with Govinda and said that apart from Karisma Kapoor and her, she doesnt think anyone else pairs up with the star as brilliantly Raveena, who will feature as a special guest in the show Indias Best Dancer Season 5 semi-final episode, will be seen reminiscing about her on-screen pairing with Govinda and the interesting story behind the 1998 film Dulhe Raja. During a conversation with host Harssh Limbachiyaa in the upcoming episode, Raveena recalls how she and Govinda had signed films together earlier, but things did not work out. However, a trip to Calcutta for a store opening led to an unexpected conversation with Govinda, who suggested that they should do a film together. The two then visited a temple before beginning work on Dulhe Raja. Raveena said in a statement: Ji actually kahani aisi thi ki Chichi aur mera kahin na kahin humne filmein sign ki thi lekin woh work out nahi ho rahi thi, something or the other was not working out toh fir ek aisa hua ki hum Calcutta gaye the store opening ke liye toh Chichi ne bola yaar Raveena kuch toh karna chahiye humein ek film karni chahiye saath mein, meri ek film hai chal hum log pehle mandir chalte hain fir hum log Kali Mata Rani ke mandir gaye waha pe subah-subah 5:30 baje pooja ki aur phir aaye and next day we started Dulhe Raja and it worked out so well for us (sic). (The story was that Chichi Govinda and I had signed films together at some point, but they werent working out. Something or the other would always go wrong. Then, one time, we went to Calcutta for a store opening. Chichi said, Raveena, we should do something together. We should make a film together. I have a filmcome, lets first go to the temple. So we went to the Kali Mata temple, offered prayers early in the morning at around 5:30, and then came back. The very next day, we started Dulhe Raja, and it worked out so well for us.) Speaking about her equation with Govinda, Raveena added: And I think dekha jaaye toh Chichi ji ke saath aaj bhi jab baat hoti hai toh besides Lolo and me I dont think we pair up anyone else that brilliantly with Chichi. (And if you look at it, even today, whenever I talk to Chichi ji, apart from Lolo and me, I dont think anyone else pairs up with Chichi as brilliantly.) Sense of dancing, unki sense of timing, unki sense of comedy main toh logon ko bolti hoon, comedy timing toh maine Chichi se hi sikhi hai. (His sense of dancing, his sense of timing, his sense of comedyI tell people that I actually learned comic timing from Chichi.) Raveena also recalls how their love for dance turned into a playful challenge while shooting their song Ladka Deewana Lage. She said, Toh ye jo gaana tha ye actually is gaane se start kiya aur jo aap dekhenge ek shot hum ek dusre ko dekhte hain aur meri aur Chichi ki itni hansi nikal rahi thi na (So, this song was actually where it all started. In one shot, when you see the two of us looking at each other, we were laughing so much) Because that was a first time we could see both of us used to love dancing and hum log literally dancing mein ek dusre ko challenge kar rahe hain ki tu better shot dega ki mai better shot dungi so we used to be like that toh vo gaane mai hi hamarai jo tuning bethi uske baad lagataar Garib, Dariya Gyarah picture ki saat mai. (Because it was the first time we realized that we both loved dancing. We were literally challenging each other through our dancing Will you give the better shot, or will I? Thats how we used to be.) (The chemistry and understanding we developed while doing that song continued afterward, and we went on to work together in Gair, Dariya Dil, Gharana, and Aunty No. 1.) Indias Best Dancer Season 5 airs on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.

Ton-Up Harry Brook Leads From Front As England Hammer Sri Lanka In 1st T20I

Harry Brook's 114 not out and a typically dashing 80 from former captain Jos Buttler powered England to a commanding total of 254-4.

Jindal Supreme IPO opens today; GMP signals 29% potential listing gain. Check key details

Jindal Supreme IPO opens today, September 16, and will remain open until September 18. The issue comprises a fresh issue of Rs 99.89 crore and an OFS of Rs 24.99 crore. The IPO is commanding a GMP of around 29% ahead of opening, while allotment is expected on September 21 and listing on NSE and BSE on September 23.

You buy the village back: Former CEO explains the hidden cost of raising children in Bengaluru, Gurugram and Pune

Former CEO Aditya Kulkarni described modern parenting in Indian metros as a well furnished prison, arguing that families have lost the village-like support once provided by neighbours and grandparents. Parents now pay for nannies, daycare and other services while managing demanding careers. He said every arrangement comes with a cost, whether money, career, parental presence or retirement, leaving families with difficult trade-offs.

Noakhali Jubo League president arrested in anti-terrorism case

Police say he is also accused of financing a flash procession demanding Sheikh Hasina